predicament. He struggled whenever he was forced to speak and was separated from classmates offering help for difficult assignments. He relied on revising written notes because he usually could not hear the teacher during class time.

When Peter reached primary seven, his parents transferred him to a school for the deaf where he learnt sign language that enabled him excel in his Primary Leaving Examinations. He later joined a Special Needs Secondary School to study O-level excelling highly again. Unfortunately, there were no special needs colleges or universities enrolling PwDs at the time which hampered his desire to continue with higher education.

Due to this challenge, Peter’s parents opted to send him to a vocational institute to pursue a carpentry course which he declined since it wasn’t his passion. After four years, Peter had the opportunity to enroll for A-Level but had to repeat senior three so as to attain an acceptable result to pursue his desired combination. He then returned to Ngora High School (Hearing School) to sit for his UCE exams assisted by interpreters in the learning process. The UCE results were released two years later and Peter had excelled again.

In order to raise money to return to school for A-Level, Peter started doing casual jobs such as digging, splitting firewood, selling water in hotels and fishing. After raising a sufficient amount, he relocated to Kampala and joined Wakiso Secondary School for the Deaf for Senior Five topping the class that very term. Despite his good fortune, Peter’s father passed on that year.

As a determined student, Peter focused on his studies and excelled in the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) earning himself a scholarship to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree at Kyambogo University. After graduation, the job search was a cumbersome ordeal causing Peter to settle as a volunteer at Seeta Church of Uganda Primary School working as a deaf lesson guide to make ends meet.

As luck would have it, Peter joined a group of job seekers with disabilities under Light for the World (LFW). There was a job advertisement circulated by LFW for a Human Resource intern at Solar Now Service (U) Ltd. Peter applied for the position and was shortlisted for an interview. During the interview, the soft skills training sessions conducted by LFW came in handy to enable Peter answer the questions confidently. He excelled and was enrolled for a training where he mastered the functionalities of the computer and how to use HRMIS. Seven years later, he was promoted to Human Resource Assistant on a permanent contract that was unfortunately terminated due to redundancy accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and later on the project was closed.

The end of the project rendered Peter jobless until he attended a training session on employability of job seekers with disabilities facilitated by Aldelia. At the workshop, he gave an excellent speech that impressed one of the facilitators and they built a professional relationship communicating regularly on available job opportunities. Finally, a vacancy for a temporary freelance recruitment consultant at Aldelia Global Manpower opened up which Peter applied for and was recruited. The initial agreement with Aldelia was for three months but then it was extended until Peter was offered a permanent contract as Global Recruitment Consultant!

Peter remains grateful to the team at Aldelia for accommodating him despite the language barrier and personal differences. He greatly appreciates the entire staff of LFW and former staff of Solar Now Service (U) Ltd HR Department for their kindness that was key to unlock the hidden abilities to enable him achieve his dreams. He stays committed to offering his best and thriving in his new role.

As FUE, we applaud Employers and our partners that are taking deliberate efforts to recruit, retain and train PwDs. We believe there is a lot of untapped potential that needs to be explored to enhance sustainable development and improve livelihoods. Its key for everyone to remember the old adage, ‘Disability is Not Inability’.

To join UBDN, contact Henry Sabah, the FUE Disability Focal Person, henry.sabah@fuemployers.org