Born as a last born of 10 to a peasant family that is entirely reliant on pastoralism as a source of living. I have encountered severe depression on many occasions growing up, making it difficult to manage my school studies. I have had to deal with being chased out of the examination rooms by teachers due to accrued school fees balances during my primary level studies to sleeping under the verandas of Missionary homes in Losilang Parish, Kotido Sub-county. This negatively affected my concentration in studies and also my parents could not focus on livestock production to earn for us income due to the constant cattle raids.
Looking back and describing my life, I see all the ways in which I am disadvantaged due to my personal and community status but believing in myself, persistence and determination to make a change in both my family and community have made me whom I am today. I remember when I finished my secondary education, luckily enough I had done Arts subjects, I hardly had money to cater for my basic needs and being aware of the much responsibilities my parents have to pay school fees for my niece and two other relatives. One Saturday evening of January, 2013, I thought of how my parents who dropped out of school due to financial struggles had endured to make me reach a higher level in education than them. It was this sacrifice of my parents that taught me, the only limits you have, are the ones you place on yourself. On Monday morning, since I was on my holidays, I decided to walk from our home to the town to look for a casual job in an organization as a volunteer and specifically a receptionist. Fortunately, I got the job which helped myself overcome the financial struggles we were in as a family and also learn skills in the field of peacebuilding which was my dream career for having grown up in a community torn apart by conflicts as well. With my parents’ example, I have followed the footsteps of never letting money become a reason why I cannot or will not do something. I have a belief in my journey of life that if we are alive, we can achieve everything we dream in our lives and make a change to our people. As I have grown up, I am delighted in myself for not giving up because the small investment I made in my life made me overcome financial struggles and excel in my secondary education for a government scholarship for my Bachelor’s degree.
Having been in situations of lack of basic needs and growing up in a family environment that taught me that as humans; we all need support of each other to overcome monsters of this world. Monsters of lack of opportunities and disadvantages that try to keep us in a cycle of poverty. I have dedicated a lot of time these past years both during my Bachelor’s degree and after studies in taking leadership responsibility of helping others achieve their goals and contribute back to the community through community charity activities for example I have led the team of Karamoja University students as the publicity secretary of BRING A SMILE, an Association organizing Charity campaigns that aim at enhancing access to improved and equitable health and education by Karamoja families in the streets of Kampala in Uganda as well as providing scholastic materials to the neighboring Primary and Secondary schools. I am as well the Chairperson of Rengen Elites and Student’s Development Organization (RESDA), a registered Community-Based Organization promoting unity of youth during school and in their Holidays for concerted development of Rengen Community. Driven by this purpose in life to create a better life for the disadvantaged to have a better living, and having struggled in life personally to reach where I am due to financial struggles. I am highly motivated by my parents to take the responsibility of making the change that my home country looks forward for every household. I take the opportunity to upgrade the technical, problem solving, analytical and leadership skills that I have learnt as a platform to come back to develop innovations that can be affordable to the disadvantaged societies and also set-up a livelihood oriented Organization that will offer job opportunities for the youth to earn a living.