“Seeds of Hope rescued me and my family”
Life was hard for Charles, as he grew up with out his parents. He does not know how old he was when his father died, but he remembers having to look after his mother who was sick with HIV until she also died when he was still young. When his older step-sister moved away to marry, he was left behind in the village with his four brothers to look after themselves.
The boys had to work twice as hard as their peers. As well as attending school they had to return to their village to grow and sell crops in order to raise the money to pay for school fees. Selling the crops they harvested meant there was often very little food left over for the family to eat themselves.
Charles’s Story Continued
“Seeds of Hope rescued me and my family,” says Charles as he recalls the time Seeds of Hope arrived and everything changed. “I was in P5 and suddenly we did not have to worry about our school fees being paid in time, or having money left over to buy uniform and scholastics.”
After finishing P7, Charles chose to study mechanics in a nearby college. Once he had completed his three year course he began to look around for employment and soon found himself a job working in a workshop in Kachumbale, a job he has remained in for the past 5 years.
Charles explains how grateful he is to Seeds of Hope for supporting him and his brothers and for ensuring they were able to become independent. He enjoys his work as a mechanic, and says what a difference it makes having an income and not having to worry so much about money anymore.
Now 21, Charles stands proudly in his home with his wife and their 7 month year old son, Ochuli Cosma. Over the years he has been able to extend and build more huts to provide accommodation for three of his brothers, so that they can all live together comfortably in their village.
Charles has many hopes for the future. He met his wife when they were still in school together and is determined to save up the money to pay for his wife’s dowry, so they can celebrate their marriage with an official ceremony. He also hopes to extend his family one day and wants to make sure there will be enough money to send his children to school, as he recognises the importance of education and the impact working hard at school and training in a skill has had on his life.
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