Tucked slightly over 20km from the country's' capital Kampala along the busy Kampala-Masaka highway is Maya town and is home to Mother Kevin Primary School.
On a cold Tuesday morning, the school is a beehive of activities as they prepare to host Emmanuel Jal, a Canadian based former child soldier turned Hollywood star who is visiting the school in his capacity as an ambassador for Nexim International Development Organization (NIDO), a not-for-profit entity that giving a new lease of life to unprivileged children in Uganda.
On Jal's arrival at the school, a group of over 15 children perform traditional dances as he gladly joins them in the dance.
Fast forward, in the group watching the proceedings is 25 year old Eric Muliika, a volunteer coach at Soul Winners Soccer Academy in Kampala who says his life has changed for the better.
"My parents separated and I remained with only dad who later got another wife. The step mum didn't like me and because of this, dad took me to live with my grandmother in Kanyanya,"Muliika says.
He narrates that the grandmother was not working and depended on money sent by his dad to look after them, including paying school fees but this was not sustainable.
It was not long that Muliika's dad who was a drunkard stopped sending the money for upkeep and school fees, prompting the 25 year old to drop out of school.
Life becomes harder
Since he didn't have any way out, after dropping out of school in primary four, Muliika decided to always spend the day on Kampala streets in a bid to fend for himself as life got harder.
"I would collect bottles for money but also play football with colleagues. In the evening I would return home."
He says one day, he was approached by a man he later came to know as Peter Lukanga who said he wanted to help me become a better citizen.
"We were playing football and he approached us. He promised to help us return to school but also improve on our footballing talents. This was exciting for us."
The 25 year old says since it was towards the end of the year, he was promised he would start school the following year but he didn't believe it.
Meanwhile, he was together with his group enrolled for Bible studies that they always did before going to play football.
Muliika says he was later asked to go and choose a school of his own but admits he thought it couldn't happen since he was now grown and had spent several without studying.
"He asked someone to escort me to a school where I was registered. At school, I lied that I had dropped out in P.6 and when they asked me my previous report card, I said I had lost it. I was lucky to be admitted."
This was the start of Muliika's journey that later saw him study until senior four, after which he joined YMCA in Wandegeya where he undertook a customs, clearing and forwarding course.
He says that during this time, Lukanga asked him to move out to several Kampala slum areas including Kanyanya to collect fellow boys who were talented in football to form Soul Winners Football Academy.
"We could move out to get children on streets who we would lure to join us to play football but also have a chance to get sponsored to return to school. He said the aim was to get children from the streets to make them busy and turn them away from crime,"Muliika says.
According to Lukanga, at the soccer academy, they identify children who are talented but need support.
He says they previously got 50 bursaries from Nexim International Development Organization to ensure the children under their care attain education.
Lukanga said some of the children were taken to Mother Kevin Primary School as well other schools where the bursaries are fully funded to enable unprivileged children.
"This has brought stability and change in the lives of children we get from the streets. You can notice that many of the children were headed in a certain direction but because of our intervention, they have changed for the better."
"Many of these are got when dealing in scrap and many of them are thieves but because of the education they get and nurturing of their talents, they change into better persons."
Andrew Kawooya, the Liaison officer for NIDO Uganda, they use football and education to give hope to children in underprivileged communities but also turn them away from criminality
"We are working with a number of schools and institutions of higher learning by giving scholarships to children. We give scholarships to children from slum areas and enroll them in schools under our support. By doing this, we want to create a soft landing for these children and shield them from the anti-social behaviour in their communities. The scholarships enable them join school but at the same time use sports as a tool for social change,"Kawooya says.
He adds that they also give scholarships to children whose parents are involved in wildlife conservation as a way of protecting the endangered species.
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The NIDO liaison officer said pupils and students in communities near Queen Elizabeth National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park have been given bursaries to study, get enlightenment of the value of preserving and conserving wildlife for posterity.
According to Lilian Nansereko, the Principal of Mother Kevin Primary School, they emphasise hands on skills for their pupils.
"Our main aim is to bring out children who are practically ready and all round by the time they finish their seven years in primary school. By the time we release the child, he or she should have skills in sports, music, dance and drama among others,"Nansereko says.
She says the plan to add tailoring, mechanics and art and craft.
"We want to make a difference to the lives of children and by the end of seven years, the child has hands-on skills to help them when they get to the outside world. This way, even if the child is not able to continue with education, they have somewhere to start from."
Emmanuel Jal hails the initiative that he says gives a new lease of life to children but also sway them away from participating in crime.
"This initiative which helps identify unprivileged children and giving them skills for self-sustenance is welcome. This is what the world needs. The children can ably go out to the society and be productive. Giving skills to children is an amazing thing since it brings a creative aspect to education."
