Tell us about yourself.

I’m a 25-year-old Mutoro Leader and Rotaracter from Uganda. I’m an Architect, Interior designer, Philanthropist, Cartoonist, Content Creator, Social Entrepreneur, Girl Child Activist, and Climate change champion.

I founded and directed Girl Potential Care Centre at www.girlpotentialcarecenter.org and Green Shero LTD at www.greensheroltd.com. I also serve as the Chief Editor and Cartoonist at the Youth Scroll Lock Magazine www.youthscrolllock.com and have published two comic books.

I’m a STEM GIRLS Uganda 2016 Alumni, winner of the digital innovation program with digital human rights Lab 2021 young water fellow Uganda 2021, and Nominee for Empower Periods Awards 2021. My work, art, and activism aim to enable female-friendly environments for all, advocating and defending the Human rights of girls and people with special needs in the Rwenzori Region.

I hold a Diploma in Architecture from Uganda Technical College of Kichwamba and several certificates in entrepreneurship, international trade, ICT, and tailoring. 

I have served in various companies as an employee and volunteer in the Spine InjuryAssociation, DS International LTD, Solar Now, Prutaz Constructions and Vocational Training Uganda LTD, Musingi EngineeringLtd, Uganda Bureau of Statistics, Rome Consultants and Engineering Ltd, Girl Power Connect, Girl Potential care center, Green Shero ltd and Rotary club of Kabarole with gained work experience and training in construction and Architectural planning, Public service, community engagement, Human research studies, advocacy, story-telling, Resource mobilization, and Public Speech.

You are very passionate about your work at Girl Potential Care Centre, can you tell us about your life experience and how that inspired you to start this organization?

Growing Up, I was raised by a single father who also is a wheel-chair user and local cultural musician in Rwenzori Region (Kabarole), coming from a humble family with a single parent that could not meet all our basic needs as children (6), had his music career going on, It became hard for him to keep up with the parental responsibilities which forced him to give us away to relatives who had a proper home, and support us with proper upbringing.

 I became a community child, where everyone else in Kabarole joined hands to support me through school, which involved the church, local leaders, and businessmen that knew and loved my father out of empathy because of his disability condition and also out of love for his contribution to the region through his art and music, My father always reminded me that being a daughter of a poor family required me to exhibit utmost discipline at home, school and other spaces I was in because I never know where my next plate of food, clothes, school fees or college tuition would come from. I became the best at education which enabled me to receive half-bursaries and sometimes full scholarships to finish my education from individuals and organizations like the church, Youth Empowering Services, and Bringing Hope to The Family that supported young and promising people through education, which lowered the burden for my father. 

Being dependent and at the mercy of other people also exposed me to a lot of abuse sexually, and emotional, countless bullying from families I lived in (foster families), the community, my fellow students, and the community who believed I was cursed because my father was disabled, poor and for some abusers who thought they owned me for the contributions they made towards my life through education, relief handouts to improve my livelihood. 

In Africa and a traditional African family, there are no conversations about mental health/psycho-social support for Victims, we are trained to suck it in to protect primarily the reputation of abusers or secondarily you the victim with the context of how will you handle the shame, guilt or the mark you taint yourself with once you speak out.

 In instances where I wanted to ask basic questions about sex, I was viewed as an immoral child that is distracted by boys which made it very hard for me to access the knowledge. And every time I attempted to play manly games like play football, climb trees, and have ambitious dreams of becoming a very wealthy engineer, I was reminded that women are expected to get married, have babies, and take care of families, I was not allowed to wear trousers, have a phone or involve in chores that were labeled masculine due to gender roles like cattle grazing, playing football. 

The rebellious Bridget, who always strived at coloring outside the lines, I associated myself more with boys and performed well at science subjects in school, that some teachers took me to other classes to discuss for them, behaved like a tomboy which somehow protected me as a girl-child from male attention but also created a pass for me to wear trousers, I became a leader in schools, which put me at an advantage against bullies but also enabled to travel for school summits that exposed me to networking, public speaking and identifying my talents and how best I can use them to communicate. I used my platforms to share information and create attention to challenges in school through cartoons.

All these experiences from my childhood groomed my decision to stand out but also at some point give back to my community for taking care of and nurturing me, this was a “When I get rich plan” but a series of horrible things and scenarios happened to me and other friends in my circle while studying and working that I decided to start on this dream right away, so that’s how Girl Potential Care Centre came to life

Can you describe the services and programs that the organization offers to help inspire, empower, and support girls in Uganda?

Girl Potential Care Centre is a female-founded not-for-profit group that was founded in 2016 as Brita Kigambo Foundation by 3 committed young female friends to give support to fellow young people in their communities and schools, and later registered as Girl Power Connect GPC Community Based Organization under registration number CD/GRP/394 in 2020 and changed the name to Girl Power Connect and advanced to an NGO  after registration as Girl Potential Care Centre under Registration NO 80020003378448 at the national level, and with Fort-Portal City CD/NGO/169 as a platform for young female adults that are (have) suffering tragic situations like early pregnancies and marriages. Abortions, school dropouts, sexual and gender-based abuses, and violence. 

