Back to the roots for a Charity Cause

Some places quietly stay with you. You only realize it years later, when you look back and think, that place mattered more than I knew. For me, that place is Kyaka II Refugee Settlement.

In the early 1980s, my father worked there as a Settlement Commandant and my mother as a Community Services Officer. I was born in 1984 and raised in Kyaka II until 1999 when I went to secondary school at Namilyango College. It wasn’t just home, it was my first classroom in community, responsibility, and care.

At Kyaka II, my mum worked with both adults and unaccompanied refugee minors. Many of the children spent time in our home. They were my playmates, my teammates, my friends. Some are still my brothers and sisters today. She served in Kyaka II until 2008, quietly doing the hard, human work that never makes headlines, but keeps communities going.

Before university, she strongly encouraged (read: ordered) me to volunteer at Bujubuli Secondary School in 2005, the first secondary school in Kyaka II Refugee Settlement. I spent six months teaching Physics and Mathematics and coaching football. The students found it hard to believe someone so young could teach equations and love football this much.

Today, Chance for Childhood is continuing that work in Kyaka II by strengthening early childhood education and parent empowerment. In 2025 alone, CFC reached 1,496 early learners and worked with 200 parents, supporting households of 856 people. This matters because 90% of a child’s brain development happens before the age of five—which means the support children receive early on can shape everything that follows.

What I admire most about CFC is that their work doesn’t end with the child. They support parents through financial literacy, connections to agro-processing firms and financial institutions helping families build stability for the long term. My mother would have been a passionate advocate for this approach, and I know seeing its impact would have brought her enormous joy.

And then there’s running.

Running has always been a place of rest, joy, and renewal for me, something that I would like everyone to experience. It’s why I went on to start an annual running event, the Fort Portal City Marathon (www.fortcitymarathon.com), held just a short run (or drive) of about 120km from Kyaka II Refugee Settlement. For me, running is about community, discipline, and showing up – values I learned long before I ever pinned on a race bib.

So, running the London Marathon for Chance for Childhood feels deeply personal.

I’m running to honor people like my mother and the many community workers who have given their lives to Kyaka II Refugee Settlement. I’m running to support a charity that is investing where it matters most—at the very start of a child’s life, changing children’s futures—one classroom, one parent, one family at a time.

And yes, I’m running 42.2km… willingly.

I’d be grateful for your support—through a donation, sharing this story, or cheering loudly from wherever you are. Together, we can help Chance for Childhood continue this important work.

Thank you for being part of the journey.