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Success Story

Growing Through Opportunity

November 1, 20251
From Graduate Trainee to Project Manager – Maliza Twikirize’s Journey

We believe that growth begins with opportunity. Maliza joined us as a Graduate Trainee Quantity Surveyor and has since grown into a Project Manager on one of our ongoing projects at Adilang Vocational Training Institute (AVTI). Her story is a reflection of dedication, mentorship, and the power of learning by doing.

Her Story;

Joining Rostwa Engineers as a graduate trainee was both exciting and humbling. Coming directly from university, I was eager to put theory into practice, but quickly learned that the real world of engineering is full of new challenges that push you to think differently. From my first site visit to project management responsibility, every experience has demanded adaptability, teamwork, and curiosity.

One of the biggest lessons I have learned is that growth comes through both mistakes and mentorship. There were times when I really doubted myself, especially in the case of problems of a technical nature that I hadn’t encountered before. But through the guidance of senior engineers and a supportive culture at Rostwa, I learned to approach challenges with patience and confidence. Every project, no matter how small, became a learning opportunity.

The environment at the company has also played a major role in my development. The open-door policy, an emphasis on teamwork, and the fact that seniors take their time to explain and not just instruct have made a lasting impact. This is the kind of environment that encourages ownership and creativity, and which has built my confidence to lead.

Now, being part of such a big project like AVTI is an honor and a responsibility at the same time. It feels like a reflection of how far I’ve come, but also a reminder that there’s still more to learn and give. It inspires me to know the same company that once trained me now trusts me enough to have me lead. To other young professionals, I would say this: embrace every challenge and never underestimate the power of showing up eager to learn. Opportunity doesn’t always arrive with great fanfare-it often starts quietly, in those moments when you choose to keep trying.

News

Final Phase Reached

July 14, 20250

Construction of the Sisters’ House and Technical Management Department in Hawassa, Bushulo – Ethiopia, has now reached completion.

As Project Managers, our responsibilities covered the day-to-day coordination of site works, procurement management, and quality oversight from start to finish. These facilities are now ready for use, providing accommodation for staff members and a fully functional space for technical and administrative operations.

This project was delivered in partnership with the Ethiopian Catholic Church, with a focus on practical, well-built infrastructure that supports the needs of both the institution and the wider community.

Completed: July 2025
View full project portfolio: [https://rostwa-engineers.com/project/sisters-house-and-tmd]

Sisters House and TMD

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Conflict resolution at work.

March 10, 20230

The fact of the matter is conflict in the workplace is unavoidable. The ability to recognize conflict, understand the nature of conflict, and to be able to bring swift and just resolution to conflict will serve you well as a leader , the inability to do so may well be your downfall. Here are some ways to manage conflicts at a work place.

Define Acceptable Behavior: Just having a definition for what constitutes acceptable behavior is a positive step in avoiding conflict. Having clearly defined job descriptions so that people know what’s expected of them, and a well-articulated chain of command to allow for effective communication will also help avoid conflicts.

Hit Conflict Head-on: By actually seeking out areas of potential conflict and proactively intervening in a just and decisive fashion you will likely prevent certain conflicts from ever arising. If a conflict does flair up, you will likely minimize its severity by dealing with it quickly. Time spent identifying and understanding natural tensions will help to avoid unnecessary conflict.

The Importance Factor: Pick your battles and avoid conflict for the sake of conflict. However if the issue is important enough to create a conflict then it is surely important enough to resolve. If the issue, circumstance, or situation is important enough, and there is enough at stake, people will do what is necessary to open lines of communication and close positional and/or philosophical gaps.

View Conflict as Opportunity: Hidden within virtually every conflict is the potential for a tremendous teaching/learning opportunity. Where there is disagreement there is an inherent potential for growth and development. Divergent positions addressed properly can stimulate innovation and learning in ways like minds can’t even imagine.

Laboratory block at Mater Ecclesiae Nursing and Midwifery School Luweero.

Bottom line is I believe resolution can normally be found with conflicts where there is a sincere desire to do so. Turning the other cheek, compromise, forgiveness, and compassion, empathy, finding common ground, being an active listener, service above self, and other approaches will always allow one to be successful in building rapport if the underlying desire is strong enough.

Self evaluation at a work place.

December 21, 20220

As the year comes to an end, employees needs to have a self evaluation in order to better in the different tasks in which they perform. Periodic evaluation is a chance for employees to review the recent past and discuss future expectations. An evaluation also serves as an opportunity to set goals as individuals and a team. we’ve created a sample self-assessment to guide you as you create your own.

Strengths: Clearly point out your strength that you feel is your strong point at work. Their is need to also get better ways to use your strength in order to meet your work goals.

Weaknesses: Every one has weaknesses and their is need to clearly list them especially when it affects your work. Every employee has to find away to work on their weaknesses since it always sabotages work.

Testing of the borehole drilled in Adilang Vocational Training Institute, Agago.

Core values: Have a list of your values, beliefs and check if all you did through out the evaluation time period is in line with them, if not their is still a chance to align your self with them again.

