Sr Joan Yates - Overseas Director

Sr. Joan met Fr. Kakuba at the Chaplaincy when she was a lecturer at Bristol University, where he had gone for a year as a mature student to do an MA in Theology.

When Fr. Kakuba returned to Uganda in December 1983 the country was in a state of war with President Obote in charge so communication was more or less non-existent. They did stay in touch, however, and in 1986 when Museveni overthrew Obote, Fr. Kakuba asked if Sr. Joan would help him rebuild the area we now name The Kanyike Project. She agreed to do it for three years! Sr. Joan went out to Uganda to visit Fr Kakuba and his family in 1988.

Sr. Joan's role at this stage was just fund-raising to help achieve what Fr. Kakuba along with the Project Co-ordinator and the village community saw as important.  This originally involved raising about £300 per year. 

As time went on the Kanyike Project became recognised officially by the District Local Council and Sr Joan then had to have the official title of Overseas Director of the Project. and Fr. Kakuba named CEO. In September 2001 It became an NGO (Non-Government Organisation) in Uganda which is comparable to a Registered Charity in UK. Sr. Joan then became a Trustee of the Project now known as KAINSUDE (Kanyike Initiative for Sustainable Development) as well as retaining the title of Overseas Director. A Board of Trustees was set up in Uganda with Fr. Kakuba as CEO. 

Sr. Joan now needs to raise at least £60,000 per year as well as staying in touch with all our valued supporters. Since her first visit to Uganda in the '80s she has been out every two years for around 5 weeks at a time.