Nickname: Paul
Date of birth: August 12, 1999
School level: Primary 4
Place of birth: Moroto, Uganda
Shoe size: 9
Pant size: medium (13-14)
Shirt size: Small (Men’s)

Q&A

What do you want to be when you grow up? A Pilot

Why? Because A Pilot Can Reach Anywhere In The World!

What is your favorite color? Purple

What is your favorite food? Sweet potatoes and g-nuts(ground nuts)

What is your favorite subject in school? Math

Have you received any special awards in school? I Am The Food Organizer

What are your hobbies? Reading, hugging, bicycling, playing football

 

Paul’s Story:

I was born in Moroto, Uganda and lived with my five siblings and my mother and father. My father once had some cattle, which we depended on for food, but after he died the cows were finished and we had nothing to eat. We left Moroto for Jinja because we didn’t have any support from our relatives or neighbors and we were starving. We thought that in Jinja we would have a better life, but we also struggled on the streets of Jinja. During the day my sisters would collect maize (corn) to get a little bit of money for food and my brothers and I would collect scrap metal for selling. My family worked together to get the money for survival, but still one of my brothers and one of my sisters died.

On the street I also picked up charcoal and leftover food at the market. The charcoal was for selling and I would combine the money I got from selling charcoal with the money of other people to pay for a house to rent. If we couldn’t come up with the money, the landlord would send us away from the house and we would sleep on the streets. After some time working hard to get the money we would again rent the house.

While I lived on the streets we would move as a team with Logel, Bosco, Mark, Friday, and all of them. This is how we would protect ourselves. We were a group of ten and we never left each other. We ate leftovers and collected charcoal together. Almost the whole group is here now (sponsored under The Peace for Paul Foundation).

Our mother got remarried and gave birth to my youngest sibling, Longoli. This man was harsh to the mother and beat her because he was a drunkard. My mother decided to leave him and to stay alone with us but now she drinks too much too.

Updated November 10th, 2011