Derrick’s parents were farmers who rented land to grow food to support their five children.  During his primary school years, a successful harvest enabled his family to also open a very small shop.  The business was doing well, but the family was not.  His dad began to take money from the business and even sold the land they had purchased for a house. Derrick’s mom tried to save the business by taking out loans. In less than a year, everything was gone and his dad had abandoned the family.  In the face of public humiliation, Derrick’s mom worked hard to pay back the loans and support the children. Although Derrick’s mother never attended school, she was determined to see her children educated.  Her constant reassurance was “We will save our family, Derrick, don’t worry.  You just study.” 

By playing basketball through S4 (Grade 10), Derrick was able to attend a private high school on a scholarship. He planned to stop after S4 and work to support his mom and pay his own school fees.  He went to Kampala to work for a family friend.  The friend was unfair and after an entire year only paid him $108.00.  In the face of this injustice, Derrick decided to go back to compete his education.

Using the money he had earned he paid for his first term, and then applied for a “Work for Fees” program.  In this program, he was given the opportunity to learn to use power tools and to work on a remodel project. A natural leader since his youth, he had not always used his leadership in a positive ways. He saw this opportunity as a willingness to be trusted in spite of his mistakes and it pushed him to look at Jesus. “PapaMark taught me, ‘When you make a mistake, you just surrender it, don’t hide it.’  It really affected me spiritually.” The work program enabled him to pay for his last two years of education.   

Upon completing Level S6, his National Exam scores were not enough for him to receive any scholarships.  Not having a university scholarship would be a massive roadblock to his hope of becoming a pharmacist.

Launch Uganda is the now the avenue by which this hope can become a reality.  His determination and hard work to continue his university studies will allow him to use his leadership skills in a positive way and help both his family and his community.