The story of Sam

Or at least parts of his story.

I met Sam helping in one of the Primary schools we were visiting. He was kind of the guy for everything. His face was of strong expressions, he was tall and skinny and his big eyes made him look very special. He was also working as a model and already ran a few fashion shows. Telling me his story, I wondered what this guy has NOT been through so far.
He was found as a new born baby on the streets by the police. Nobody knew where he came from. He never met the woman who gave birth to him. The police brought him to a baby home in the area.

At the age of 3 he was given to a lady who raised other orphans as well. Her name was Mama Joan and she accepted Sam like her own. The other kids became his brothers and sisters. They didn‘t have a lot. They were eating rice or potatoes everyday. Some days they didn’t have anything to eat. The boys slept all together in one room. But this young boy finally had a family. He had someone to call Mama. 

As Sam turned 7 he met a Mzungu man called Boris. He was from Germany. He decided to pay Sam’s school fees. He sometimes came to visit Mama Joan and the kids and gradually started to accept Sam as his son too. He did not only support Sam financially but also took him to work, to go shopping and to church. Years later Sam is still calling him dad.

Sam attended seven different schools during his educational career. Most of them boarding schools where the kids had to get up at 3 am every morning. Thats why he still suffers sleep deprivation today.

After finishing High School Sam applied for university to become a tourist guide. He wanted to show African nature to people from all around the world. He wanted to do camping in National Parks, rafting in the river Nile and canoeing on lake Victoria. But the touristy areas are stretching across Ugandan borders.

That’s why to be a tourist guide he had to attend the military program for 6 months. Because some touristy places in the neighboring countries like in Congo or Sudan are affected by terrorism and rioting, he had to learn how to practise self defense and how to detect warning signals. Because he would be responsible for the safety of his clients.
The time as a military was not easy.  3 hours of sleep every night. No day off. Sam was the commander of his group. That‘s why he carried a sword instead of a gun like everyone else.

He told me the good part of his time as a military was the food. And the accomodation.

In November 2026 Sam is about to graduate University. Then he will be a tourist guide for Uganda and around. Apart from that he used to be a youth leader in church, a great dancer and an MC on some occasions. At the moment he is helping to run a primary school  close to the village he grew up in.

But his main goal is to found an orhanage one day. To give back all the love he received as a child.