My name is Samuel. I am 29 and I come from Kawempe.
For almost eight years I was lost in alcohol and hard drugs. It began as a way to forget my problems. Soon I lost my job as a boda boda rider, my wife left with our son and I had nowhere to sleep. I felt worthless and I did not want anyone to see my face.
It gave me a reason to live it well.
One evening the Voices of Recovery outreach team found me sleeping by the roadside. Nobody judged me. They invited me to join Rise Together, and for the first time in years I felt heard.
Counselling, peer mentoring and life skills workshops helped me heal, slowly. Today I have been clean for fourteen months. I have reconciled with my family, completed a motorcycle mechanics course and opened a small repair shop. I volunteer with the outreach team to reach other young men who are still suffering in silence.
This programme did not only save my life. It gave me a reason to live it well.
