A Bit of Information About Us

Doug, JoEllyn and Alyssa live and work at Uganda Christian University in Mukono, Uganda.  Sent from Truro Church (Fairfax, VA), the Fountains have lived in Uganda since 2004 . 

Doug ( CLOAKING ) is a research and management specialist.  From 1989 to 2001, he participated in and led research, evaluation and management consulting projects within US Public Health settings.  He has worked for Research Triangle Institute, the Lewin Group, and Caliber Associates.  He specialized in developing program evaluations, performance measurement systems, economic analyses and project administration.  From 2001-2003, Doug was Executive Director of the Institute for Environmental Innovation which managed a community-based reforestation and sustainable agriculture program in Tanzania better known as The International Small Group and Tree Planting Program (TIST).  Since coming to UCU, Doug helped found the Department of Health Science, launched programs in nursing and public health, launced UCU's HIV/AIDS Initiative.  He wrote the Strategic Plan for the Anglican Church of the Congo's HIV and Health programmes, and wrote UCU's Strategic Plan.   Doug holds aMaster's in Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

JoEllyn ( CLOAKING ) is a PhD-educated Political Scientist.  She served at Truro Church in several leadership roles, including serving as Administrator of Truro's large Preschool program.   Currently she is Director of Financial Aid and coordinates scholarships and sponsorships for approximately 10% of UCU students - over 800 in 2008/9.  She is a member of the Advisory Board of Compassion International's Leadership Development Program.  JoEllyn has also taught Uganda Politics to American study-abroad students through the popular Uganda Studies Program.  JoEllyn holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with majors in Comparative Politics, International Relations, and International Economics.

Alyssa ( CLOAKING ) is an accomplished cross-cultural communicator!  She has friends in countries now spanning 4 continents and thrives in relationship-based societies.   Home schooled for 3 years in Africa, she is now a high school student at Kampala International School of Uganda (KISU) where she has many friends and does well in her studies, despite long commutes to and from school each day. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

A Day in the Life of the Fountains

We usually are up and at it by 5:30am, preparing for school.  We run Alyssa to school, then pick up UCU workers on the way back to campus.  We work - meetings, phone calls, and lots of documents and spreadsheets.  Just like in the US.  Then we try to sort out how to eat lunch and dinner in a society with no processed foods, where everything is done from scratch - NOT like the US!  Fortunately we have a helper who sweeps the daily accomulations of dust, line dries then irons our clothes, and washes dishes.  Evenings are frequently filled with friends, visitors, or just playing games with each other or with neighbors, or (when the power is on) putting on a DVD.

Convenience in Life

One can forget how easy regular electricity, water, internet, and fuel supplies make life!   Here electricity goes off frequently and sporadically, sometimes up to several hours or a few days at at ime.  So, we cook on an all gas cooker (stove).  Water occasionally is out for a day or more.  To clean it, we put it through filters specially designed to filter bacteria and other nasties.  Internet is slow - but we are among the incredibly fortunate to live on a campus that provides any internet at all!  Roads are terrible but fuel shortages that keep us off the roads are even worse!  Sometimes deliveries of fuel are caught up in Kenya, and Uganda and much of central Africa suffer. 

In all, life is great, challenging, entertaining, sometimes all "at a go" (yeah that's British for all at once).