The change begins with you

                                                                                                                                                            ''If you can't figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose'' Bishop T.D Jakes Two years ago, I had lost direction, lost hope, and could not figure out what my passion was. When asked what I really was passionate about, I had exactly no perfect response, all I knew was I loved teaching, but that I felt it was never my unique passion! I needed something unique, something creative, something ou...

The day we first met...😍 Dear Desire and Salama , Our time together is soon coming to an end...and knowing that you will soon leave makes me a little sad. However, the special memories you and I have created in the few weeks make me smile satisfactorily. You have brightened each of my new day with new experiences, adventure, care, hearty jokes, smiles and laughter. It all started that day after the Managers' meeting. Remember when I hiked with you to one of the mountainous schools? We all sat in the same vehicle, and the two of you could not stop chatting. Then you asked a question, and I responded. I remember one of you saying, ''This girl has a nice voice!'' That's when I first fell in love with you. Time went by, and you came back unexpectedly. This time you came on a more serious mission, to respond to the Refugee influx in the region. It felt like a reunion of long lost friends. I was grateful that it was the two of you that had been sent, for I knew that ...

The fear of the unknown and leaving behind all the familiar places, family and friends can be really upsetting, depressing and exciting at the same time. However, I have always dreamt of a job that would fit into my personality and expectations, and I finally landed one as a field based program officer, working and residing in a district far away from home, up in the ranges of Mountain Rwenzori.  During my teaching days, that seem so distant, the work routine was a little monotonous, teaching the same concepts year in year out. Then I made a decision to change and pursue one of the most adventurous careers, and as such I get to do, and learn something different and exciting every single day.   There is a bit more adventure in my life too! I have been pushed out of my comfort life , and have gone to new places that keep me happy and excited. (can't help but feel like a photojournalist or mountain guide sometimes) Although my nature of work has enabled me get numerous connection...

Let's Spread More Hope than Fear This morning, I had a close to 3 hour phone chat with a close young friend who has battled Covid-19 twice and overcame it. The previous time I had talked to her, her breath had been sharp and I could feel she was struggling to breath.  Today, when I heard her strong former self, I knew she had won the battle, and she confirmed that she had.  The first time she got the virus was the worst. This is how she felt; So weak that lifting a spoon was close to impossible. Mental fatigue and slowness: it took great strength to understand simple things like how to eat, or if it was day or night time, and her concentration levels were burnt out. She could feel both hot and cold at the same time. Breathing was as painful and the chest felt heavy. Being irritable to sound, noise, light and touch. All these were in interplay with other signs like cough, flu, headache, fever and others. It took her two weeks to get better even though she was on medication. The...

Google photos popped up a smiley photo of me taken in June last year. A reminiscent smile spread across my lips. Memories of the first Covid-19 lockdown trickled in my mind...and my writing spirit was revived! It seems like a ghost awoken from the past. Words and sentences yearning to be let loose from my mind are relentlessly tagging at my mind...and what to do? Can't help but write again😃 As I sit in the centre of these four walls that I now call home, in a far away district from home, in yet another lockdown, I am more than glad that my writing spirit has once again been revived...and the joy in finding my passion once again is beyond measure...for I have found ME!!! New posts shall be out soon.  Stay safe,x

MY VOLUNTEERING JOURNEY  As August comes to an end, I can't help but recall the bold move I made to change career last year, due to personal and professional reasons. It was in a week like this that I drafted and redrafted my resignation letter to the Headteacher. I knew that I needed a very strong reason, but my only reason to her at the moment was I needed to work with a Non Government Organization. I had thought about it for a whole year, did an interview with World Vision Uganda, and was still applying. Despite being an influential Class Teacher for a semi-candidate class, she painfully let me go. And my new journey started... After a painful wait of a month and a half, I landed myself an adventurous Volunteering opportunity with Save the Children. Am sure you are wondering how I could leave a full time job for a volunteering opportunity?! I knew what I wanted, and volunteering with an international organization would give me the experience I needed to join the impactful Humani...

By 2050 , we will have a global population of around 9.6 billion and we would need the equivalent of almost 3 planets worth of resources to sustain our way of living, if our current consumption and production patterns remain the same. [UNEP, 2011, http://bit.ly/1Niu2q7] Climate Change , in simple terms, refers to any change in climate over time whether due to natural causes, or human activity. In a UN survey, 73% of youth say they currently feel the effects of climate change. [UNEP, GlobeScan Survey, 2008, http://bit.ly/1CtR3zZ].  The intensification of extreme weather and Climate change potentially represents a major threat to the health and livelihoods of youth—especially in developing countries, where 80% of young people live. RECENT EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN UGANDA   WHAT IS VOLUNTARY SERVICE OVERSEAS (VSO) DOING ABOUT IT? Through its DYNAMIC project, VSO is training young people on Climate SMART farming Practices ,as youth make up the majority of the population, and ha...