I was birthed in the roots of Uganda. I came from a village in Northern Uganda called Agwata. My father died when I was 12 years old, leaving my mother to raise 5 children during Idi Amin's regime. I was the eldest of the 5 children. I began playing the role of both a father and sister for my siblings at the age of 13.
Living in Agwata, I witnessed and lived in poverty on a daily basis. I took this as an opportunity to educate myself. I believed if I had the opportunity to make a change and come out of the circumstances I was born in, my future would be blessed. After the end of my studies, I used my major to get a job in the city as a secretary and used my income for the support of my family. My mother was unable to take us all to school, leaving my siblings at a bigger disadvantage.
To make matters worse, between 1986-2003, Northern Uganda was undergoing a terrible civil war during the leadership of President Yoweri Museveni. Rebel groups (Lord's Resistance Army) arose, terrorizing people, abducting girls as sex slaves, and killing civilians. This created a war lasting about 20 years, those years displaced people, destroyed infrastructure, and deteriorated the economy throughout Northern Uganda.
Through education and hard work, I used my adversities as a stepping-stone to reach the United States. I worked 2 jobs in order to send help to my family in Uganda. I wanted to give back to the children in my village because I knew they were facing the same circumstances I once lived through.
In 2002, I began sponsoring my sibling’s children through education. It started small and then I expanded my sponsorship to many more orphaned children in the village. I saw an essential need for education and medical help. I began shipping over the encounter medicine and vitamins back to Uganda because people were simply dying of numerous curable diseases such as Malaria. By registering a non-profit 501c, I was able to support the widows and children through education and medical care, hence, commencing Mothers & Children Support International.
