So, we should not only mourn her passing, but commemorate and indeed celebrate the life of Nakajjigo, Uganda’s women and girls’ ambassador. Essie had dedicated her life to supporting the vulnerable and most underprivileged people in society – especially the youth.
Essie’s outstanding service for underprivileged members of the community, even at personal sacrifice, can be traced way back to when she used her personal resources to establish the Princess Diana Health Centre III in Makindye.
The centre provides free adolescent health and reproductive health services to young people. In the following years, and often with unspeakable difficulty, Essie traversed the country, reaching some of the remotest corners of Uganda, sensitising girls and boys on the risks of teenage pregnancy and creating opportunities for teenage mothers so they could have a second chance in life.
One outstanding achievement of Essie’s work I recall is the “Saving innocence challenge,” a reality TV show that saw girls from well-off families go on an expedition to experience the reality of their underprivileged peers and seek to transform the lives of these disadvantaged girls.
As part of the “Saving innocence challenge,” Essie shone a light on the shocking situation of teenage girls in the Kalangala islands who, out of socio-economic vulnerability, engage in what is dubbed “sex for fish,” an exploitative practice resulting in teenage pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections and abject poverty.
Based on her outstanding work in Uganda, Essie was selected as one of only 16 young leaders worldwide to participate in the 2018 European Development Days (EDD) organised by the EU institutions in Brussels, Belgium.
At that meeting, she presented on the topic of “Women and Girls on the Move: Towards Safer Work and Migration for Women” alongside the executive director of UN Women, the deputy director general of IOM and other dignitaries.
I recall sitting with Esther at a joint press conference prior to her departure to Brussels, and her message was clear, “we all have a role to play in creating a safer working environment for women and migrant workers.” I followed her excellent presentation during the events in Brussels, and we later addressed another joint press conference on her return.
At a tender age, Essie travelled across many countries of the world, and spoke to powerful people way beyond her age and authority, yet she remained steadfast and her message was always clear.
She would speak with passion and conviction and always won admiration of those that listened to her. Her purpose and mission in life was to make life better for the less privileged – the youth and, especially, young girls in difficult situations.
The challenges she addressed were exceptionally grim, but Essie was on a mission. I sometimes wondered if Essie had herself chosen this work, or if it was rather a calling for her. She had this sense of duty about her that did not seem to allow her to even consider investing less time and energy in her work.
I remember one occasion where she asked for my help to facilitate the rapid issuing of a visa. She was out of the country, and would come back to Kampala for a couple of days only before flying off to yet another international gathering somewhere. She could not afford to spend the normal time waiting for the visa to be issued. She had things to do, places to go, people to convince to throw their weight behind protecting and empowering women and girls.
We often say she worked tirelessly, but it must have been tiring at times. Even for Essie. Essie challenged us. She challenged the status quo. She challenged a Ugandan society where far too many people still do not regard girls as equal. She challenged the public administration that was unable to provide the services that need to be offered to young Ugandans.
She challenged the better-off not to look the other way and pretend not to have noticed the plight of the underprivileged.
She also challenged us development partners. At organisations like the European Union, we are used to complex bureaucracies, to endless procedures. Essie did not allow us to be bureaucratic and procedural. She would just insist that something should be possible; and indeed we often found a way to somehow assist her in her work.
Although young in age, Essie presented herself with a maturity well beyond her age. She had achieved what most of us, way beyond her age, can only dream to achieve. She touched many lives – those who benefited immediately from the services she facilitated, such as at the Princess Diana Health Centre III, but also those who she won over as fellow advocates for the causes that were dear to her.
I am one of those who became an advocate for her causes. So, we need to continue to be inspired by Essie, and to pursue her cause. This is what I challenge all of you, all of us, today.
At the European Union delegation to Uganda, we will miss Essie’s passion, her determination, and courage to transform lives, especially of the young people, but most importantly, her passion to make Uganda safer for women and girls. The cause she stood for and the challenges she confronted are as real today as they were yesterday. I encourage young people to emulate Essie and carry her legacy forward.
On behalf of the EU delegation, and EU member states represented in Uganda, I convey our deepest condolences to Essie’s family and friends for the sad loss. In honour of her work and her legacy, the EU pledges to support the rehabilitation and re-equipping of the Princess Diana Health Centre III.
Who was Nakajjigo?
On June 13, the bright candle of Esther Nakajjigo suddenly burned out at just 23 years after a freak accident in the USA.
Renowned for her activism for women and girls’ rights, Nakajjigo was the face of Saving Innocence Challenge, a reality TV show addressing concerns about teenage pregnancy. She was European Commission Young Leader and the United States Department of State Young African Leader, a member of the Women Ambassadors’ Forum in Dallas, Texas, and a Youth Expert at the African Union-European Union Youth Cooperation Hub in Addis Ababa as well as being a Commonwealth Youth Trainer.
Nakajjigo achieved several recognitions including a Geneva Women’s World Summit prize as well as the 2018 Luff Peace Fellowship winner at Watson Institute in the USA.
At the time of her death, she was working at the Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as a non-employee associate in the international programs.
After the return of her body on August 23, Nakajjigo will be laid to rest this Wednesday August 26 at Bulegeya, Kyanamukaaka, Masaka.
May the soul of Essie rest in eternal peace.
The author is acting head of Cooperation at the European Union Delegation to Uganda.