Martin Kaweesa

Martin Kaweesa

Martin Kaweesa, 19, lost his father, Joseph Wasswa, to HIV/AIDS in 2004. By the time of his father’s death, Martin’s mother and father had divorced. Martin is not shy to talk about the mistreatment he went through at the hands of her step mother before his father died. As a result, Martin stays at Nalubabwe with her grandmother, Ester Namukambi.

Martin is in senior two (S.2) at St. Anne’s Grace High School - Nakifuma. Martin explained that his age is rather awkward to be in senior two partly because of the problems he has gone through since childhood that have adversely affected his education. Martin told FINIDP staffs, Dan and Mukasa,: “my grandmother can not afford to pay my school fees for all her grandchildren given the fact that she only gets her income from subsistence farming and making mats and baskets.” “When one finds me at school they may think I’m okay, but I have problems of; school fees, poor beddings, lack of paraffin to light the candle so that I can revise my books at night, and long journey to school.” “We’re five children and our grandmother at home, but unfortunately our house was brought down by a heavy rain; so currently all of us stay in a small house.” “Because I treasure studies, I sometimes grow maize, beans and keep local chicken to raise some money for books, clothing and bedding.”

Martin said: “I have tried out many simple jobs as a means of getting an income to relieve the burden on my grandmother; I tried photography as a part-time job, but unfortunately my friends borrowed my camera and disappeared with it.” “Come what may, my ambition is to become an electronics engineer, and already I can repair small radios to raise some money to buy me pens, pencils, and books.” “If I get a sponsorship, I will study very hard to please my sponsor, and I promise to be a sincere student.”