On a warm afternoon in Nairobi, the hum of city life spilled through the windows of a quiet meeting space. Inside, laughter and memory flowed freely as Jacqueline Asiimwe, lawyer, activist, and CEO of CivSource Africa, settled into conversation with Francis and Dora Musingizi, a couple deeply entwined in Africa’s leadership story.
This year CivSource Africa turns eight, marking the milestone with the launch of the Leaders’ Oasis, a retreat space envisioned for leadership renewal, and the inaugural Leaders’ Gala and Ball. Yet before the lights of Kampala’s Serena Hotel, there was this intimate reflection in Nairobi, a reminder that leadership is, at its core, about humanity, healing, and hope.
When asked to introduce herself, Dora smiled: “I am a people lover. I am a good lover. I also want to call myself a community builder.” Once Executive Director of UGANET and now at Raising Voices, Dora has also shaped “healing spaces” where women, young leaders, and communities rediscover their strength. “I bask in all these identities. I’m a mother, a wife, a child of God. They all make me who I am.”
Francis, her husband and Africa Director at water.org, speaks with urgency: “I look at myself as a builder of leaders. I believe Africa, together with the global South, can be empowered to take their place at the top.” For him, leadership is powered by knowledge, creativity, and inner fire.
In 2017, CivSource Africa launched its first leadership retreats, inviting leaders not to strategize but to breathe. Dora, among the first attendees, admitted: “I expected fundraising sessions. I was shocked, it was about wellness.” That experience helped her and her team endure COVID-19. “Leaders that are not well don’t lead well,” she said.
Francis later joined a men’s retreat. “It was mind-blowing. I saw leadership differently, connecting with creativity, leading from authenticity.” He carried its lessons into water.org, even reshaping his office into a space of peace and creativity. A toy car given during the retreat reminded him: “The speed of change is unprecedented. Our inner fire must match that speed.”
Reflecting on Africa’s leadership, Francis asked: “Where have the leaders gone? Where has leadership gone? We live in a forest of leaders, but a desert of leadership.” History, he said, will judge this generation together. Dora added that leaders should create calm within chaos, yet too often lose wellness in noise and disconnection.
Both agree CivSource Africa created something rare: a community that nurtures leaders for wholeness, not just output. “You hardly hear of someone inviting leaders to be loved, pampered, and honored,” Dora said. “Seven years later, I still have my go-to community.”
As CivSource marks eight years, Francis envisions it as a community-builder offering strength for the mountains ahead. Dora sees ripples becoming waves: colleagues she encouraged to join now lead as executive directors. “You’re shaping leaders who are shaping others. You’re creating ripples that will soon become an ocean.”
For Francis and Dora, leadership is not about titles or legacy but wellness, love, and soulfulness. And for CivSource Africa, eight years on, that fire continues to spread, igniting leaders, communities, and a continent.
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