BACKGROUND

I am Naali Ritah and I am 22 years old. I come from a humble background, born in a polygamous family of nine children. I am the first born to my mother in a family of two boys and three girls. I have been raised by a single mother who works in a local market in a busy district. She sells second hand clothes and earns very little. With a little support from my mother and loans from SACCOS and women in the market I have managed to reach this far, and now I am a private student at Mbarara University. My father is a builder in our village, whose pay is too little to sustain us all. My mother is no longer able to support my university tuition because the market has been demolished and it may take approximately 3 years to renovate it into a central market as proposed by the government. This is an obstacle to my education.

One of the most profound experiences of my life was seeing how many Ugandans are succumbing to cancer. This has inspired me to pursue critical care nursing after my undergraduate to serve unfortunate communities and promote sustainability in health and bridge the urban-rural service gap.

INTERESTS

I am very passionate about making an impact on the many health issues prevailing here, such as the urban-rural service gap, but also the lack of female empowerment.