Ssembatya Godfrey
FAMILY BACK GROUND
My name is Ssembatya Godfrey and Im 18 years old in my second year at NIAAD, under the Muzot project. I’m the youngest of 4 children; my parents separated when I was 4 years old and I lived with my father until he died. After his death, I stayed with my grandmother who was very old and too poor to take me back to school. I stopped in primary seven with my education due to financial problems. I lost my mother in 2007 when I was 13 years old I started looking after my grand mother and catering for all the family needs, making it hard for me to save money for my education. I used to raise this money through working on construction sites and on people’s farms. I used to get little money but it was the only work I could do, however exploitative, I did this work for two years until an opportunity came my way.
HOW I JOINED MUSE PROJECT
My elder sister brought this information to me from her friend who told her about a school along Entebbe road that gives free art skills to orphans and disadvantaged youth. I came and did the interview, passed very well and joined Muzot and NIAAD in 2009.
MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE PROJECT
From the time I joined Muzot my way of judgment has improved, whereas I now think of living a bright future after school. At NIAAD, I study graphic designing, sculpture, textile designing, entrepreneurship, mathematics, painting, drawing and English. I appreciate the opportunity given to me by the project about different art subjects especially photography because as a youth I am able to earn a living from photography; still I need more help from the project to improve my Art skills, if possible to continue to an advanced level in Art and design. In the future I want to be a business woman along side being a professional photographer; I need help to get enough skills to continue to advance after the junior certificate.
