Born in Innsbruck, Austria, to Marianne and Jacob Bruni, Prean experienced a difficult childhood during the Second World War. Her father, an insurance broker, was drafted into military service, leaving the family to endure hardship in his absence. Prean later recalled childhood experiences marked by hunger, loneliness, fear and insecurity.
For thousands of vulnerable Ugandan children, Maama Maria Prean was more than a philanthropist. She was a mother, a source of hope and the woman who opened doors to education and a better future. Her death marks the end of a remarkable journey of love, sacrifice and service to humanity.
Maama Maria Prean Bruni, the Austrian-born founder of Vision for Africa, a charitable organisation based in Mukono District, has died, leaving behind a legacy of transforming the lives of thousands of disadvantaged children through education, child care and community development.
Her death was announced by popular Ugandan musician and presidential advisor Edrisa Musuuza, popularly known as Eddy Kenzo, who paid an emotional tribute to the woman he described as a motherly figure who profoundly influenced his life.
“My dear Mama Maria, you were more than a mother, an angel in human form that touched, changed and impacted many lives but mine the most,” Kenzo wrote.
He expressed gratitude for the lessons she taught him and the kindness he witnessed her extend to others, saying he would forever cherish the memories they shared.
“I don’t know how to thank you or say how grateful I am for all the great things I saw you do, the ones you taught me,” he added.
Kenzo also thanked Prean for the love she showed Ugandans and for helping him appreciate the country’s blessings, concluding his tribute with the words: “REST IN HEAVEN My God sent Angel.”
For many beneficiaries of her work, such tributes reflect the profound personal impact of a woman who dedicated much of her life to giving vulnerable children opportunities they might otherwise never have had.
A mother to thousands
Prean founded Vision for Africa more than two decades ago after settling in Uganda, driven by what she described as a calling to improve the lives of poor and disadvantaged children.
Through the organisation, at least 11,000 needy and orphaned children have benefited from free education, with many progressing from nursery and primary schools to secondary and universities.
The programme has produced professionals in various fields, including medicine, law, engineering, teaching, banking and business.
Her work extended beyond classrooms to child care and community development, particularly in areas where poverty and limited access to education threatened children’s futures.
Although Prean did not have biological children, she became a mother to thousands of Ugandans, many of whom affectionately called her “Maama Maria”.
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Her influence was built not only on providing school fees and educational opportunities but also on supporting children whose families faced illness, poverty and other hardships.
A legacy recognised by the First Lady
In June 2024, Vision for Africa hosted a homecoming event for its alumni at the organisation’s headquarters in Kiyunga Village, Kyampisi Sub-county, Mukono District.
During the event, Prean launched her biography, Maama Africa: A Biography of a Black Woman in White Skin, documenting aspects of her life and service.
The First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Kataaha Museveni, who was represented by her secretary, Irene Kawuma, commended Prean for providing free education to thousands of needy and orphaned Ugandan children over 26 years then.
In a message delivered by Kawuma, Museveni described Prean as a mother to a large African family whose work had transformed children, women and entire communities.
“Maama Maria through the years of living and establishing some of the most incredible projects in our nation, has not only blended in with our people as one of us, but has become undeniably an African Mother of a big family of thousands of children, who affectionately call her Maama,” Museveni said in the message.
The First Lady also praised Prean for constructing schools in different parts of the country, including Maama Janet Secondary School in Nyakyera, Ntungamo District.
Museveni recalled how Prean had responded to her appeal for a girls’ school when she was serving as Member of Parliament for Ruhaama, saying the philanthropist intervened wholeheartedly despite the demands on her time and resources.
The recognition reflected the national significance of Prean’s contribution to education and the welfare of disadvantaged communities.
From hardship to a life of service
Born in Innsbruck, Austria, to Marianne and Jacob Bruni, Prean experienced a difficult childhood during the Second World War.
Her father, an insurance broker, was drafted into military service, leaving the family to endure hardship in his absence. Prean later recalled childhood experiences marked by hunger, loneliness, fear and insecurity.
Despite those early challenges, she went on to dedicate much of her life to serving others.
At the age of 60, she followed what she described as a calling to come to Africa, eventually settling in Uganda, where she established Vision for Africa.
During the 2024 alumni gathering, she spoke about her desire to help Africans recognise their worth and appreciate the potential of their continent.
Her journey from Austria to Uganda culminated in a charitable mission that gave thousands of children access to education and opportunities to build independent lives.
Stories of lives transformed
Among those whose lives were changed by Vision for Africa was Edith Namande, the organisation’s alumni administrator.
Namande previously recounted how the programme came to her family’s rescue when her mother was seriously ill and they were struggling to survive.
She said she was brought to school at the age of five by her uncle, without basic school requirements, while her mother was bedridden and the family faced severe financial difficulties.
Vision for Africa provided her with the necessities for education and supported her welfare, helping her continue with school despite the circumstances at home.
Namande said the organisation became a lifeline for her and her elder sister at a time when their family had nowhere else to turn.
Such experiences illustrate the significance of Prean’s work beyond the numbers of children enrolled in schools. For many beneficiaries, the assistance offered a chance to escape poverty and pursue futures that once seemed out of reach.
An enduring legacy
Prean’s former beneficiaries have sought to sustain her work by mobilising resources to support Vision for Africa’s programmes.
Among their initiatives was a fundraising drive to raise sh400m for a classroom block to support the establishment of a primary school section at Bukamunye in Jinja District, where children faced long journeys to access primary education after completing nursery school.
At the time of the 2024 alumni gathering, the organisation had about 7,000 continuing students, underscoring the scale of the work that still depended on its programmes.
Gulu Resident District Commissioner Dr Alice Akello Opio, who said she had known Prean since 2006, also praised her as an inspiration, particularly for choosing to raise and educate thousands of children despite having no biological children of her own.
Her legacy is reflected in the professionals she helped nurture, the families she supported and the communities that benefited from her commitment to education and social welfare.
For the children who called her Maama, her passing is the loss of a mother whose love extended far beyond her own family. For Uganda, it is the loss of a philanthropist whose work helped thousands of disadvantaged children imagine and pursue a different future.
Maama Maria Prean’s life stands as a reminder that one person’s compassion can reach across borders, transform generations and leave a legacy that lives on in the lives of others.
Further details surrounding her death, including the cause and burial arrangements, had not been made public by the time of publication.
