I was orphaned at 10. HIV robbed me of the opportunity to feel a mother’s love. So, I grew up with my peasant grandmother in a poverty-stricken home in rural Uganda. Here, access to education was strenuously difficult. I nearly dropped out of school when she could no longer afford to pay my school fees. Along this difficult journey, however, I met ‘Good Samaritans’ who held my hand up. Thanks to their support through school, I became the first graduate in my village in 2007!

My journey of grace instilled in me a burning desire to make a real difference in the lives of people. I understood that everyone needs a hand extended to them so they can realize their dreams. I conceived a Dream, a joyful burden on my heart. It was joyful because the thought of transforming lives was pleasant to the mind, yet a burden because I didn’t know how it would turn into a life-transforming reality. ‘Lord, how possible am I going to do this?’ I petitioned. A pen and paper, however, I had. I wrote down my Dream and set out to make it a reality, driven by a determination to transform lives.

Convinced that education is the key to transforming lives, I sold my land worth $1,500 and established the Brian Mutebi Dream Scholarship Fund. This was unconventional, as people from impoverished backgrounds like mine often seek to accumulate more rather than give away the little they have. But I was driven by a desire to transform lives. The Fund has since awarded 78 scholarships to young people from deprived backgrounds in schools, technical colleges, and universities. Our first university scholarship recipient graduated in 2020 from Makerere University with a Bachelor of Laws and is now an advocate of the High Court.

Our impact goes beyond scholarships. We are saving girls from child marriages, improving their health and well-being, and igniting communities for the change they desire and deserve. The Girls Dream Labs are training the next generation of Uganda’s entrepreneurs, a testament to the transformative power of education and empowerment. My story is one of turning an impoverished, difficult childhood into a springboard for success, the success of humanity. If you, too, seek to make a real difference in the lives of people, I invite you to join us. Come, let’s transform lives together.