As a young child, I dreamed of becoming a doctor. But this aspiration vanished suddenly, when both of my parents died during the civil war in Northern Uganda.
Then my older sister left with a man. I had to fend for myself and young siblings.
Life became very hard. We barely had any food and there was nowhere to sleep. Going to school became impossible. I had to work in the fields in exchange for a handful of food. That would keep us going for a couple of days. Then I would do it all over again.
“Life became very hard. We barely had any food and there was nowhere to sleep”
We ended up begging on the streets. Luckily, a local counsellor referred us to Chance for Childhood. They provided us with counselling and a mentor. I took a course in agribusiness and in animal farming. Later, we were given beans seeds and four goats. Last year, I was able to harvest five sacks of sorghum and four sacks of cotton, earning 200,000 shillings (£45)! We now have nine goats too!
That was two years ago. I am sixteen now, and my life has completely changed. I’ve completed primary education. This year I have chosen to stay home and do more farming to earn enough money for my brother to finish primary school.
Next year I will join secondary school. Once again, I believe I can achieve my dream of becoming a doctor!
“I was able to harvest five sacks of sorghum and four sacks of cotton, earning 200,000 shillings (£45)!”
