Milly (2015 Profile)
Milly in 2015
Milly is NOTDEC Uganda's Co-ordinator and the focus of the management team. So she oversees the running of the orphanage as a whole, and plays an important role in Trustees Meetings, interviewing panels and so on. Milly also likes networking and is a keen Rotarian: NOTDEC Uganda's swings and climbing frames were a gift from Rotary. Networking works!
Younger sister of NOTDEC Uganda’s founder Dorothy Nzirambi, Milly is a trained teacher with good spoken and written English. In the development of NOTDEC Uganda, this proved invaluable.
When Dorothy moved to Kisinga and began caring for larger numbers of babies and children, she received contacts from several potential donors — particularly from the UK. Her limited English was quite a handicap, and Milly stepped in to help where she could. Very soon she was providing wide-ranging administrative support, and talking through a proposed child sponsorship scheme with what was to become NOTDEC UK. But, the workload became too much to be just a sideline.
Milly gave up teaching to work full-time for "Dorothy’s Orphanage". Gradually, NOTDEC Uganda was born. Milly & Dorothy share a strong Christian faith — a major influence shaping its values.
Today, therefore, Milly is NOTDEC Uganda's de facto Chief Executive. When the need arises, she is more than happy to represent NOTDEC Uganda and will dress to impress if that is what is called for. But she will be very much doing the job she has been given to do.
On other occasions, I have seen 
her equally happy in overalls, wielding a mop and bucket to get another job done. Some idea of this "dress down Friday" look is given by the picture of Milly's visit to nearby Kagando Farm — which required what Ugandans call "gum boots" .
Milly works not only with her sister Dorothy, but also with her brother Tom — NOTDEC Uganda's Treasurer and the orphanage Chaplain. The whole family share a strong Christian faith, and this is a major influence shaping the value of NOTDEC Uganda.
In rural Uganda, the family is central to people's lives and it is not unusual to work with (buy from and sell to) family members. Without Western-style advertising media, the family provides a major channel for seeking both employment and employees. Most Europeans are in regular contact with less than a dozen family member; around Kabirizi the figure is likely to be over 60! If NOTDEC Uganda needs a Chaplain, the family will get the news out very efficiently. Implementing a real Equal Opportunities Policy, on the other hand, is both difficult and unnatural.
Perhaps we should think of NOTDEC Uganda almost as a family business. Certainly Milly and Dorothy are often called "Mama Milly" and "Mama Dorothy" respectively.