Accomplishments: Their is need to look at your accomplishments and be proud of them, this is a source of motivation to strive better. No matter how the evaluation period was their was a point where you strived this means you can even strive the more.

Goals: During self evaluation at work their is still need to look at the goals set during that period and check if you aligned with them, their is also need to set more goals/targets higher than the ones set hence hard work.

Feed back: Feed back from superiors at work is also an important element during self evaluation, it gives you a genuine report about your performance and areas of Improvement.

Note: Keeping things simple and using short, declarative bullet points are key to writing an effective self-assessment. While the exact nature of your self-assessment might depend on your position and job description, this basic model can help guide you in writing a self-evaluation.

Staffs during MTN marathon in Kampala November 2022

PHASES THAT SHOULD BE USED TO MAKE COLLEAGUES COMFORTABLE AT WORK.

October 21, 20220

What you say to your colleagues at work speaks volumes about you and the values you stand for. The phases you say will either make them feel comfortable or uncomfortable when working with you. Here are some captivating phrases that can help you stir your team members towards the organization’s cardinal objectives.

Many thanks: The importance of making your team members feel appreciated are highly powerful motivators. A great sense of belonging can even have a greater impact on your colleagues’ morale and engagement than financial incentives. You should make it a point of call to say “Thank you” to your team mates regularly.

Staffs having a light moment during the lunch time break in 2021 at Head office

Feel free to come to my office anytime: If your colleagues know they have unfettered access to their team member, they’ll have a greater sense of belonging, they will feel more confident taking on challenges and demonstrating initiative, since they have guaranteed guidance from their workmates.

I’ll look into that and give you an update :Rather than shut them down when they ask you for something at an important moment, you can use this phase to buy yourself more time to resolve their query. Also, it’s important to mean it and follow through with it when you say it.

You can ask me any question yet another statement that throws open your doors and a sense of belonging among colleagues. This motivates your colleagues to commit to work, knowing they have all the resources and support they need to succeed.

Can you give me your opinion on this?  In many instances, you can gain valuable insights from your colleague’s inputs. It’s crucial for you to show your appreciation for their inputs, even though it might make you appear less-knowledgeable. With this statement, you can widen your intellect while also boosting your team mates’ sense of belonging.

There’s good news and also bad news there always comes a time when you have to deliver unpleasant news to your colleagues, and it’s always good to soften the blow by pointing to the brighter side of things. With this phrase, you don’t need to fear telling the truth to your employees but can phrase it like “Here is the situation on ground and what it means for you”

Site visit during the construction of a Nursing School in Luweero 2021

Work Anxiety and stress.

January 21, 20220

Work stress happens to just everyone who has a job at some point in their lives. Some people deal with work stress well, while others don’t have a clue about how to deal with stress at work. While you can’t always control what happens at work, you can control how you react and deal with things that could lead to potentially stressful situations. Here are a few tips that can help you tackle work-related stress and anxiety.

Mother and child specialty Centre Bushulo Ethiopia

Be specific about what needs to be done: Don’t generalize your workload with “I have so much to do.” Be specific. For example, “I have to finish creating a project proposal” is a lot clearer, giving you a tangible idea of what exactly needs to be done.

Be realistic about what you can handle: Before you commit to a deadline calculate how much other work you have and how possible it is to add on another task or project. Not submitting something on time is more likely to stress you out than if you were to set lower expectations from the outset.

Ariel view of Mother and child specialty Centre Bushulo Ethiopia.

Practice time management: Once you know what needs to be done, make a to-do list and prioritize your work according to the working hours. Split up tasks into batches. If you feel the task at hand is overwhelming, complete it in batches.

Remind yourself why you took the job: There was a reason why you took your current job. Reflect on the things you like about your job and the benefits it’s brought to your life, this will keep you going amidst the storm.

EXCELLENT NEVER IS ENOUGH

A female porter/helper at a construction site .

November 25, 20210

Adoch Salama during the interview at Luwero site.

As she enters the interview room looking shy and not sure of what to expect. Her clothes looks a little dirty full of concrete and cement, she is calm and soft spoken, Adoch Salama is the only female porter/helper (unskilled builder), born in 1986 a mother of 4 children but also takes care of 2 nieces and 1 nephew. Wakes up at 6:00am does home chores like fetching water since the water source is far from home, cleans up home and showers before reporting at work/site.

Pictorial moment of the interviewer and Adoch Salama at the Luwero site.

Arrival time at site is always between 07:00hours to 07:15hours, at the gate she takes the COVID 19 SOPs seriously before registering in the attendance book. After registering then she changes to work clothes (which includes the safety wears).Between 07:15hours-07:30hours is site meeting which includes allocation of work to different people for the day. As a helper/porter she is allocated to masons (skilled builders) who expect her to mix the right ratio of materials to make concrete the quantity is mixed according to the speed of the masons and supplied to the people she was allocated to.