Girl Potential Care Centre nurtures, mentors, and empowers(skills) young female adults between the age of 9 years and 30 years in maximizing their full potential in fields of social work and charity, arts and crafts, entrepreneurship, and urban farming, directly and indirectly, impact their lives, families, and communities to contribute to the eradication of poverty, the spread of HIV/AIDS and advocate for human rights for all among youth and the country at large.

We work together with GPCC members, beneficiaries, communities, partners, and well-wishers to bridge gaps between young people affected/living with HIV/AIDs, disabilities, and poverty to access skills, resources, connections, and knowledge to contribute to the enhancement of social justice, gender priority, social inclusion and participation of minority groups through networking, promoting the exchange of information and best practices through training, research, vocational skilling and strategic partnerships within and outside Uganda. 

Our purpose is to build strength, stability, and self-reliance among female young adults with fighting gender-based violence, HIV/AIDs, and discrimination of people with special needs (PWDs) in our communities by enhancing their social, health, and economic capacity and living conditions through access to basic hands-on skills and knowledge, health care and meaningful employment inclusion for all for sustainable independent livelihoods

We operate under 3 main thematic areas that have posed more sources of challenges for young people Sexual reproductive health and rights, Social Enterprise and Education(Vocational skilling), and sponsorship.

Tell us a little about the 14 Hugs drive that takes place every October, what was the idea behind it and how impactful has it been to the beneficiaries?

My birthday happens to be on the 14^th of October, so because I am surrounded by loving and caring people who understand what I love to do, I like to rally my friends to generously donate so that I can put a smile on someone’s face and probably also get myself some birthday hugs. 

So the campaign is strictly dedicated to supporting people with special needs/disabilities, especially the fact that my family has the same background.

We gather funds to provide relief support, wheelchairs, and walking sticks, plus health care and education sponsorship opportunities for beneficiaries within our community that cannot afford but need them.

We have been able to donate 6 wheelchairs, 4 pairs of walking sticks, and 3 sponsorship opportunities for education and vocational training with food and clothes this has seen the team support 30 families. It has also rallied us to be mindful of the needs of other people, which has seen several people donating and coping with the way of celebrating age. 

How do you balance it all, being an architect, interior designer, cartoonist, and still leading your team at Girl Potential Care Centre?

I honestly depend on teams and am blessed to be surrounded by like-minded young people who are at the heart of groundwork with a very supportive Board of directors and advisors who are normally more experienced and older to guide us, and employees, employers, clients, and partners. We are very open too.

I work with a team of young people for every sector of work and project I work on, this helps me distribute resources, networks, and skills but also enables me to operate with an understanding community that understands the Vision of everything we decide to embark on.

What other passion or projects are you actively involved in?

Everything I work on falls in the angle of activism, art, Housing, and Estates management, and ensuring every work contributes to creating a female-friendly environment for us to be able to thrive as young people.

What do you do to take out time to relax and recharge? What are your favorite activities to do?

I believe in resting, so I sleep to recharge, do some charity or a good deed, paint and sketch work, take nature walks, and do local tourism.

Tell us about the Youth Scroll Lock magazine and how you’re using it to teach girls about reproductive health.

The youth scroll lock www.youthscrolllock.com is a digital online magazine that uses simplified graphics, and cartoons in comic series booklets that share basic information about SRHR information for young people.

We have at least 500+ users around the world, as young people we are bound to look for effortlessness and fun in everything. The magazine discusses everything SRHR that you may not be able to access at home, school, or church .

Every edition is tailored to a theme that is frequently asked on the platforms chatbot, we provide instant response and psycho-social support for young people on WhatsApp, chatbot, and social media platforms.

What challenges have you faced with running a nonprofit in Uganda and how have you gotten people to take the work that you do seriously?

Our biggest challenge is raising and accessing funds to enable the continuation of these projects and programs.

Existing funding opportunities are also not flexible enough especially for grassroots organizations that may not meet their due diligence expectation.

Overwhelming challenges that increase support expectations from the organization.

In as much as we are a community-oriented group of people, we have not yet really understood the concept of a non-profit organization, we face several cases of entitlement, especially with beneficiaries who think and believe that if an organization is starting a project, we are meant to continue ensuring its continuity or success because we receive white man’s support, and in instances where Local fundraising, partnerships, and donations become a challenge to we face temporary closure of office and projects and unsatisfied beneficiaries/Community.

What tips or advice do you have for other women running nonprofit organizations in  Africa?

I would like to first and foremost appreciate and acknowledge all the work they are doing within their community.

I implore them to never give up especially when we receive those unpleasant “Unfortunately…” This is not because you are not good enough or not worthy but rather shows the high demand of support needed. It is important to involve local partners within your area of operation because the community is the number one support you will have for all the resources to solve challenges and to create the change we need.

Take time to appreciate and applaud the team that works with you, and surround yourself with a supportive community that will closely support you through the journey because leadership and entrepreneurship are quite lonely journeys.

Finally, how can individuals and organizations who are interested in working with you get involved and support you?

Being a grassroots organization we need a lot of support in areas of capacity building, funding, volunteering, and partnership, we are open to working with like-minded people and partners to contribute to creating the society we need.

You can support us by engaging with our work on-site and online through advocating and supporting our causes and programs, donating to the organization to enable it to run smoothly, and volunteering and working with us.

Contact Girl Potential Care Centre

Facebook- Girl Potential Care Centre

Email: gpcc256@gmail.com

Website: www.girlpotentialcarecenter.org