Diane L. Stanton: A lasting legacy

In 1994, the late Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, the Most Reverend Livingstone Nkoyoyo, asked Diane Stanton to help resettle the Batwa pygmies who had been evicted from their ancestral home in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and were in very poor condition. With courage and faith, Diane spent twenty-seven years marshaling support that resulted in education, agriculture, home-building, economic development, spiritual care, and an award-winning hospital and nursing school. This project expanded beyond Diane’s individual efforts, becoming truly collaborative in nature. Through this collaboration, Dr. Scott and Carol Kellermann answered the call to move to Bwindi in 2000 to expand the work among the Batwa tribe.

Diane served for twelve years as the Executive Director of Uganda Christian University Partners where she helped develop a highly-rated major university located near the capital city of Kampala in Mukono. Ultimately, these experiences paved the way for what would become her life mission to bring hope and health to the people of Uganda.

Her work with the Batwa garnered international recognition. In 2014, Diane received The Archbishop Michael Ramsey Award from Nashotah House Seminary in Wisconsin, along with the Kellermanns. On June 7, 2021, she ws overjoyed with the news that the Bwindi Community Hospital received the Prince Albert of Monaco prize for “saving patients and the planet.”

Her work was never about receiving personal recognition. Her mission in life was simply to share the love of Jesus Christ with others, including the Batwa people. One of her dear Batwa friends told her that their Batwa legend taught them they were forgotten people, but through the work of Diane and the Kellermanns, they now knew that God had not forgotten them.

Diane departed this life on June 27, 2021. She is greatly missed, but her legacy of providing hope and health in Uganda continues.