I am Charles Buwembo, a student at Makerere University offering Bachelors of Information Technology. I am an alumni student of The World Starts with Me (WSWM), a Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) project implemented by SchoolNet Uganda and supported by World Population Foundation. I am a national peer educator for the same project and a project coordinator for the ZoomIn project and for the Learning for Life project.

I joined SchoolNet Uganda when I was in S2 at Bishop’s Senior Mukono.
I was motivated to join SchoolNet Uganda by a number of factors:

•  The presentations made by SchoolNet Uganda about their activities.
• The opportunities SchoolNet Uganda to schools and students.
• The success stories and testimonies of teachers and students who had worked and participated in SchoolNet Uganda activities.
• The fact that SchoolNet Uganda was dealing with computer-based and online projects.
• I felt the desire to become part of the ICT changing community and SchoolNet Uganda gave me that opportunity.

Through SchoolNet Uganda, I have participated in a lot of activities and projects which include the following:

• The AIDSWEB competition.
• The Global Teenager Project (GTP).
• iEARN   (International Education and Resource Network (www.iearn.org ).
• The World Starts With Me (WSWM).
• ZoomIn Project.
• ThinkQuest Africa.
• ICT Holiday Camps.
• Training and Orientation Workshops.
• International and National conferences and workshops. In July 2006, I represented SchoolNet Uganda at the iEARN international conference held in Netherlands and made a presentation on WSWM Uganda. In June 2006, I represented SchoolNet Uganda at the ZoomIn Orientation Workshop in London, UK.

Participating in SchoolNet Uganda activities and projects has changed and influenced my life in various ways:

• I have acquired a lot of knowledge and information about my sexuality, sexuality at large and HIV/AIDS. Such knowledge and information has changed my attitude and feelings about sex and sexuality, HIV/AIDS.
• The change in my life has also changed the attitudes of my family, especially my father towards the same sexuality. My family now looks at sexuality as a positive change which occurs to someone’s life and can be addressed by a lot of positive information.
• I have also acquired a lot of skills such as: counseling skills, interpersonal skills, computer and IT skills, advocacy Skills and presentation skills. 

I have also met a lot of important, influential and inspirational people such as projects directors and so many others.

By participating in SchoolNet Uganda activities, I have got the chance to travel around different parts of the country and also explore some parts of the Europe.
I have been to the Netherlands, some parts of Germany, London and Wales.

The most important part of these trips is not just to travel but to do project presentations to international audience which have made an international young man at such an early age.

Through my experience with SchoolNet Uganda activities, I now able coordinate projects of my own but of course under the guidance of SchoolNet Uganda. I am also getting a lot of invitations to participate and present at international workshops and conferences.

I use the knowledge and skills, the IT and computer skills I obtained from SchoolNet Uganda as reference in my current job. I work as a manager of a Computer Sales Company and an Internet Café.

SchoolNet Uganda has given me a lot of endless opportunities because even now am still part of its family and the opportunities have not stopped coming my way. I will always a part of this fruitful, inspiring and enriching learning community.