Joel

My name is Joel, I am a child of the community. I was born and raised in Kumi, a small town in Mbale in Western Uganda. My father separated from my mother when I was four years old and he brought in a stepmom who mistreated us. I lived on food offered by neighbors after going for days without eating and resulting in me begging for meals. Things became harder when I joined high school and my dad refused to pay for my school fees. This resulted in me starting a small business to be able to pay for my education. I would go to school in the morning, while in the evening I would walk around selling items to people to raise my school fees and buy food.

It was during this season that one of my friends invited me to Young Life. This was a safe space for me where I could be myself and enjoy being a teenager without thinking of my problems. I gave my life to Christ during one of our camps. My leaders embraced me and supported me throughout my struggles, their love inspired me to become a leader and to start the journey of mentoring others.

Now, a Developing Global Leader pursuing a degree in procurement and logistics at the Uganda Christian University, my greatest desire is to spread hope to everyone that I meet. Being a child supported by the community, I would love to build a career and be able to financially support kids to go to school the same way my community came through for me.