Gender: Male

Talent Area: Dancing, Playing Instruments

Family Background

Simon was born and raised in Ludhari Village, located in Ayivu Subcounty, Arua District in in West Nile region of Uganda. He is the second born in an extended family of 10 members. Although Simon grew up with both parents, the household income was not enough to take care of the educational needs of the family to an extent that his brother even dropped out of school before completing Primary School. His father was a boda boda rider and the mother used to brew local liquor.

Though he attended a Universal Primary Education (U.P.E.) school, even the small fees required were out of reach for his family. Many days, Simon and his siblings had to walk long distances on foot to school, braving fatigue, only to be sent back home due to unpaid dues.

When Simon was younger, he started learning how to play a traditional bow harp with his friends. His talent was noticed by the Church Choir Master when he was 12 years old and he was recruited into the choir - a platform that helped him nurture his talent even further. It is this talent and passion for education and transforming his family that earned him a place in Rockies Organization.

How Rockies Organization Stepped In

In 2017, while performing in a local church music festival, Simon’s talent caught the attention of someone connected to Rockies Organization. Moved by his skill in playing the bow harp, they reached out to him and introduced him to Rockies. Two years later, in February 2019, he joined the Rockies Organization family. On joining Rockies, Simon was enrolled at Kampala Grammar Junior School in which he completed his Primary school. He is now enrolled at St. Andrews College, Ssanda in Senior two

Joining Rockies was a life-changing moment. Simon had seen many of his peers drop out of school early — a common fate in his village. Determined not to follow the same path, he embraced the opportunity to join Rockies, motivated both by his passion for performing arts and the need for educational support.

Talent, Uniqueness & Achievements

Simon is a gifted traditional dancer, and instrumentalist. He excels at dances such as Ekitaguriro, Runyege-Ntogoro, and Ekizino (Western Uganda), Zulu Dance from South Africa, Kadodi (Eastern Uganda); and Larakaraka (Northern Uganda)

In addition to his dance skills, Simon is a highly accomplished instrumentalist, playing the following: Adungu (solo, tenor and bass), Tube fiddle and percussion drums

Aspirations

Simon has two big dreams. First, he wants to become an ICT expert and journalist. He dreams using the new media and journalism skills to create stories as tools to draw attention to, combat ignorance in underprivileged communities like his own.

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