"What is your biggest struggle at the moment?" "I met a lovely girl here at Namboole, I immediately liked her she was fun, we started hanging out here together. Then I realised I wanted us to be more than just friends, so we upgraded to lovers it's been 3 weeks now. Yesterday as I went back my landlord told me that a certain lady was looking for me, she only knew my last name. That's when I learnt that the girl I fell in love with had been missing from home for a week. And the lady that was looking for me was her guardian she has already reported matter to the police. She wants me arrested. So I am searching for the girl just to save myself and at the same time I am heart broken why could she do such a thing to me- I hope she's still alive some where, If I don't find her I am not going back home" "Do you have any photos of her, Maybe I could post them and help with the search?" "Sure, I do have lots of them but they can't be of any use right now" (Namboole Stadium, Wakiso)

"I loved this girl so much, I attended all her art classes just to get her phone number. Every day I walked her back home, just to be with her. I ignored my friends because she did not like them. I bought her lunch, I did everything that you think any girl might need from a guy- I made one mistake" "What mistake was that?" "I kept lying to my friends she was just a friend to me- She ditched me for one of my friends instead"  (Kavule-Kirinya, Wakiso)

"My father has been drinking as long as I can recall, he recently got this new habit of gambling. He spends every penny betting on football. I remember he hit my mom every time she complained about his habits. He always told me that girls don't need that much education, he stopped contributing to my school fees saying I was now fit for marriage"  (Lukaya, Masaka)

“We fled Rwanda to the Democratic Republic of Congo during the genocide. It was a really tough time because me and other female refugees were beaten so badly before getting raped. I’m grateful to God I didn’t get HIV/AIDS. My husband was arrested and beaten so bad. He lost his teeth and can’t even walk as a result of the torture his spinal cord was damaged. It was then that I decided to move to Uganda with my six children. Taking care of them was hard because I never had a job let alone where to stay. So I managed to talk to the locals who helped me secure a casual job at a restaurant. The pay was enough to only pay for our rent but couldn’t cater for other basic needs like food, clothing and a decent education. During the struggle to get funding for my kids education I met a Rwandese man that promised to help get sponsorship for them but he attempted to rape me when I went to meet him. As a person I’ve been hurt emotionally and physically. I hardly sleep at night because of the flashbacks from the men that raped me and it keeps me awake. I was hit with a gun butt on the back till today I have difficult standing or sitting for long, I have this chronic pain in my back. While in Uganda I was beaten strangled and left for dead in a swamp. By luck of God I gained consciousness and dragged myself to the roadside where I got help but I had lost my voice. I now speak but as you can see I can’t speak loudly. I’m so traumatised I fear soldiers, the sight of them makes me uncomfortable. I live in fear that someone is going to come and hurt me and my family. But I’m also grateful to God that has kept me alive, I’ve cheated death because of Him.”  (Kisenyi, Kampala)

“I used to go to a school where we paid to learn English. Then one day my friends told me about an organization called hope hub where they skill refugees. I love hope hub because I’m learning English and baking. I’m also learning how to use a computer all for free. I feel like I have a lot of options here unlike before. I want to be someone other refugees can look at and get inspired. I hope to be a business woman that will help other less privileged people not just refugees but every single person that I cross path with.”  (Kisenyi, Kampala)

