He sold bricks to raise fees
Mar 17, 2009
Since childhood, Henry Bbosa’s life has been hard, but it is the reason he is what he is today. The 24-year-old is not only the first child in a family of 10 to get a degree, but he also scored a second upper class division, while working as a brick ma
By Frederick Womakuyu
Since childhood, Henry Bbosa’s life has been hard, but it is the reason he is what he is today. The 24-year-old is not only the first child in a family of 10 to get a degree, but he also scored a second upper class division, while working as a brick maker and cleaner.
His father died when he was two; leaving his mother, an un-employed teacher, to depend on her meagre allowances as chairperson of Kyetume Market, Mukono. Before his father’s death, six of the 10 children were in boarding schools but they dropped out.
“We lost the family house and our future was in jeopardy,†Bbosa says. “My elder siblings could no longer go to school. Some got married; others got jobs as house helps and three of us remained at home.â€
His mother had about 10 chicken, which she sold to pay the sh8,000 fees for Bbosa at Bishop East Primary School in Mukono. “My dream was to become a doctor, but also fulfill my mother’s desire of getting a graduate in the family.â€
Bbosa emerged the best in the Primary Leaving Examinations. He failed to get a place at Namilyango College and opted for Mukono High School. After two years, the school offered him a bursary for his good perfomance.
However, for A’ level, the school could not offer him a scholarship so he started making bricks to raise the fees. “Every morning, I would wake up by 5:00am and make about 10 bricks, before I went to school.â€
“At the weekend, I would make about 400 bricks. I used to sell each brick at sh200. We used to pay sh52,000 in school fees and the money from the bricks would be enough for my fees and upkeep for my mother and two siblings. I knew I had to work hard and set aside about three hours everyday to revise.â€
Bbosa had to borrow books from friends and teachers as the school had neither a library nor text books. But his dream of becoming a doctor had been buried: He studied arts.
After A’ level, Bbosa failed to get government sponsorship at university, but he was not one to sit around and lament. “A doctor took me on as a cleaner at a clinic in Nakulabye. I was also supposed to care for the patients, †he says.
During weekends, Bbosa would make bricks and on weekdays, he had to attend to the clinic. “I would walk about 20km everyday from Nakulabye to Nakawa so as to save on the transport fare to and from Mukono. I saved enough money to join university on private sponsorship,†he adds.
Bbosa was the only student from his school to join university. He continued working at the clinic as well as making bricks. “At the clinic, I was paid sh2,000 everyday. But my employer understood my situation and used to give me sh100,000; four months’ advance,†he says. “This helped me to settle my hostel, feeding and scholastic material bills.â€
To balance work and school, Bbosa would carry his books wherever he went. “I would revise at the clinic at night. During the day, I would attend lectures and also do my job at the clinic.â€
Last month, Bbosa graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental management. “If a poor person like myself can succeed, why not others? My dream is to get a job and pursue further studies, until I get a PhD,†he says.
Since childhood, Henry Bbosa’s life has been hard, but it is the reason he is what he is today. The 24-year-old is not only the first child in a family of 10 to get a degree, but he also scored a second upper class division, while working as a brick maker and cleaner.
His father died when he was two; leaving his mother, an un-employed teacher, to depend on her meagre allowances as chairperson of Kyetume Market, Mukono. Before his father’s death, six of the 10 children were in boarding schools but they dropped out.
“We lost the family house and our future was in jeopardy,†Bbosa says. “My elder siblings could no longer go to school. Some got married; others got jobs as house helps and three of us remained at home.â€
His mother had about 10 chicken, which she sold to pay the sh8,000 fees for Bbosa at Bishop East Primary School in Mukono. “My dream was to become a doctor, but also fulfill my mother’s desire of getting a graduate in the family.â€
Bbosa emerged the best in the Primary Leaving Examinations. He failed to get a place at Namilyango College and opted for Mukono High School. After two years, the school offered him a bursary for his good perfomance.
However, for A’ level, the school could not offer him a scholarship so he started making bricks to raise the fees. “Every morning, I would wake up by 5:00am and make about 10 bricks, before I went to school.â€
“At the weekend, I would make about 400 bricks. I used to sell each brick at sh200. We used to pay sh52,000 in school fees and the money from the bricks would be enough for my fees and upkeep for my mother and two siblings. I knew I had to work hard and set aside about three hours everyday to revise.â€
Bbosa had to borrow books from friends and teachers as the school had neither a library nor text books. But his dream of becoming a doctor had been buried: He studied arts.
After A’ level, Bbosa failed to get government sponsorship at university, but he was not one to sit around and lament. “A doctor took me on as a cleaner at a clinic in Nakulabye. I was also supposed to care for the patients, †he says.
During weekends, Bbosa would make bricks and on weekdays, he had to attend to the clinic. “I would walk about 20km everyday from Nakulabye to Nakawa so as to save on the transport fare to and from Mukono. I saved enough money to join university on private sponsorship,†he adds.
Bbosa was the only student from his school to join university. He continued working at the clinic as well as making bricks. “At the clinic, I was paid sh2,000 everyday. But my employer understood my situation and used to give me sh100,000; four months’ advance,†he says. “This helped me to settle my hostel, feeding and scholastic material bills.â€
To balance work and school, Bbosa would carry his books wherever he went. “I would revise at the clinic at night. During the day, I would attend lectures and also do my job at the clinic.â€
Last month, Bbosa graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental management. “If a poor person like myself can succeed, why not others? My dream is to get a job and pursue further studies, until I get a PhD,†he says.