Humans Of Uganda

“I have a lot of memories about my father. Let me first tell you about him. Before he became a father to us, he had already become a father figure to his siblings. He quit school at the age of 13 to help his mother take care of them. He had us when he was about 19 years old, and my mother was around the same age. Our mother died in 1999, leaving him as a single father. This forced him to switch jobs frequently in search of better opportunities. I think he’s a serial businessman, doing whatever it takes to make money. He first left us in Kisoro and came to Kampala with my elder siblings. As more money came in, he brought the next child, and then the next, until we were all here in Kampala. We never lacked anything, from clothing to food, and I don’t mean simply surviving on the bare minimum. I loved the fact that whenever he went on business trips, we were always assured of gifts, from nice clothes to chocolates. You could say we were his motivation to work hard and pursue the next big opportunity because he wanted his children to have a comfortable life. He always encouraged us to work hard in school by setting targets for us, and whoever exceeded them could ask for whatever they wanted. When I was in Primary One, he challenged me to be among the top three pupils. I didn’t even wait to become one of the best, I immediately asked for a Teletubby because I loved Tinky Winky. He got me Tinky Winky. In Primary Two, I exceeded his target again, and my request was to change schools. He made it happen. This wasn’t just for me but for all my siblings. They worked towards earning bicycles and video games. He wasn’t simply giving us those luxuries; we had to work for them. They only came as rewards, except for the chocolates and clothes he brought back from his business trips. He never missed any of my school or church functions. Even when I didn’t have a significant role, he was always there in the audience cheering me on. There was one time, when I was in primary school, that I was asked to participate in a children's programme on Power FM. It was a Bible quiz. He left work and drove to the parking lot of Watoto Church, where he sat in his car just to listen. I mean, he didn’t have to leave work. He could have listened from wherever he was. But he was so excited that he wanted to see me immediately after the show, and he did. Every morning, as he dropped us off at school, the journey from home was filled with words of affirmation. He reminded us that we were going to achieve great things and how much God loved us. That was always his time to speak positivity into our lives. He would end every conversation with a short prayer.” #HumansOfUganda #FathersDayStories #HOUGxLiveFathersDayStories Read more here: www.humansofuganda.org

“My dad loved going to weddings and giving speeches, When I was 13 he took me along to this wedding, he introduced all our family members and when it came to me. He said, “This is Nyamishana my daughter, she took my name”. He went on to say, “She's very sharp, She stings like a bee.” That was enough to know my father believed in me. It has guided me, I'm 30+ years old but I still remember those words, whenever I'm losing confidence that my father said I was sharp. It goes to show how just one word from a father can change everything” #HumansOfUganda #FathersDayStories #HOUGxLiveFathersDayStories Read more here: www.humansofuganda.org

“My father has always been there since day one, and me being the first born. I won’t lie I’ve gotten all the love and care almost everything that I need. He made sure I never lacked. He has been a mother and father figure in my life. I cannot seem to single out a particular moment every day with him is just special. My father has held my hand and walked me throughout all my school life; He took me to my first kindergarten school, primary, secondary and even university. For every first step of my life that I’ve taken he has always been there to guide and support me and I appreciate it. He’s my first love. I love him so much” #HumansOfUganda #FathersDayStories #HOUGxFathersDayStories Read more here: www.humansofuganda.org

“My dad always taught me to be humble, respectful, and hardworking in life. He told me never to quit until whatever I had set out to do was finished. I remember that in 2012, while I was in high school, I ran for the position of head prefect. He felt that the responsibility was too great and that it would compromise my studies. He didn’t seem happy about it at first. But surprisingly, the next day, I received a note from him blessing me and wishing me all the best. He told me that I could do it. And I did, I became the head prefect. He was incredibly proud. He even came to my school and hugged me, reassuring me that I had the potential to balance both leadership and academics. That was everything I needed to hear. Three months later, he passed away.” #HumansOfUganda #FathersDayStories #HOUGxFathersDayStories Read more here: www.humansofuganda.org

“My father had a teaching background; he made sure I did all my primary school home assignments with him. Unfortunately I got sick during my school holidays, I underwent several surgeries but I still had to go on with school. I had missed some class notes, my dad and I would copy classwork notes together. In 2019 on my graduation day from law school he couldn’t attend since he was abroad but he called my phone and said, “Love all people equally, always uphold your integrity, Work hard and remain disciplined” I believe I am who I am because of him.”—Eric #HumansOfUganda #FathersDayStories #HOUGxFathersDayStories

