okere city 2019-2024 impact report

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In mid-2018, I could never have imagined that what began as a deeply personal journey to reconnect with my ancestral home would evolve into what we now know as Okere City. My initial dream was modest: to make my ancestral compound more livable and meaningful for my family. Having been uprooted from my birthplace as an infant—just six months old when my father was killed during Uganda’s insurgency—I yearned to rediscover my roots and reclaim my cultural identity.

Simple acts such as widening the grass yard, installing solar lights, and drilling a borehole quickly drew the attention of neighbors. Before long, these small efforts became a spark. I began to ask myself difficult but necessary questions: What is the value of my comfort if those around me continue to struggle? How might I use my resources, talents, and networks to help build something greater than myself? Those questions gave birth to a bold idea: to reimagine the rural dream. I remember telling an elder, “We will build a sustainable rural city here. People should not have to travel far and wide in search of opportunities. If we create opportunities at home, our people can thrive right here.” It was a radical vision, but one grounded in the belief that dignity and prosperity should not be reserved only for urban spaces. Drawing from my experience as a development worker, I knew this dream could not be mine alone. It had to belong to the community. Trust became our most important currency. I listened. I engaged. I entrusted responsibilities to those often overlooked. I humbled myself to learn from the very people I hoped to serve. Together, we laid foundations—both literal and symbolic. We built classrooms and community halls while planting trees and growing food. Each day, we worked with the conviction that the sacrifices we made today would carve out a brighter future for our children.

Five years later, that conviction has borne fruit. With an investment of just about half a million dollars, Okere City has touched the lives of more than 10,000 rural dwellers. From providing education and healthcare to creating jobs and nurturing hope, our journey has been one of resilience and unwavering commitment.

This report tells the story of that journey. It captures both the measurable impact and the intangible transformations that have taken root in our community. None of this would have been possible without the support of visionary partners who believed in us when our dream was still just a sketch: the Segal Family Foundation, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Stanbic Bank, CivFund, Otuke District Local Government, Future Generations Foundation, Hope Smiles, and the PBE Foundation. Your faith has enabled us to redefine what is possible in rural Uganda.

As we look ahead to the next five years, our mission remains clear: to continue building dignified lives and sustainable futures in Otuke. In doing this, we will undoubtedly emerge as a leading experimental SDGs/Smart/Eco village model for Africa by 2030.

Ojok Okello, Founder & and ; CEO, Okere City