Journey to University: Lewis
Lewis Bisaso Nakabaale’s journey began with hardship. After losing his mother in 2006 at the age of six, he found himself living on the streets of Ndeeba-Kampala. Before her passing, his mother had worked hard to provide for her children, but her death turned his life upside down.
Initially, an aunt took him in, but due to abuse and neglect from her husband, Lewis fled to the streets.
“If you deny a young child food totally, you have killed that child. At times I begged from the neighbourhood,” Lewis said. “I could not bear the hunger situation.”
He survived by collecting scrap and sleeping in cinema halls. Eventually, relatives found him and took him to live with his father in Nakuwadde, a man he had never lived with before. Unfortunately, life there was also painful, marked by food deprivation and abuse from his stepmother.
His father then moved him to Happy Times Primary School in Ggangu. Later, Lewis was transferred back to All Saints Primary School in Nakuwadde, but his father soon gave up on supporting his education.
Determined, Lewis offered to help with his father’s bricklaying business in exchange for school fees. He did this daily, including evenings, just to stay in school.
After finishing Primary 7, he was sent to work with his grandfather in the village with the promise of secondary school support, but nothing materialized. In 2014, realizing his peers had started secondary school while he had not, he returned and confronted his father, who reiterated the bricklaying deal. Lewis agreed again, just for the chance to study. He eventually enrolled in a low-cost school in Bulenga.
In 2015, his former classmate Moses Musaazi introduced him to Action in Africa (AIA). “We were attending the same school with Moses so he knew how often I was pushed back home for school fees compared to him,” Lewis said. At first, Lewis focused solely on the library, avoiding other programs until he was encouraged to get more involved. “I was an introvert and could not associate with my fellows,” Lewis admitted.
Once he understood the range of opportunities at AIA, he became fully engaged in programs like salsa, drama, and debate in hopes of earning a scholarship. In 2016, his dedication paid off. “I can't forget the day I was declared as the best attendee for the holiday programs, and on that day I won school fees for two terms before even getting a full scholarship. I knew I had reached the sky,’’ said Lewis.
With AIA’s support, Lewis rose to become a student ambassador and earned several leadership certificates. He joined his dream school, Light Secondary School in Nakuwadde, through AIA’s scholarship. Even after failing his Senior 6 exams at Lubiri Secondary School, AIA stood by him. He retook the exams at Mackay College Nateete and passed with flying colors.
“I am happy to say that the boy who had to dropout in P.6 has achieved a great remarkable milestone of graduating with Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering at International University of East Africa through AIA’s University Scholarship Program,’’ said Lewis.
Lewis plans to use his opportunity to give back, saying, “I promise to use the skills and knowledge I have gained from the university to build shelters for the vulnerable at a free cost so that I also mark a footprint like AIA. I will praise Action in Africa wherever I will go.”