Breakfast is at 10:00hours for 30 minutes this comprises of porridge (she takes 1 and half cup of porridge) and lunch at 13:00hours to 14:00hours this comprises of beans and posho(she takes a plate of food).Work ends at 18:00hours, she cleans up tools, equipment used and remaining materials to the stores, then signs attendance to close the day before freshening up(includes getting off work clothes) then heads home at 18:30hours to meet the family after a long day.

Adoch Salama during work at the Luwero site.

When asked how she got to Know the vacancy, “it was through friends who told me about the vacancy and they were not sure of me taking it seriously” says Adoch.at work since she is the only female casual worker she faces challenges, “am always teased by the male workers and they joke a lot about me but I push on because I need the money to feed my family” says Adoch. Her future plan is to save money and buy a machine that processes ground nuts and simsim to peanut butter.

EXCELLENT NEVER IS ENOUGH

Pressure at work places and how to overcome it.

November 26, 20200
Clients visit in Bushulo Maternal and Child Health Specialty Center in October 2020.

There is always a time at work place when different tasks need to be accomplished in a small period of time, this in most cases amounts to pressure. Their some few ideas to manage work pressure, if one Practices these tips and you will get better at dealing effectively with the pressures you encounter at work.

Stay focused on what needs to be accomplished. Even though the day may be stressful, keep your mind firmly focused on completing your regular responsibilities. Act and don’t react: As you stay calm, try to focus on the task, do not react to the source of pressure. Reacting to the source of pressure will only place more pressure on you.

Cool off: You can cool off by carrying out a simple breathing exercise. This is done by taking a sip breath through your mouth; it is called a sip breath because you will need to position your mouth as someone that wants to sip. Sip breath, hold for few seconds, then release through your nose. Repeat that for a number of times, it will help you cool off, clear your head and give you the ability to think.

Create A Prioritization Strategy Assess each task on your list. Is the task important to you? Will it relieve pressure or clear space in your day? Does it move you or your company forward? If not, ask whether you can delegate to someone else, or if that task can be postponed or eliminated. Give yourself permission to say no to incoming tasks that don’t meet your prioritization criteria so you can say yes to better things.

Forget The Future, Focus On The Present One way to be better under pressure is to pull back, slow down and stop thinking about the future deadline or work that needs to be done. Make a quick checklist of the three things you need to do next towards the deadline and do them. Courage is about taking the next hard step.

Break Your Tasks Down Any project or task can seem overwhelming when looked at as a whole. It’s critical to break it down into milestones or steps that can be easily attained. When you look at these individual steps, you can more readily meet goals and feel a sense of accomplishment. Seeing yourself completing the project also builds confidence in giving yourself a system to use.

Stop delaying something that must be done(procrastination), often because it is unpleasant or boring.  Pressure almost always comes because you have failed to prioritize and act. You likely procrastinated and now are paying the price. Procrastination is simply a bad habit . First, ask yourself what you are resisting. Then see if you can give up your resistance and simply act.

Change How You Think About Pressure The hardest part of working under pressure is coping with the perception of pressure. More often than not, we worry about some imaginary catastrophe that never happens, and that tends to render us powerless. Focus on one aspect of the task at a time, instead of looking at it in its totality.

Moody co-workers.

November 6, 20200
Road construction in Lyantonde

While you might bring positivity into the workplace, a few of your coworkers might not check their problems at the door. Dealing with the mood swings of coworkers can sometimes feel like another workload but you can’t let it affect your productivity. Acknowledging their moody tendencies is the first step to gaining back control and ensuring a positive work environment for not only yourself, but also for other coworkers. Luckily, there are some simple and effective adjustments you can make to your work day to make it significantly more pleasant.

Observe, don’t advise. To show your sensitivity, respond to a moody employee with a simple observation such as, “You seem down.” Then keep quiet and see if the individual wants to open up. That’s better than playing amateur shrink and dishing out unsolicited advice.

Remain neutral. Maintain a pleasant, professional demeanor even when you’re dealing with an irritable or downcast employee. Don’t allow gloominess to influence how you behave or assume you should mirror it to show you understand. Your consistent response to even the most inconsistent personalities will bring stability to the workplace.

Introduce change. Moody employees may welcome a change in scenery or a new challenge. Assign them to visit a field office, give a speech or take a seminar. By forcing them to break out of their safe, predictable routines, you might refresh them.

Control your expectations. You may get used to a worker’s shifting moods and grow to expect certain behaviors at certain times. That’s dangerous. If you anticipate someone will be moody on Monday mornings, for instance, you may look for evidence of such an attitude even when it’s not there.

Setting Clear Boundaries When someone at your job decides to take her personal problems out on you, it’s time to set clear boundaries in your work relationship. While you might listen to her complain about her life, you must make it clear that it’s not okay for her to act out. While you might empathize with her situation, be vocal about how her moodiness and actions make you feel and how they affect the morale of the office.

It’s Her, Not You. If you sense that an overly sensitive coworker is in a sour mood — and it shows in her attitude towards you — remember that it’s nothing personal. It’s her problem, not yours. The sooner you can forget about her moody attitude, the quicker you can get back to work.

EXCELLENT IS NEVER ENOUGH