“I came to Uganda in 2014 by myself, the rest of my family stayed in Somalia. It was hard I had to find where to stay and how to earn. Naturally I hate staying at home. I always want to learn something new. So I moved around until I got a school where I was getting some practical skills in tailoring. Unfortunately I got pregnant and I had a C-section. I couldn’t continue with school since I had a kid and my body was weak from the C-section that I got. I was forced to stay at home for close to two years taking care of my kid and also to help me heal. Until one of my friends told me about an organisation where they give refugees free skills and that’s how I came to hope hub. Hope hub to me is not just a school. It is my home. I have friends that have become family here. I feel bad when the school is closed on Sundays because I want to keep coming every single day even when I don’t have classes I can help teach some of the refugees. I have learnt henna and make up which has helped me earn money to meet my needs. My classmates here always share my work with their friends and that’s how I get clients. Even though my customer base is still small. I’m optimistic it will grow and I will employ my fellow refugees. I’m also learning photography because some time back I was at a Somali wedding and they refused a man to go take pictures of the ladies. So I thought maybe if I learnt how to take pictures they can trust me to go take pictures of their wives and I can make money. I pledged to teach my fellow refugees everything that I learn for free. I feel good when I teach someone and they’re able to make money from it and support themselves or even their family.”  (Kisenyi, Kampala)

“I was doing a three year course in nursing at a university back home in Somalia. Towards my final year it became really unsafe for me to continue with school. There were bomb blasts, kidnappings and gun shots every day. I was scared of moving out of the house to go to school. Imagine not being sure if you’re going to live to see the next day. That’s what forced me to drop out and travel to Uganda. When I came here I stayed in Kisenyi with my family. I was really passionate about nursing but my parents didn’t have funds to enroll me at a nursing school. Uganda was different especially the culture, people here dress so differently compared to us Somalis. But it’s a good place safer than Somalia I can say. At the moment I’m learning to do henna and make up. I enjoy doing it. And my father is very supportive. He is always asking me to keep learning and never stop learning that’s what motivates me every day. My advice to the refugees out there is they should be confident. They should try to learn something that will help them earn a living and improve their well-being” (Kisenyi, Kampala)

“I came to Uganda after I got done with my high school in Somalia. My plan was to continue with my education at a good university. Unfortunately the tuition was too much for my parents. There was nothing really for me to engage in I just stayed at home doing nothing. Until one day my friends told me about an organization that gives free practical skills to refugees. I enrolled in the IT class. I want to be a respected web developer in the near future and I'm working towards it.“ (Kisenyi, Kampala)

“When I escaped the insurgency in Somalia. I settled in Kisenyi (Kampala Suburb) where I hardly interacted with the locals except my fellow Somalis that I met here because of the language barrier. I always felt like a stranger because my Somali friends seemed to get along with the people in our host community. I could tell from their interaction. I also noticed the people were kind of afraid to speak to me because they knew I couldn’t speak the local languages and English. It made it hard for me to seek employment because I could only speak Somali and Arabic in a country where English is their official language. So I volunteered at a local mosque where I taught kids the Quran and Arabic. That’s all I did all day. Teach at the mosque then retire back home to my family. One day when I was walking back home I met a group of Somalis when I asked where they were going. They brought me to an organization called Hope hub where I’m learning English. So far I know how to greet and I can hear some words when you speak to me in English. Unlike before I never used to speak to the locals but now I can at least I can say hello to them. When I get better at it I want to teach my kids English as well.” (Kisenyi, Kampala)

“While at Nakivale refugee camp, we were in line struggling to get food when a fellow refugee of Congolese nationality that was in front me hit my breast so hard with his elbow and I fell down. I don’t know why he hit me. I can never findout. I was in so much pain they rushed me to the doctor for first aid treatment. I then went to the police and reported the man. He was later arrested for assaulting me. After a while I started feeling a pain in my right breast, I went back to the doctor for a chest scan and that’s all I got no medication.The pain sometimes reoccurs in my left breast for a few days and then disappears. I’m now used to it but I still worry for my life though I have no choice at all but to pray to Allah since I can’t afford the treatment. After almost a week the Somali friends that I was staying with in Nakivale camp asked me to leave. They said I needed to go look for work in Kampala and also to run away from the Congolese man that I had gotten behind bars. This was for my safety because he said he was going to come back and revenge. Even though I left Nakivale I still feel insecure. I live in fear thinking that the Congolese man is going to hurt me, so I move around with my face covered.”  (Kisenyi, Kampala)