It happened in 2013 when the rebels attacked. Many were captured, killed and wounded, including me. I was shot and lost my arm.

I’ve now lived in Uganda as a refugee for three years. I’m married and a father of 8 children but I’m also caring for my relative’s children – 14 in total.

After my injury, it was hard to do work. With only one arm, I’m not able to dig or do other manual labor and it’s even difficult to bathe myself. My disability has made it hard to feed my children. I wonder if my children sometimes feel bad for me being their one-armed father. It’s hard. I don’t always have good feelings about myself and sometimes it gives me pain and I remember the trauma. The only hope I have is in God – that one day things will work out.

Our Seed Effect savings group just started less than two months ago. And, since joining, nothing physically has changed yet. But being in the group has helped me in some feelings of loneliness. When I am here, I am encouraged by their words. It has also given me hope that I will one day open my own business like I dreamed because I’m saving money that will give me seed capital.