The conditions in the refugee camp were extremely difficult – the LRA were on the lookout for children who had escaped from South Sudan, healthcare services were poor and available food often ran out weeks before the next delivery of supplies was due.  Despite these challenges, I was able to start primary school in Uganda when I was nine, walking fourteen kilometers a day to attend. Whilst I suffered deep trauma from what I had seen of the war, my commitment to my education remained strong: I later won a prestigious DAFI scholarship.

Following graduating from Makerere University in Kampala, I became heavily involved in working with young people in refugee settlements, helping them to acquire the skills to help themselves, forge a path in life and contribute to a peaceful world. Thanks to this work with refugees, I was appointed as a member of the Global Youth Advisory Council by UNHCR in 2017 and to the first Youth Advisory council of the African Union in 2018.