Fred grew up in Luwero with his siblings and their mother. His father abandoned the family shortly after Fred was born, leaving his mother to raise all her children alone. With no support and no steady income, she worked endlessly just to keep them fed. To survive, she turned a small room into a business—a restaurant by day and a bar by night. It was the only way she could provide. Each night, Fred and his siblings waited outside until the last customers had left, often very late, before they could go inside to sleep. Life was unstable, exhausting, and hard.
School was equally inconsistent. Fred attended only when his mother had enough money, which wasn’t often. With older siblings also needing school fees, he was usually the one who stayed home. Still, he remained eager to learn and determined to keep trying. His father refused to offer any financial help.
By the time Fred entered our children’s home, he was 12 years old. According to Uganda’s standards, he should have been entering high school, but instead he was in Primary 5—and even then, he was far behind. When he took the school assessment, he failed the Primary 5 test and had to repeat the entire year.
For the first time, Fred received the consistent support, tutoring, and encouragement he had always needed. With stability around him, he began to thrive. He gradually caught up, improved his grades, and eventually passed his Primary Leaving Examinations with strong marks—an accomplishment that once seemed impossible.
Spiritually, Fred grew as well. He loved reading his Bible and learning more about God. His faith deepened over time, and he eventually gave his life to Christ and chose to be baptized—a decision that filled him with joy and purpose. Today, Fred is in high school, thriving academically and personally. He loves math and science and has developed a strong passion for computers. His dream is to become a software engineer, using his skills to build a brighter future than the one he was born into. Fred is a humble, hardworking young man whose resilience and faith continue to inspire everyone around him.