Hands down, the American-Norwegian, Stan Burkey, is still the most influential teacher in Uganda. Through his profoundly successful Change Agent Training (CAT) Program, which he design inspired by the writings of Paulo Freire’s “Pedagogy of the Oppressed.”
And, subsequently, lessons learned from implementation, which he memorialized in his book:” People First: A Guide to Self-Reliant, Participatory Rural Development.” With an 85 percent star rating current on the reputable online platforms “goodreads.com.”
I was privileged to work alongside him and to learn directly from him working with him implementing the CAT Program in Uganda – first under Quaker Service Norway and then Uganda Change Agent Association.
Read more in “How I got my first full-time paid ‘white-collar’ job”
It is from him that I learn financial management on the job! Learning double-entry booking and the importance of regularly generating financial reports of all kinds and to use them for decision making.
This is no rare achievement as many of my colleagues, senior executives of nonprofits, are insufficiently endowed with financial management skills. A status that generates significant challenges for them in governing.
Burkey is retired and still lives in Uganda.

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