HOCW was founded in 2008 in Uganda, but our story begins twenty years earlier in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Bolingo Ntahira John
Founder & Executive Director, Hope of Children and Women Victims of Violence (HOCW)
Bolingo Ntahira John is a humanitarian leader, development practitioner, faith leader, and survivor-advocate with over two decades of lived and professional experience serving refugees, women, and children affected by violence, displacement, and social exclusion. Born in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he is married and a father of five children—an identity that deeply informs his lifelong commitment to family, care, dignity, and inclusion.
Early Life and Lived Experience of Displacement
In 2000, amid escalating armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bolingo was forced to flee his home country and seek refuge in Kampala, Uganda. Upon arrival, he experienced extreme vulnerability firsthand. For nearly one month, he lived on the streets alongside other refugees, surviving without food, clean water, or shelter. Nights were spent sleeping in abandoned buses along the roadside—an experience that profoundly shaped his understanding of displacement, human dignity, and survival.
A critical turning point came when he encountered a Catholic priest who mobilized support to relocate homeless refugees to a school compound, restoring safety, stability, and hope. From this initiative emerged Agape Pendo La Mungu—meaning “God’s Love” in Kiswahili. Bolingo was appointed House Manager, a role he held from 2003 to 2005, overseeing daily care, protection, and coordination for refugee families. When funding challenges later forced the organization to close, he remained committed to serving the most vulnerable, continuing to support ten individuals through the priest’s personal assistance.
. Professional Growth and Organizational Leadership
In 2005, Bolingo joined Promotion of Education and Defence of Refugee Rights in Uganda (PEDRRU), where he served as Operations Director until 2008. In this role, he gained hands-on experience in organizational leadership, refugee protection, program coordination, and advocacy. When PEDRRU closed due to funding constraints, Bolingo faced a defining question: how to continue serving a community he could not abandon.
Founding of Hope of Children and Women Victims of Violence (HOCW)
That question gave rise to the founding vision of Hope of Children and Women Victims of Violence (HOCW) in 2008. The organization was fully registered and incorporated in 2010. Built not from theory but from lived experience, HOCW was founded on a simple yet powerful belief: children cannot thrive unless their caregivers are safe, supported, and economically stable. This philosophy later evolved into HOCW’s Two-Generation Approach, intentionally serving women and children together rather than in isolation.
Today, as Founder and Executive Director, Bolingo leads HOCW as a community-rooted, asset-owning organization delivering integrated services in protection, early childhood development, health, psychosocial support, and economic resilience for women, children, and refugee families in urban Kampala.
Bolingo and his wife Emily.
Faith, Thought Leadership, and Public Service
Beyond humanitarian work, Bolingo is a committed faith leader and advocate for mindset transformation. Since 2011, he has served as an Apostle with Citizens for God’s Kingdom Ministries. He has also held the position of Chairman of Refugee Rights in Uganda since 2015, contributing to national-level advocacy for refugee protection and inclusion.
His academic journey includes a Bachelor’s Degree in Development Studies (2017) from Cavendish University and postgraduate studies toward a Master’s Degree in International Relations and Diplomacy (2019). In 2022, he authored Unlock the Mind, a book focused on mindset change and human transformation.
In recognition of his contributions, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Christian Mission in 2023 by Zoe Life Theological College, Philadelphia, USA. In 2024, he was appointed Professor of Mindset Change and Human Transformation by Apostolic Impact Christian University, affiliated with International Kingdom University in Florida. That same year, he became Patron of Civil Society in Makindye Ssabagabo Municipality.
In 2026, Bolingo founded the Unlock the Mind Institute (UTMI), where he currently serves as President and Founder, advancing leadership development, ethical systems thinking, and human transformation across Africa and beyond.
Purpose and Legacy
What motivates Bolingo most is witnessing transformation—seeing lives move from crisis to stability, from exclusion to belonging. For him, humanitarian leadership is not merely a profession, but a calling shaped by survival, faith, and service.
“Nothing gives me more purpose than seeing someone’s life change. That is not just my work—it is my calling.”
.
Launch of Unlock The Mind Book at Freedom City- Kampala