Students' Personal Testimonies

I am Tumukunde Fortunate, a student at Mbarara Army Boarding Secondary School and a member of the WSWM club. We were in S1 when the club was introduced in our school. I was eager to join the club but later I was like why I am joining the club yet I came to study.

Later, I was inspired by the WSWM lessons and the patron. The lessons that inspired me the most were:

• Emotional ups and downs( lesson 2)
• Is your body changing too? (Lesson 3)
• Friends and relationships (lesson 4)
• Sexuality and love (lesson 7)
• Love shouldn’t hurt( lesson 11)

My achievements from the WSWM include:

• I have learnt how to control my emotions and how to deal with different people.
• The club has made me assertive and I can now make my own decisions.
• The club has also taught me how behave with different people in different places under different conditions.
• I have learnt how to be optimistic yet I was myopic whereby I couldn’t focus on the future. I could go with what has come.
• I have gained confidence too. I used to be shy and couldn’t speak in public but now it so happened that I presented on our exhibition day.
• I have also gained something that I never expected that I could do. I can now counsel somebody on my own and I really don’t how I can thank SchoolNet Uganda for introducing the club.

Let me share with you this story about a friend of mine.

She was a girl aged 15. She was involved in a relationship with a certain guy whom she loved so much and vice versa. The girl could dodge lessons and spend most of her time with the boy which led to repeat the class. The girl was used to the boy and lost her virginity to the boy. When the girl repeated, she realized that she had to concentrate on her books and when I told her about the club and how interesting it was, she said it was wastage of time. But in the end the girl consulted me seeking for guidance and counseling because she had failed to control her feelings. I had to explain to her some lessons and the girl learnt some things from me.

In conclusion, the girl ended up joining the club and she is now one of the leaders of the WSWM therefore we appreciate your help, capital, guidance and other things you give to us so that we can become good citizens.

I am Tukahirwa Onan in S2 North at Bukomero secondary School and a member of the WSWM club.

From the WSWM club, I have acquired computer skills whereby I can search for whatever information I want from the Internet. I have also acquired free computer lessons and therefore the WSWM has played a big role towards my computer studies.

I have learnt how to relate and help the HIV infected persons whereby not to discriminate and stigmatize them. I give them advice and care to make them happy, I share with them my books, plates and also play with them in the name of love.

Lastly, I learnt you have to provide a pregnant woman with a balanced diet, good care and treatment when she is at home.

I am Kimuli Clark from Bukomero Secondary School and a member of the WSWM club.

In the WSWM, I have learnt how to control my emotional ups and downs. My best emotional up was when I passed my Primary leaving Examinations and my worst emotional down was when I was told that my uncle whom I loved so much had died.

I learnt how to plan for my future because the WSWM club gives us examples of people who have become responsible people after school and they are using the knowledge and skills they gained from the WSWM to earn a living.

I have learnt to advise my friends in problems and not to land them into problems. I have also decided to abstain from sex until marriage.

One of the most important things that I can’t forget is that the club has taught me how to use a computer. It was the first time I got a chance to use a computer and now I know how to surf, save and search for information from all parts of the world.

I learnt how to cater for my body from the lesson about body changes. I used to fear every time I would find whitish things on my bed sheets but I now know that those are wet dreams and are normal to boys.

I advise each and every youth who gets a chance to hear about the WSWM to join because it is a good club which equips young people with many educative lessons.

I am Sengiyunva Margaret in S2 at Bukomero Secondary School. Since I joined the WSWM, I have learn’t many things.

I have acquired computer skills from the WSWM for which I am very grateful.

I have learnt about body changes. Whatever body change that I get, I don’t get worried e.g. I have learnt about the body changes in girls which include: menstruation periods, growth of breasts, enlargement of hips, and growth of pubic hair for both the girls and boys.

I have learnt about the cleanness of my body therefore I advise my fellow students to join the WSWM.

From the WSWM, I have learnt about “Pregnancy for both the girls and boys” which has taught me how to help boys and girls in case of pregnancy e.g. in case a girl becomes pregnant, I can advise her not to do an abortion.

I have also learnt about HIV/AIDS and other diseases like syphilis.  I advise my fellow to abstain from sex until when they finish their studies and for those who are married to be faithful to their partners or use a condom and also not to share sharp objects like razor blades, knives etc.

I am Kabugho Rosette a student at Mt. Rwenzori Girls Secondary and a member of the WSWM club.

To begin with, I am very impressed with the managers of this wonderful club who never left out our school when introducing the WSWM. I really pity those students who gave this club a cold shoulder; they have really missed a lot. Sincerely since I joined the WSWM in 2007, I have never regretted.

Through the WSWM, I can now express myself freely in front of many people without any shyness. Before becoming a member of the WSWM, I couldn’t even stand in front of my fellow students but now I see this as very simple.

Ever since I joined this club, I know how to make my own decisions and I know my rights like the right to education, right to expression etc.

Before joining the WSWM, I was always scared of my body changes but now I am no longer scared.

