Akidi, Uganda, enrolled in 2021
Some may attach stigma to finishing high school at an older age, but not nineteen-year-old Akidi. She’ll be twenty-one when she graduates, and the thought fills her with joy. A member of the Madi tribe, Akidi lives with her family in Forua Village in Adjumani, northern Uganda. She entered the Mercy Beyond Borders (MBB) program in 2021—a turning point that made her education and a more prosperous future accessible.
When asked about her hopes for the future, she says, “I want to be someone who is responsible, a change maker, respectful and successful.”
Akidi lives with her parents and five siblings in two traditional thatched tukuls—one for the boys and one for the girls. The tukuls leak during rainy seasons, requiring the family to shift beds and place cooking pots to catch water. They dream of replacing the worn thatch, but accessing materials remains difficult.
Akidi’s days are shaped by school and supporting the household. She and her siblings take turns fetching water from the community borehole, despite concerns about hygiene. She dreams of a cleaner water source and already takes action, collecting trash and sweeping the area around the borehole even when others don’t. In 2023, Akidi and other MBB Scholars met with local officials to address waste management issues around Adjumani’s main market—an effort aimed at inspiring community-wide action. She hopes her neighbors will someday join her in creating a healthier environment. Akidi also imagines a future where her family can harvest rainwater, but their thatched roofs make this impossible for now.
The family depends on a large garden where they grow groundnuts, beans, cassava, and sweet potatoes. Periods of drought make farming especially stressful because the garden’s only source of water is the rain, and with six children growing quickly, maintaining clothing, shoes, and school uniforms is a continuous challenge.
Akidi attends secondary school at Sacred Heart in Gulu, where she feels safe and supported. She has seen many girls in her village drop out due to lack of resources, and she recognizes how programs like MBB transform not only individuals and their families, but entire communities.
Akidi’s ultimate goal is to become a doctor. She loves helping people and sees firsthand the urgent need for medical professionals in her community. Her ambition to pursue medicine is fueled by a bigger vision: transforming healthcare access in Adjumani and beyond, and making medical care accessible to those who need it most.
Adiki also dreams of traveling. Thus far, she has been to Kampala, Arua, and Mbarara and would love to visit the whitewater rapids in Jinja someday. She also hopes to visit Nigeria, inspired by the rich and vibrant culture she has seen in the media.
Adiki’s mother captures their gratitude beautifully:
“Thank you MBB for supporting Akidi with her school fees. Our family faces a lot of challenges, so this is a big help to us. I love my daughter and I always encourage her, but MBB encourages both of us.”