Josephine
Mukanjira descended from East Africa and had connections both to Uganda and
Rwanda. Jo was very close to her mum and her extended family who live in Uganda
and are devastated by the untimely tragic death of a woman who was the beacon
of hope for the family. Jo, who had been in the UK for a long time, worked for
Citizens UK for over 12 years in different capacities until September 2019 when
she left the organisation. In the past few months, Jo worked for an
organisation as an accountant. Just a few days before her untimely departure,
Jo joined a prominent Chartered Governance organisation in the City of London,
but Covid19 stole this woman of courage and her dreams were cut short. Neil Jameson, founder
and former Executive Director of Citizens UK, who has been the backbone of the
farewell organising for Josephine said, “Jo will
be remembered as one of the kindest, most wiling and most loyal colleagues we
had through those tough years of growth and challenge. She looked out for
colleagues and rarely said ‘NO’. The very best of humanity and quiet,
inspirational leader. So much missed. RIP Josephine”
Stephanie
Leonard,
tweeted, “Josie ensured my first month’s salary was paid up front so I could
pay my rent when I started my job at CUK. She knew I needed help and went out
of her way to support me. She always checked in on me when I would come to the
office. She was such a gorgeous person. Such awful news.” Whereas another
former colleague, Lydia Rye said in a tweet, “Jo was warm and
terrifying (read my expenses were always late) in equal measure and my
favourite person to gossip outside assemblies with. I cannot imagine being at
CUK without her. Such desperately sad news.” Many other colleagues
and community leaders used the social media platforms to pay their tributes
among which are the following, Ana Franca-Ferreira, tweeted “Met Jo
at 17 as a young intern. Saw her again at 24 at my first professional job, she
made me feel at home. Every time I was in the office and Jo was there, I was at
home. Heartbroken that she has gone but have the certainty that she rests with
God. Thanks for your life Jo!” Another former colleague, Dermot
Bryers tweeted, “So, so sad. I always loved seeing Jo when I came to
Cavell Street. Love and condolences to her family, friends and colleagues.”
Among those who used twitter to pay
tributes was, Bethan Angharad Lant, “I adored Josephine. She had such
natural warmth. I looked forward to seeing her. May she rest in peace and rise
in glory.” Others went onto Facebook to pay their respects. Paul
Regan, one of the pioneers of Community Organising in the UK said, “This
is a complete shock. Such kind and positive person. I find it difficult to
believe. RIP Jo”. Whereas Rabbi Janet Darley, who also shared prayer
and religious reflection at the zoom memorial, wrote on Facebook, “Such sad
news. Such a lovely person. May her soul be bound up in the gathering of life.
Her memory will surely be a blessing to all who knew and loved her”.
Another former colleague and close friend, Emmanuel Gotora wrote on
Facebook, “We’ve lost a true gem. Josie was a caring and kind-hearted
colleague and much loved by all at Citizens UK. She had a wicked sense of
humour and always had time to talk no matter how busy things were. Her calm
presence greeted many of us at the office. She always had a smile and a
never-ending secret stash of chocolate which she was always happy to share.
Josephine was more than a work colleague - she was a friend - a rare
combination. She loved being with people and always went above and beyond to
lend a hand when needed. She loved a game of football too! I’ll always remember
the football games in Weavers’ Field. I will miss you my dear friend Josie -
rest in peace.”
Many people around the country meet
their local community organisers, but there was one person behind these
organisers, Jo. Some of her former colleagues used to even call her as,
‘organiser of organisers’. More tributes and reactions from colleagues and
friends on twitter HERE and on Facebook HERE
Devastated and shocked by the sudden
death of Jo, old and new colleagues, and friends joined the memorial zoom
organised to commemorate her life on Tuesday 28th April. Fitting
tributes and stories of a remarkable woman were shared by those who joined the
memorial where we also had heart touching hymn and song, ‘Great is they
faithfulness’ and ‘Who will speak if we don’t?’ led by Bernadette
Farrell,
hymnographer, composer of Catholic liturgical music and veteran Community Organiser.
We were also joined by Jo’s mum and extended family from Uganda, who were
indeed very grateful for the memorial service held in honour of their loved
one. The memorial was also a reminder that much should be done to support Jo’s
family as they mainly relied on her financial support following the death of
her 2 brothers in the past few years. We have, therefore, launched a fundraiser
to give Jo the best send-off she very much deserves. We are also keen to help
her mum and the kids Jo was sponsoring in schools in Uganda. Here is the
GoFundMe page, Paying
Respect to Jo.
Please donate and share. It is all paying back to a woman that helped many in
the fight for social justice.
