My name is AYEBARE COLLINS BRUNO. I am the Founder and Managing Director of The St. Bruno Children’s Community Foundation, a ministry reaching out to poor and needy children and their families in Nyakasa – Mbarara, a rural community in Uganda with basic needs like education, food, emergency health care, clothes and clean water among others.

I was born in a family of seven children from three different mothers. Growing up, I and my siblings couldn’t get most of the basic needs like our peers did. My father was a mere security guard who also did other odd jobs to provide for all of us although it wasn’t always enough. My mom was an uneducated housewife who worked hard by cultivating fields to ensure that we had what to eat and went to school. When my dad died in an accident in 2005, this time, I was in senior two, and it became very difficult for my mom to take care of all of our needs, regardless, she never gave up on us.

Whereas we had lost hope of staying in school, the Lord used a family friend who helped me win a scholarship at the district. Other people in the community helped me with school supplies, so I could go back to school. I was just fortunate that most people in the community loved me, and so they did their best to help.

After completing a teaching course, I went to Rwanda for jobs and in Kigali I ended up at an American owned school where I made good relationships with the teams from the USA that were visiting in the summer. Out of my earnings, I felt delighted always and every time I helped a Rwandan child in need. Rwanda and Uganda are both developing countries in East Africa and the quality of life in the community I lived in Kigali was no different from that I left back home in Uganda.

Gradually I started sharing stories of needy children both in Rwanda and my community in Uganda. My friends in the USA were willing to contribute to helping the particular children get what they needed. I knew that I was only being able to support these little friends because I had gotten an education, and that’s why I later put my heart to finding means of helping children who are needy and of a poor family background like mine, to stay in school and be able to fulfill their dreams.

By helping others especially the children I want to help the society in which I live eradicate poverty and achieve equality. As for the people/children I help, I want to teach them about generosity and kindness. They will know that there are good people out there who are willing to share their smiles with them.