I was an unplanned child, born from two teens just starting middle school in Kamuli–one of the most rural districts of Eastern Uganda in Africa.
Mum and Dad came from low-income families that couldn't support their continued education and pregnancy at the same time; they had to drop out of school and part ways. I was raised by my beloved grandparents who never went to school, rural peasant farmers whose only dream was to see me succeed in life.
During my childhood, my dream was to go to University and be able to buy excellent food, clothes, and Christmas gifts for my grandparents. As soon as I could walk, I worked with them on their farm every day to raise money, walking four hours a day to school for my education until I got a government scholarship to pursue my agricultural undergraduate degree at Makerere University.
As a student at Makerere, my mentor, Prof. Fred Kabi selected me to work on several international agricultural projects, interacting with all stakeholders in the agricultural chain of Uganda. It was through this experience that I learned that it was not only my grandparents who couldn't ably afford costs for their grandchildren nor have access to quality food and other basics. I learned that thousands of others in the rural areas of my country faced similar challenges.
This discovery motivated me to create innovations to help create a better standard of living for smallholder farmers like my grandparents. My flagship innovation was KeBERA, a handheld device that allows farmers to test for pesticide residues and connect them to the global marketplace, which USAID and Michigan State University currently fund. This was followed by SafeBangle, a unique safety bracelet that helps women in Uganda contact their loved ones when they feel in danger of sexual assault.
Because of my innovative work, I was selected for the Mandela Washington Fellowship in 2019, where I was trained for six weeks in entrepreneurship at the University of Notre Dame. This was the moment that changed the trajectory of my life. After the fellowship, the friends and community I built in South Bend helped me apply and pursue my graduate degree in Technology and Entrepreneurship (ESTEEM) at Notre Dame! These same mentors even helped me create a new South Bend-based startup, Kinga, which helps students get out of uncomfortable situations before a sexual assault happens.
I came from a poor and under-resourced background. I was raised by illiterate grandparents. When I arrived in the U.S. for graduate school, I had only $15 to my name. By all standards, I am not supposed to have graduated from such a great university in such a beautiful community!
But, because of the generous support I have received from individuals at Notre Dame and in the South Bend - Elkhart region, I beat the odds. That is why I decided to use the skills and knowledge I have gained to give back to this community and be a Force for Good beyond my hometown of Kiyunga-Bulamuka, in Kamuli.
I chose enFocus because it would allow me to give back to the people of this region. I am working with the City of South Bend Mayor’s Office to build a program to help regional employers attract and retain international talents like me. This will eventually boost the community's economy and the standard of living of the people of this region.
I am excited to partner with enFocus and the people of the South Bend-Elkhart in creating impact, which has been my ultimate goal since childhood—making other people’s lives better!