Ambrose was born into a challenging life . His parents provided for their 7 children by farming their 2 acre lot until a bad loan forced them to sell half the land. Facing the continuous impossibility of paying school fees, his father had all but given up on educating Ambrose by P4 ( grade 4) . Graciously, his aunt invited him to live with her and paid his school fees until the end of his elementary education. High school brought higher fees , but now Ambrose was old enough to find work “digging” on other people’s farms each school break to make small contributions. Frequently sent home for school fees as well as carrying a debt to the school caused him often to wonder if he would ever complete his education. During his last 2 years of high school, Ambrose seized an opportunity to join a program where he could work at the school in exchange for his fees. “ I was so happy. “ he says, “God was fighting for me.” Now in Launch Uganda, frequent smiles light up Ambrose’s face as he sees a way forward to getting the education needed to break the endless cycle of poverty in his life and family.

Almost all farm work in Uganda is done with the hoe, so “digging” is a general word for farm work.