Choosing a good friend is no longer a problem because from the WSWM, I have learnt what are good and bad friends.

I am now aware of HIV/AIDS  and I know how to protect myself  from it and to prevent all the disadvantages of early pregnancy and early marriages and I also know my responsibilities as a lady.

I don’t know how I should thank this club; it is dear to me as its name “World Starts With Me”

Long live Uganda, Long live Mt. Rwenzori Girls and Long Live WSWM

I am Masika Harriet in S3 at Mt. Rwenzori Girls School. First of all, I thank all the members who are part of the WSWM and I actually thank you for the big care, support and knowledge that you are giving us. I joined the WSWM in 2007 when the club was formed in our school.

When we joined the club in S1, we had a number of problems which included:

• Shyness
• Video coverage was a problem
• Absenteeism was a problem in a way that some students would be forced to join.

But then we had to overcome these problems and we are now experts and for sure I can now lead a crowd without shivering.

I used to fear boys and I could not even stand and talk to them but because of Lesson 4: “Friendship and Relationships” I can now get as many good friends as I can. I can even talk to elders with confidence. I am actually sharp and I can do anything good and at the right time.

I am Busingye Angela aged 16 years in S3 at Bukomero Secondary School.

Since I joined the WSWM in 2008, I have learnt how to cope up with my emotions (ups and downs). When my emotions are up, I control myself because I know I can put myself in danger. Before joining the WSWM, whenever my emotions went down, I would do something like getting angry with someone or with myself but after joining the WSWM, I know how to control myself or my anger.

I have also known how to keep myself away from STDs and HIV/AIDS by abstaining from early sex. I now know the consequences of early sex and how I can avoid them.

I have also learnt how to relate with the HIV/AIDS victims and I always give them advice on how to go on with life despite their status. I have also stopped and advised other people to stop stigmatizing the youth/ people with HIV because it can make them lose morale in everything they do.

Furthermore,  I have learnt how to go through my body changes e.g. I have learnt how to be clean during my menstruation periods and I have also learnt that bathing with soap and herbs causes harm to our private parts.

I will never stop praising the WSWM for what it has taught me.  Long Live the WSWM.

I am Kyoheirwe Patience Natasha from High Standard Christian School Kateera. To me, I love the WSWM because of the experience that I have got from it during my adolescent stage.

The WSWM is a program that teaches the youth how to solve their personal problems and how to handle the positive and negative changes that they experience. It is a program in schools that helps the youth to be assertive and creative.

The WSWM has changed my life positively in a way that I have improved on my personal living i.e. I have overcome my shyness in front of my fellow students. It has also encouraged and taught me about the dangers of sexual acts in school. It is a good program because my life has got a positive impact through studying, conversing and sharing ideas with fellow students and it has given me confidence on how to respect myself as a young person.

The day I joined the WSWM, I became a powerful young woman in our school and in our community because it brought a lot of changes in me and I am proud of myself and because of this program my life at school is so fantastic.

I conclude by saying that the WSWM is a good program for the youth to enjoy and to learn from and it also helps them to relate with other people within the school and in the community.

I am Qeen Jolly in S3 North at Bukomero Secondary School. Ever since I joined the WSWM club, I have acquired knowledge about many things.

I now know how to use a computer and it has helped me to search for some important History subject information and I now know how to type and save information on a computer so I thank the WSWM club so much.

I have learnt how to handle body changes like menstruation periods, cleaning up my private parts so that I don’t contract some diseases which may cause me problems and un-comfort among my fellow students.

WSWM has helped me not to be shy e.g. you can be in class and your periods just come, I don’t fear to tell my fellow students and teacher who can help me.

I have also learnt to be active and also be friendly to teachers.

I am now committed to my future dream.  One day we had Career guidance from the WSWM club and on that day I got to know what I want, how to work for it and get it. We were asked what we want to become in future and in front of my fellow friends and students, I said that I wanted to become a Bank Manager.  I am now working towards my future dream and it keeps me focused.

I am a Ugandan teenage girl in S3 at Mbarara Army Boarding Secondary School. I joined the WSWM on 13th 04 2009 and I have learnt a lot from this club. I thank my patron Mr. Patrick Tumwesigye for the work done because before I was shy and I couldn’t address people which I can now do.

I have learnt to fight for my rights like the right to education, the right to say NO to sex, the right to self-expression, the right to make own decisions, the right to prevent early pregnancies and to be confident.

I can address my fellow friends and some have joined the club. I can also counsel young and old people and some of the people that I counsel ask me to thank the coordinators for helping us.

I now know my body changes as it is said that change is anything which cannot be avoided e.g. I have grown breasts, my hips have enlarged, my voice has changed and am experiencing my menstruation periods and I am aware of them because it is a stage from childhood to adulthood.

I have got many friends who are members of the WSWM and these friends have helped me so much. Our patron Mr. Patrick Tumwesigye has also contributed so much to the success of the WSWM and he is also my friend.

My future dream is to become an engineer so my fellow friends join the WSWM because it is interesting and full of achievements to help you in the future.