Our First 100 Stories
Since October 2019, our Ugandan facilitators at Mbarara University of Science and Technology have been leading the creation of digital stories with health workers, community members, young people, and families. Together, they have now completed more than 100 stories. We have selected ten that show the range of voices, topics, and experiences across the collection. Click on the videos below to watch.
The Power of Reflection (2021)
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A health worker is shaken when a child dies due to a colleague’s error. The pain of that moment drives him to begin a journey of personal reflection and open dialogue with his team, leading to real changes in attitude and practice at his health facility. His story reminds us that self-awareness and teamwork are essential to improving care and saving lives.
Passion Not Money (2024)
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A secondary school head teacher watches his school transform through the actions led by his own school leadership team and parents working together. Despite limited funding, he rallies community members and local leaders to support improved health services and better care for students. His story shows that strong leadership, passion, and teamwork can drive real change, even with minimal resources.
Unspoken Pain (2022)
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Content warning: this story describes sexual assault.
A woman recalls being sexually assaulted by her schoolteacher at age 16 and, as an orphan with no one close to confide in, carrying the pain in silence for more than two decades. Now, at 40, she chooses to speak out, breaking her silence to shine a light on the hidden suffering that many young people endure alone. Her story calls for safe spaces where young people can speak openly, and reminds us of the lasting harm caused when abuse goes unheard.
Hockey: My Identity (2024)
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A young girl sets her sights on becoming a competitive field hockey player in a community where gender norms and traditional expectations stand in her way. Through determination and persistence, she pushes past each setback, forging a path that challenges what is expected of girls in her community. Her story demonstrates how sport can help girls build confidence, stay in school, and pursue their dreams.
A Health Dream Made Possible (2019)
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A health worker, tired of reporting yet another mother’s death in his community, sees women missing pregnancy check-ups and health facility births because health workers are often absent, families lack basic items for mothers and newborns, and travel is unsafe for women in labour. After training on bringing a community together, he gathers leaders, health workers, and mothers to prepare health facilities, encourage check-ups and facility births, and build a road that vehicles can use. His story shows how a community working together can turn preventable deaths into safe births and healthier families.
A Changed Life (2024)
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A young man finds himself on a path of drug and alcohol addiction and drops out of school, with no clear way forward. Through community and peer support, he begins to turn his life around, moving toward health, responsibility, and purpose. His story is a reminder that change is possible when determination meets the right support.
Never Give Up (2019)
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A 14-year-old girl becomes pregnant while still in primary school. Despite family struggles, community judgment, and disrespectful treatment from health workers, she finds the strength to return to school. Her story speaks to the resilience of vulnerable young people and the difference that family and community support can make when they need it most.
Beating Cancer (2019)
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A pediatrician, haunted by the death of a young cancer patient he met as a medical student, starts a children’s cancer clinic, but with few supplies, unaffordable medicines, and late diagnoses, most children die and colleagues urge him to give up. Instead, he trains in childhood cancer and helps secure funding for a dedicated ward, where his team now provides free treatment and more children survive. His story shows how persistence can bring real hope of cure to a disease once seen as a death sentence.
Ngomba Story (2019)
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A community health volunteer watches gains in child health fade when an externally funded program ends. Through a new program within the national community health worker network, she and her peers learn to work with local leaders, community groups, and health workers, lead hands-on community trainings, and start a shared business raising goats and later cows that keeps the group together and sustains their volunteer work. Her story shows how communities that stop waiting for outside help become proud, self-reliant, and able to help others do the same.
The Unexpected Happened (2025)
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Judged by neighbours as an irresponsible mother, a young woman leaves her job to care for her daughter, who becomes anxious and repeatedly wanders from home, and is eventually diagnosed with autism. Unable to afford therapies, she learns from other mothers’ testimonies, offers love and acceptance, and withdraws her daughter from school after finding her tied to a desk, until family support and a further assessment help the child stabilize. Her story highlights the stigma faced by families of children with developmental disabilities and the vital role of family support where services are scarce.