Chapter I : My Childhood in a Ugandan Village

A picture of me an my mother with whom we live, at home practicing farming activities to earn  a living and survive 

BUPADHENGO VILLAGE 

Let me tell you about my home, Bupadhengo. It's a small village nestled in Eastern Uganda. Life here revolves around the land. Everyone farms, not out of choice, but necessity. We grow our own food because that's how we survive. Money is scarce, so we depend on ourselves.

A picture of me infront of my home where I stay.

A picture of my mother watering in our plantation fields.

A picture of our plantation field, we cleared manually using hoes and put a few plants that are commonly grown mainly as source of vegetable sauce.

Our house is simple, built with our own hands from bricks we made ourselves. It doesn't have the things many people take for granted – no windows to look out of, no electric lights, no running water. The cool earth is our bed, a constant reminder of our connection to the soil.

This is a picture of our home where we live

It's a simple house we built on our own using, the bricks we made on our own.

Each day starts with a familiar task: the walk to the water source. My siblings and I carry large yellow containers, their weight growing heavier with each step. The sun often beats down as we make our way back, through the narrow path between bushes walking up terrible hills, the precious water sloshing inside and sweat could shower our faces as we got tired.

This is our main water source where we always collect water for, bathing , washing and for other home chores 

Life isn't easy. Sometimes, our farm doesn't produce enough, and hunger visits our home. New clothes are a rare luxury. We wear hand-me-downs, patched and worn, grateful for anything that keeps us warm. Often, we walk barefoot, the dirt road beneath our feet, even on our way to Bupadhengo Primary School.

A picture of me and my mother at home.

When sickness comes, we turn to the wisdom of our elders and the healing power of local herbs. Seeing a doctor is a distant dream in our small village. Life in Bupadhengo is challenging, but it's home. It's where we work hard, help each other, and learn to be strong. This is my story, my beginning.

A picture showing how we used to look while walking on the streets, bare footed going to school.