Bogere Ibra.
In Movement alumni.
16 years old.
Lugbara tribe in West
Nile.
Studies in Secondary 2 at
a boarding school in Kampala.
When Ibra was 6 years old
his father was a soldier and went to Somalia to fight in the war. Unfortunately his father never made it
back. Ibra stayed with his mom and
together they lived a hard life. She got
a job as a cleaner in Kireka, one of Kampala’s neighborhoods. As a cleaner a subsequent duty was ensuring
that the property of the house was safe.
One day thieves came and stole some of the belongings, in which she was
then chased from the job. At this time,
Ibra and his mom were staying at the house in the boys quarters. The head of the household said that the only
way to stay would be to have Ibra also work.
Ibra was in Primary 5 at the time.
Ibra began working and saving money, which he had to spend on sending
his mother to the hospital when she fell very ill. After saving more money he had to send his
mom back to the village, where life is cheaper and he could continue with his
dreams and education.
Ibra is the only child
from his mom but like many men in Uganda, his father took on many wives and
produced an additional four children.
One has since passed and another has disappeared.
His favorite possession is
his mobile (cell phone) because it helps him to connect to many things in the
world.
One word to describe Ibra
would be doctor. He hopes to become one
once he finishes school so that he can treat the nation.
His favorite spot in
Uganda is Kireka because that is where he used to stay as a child and it holds
many memories.
His favorite subject in
school is history.
His favorite color is blue
because it is bright like his future!
In Ibra’s free time he
enjoys listening to hip-hop music. One
of his favorite artists is Chris Brown.
One day he hopes to travel
to Chicago because he would like to carry his career there. When I explained that Uganda has a lot of
people to treat he did not seem fazed. I
am excited to see him reach this goal.
One of the lessons he acquired
from his time spent at In Movement was how to behave well in society.
During my interactions
with Ibra I can say with confidence that he is well spoken, well behaved, and
well liked among all. His ability to
listen with passion and articulate his thoughts in a constructive way are some
of the many qualities that will make him go far.
His words to the youth of
the world are, “Be aware of HIV because it has no cure.”
Maybe someday he will find
one but even then… Be aware!
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