“I have a lot of memories about my father. Let me first tell you about him. Before he became a father to us, he had already become a father figure to his siblings. He quit school at the age of 13 to help his mother take care of them. He had us when he was about 19 years old, and my mother was around the same age. Our mother died in 1999, leaving him as a single father. This forced him to switch jobs frequently in search of better opportunities. I think he’s a serial businessman, doing whatever it takes to make money. He first left us in Kisoro and came to Kampala with my elder siblings. As more money came in, he brought the next child, and then the next, until we were all here in Kampala. We never lacked anything, from clothing to food, and I don’t mean merely surviving on the bare minimum. I loved the fact that whenever he went on business trips, we were always assured of gifts, from nice clothes to chocolates. You could say we were his motivation to work hard and pursue the next big opportunity because he wanted his children to have a comfortable life. He always encouraged us to work hard in school by setting targets for us, and whoever exceeded them could ask for whatever they wanted. When I was in Primary One, he asked me to be among the top three pupils. I didn’t even wait to become the best—I immediately asked for a Teletubby because I loved Tinky Winky. He got me Tinky Winky. In Primary Two, I exceeded his target again, and my request was to change schools, and he did that for me. This wasn’t just for me but for all my siblings. They worked for bicycles and video games. He wasn’t simply giving us those luxuries; we had to earn them. They only came as rewards, except for the chocolates and clothes he brought back from his trips. He never missed any of my functions, whether at church or school. Even when I didn’t have a significant role, he was always there in the audience cheering me on. There was one time in primary school when I was asked to participate in a children’s show on Power FM, which was a Bible quiz. He left work and drove to the parking lot at Watoto Church just to listen from his car. I mean, he didn’t have to leave work—he could have listened from wherever he was. But he was so excited that he wanted to see me immediately after the show, and he did. Every morning, as he dropped us off at school, the journey from home was filled with words of affirmation. He would remind us that we were going to achieve great things and how much God loved us. That was always his time to pour positivity into our lives. He would end every conversation with a short prayer.” — Twishime #FathersDay #FathersDayStories #HumansOfUganda #HOUGxFathersDayStories Read more here: www.humansofuganda.org

“Our parents separated quite early while we were still young. At that time, our mother was both the mother and father figure in the house. Because we needed a father figure, our uncles stepped in, but they seemed to be very busy with their work and personal lives. My big brother stepped in and has always been there for us. Most of the decisions we made were influenced by him. I was almost a tomboy because I wanted to emulate him so much. I also noticed that he was struggling with certain things, but because he had taken on the role of a father figure, he couldn’t let us know. He made many sacrifices for us, and this changed the course of his life significantly. Now that he is a father to his own children, you can see that those experiences prepared him well. I think being a father figure to girls is difficult. We were very rebellious, yet calm at the same time. Our mother taught us to fear God and always do the right thing, while he was the one reprimanding us and guiding us whenever we made mistakes. My journey in veterinary medicine and entrepreneurship was all because of his guidance and support. He has always encouraged me to do what I want and what makes me happy. He literally taught me everything I know about business, how to deal with both the big dogs and the small dogs. At first, he was the only entrepreneur in the family, but today he has inspired almost everyone. From his siblings to his wife, we are all involved in business. My brother has had a huge impact on our lives. I remember when our mother passed away; we all broke down, but he was the strongest among us, holding us together, encouraging us, and telling us that everything was going to be fine. He told us that as long as we were happy, that was what mattered, and if any of us was not happy, he would help us get out of that situation. I celebrate and cherish him a lot.” — Mercy #FathersDay #FathersDayStories #HumansOfUganda #HOUGxFathersDayStories Read more here: www.humansofuganda.org

"My dad stopped in Primary 7 so that I didn’t have to. He laid bricks so that I didn’t have to. He carried me to school so that I didn’t have to walk, He sacrificed his life so that I could live mine” — Faisal #HumansOfUganda #HOUGxFathersDayStories

“As a young man in those days, no one would consider you a real man if you didn’t have a son in your family. When my father and mother had their third daughter, friends and family advised him to marry another woman or sleep with someone else, thinking he might have a boy. He refused. He stayed with our mother despite the insults and criticism from everyone. Together, they had 10 daughters consecutively (I am the 10th daughter). After many years of insults, God blessed them with twin boys. My father only studied up to Primary Four. When his parents died, he had very little income and worked as a peasant farmer. Even so, he made the decision to educate all 12 of his children. Remember, in those days, girls were not even encouraged to go to school. People advised him to marry us off, but he refused and instead educated every single one of us through various forms of casual work. What an amazing father he is! Lastly, when my mother died in 2015, people told him to remarry, but he told them he was happy with us. You are a rare species, Dad. We love you, we cherish you, we pray for you, and we adore you. May God bless you abundantly.” #FathersDay #FathersDayStories #HumansOfUganda #HOUGxFathersDayStories Read more here: www.humansofuganda.org

“I grew up being told I looked like my dad. I'm the last born of his daughters. The only one left alive. He's always been somewhat of a hero to me. He taught me how to fight like a boy, and prayed to God I end up embracing my womanhood. I was once bullied by a group of boys because of my dark skin. Baba wasted no time. He gave me a lesson on how to swing and how to use any object around me to defend myself. One day I came back from school with a group of kids praising me for beating up our primary school bully. I was 8 years old. His laugh will always be my second favourite sound after my late sister's” #FathersDay #FathersDayStories #HumansOfUganda #HOUGxFathersDayStories Read more here: www.humansofuganda.org