Meet an unlikely hero of Uganda – Mugisha. Because hope is an attitude
Dear Friends, this is a story about hope. And about dignity. But above all, it is the story about Mugisha.
Mugisha (16) has never been able to walk. He was born lame, lost his family as a toddler and was forced to look up to everybody else since. For Mugisha, all his life was has been about dragging himself in the streets, living from the breadcrumbs he could find under other people’s tables.
Yet, according to those who know him, he rarely complained and never despaired. He is a soft-spoken young man, taking his fate with dignity. «This» he says in a soft and friendly tone, «is what life expects me to carry». So he tries to make the best out of what he has.
Only recently, Mugisha moved to Kids of Africa’s school. He has found his first ever job there. For now, he is washing laundry, earning the first salary in his life. But he also sits in lessons and, slowly, is learning to read and to write. Supervised by a teacher, some of the kids from school are currently constructing his first wheelchair for him in our bicycle-workshop. It may be ready in a week, or so.
Mugisha dragging himself on his way
Mugisha working in his first paid job
Because our former goat-cage has no stairs to enter it, he asked to move in there. We used it as a bookstore ever since we stopped keeping goats. So today, he guards our books as his treasure. But at night, he also reads in them, using a solar-powered night-light.
The former goat-cage is used as his bedroom because…
…its the only building without stair to enter
We don’t know what the future may hold for Mugisha. We feel privileged for having him and grateful for what he shares with us. Because his smile is infectious and his hope is humbling.
I just wanted to share this with you. Heroes are heroes, because they push borders for themselves and set examples for others. Mugisha is one of them.
Thank you for supporting us so that we can help heroes like Mugisha!