“I enjoy digging in the garden, caring for nature and breeding hens and rabbits”, said Sr. Betty with a loud laugh when I asked her what she did for pure fun. “But I also like singing, drumming and story-telling,” she added, in case I would forget.

Sr. Betty Naggayi is Ugandan, from a village near Masaka in the central region of Uganda. The middle child in a family of seven siblings, three brothers and three sisters, you could say she learnt community life from a young age.

Sr. Betty joined MMM twice. The first time was after she had worked for six months as a licenced primary school teacher, while waiting for the results of her advanced school certificate. She only stayed a few months and left before reception into Novitiate, to train as an enrolled nurse. The second time was after her nurse training. She worked as a nurse in the out-patient department of the same hospital before readmission to the postulancy program.

The idea of a religious vocation started early. Her mother was a good friend of a Sister from a local Congregation and they used to visit her often after Mass on Sundays. Betty could not get over how good and kind she was to people who were not even related to her. Could she not do the same?

After her initial formation period, Betty upgraded her nursing to registered nurse level, did midwifery training in Kenya and her first assignment was to Malawi and she served at Chipini Health Centre. Since then, she has worked both in Rwanda and Uganda and is currently in South B. Community, Kenya, working in Mukuru slum area, Nairobi.

From her hobbies you would imagine Betty to be outgoing and boisterous, but there is a quiet side to her character too. She is thoughtful, generous and kind and direct in her communications. Life has taught her a lot. She says she has learnt to depend on God’s intervention in every situation that comes her way.