October 27, 2017 Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

By Lindsay Marcaccio, Communications Intern

Allan Ssemugenyi (BSW ’12) was selected to be featured in I Am London’s 2015 campaign. He was presented with a certificate at a celebration held Thursday, October 12, 2017.

I am London is a campaign created by London and Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership (LMLIP) to strengthen a sense of community for newcomers to London. “It celebrates successful immigrants who have chosen to call London their home. They are proud and engaged members of our community who want to share their inspirational stories with other Londoners,” states the I am London website. Ssemugenyi was a prime candidate who checked off all of the required boxes. 

Sseemugenyi came to Canada in 2002 with his wife, Maggie, in search of a safe and stable environment to raise their family in. People were warm and welcoming to the young couple when they arrived. Ssemugenyi spent time volunteering with children’s organizations in order to become involved in the community and overcome the language barrier. He wanted to help children have a better experience than he did.

His childhood was fraught with violence, illness and poverty. Inspired by his experience, the couple started a registered charity in 2007 called ChildLife Network International (CNI). CNI addresses the dire conditions facing children in Uganda, hoping to provide them with skills to increase their chances of survival and success. "If you start with kids, and they know that this is not the right way to go, that they don't have to fuel violence, they don't have to fuel corruption," Ssemugenyi said.

Ssemugenyi graduated from King’s in 2012 with a Bachelor of Social Work degree.  His career path has led him to St. Leonard’s Community Service where he is currently employed as a Justice Worker.

With a population becoming increasingly diverse, with people escaping violent and desperate conditions, it is more important than ever to treat each other with respect and as human beings. Ssemugenyi says, “It doesn’t matter if someone is down on the floor or up at City Hall, that if we treat them as human beings, we emphasize our whole community. It doesn’t matter where someone comes from.” 

It is easy to understand why Ssemugenyi was chosen to be a story told in The I Am London campaign.  Visit the I Am London webpage or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter

Learn more about the School of Social Work at King's.