By Yesigye Brian
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller…. Doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone
What doesn’t kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter…. Doesn’t mean I’m over ’cause you’re gone
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself and I…..
Lyrics from Kelly Clarkson an American singer, songwriter, a real-life song with a strong message about how to encounter the negative side of life.
We may not know much about what exactly goes on in the life of a six–year–old, but the driving force inside Sam Bright Muhindo overzealous spirit is something to reckon with, the skill, composition; when you watch him dancing, it tells us that, in every situation, be a Muhindo! a little boy who danced for a living to take care of his family before his life changed.
The six-year-old who entertains villagers through his dancing move went viral on TikTok thanks to his dancing skills. He has now turned a popular opera in the handsets of the many.
The confident, talented schoolboy was recently enrolled at the Namuwaya Education Centre, Kampala, Uganda after his dance talent caught the eyes of kindhearted folks who ensured he acquired education. In a short clip shared by Bravo Shoes Uganda on Facebook, the little dancer covered his face with his palms as he started off slowly.
Utilizing the small space at the center created by older students who encompassed him, Bright showed lovely legwork. He then slowly added feminine-like waist moves to the legwork and would occasionally cover his face while his performance lasted. The students and teachers couldn’t help but watch the dancehall king in awe.
Muhindo, like many African kids who through no fault of their background despite being predisposed to the pawns of poverty, is driven by ambition, infused with talent, and anchors a humungous ambition. All he knew was his little rural village in Bwera, Kasese, yet he harbors aspirations to see the cars and the tall buildings in Uganda’s capital of Kampala.
He is the 7th of nine siblings, none of whom has gone to school. At the tender age of 6, although very strange to many of our global citizens, he was also a breadwinner for his family. He was able to do this by dancing at functions in other villages, some as far as 5 kilometers from his home. His home has never housed a television nor an FM radio; he has never been trained to dance; he has never gone to school, but he has an innate talent of dancing. Meet the affable, talented, and global phenomenon,
In February 2022, Sam, from the countryside of the southeastern part of Uganda, Bwera, Kasese District, shoe-less video dancing at a local function went viral. His video touched the world through different social media platforms. Upon seeing this video, the Bravo Shoes Uganda sought to find him some 500 kilometers from the capital of Kampala. Since then, Sam has been afforded a life-changing opportunity, and today he is registered at Namuwaya Education Centre, Kampala, where he is on a scholarship. The Bravo Shoes Community Support Organisation will sponsor Sam’s education up to university.
May he continue to be curious, open to learning, willing to share, and prepared to go to the places he has always dreamed of.
The Bravo Shoes Community Support continues to plant flowers in others’ gardens, and as such, the foundation positions itself to be a bouquet.
“When we arrived at his home, we asked him to make a challenge for us in the original clothes he was putting on in the very first video he made,” Yesigye Brian told www.tuko.co.ke
At that function, people gave him money and he went to the market to buy himself Nigina (local word meaning plastic shoes then gave the rest of the money, to his mum for buying food, “added Yesigye Brian Bravo.
By empowering Sam Bright Muhindo, thousands of candles can be lighted from this single candle.
“We are happy that Sam’s rural village has joined us in celebrating what he has achieved, and he is being fashioned to raise the bar a little higher as he matures into a man of service and humility,”.
Please join the Bravo Shoes Community Support Org in unearthing, molding, and investing in the many Sam’s who live in hope, that one day, they too can impact the world with their greatness.
Statistics indicate that 90% of the school-going children in Kasese did not return to their respective schools after the lockdown was eased and the rise of Covid-19 community cases scared many parents from sending children back to school. However, this has turned many school-going children like Muhindo breadwinners for their respective families.
The district is grappling with a number of human development challenges that include the high poverty incidence levels, currently estimated at 48.4% of the population compared to a national average of 31.1%; and a rapid population growth rate3 of 3.6% compared to the national average of 3.4%
Kasese has a population of over 700,000 people according to the 2014 National Population and Housing Census.