Profile of Dr. Doris Kakuru, Ph.D.
by Dave Tulloch
She was born in Uganda, the third of eight siblings, whose parents were both schoolteachers. Dr. Doris Kakuru excelled in primary school, was the top graduate at her secondary school, and then earned a B.A. in Sociology at Makerere University in Kampala. She later gained a scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in social Anthropology at the University of Bergen in Norway. Subsequently, she completed a Doctorate in social sciences at Wageningen University in the Netherlands in only three years. This drive towards academic achievement was the norm in the Kakuru family. All eight siblings are university graduates.
After completing her postgraduate studies, Dr. Kakuru, now a wife and mother of three, returned to Uganda to continue her career at Makerere University, and later moved to the Uganda Technology and Management University as an Associate Professor in Childhood Studies. She enjoyed her work but became frustrated by the lack of advancement opportunities, which were even more acute for professional women in the post-colonial, male-dominant Ugandan culture.
In 2018, Dr Kakuru left her job and immigrated to Canada with her three teenage sons to join her twin sister, Doreen, in Ottawa. But despite her stellar academic credentials, she initially had difficulty landing a job that leveraged her abilities. “I did some survivor jobs, I worked in a store, and then I worked as a research assistant… for three months”. Her sons were also enrolled in school. The two eldest sons started at Carleton University, while the youngest continued high school.
Just a few months later, she returned to the academic environment with a signed, renewable one-year contract at Carleton University as a Visiting Research Professor in the Department of Sociology & Anthropology, the Pauline Jewett Institute of Women & Gender Studies, and the Institute of African Studies. Now she saw a clear career path with advancement potential here in Canada, an elusive prospect during her ten years of professorial tenure in her native Uganda. And within months after she had comfortably settled into her professorial role at Carleton University, an opportunity at the University of Victoria’s School of Child and Youth Care arose. This was precisely in line with her area of research and expertise.
Moving to British Columbia posed a significant challenge for Dr. Kakuru and her family. Her sons were progressing well in their respective academic programs in Ottawa; the thought of uprooting them and moving to Canada’s far west was out of the question. She elected to allow the eldest boys to remain in Ottawa, under the guidance of her twin sister and Canadian anchor. At the same time, the youngest would accompany her to Victoria and complete his high school in BC. She also recognized that her role as a distant single mother would not be the best situation for her young adult sons, who needed male role models in proximity. Dr. Kakuru, a devout Christian, consulted with her Pastor, who recommended that she engage her sons with “theCODE”, a Christian-focused boys’ mentoring organization in Ottawa. And once this arrangement was cemented, she headed out west to begin her new assignment at the University of Victoria.
Her academic career immediately took flight. “Doris Kakuru is a Professor in Child and Youth Care at the University of Victoria’s Faculty of Education. She is a leading scholar on African girlhoods. She works on various themes in the broad area of children’s geographies and their bearing on social justice and child protection. Her current work focusses on adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights, young motherhood, and violence against children and youth.” She has amassed an extensive body of research work and publications. She has also authored two books, “The Combat for gender equality in Education” and her recent book, “THE LIFE HISTORY METHOD – Studying People of African Descent,” [https://uwpbooks.com/product/the-life-history-method-studying-people-of-african-descent/], which is a must-read for those in academia with any interest in this body of knowledge and an enlightenment to everyone else.
Although Academia is the central aspect of Dr. Kakuru’s work, the foundation of her life is her Christian faith. Upon her arrival in Canada, she immediately connected with River Jordan Ministries (RJM), a church organization that provides services to help integrate refugees into Canadian society. Many of the congregants are Ugandans, so this was a slice of home for the Kakuru family. She soon became a part of the administrative team. Two years ago, Dr. Doris and her twin sister, who recently became an ordained minister, established the Spirit Life Miracle Centre church in Ottawa. This Church has been experiencing steady growth since its inception.
Currently, Dr. Kakuru divides her time between Victoria and Ottawa, with frequent international trips to present her work to global audiences. Presentation technologies afford her the flexibility to lecture virtually at the University of Victoria. At the end of her academic workday, she often prepares to deliver her sermon on a given Sunday at the Spirit Life Church, where her sons are integral to the ministry team.