I grew up in one of the most remote and poor villages in rural Uganda, called, Rugando, Kanungu.
I come from a family where my Dad has two wives and I am one of 19 children. Having Multiple wives is a cultural standard for men in Africa, and while my Dad has a regular job, both of my mothers, take care of the house, the children and the farm. I was separated from my parents to live with a relative at age 4 and I returned home at age 12 yrs old. By that point, I already knew I didn’t want to repeat the pattern that so many women grow up with in Africa, and I knew I was going to change my world for something bigger and better.
I decided I wanted to become a business woman and so, I started to take technical courses when I was 16 years old. Fortunately, my Dad was very supportive; and in 2018, when I was just 18 years old, I started up a business in Kampala.
Unfortunately, in 2019 my dream was somewhat shattered by COVID-19 but I pressed on as long as I could. Then, in July of 2022, a few miracles happened: I met a woman by happenstance in my dress shop and we had an instant connection. She started to mentor me after she left Africa and went back to the US; and with that mentorship, I started to consider another path.
Perhaps my calling wasn’t all about me surviving and earning a living for myself, but rather, I could start a non-profit to teach women the skills that I’ve mastered so that they too could create a life of their dreams!
My father made me the woman that I am and I’m so grateful to him; and now with outside mentorship; I can give back to those that need it the most and support women in seeing that they too can create a brighter and better future for themselves.
