Bwakala has known struggle his whole life. His mother died when he was 2 years old and his father became bedridden when Mark was 12 years old. The youngest of 10, he watched as his siblings were forced to seek menial work instead of attend school. The sorrow of seeing only 1 sister finish her elementary education, planted a seed deep in his heart to do everything in his power to complete his education and help his family out of the crushing power of poverty.
Despite receiving no help from his family for school fees and supplies, Mark doggedly pursued education by earning what he could “digging” in other people’s fields. He attended government school until S4( grade 10) struggling to learn in the face of overcrowded classrooms ( 100 students to 1 teacher ), absent teachers and lack of school supplies. Completing S4 ( grade 10) Mark knew he needed to find a way to complete the final 2 years to qualify for attendance to university through a scholarship.
Bwakala went to the capital city of Kampala and found work at a maize mill. Daily he would get flour in 2 Lb bags, load them on a bike to sell door to door, earning 35 cents for each bag sold. Earning 2.50$ a day, he bought a young bull and asked his sister to graze it near their home while he continued to work. The sale of the bull, working in other people’s fields and working at the school enabled Mark to finally complete S6 and take the national exams.The day he found out his scores did not qualify him for any scholarships was a dark day when all hope seemed lost. His dream of becoming a social worker to help others appeared impossible. Now in Launch Uganda, hope is finally a part of Mark’s journey. Hope of earning a living , hope of helping his family, and hope of giving hope and help to others in their struggles fills him with grateful determination.