I am called Alex Tumwebaze, alumnus of mosaic vision ministry who completed with a bachelors in arts with education in 0ctober 2013 and now currently working with my mother organisation as Child development officer-programs.
I am born in a family of four i.e.three girls and one boy. Life wasn’t simple for us after we had lost our loving dad in 2000 and remained with our mum. Things turned sour as our mum struggled to raise us without any source of income. By then I was in primary five, two older sisters in primary six and our young sister in primary one. One of our elder sisters completed primary seven but my mum had no option to further her studies. She then went to Mbarara (Western Uganda) where she secured a job from my aunt’s diary as a cooler attendant. Things got worse as I was approaching primary seven. With the conditions that we were in at home, my mum knew that she was not going to manage raising school fees for me in secondary level. She however decided to go and work from her sister’s shops so that she can manage to raise school fees for my ordinary level since I was performing very well. She went and started working with my young sister and I remained at home alone. I persisted in this condition for two years while alone at home. I joined secondary school but to get school fees was a tag of war, conditions became tough as my mum struggled for my school fees, basic needs and scholastic materials. When I had reached senior two, she got sick in which condition she lasted for eight months but unfortunately she didn’t survive and died when I was in senior two in 2005.
I knew I couldn’t make it even if I tried and by then my young sister had reached primary five. Conditions got stiff as relatives couldn’t even give a helping hand and then I knew my life was no more and started planning to look for a job in Kampala to look for money and pay school fees for my young sister because my wish was to have at least educated person in our family who can interpret and guide when need arises because all our family members are not educated. Our headteacher at first persisted with us but later gave up and started chasing me away from school because of school fees and totally lost hope as I had no way out. The church leaders came at our home during pastoral visits and asked us about the kind of life we were living, prayed and encouraged. They said they were going to send our details to the diocese. I wouldn’t go to school consequently because I feared being intimidated before the rest of class mates for not having shoes, books and not paying school fees.
U-turn: it was on 5/November/2007 when I had just gone to school to copy notes so I am not left behind from there after go back home so that I can be at the same pace with rest of class mates as we were approaching examination period and was requesting for help from my relatives and friends so that I couldn’t miss end of term exams. One of the teachers came looking for me in the class as he was not sure whether I was around because I was known by everyone in school as a fees defaulter. Fortunately the teacher who was in was from our village and had allowed me in; the teacher called me and took me to the staff room. I thought I was going to be punished for being in class when I had not paid school fees. When I reached in the office I found there Rev. Baturakwe Benon and Mrs Ahumuza Allen (the then Mosaic staff) who took my whole biography. We there after and went home, took photos and promised to start taking care of us. It was like being put in a pool of cold water in the middle of the night, Oh my God I didn’t believe not until I saw Rev Benon after like two weeks with a vehicle loaded on mattresses, bed sheets, towels, case, sandals, soap, bed sheets and all the basic needs. I will never forget that day in my life, I started to regain hope and knew it was by God’s grace and gave glory to God.Life started changing in our family. Mosaic started paying for me school fees, medical bills,transport costs,food,gave me iron sheets to put on our toilet among other many things and my younger sister was put in the boarding section where she completed her primary seven. Life changed drastically and i completed secondary, went to high school ,performed very well and scored good grades as my young sister joined secondary level. Mosaic also gave us a caretaker to help us at home like putting up banana plantation, sweet potatoes among others while away. Life became better for us after high school, I made an application for joining university and I was allowed to join. Unfortunately, the rest of our sisters lost hope and had early marriages.
To summarise it all,I went to the university for three years and thank God I secured my first class degree in education.it was not of my own making because I didn’t expect it but I was always encouraged by mosaic staff, friends, relatives and uncle Jacques the Mosaic Supervisor. May the good lord bless you all. I graduated in 2014 and fortunately enough I was given a job to work for the ministry where iam giving back to the ministry, coordinating several programs and working for the best of the ministry which I thank God for and per now my sister has completed her ordinary level exams. We say EBENEZER.
On the right ,making child updates for new children and on the left in the group photo with fellow Mosaic alumni.
I would like on special note to thank MVM president Dr Shannon Irvine who started this ministry, my loving mum Jennifer Moreland Carter who supported me in all the ways, cared for me, her great love for our family and encouragement, We will forever love you, Mosaic supervisor Mr Jacques Masiko for the parental love and pieces of advice, all mosaic staff since the project started up to now and all donors that give in to support children may the good lord bless you all.
SURELY SPONSORSHIP CHANGES LIVES
