Although the earliest medieval universities began as teaching-only institutions, the university as an institution has since experienced revolutions in the way its functions are conceived. Currently, the university embraces three functions: teaching, research and community engagement. Although the teaching and research functions of the university are much more established than its third function, the importance of community engagement is acknowledged in the academic literature and, to varying degrees, by governments, higher education agencies and universities. For example, a review of the mission statements of Ugandan universities shows that, besides teaching and research, the universities aspire to contribute to the socio-economic transformation of society. Unfortunately, such assertions reveal little about the actual commitment of the universities to community engagement because there is a dearth of literature about community engagement at African universities. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to examine the institutional commitment of Ugandan universities to community engagement. However, the discussion will focus on a single university, Makerere University. Data was generated through document reviews and qualitative semi-structured interviews. The review shows that the university (1) recognises community engagement as one of its core functions; (2) has integrated some aspects of community engagement into its curriculum and policies; and (3) has organisational structures and personnel to organise and provide community related activities and services. Nonetheless, community related activities remain largely unsupported and the contributions of the faculty to community engagement are insufficiently rewarded.

Sanitation is a major global challenge that is often addressed at national and international levels, while community opinions and beliefs are neglected. To promote water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) we organized a cross-cultural knowledge exchange workshop to assess participatory methods for engaging local stakeholders. The workshop included 22 participants from all sectors of society. Practical solutions to sanitation challenges were identified and later shared with a local community. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were used to assess impact and showed participatory methods were highly valued to encourage information sharing among widely varied stakeholders, and that video was a particularly successful approach when engaging with local communities. An 8-month follow-up survey of village members revealed excellent information recall, positive behaviour changes and a desire for future visits. Our evidence suggests that community-based participation helped identify solutions to WASH issues affecting rural communities in resource-poor settings. Engaging in a multicultural knowledge-share was particularly valuable as it enabled participants to recognize they have common challenges and allowed them to share low-cost solutions from their different communities. Our use of video was widely viewed as an ideal means of circulating findings, as it communicated information to people with a wide variety of community roles and to all age groups. Its relevance was increased by adopting a culturally appropriate context by involving local communities in workshop activities. We recommend that research in low- and middle-income countries should be mindful of the environmental context in which WASH is implemented, and encourage acceptance by engaging with communities through the use of varied participatory methods.

Although the first private university in Uganda was founded in 1988 and the private university sector has since grown rapidly to become one of the most prominent features of higher education (HE) in Uganda, the contribution of private universities (PUs) to the provision of HE has remained largely unexplored and as such, less understood. The purpose of this paper, then, is to analyse the contribution of PUs to the provision of HE in Uganda, using theories of the non-profit organisations and Geiger's conceptual framework about rationales for growth of the PUs. The paper is based on data that were collected through qualitative interviews conducted in 2008 with six faculty deans from Uganda Christian University (UCU); reviews of paper and web-based documents from the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) and the PUs in Uganda; and reviews of national and internal literature about private higher education (PHE). Data analysis reveals that excess demand for HE, per se, was not responsible for the growth of the PUs in Uganda; instead, it created opportunities for individuals and organisations to establish PUs. Because of their diverse backgrounds and the policy environment in which they exist, PUs undertake various roles in the provision of HE.

Since the establishment of the first university in Europe in the 11th century, the mission of the university has expanded from teaching to teaching, research, and service to, and engagement with, external communities. Although African universities are no exceptions to this mission, their community engagement function has not been fully developed and researched. Accordingly, the aim of this paper is to analyze, and offer suggestions regarding, institutionalization of community engagement at African universities.

Background Although the community health workers’ (CHWs) / volunteer health teams’ (VHTs) work is widely appreciated, some households do resist their interventions, and figures of authority sometimes question their manner and ability. Despite critical shortage of health workers’ world-over, little has been done to explore whether community health workers satisfy the people they serve. To fill this VHT training and support gap, Omni Med Uganda, a local Non-Governmental Organization in Uganda, has been implementing an enhanced hybrid VHT program since 2008. This study aimed at assessing community satisfaction with the CHW activities involved the enhanced CHW program. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study was employed. Qualitative data was collected from 217 participants using semi-structured questionnaires. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, proportions, and means were performed for socio-demographic characteristics, Community satisfaction, and CHW activities. Prevalence Ratios (PR) were used to determine association between Community satisfaction and enhanced CHW activities. Results Majority of the respondents 81.1% (176/217) reported that the performance of the CHWs was satisfactory to maintain their health and that of their families. CHW activities such as confirming sick persons (APR:1.26 :95%CI (1.01–1.44), mobilization for cook stove building, (APR: 1.18: 95%CI (1.04–1.34), and monthly visits at participant’s homes (APR: 1.17: 95%CI (1.01–1.35) were positively associated with community satisfaction. Conclusion Enhancement of CHW activities should be considered during CHW programs. However, CHW performance should also be considered because community satisfaction does not imply high performance by CHWs and adherence to health interventions by the community.