I, Tracy would be a professional chef if there were no obstacles in life. That’s my dream. I love cooking and preparing different dishes, and I really admire how chefs dress. There’s just something about the kitchen that excites me. But life hasn’t been that straightforward. My mother told me that I was burnt by hot water while I was still young. That’s why I have a scar on my face. I have grown to be confident, regardless of the scar. Some people used to laugh at me but now, I am no longer bothered. I appreciate myself just the way I am. For a while, I wasn’t in school. Life outside of school was not easy. I was juggling so many things, doing house chores, trying to survive, and learning new skills just to support myself. I spent a lot of time making jewelry, weaving baskets, and styling hair. I also started a small business where I sell porridge, milk, and black tea in the morning. School life is very different, you just focus on studying and passing, but when you’re home, you have to figure out how to live.

Even with everything going on, I held onto my dream of becoming a chef. I knew I needed to support myself along the way, so I took every opportunity to learn new things. In my jewelry business, I use African fabric, but it’s hard. I have to collect offcuts from tailors, and sometimes they don’t want to give them unless I pay, which I usually can’t afford. When I want to use banana fibers, I walk around people’s gardens looking for good ones. Sometimes I find them, but they’re not the quality I want. And with the tea business, there are days I make losses, but I still push through, knowing I have to reinvest for the next day.

My mum is one of my biggest inspirations. She runs a small stall where she sells fruits and vegetables, and I’m really proud of her. I’m also proud of myself, proud of the skills I’ve learned, the businesses I’ve started, and how I’ve kept going even when things got tough.

One day my siblings came back home and told us there was going to be a meeting for girls and women at Faces Up. My mum was planning to go, and she asked me to escort her. I had no idea how that day would change my life. At the meeting, we learned about a project that was training women in four categories, basket weaving, jewelry making, doormat making, and hairdressing. I was interested in all of them! I told my mum, “I want to learn everything.” Since I was no longer in school, I thought, Why not gain all the skills I can? I started with basket weaving, then moved to jewelry making. One day during class, a member of the Faces Up team asked me, “Tracy, what do you really want right now?” I told them honestly, “I want to go back to school. That’s my true dream at the moment.” They asked me if I was sure. I said yes. So they told me to first talk to my mum. When I told her, she didn’t believe it. She said, “Who’s going to pay your school fees? I’m a single mother, and all your siblings dropped out of school because we couldn’t afford it.” She reminded me that I was learning useful skills already, why not focus on building a business from those?.

I went back to Faces Up Uganda and told them what my mum said. They told me not to worry, they would come and talk to her themselves. A man named Mr. Kamanyire came to speak with her. I don’t know what they talked about, but after that, my mum looked at us and said, “Prepare yourselves. You’re going back to school.” One day they told us that an organization called Issroff Family Foundation had bought notebooks and from the money they made, they were going to take me and my sister back to school. About a week later, I got a call from Faces Up. They told me to go pick up a school uniform. They had bought everything I needed, books, supplies, everything. All I had to do was go to school and focus.

I’ll never forget that day, May 2025, when I stepped back into a classroom. I had prayed so much for it. I had asked God for just one thing, “Please let me go back to school.” And He answered. That’s why my favorite quote is, “With God, everything is possible.” Without faith, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Going back to school wasn’t as hard as I feared. Even though I’d missed some time, my memory helped me catch up quickly. The hardest part is staying on top of your studies and making sure you understand everything well enough to recall it anytime. And of course, being early for every class.

If I could speak to other girls like me, I would say this, take part in the programs happening in your communities. Don’t ignore them. These programs aren’t just for people who’ve “failed” or lost hope, they’re for anyone who wants to grow. I’ve learned so much from Faces Up. I now know that many things we think of as trash, plastic, metal scraps, fabric offcuts, even leaves, can be turned into something useful and sold for money. You don’t need capital for everything. Sometimes, you just need knowledge and creativity.”

Given the chance and the dream to go back to school, Tracy and many other young people are directly impacted by arts education. From learning hands-on skills, to rebuilding their confidence, and even finding their way back to school, this is what combined efforts can achieve, supported through the sale of merchandise.

You too can be part of the work we do. As an individual, company, or organization, you can order customized merchandise, with proceeds directly invested in the education of children. You can do it HERE

You can also make a donation, tax-deductible for those in the U.S., or via mobile money in Uganda and Visa wherever you are in the world.

Another way to support is by simply sharing this post with your friends or colleagues, helping Tracy’s message reach and inspire as many people as possible.

This way, you are directly making the work we do possible. #ArtsAndThePeople #FacesUp