ABEL ROBERT SSEKAYOMBYA
Providing opportunities for young refugee and Ugandan women to learn, work and support themselves and their children
Uganda
Abel Robert Ssekayombya was born to a teenage single mother in a poor village in Uganda. When Abel Robert was eight years old, his mother passed away and he was raised by his Auntie Ann.
Abel Robert was not the only child under Ann’s care; over the years she took in 20 children from her relatives who couldn’t care for their children, most of whom had succumbed to HIV/AIDS. Using her meagre resources Abel Robert’s auntie had to work hard to provide for the 20 children under her care, many times resorting to acquiring soft loans and that led to her property being often impounded.
During his childhood Abel Robert knew poverty well. He started school later than his siblings, often missing classes during the school term as his auntie couldn’t afford to pay his school fees and materials on time.
In 2015 after many difficult years, but with determination to overturn the trajectory, Abel Robert earned his B.A in Social Sciences at Makerere University. The university degree came with many realisations for Abel Robert, but the most important was that he had to do something for the many other children in Uganda who were undergoing a similar experience like he had gone through.
So, building on the legacy of his Auntie Ann, Abel Robert established the “Saint Ann Foundation”, to support vulnerable children, including kids with disabilities, by providing education, skills development, Art for social change, sport and health programmes. He has since extended his support to the isolated Buyiga Island, a melting pot of locals and refugees, to ensure women and children live safer and more fulfilling lives.
During the pandemic Abel Robert’s community have leaned on him as their trusted leader and supporter. He has organised food parcels and education programs to keep families going through tough lockdown periods. His own Covid sickness only made him more determined to make sure his community gets all its needs met.
Make a donation for Abel Robert to put where it’s needed most or check out his current projects below.
Contact jo@justpeoples.org to learn more about how you can support Abel Robert’s work.