On this episode of Our American Stories, as a child in Uganda, Peter Mutabazi ran away from home and spent four years sleeping on the streets of Kampala, unsure if he’d survive another day. But a single act of kindness changed his life forever. Now a U.S. citizen and a dedicated foster father, Peter has provided a loving home to over 30 foster children through the American foster care system. In this story, he shares what it truly means to choose love, again and again.
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Speaker 1 (00:10):
And we continue with our American stories. Up next, we
bring you a story that begins across the ocean in Africa,
but winds up being a true story of faith, generosity,
and citizenship based here in the United States. Here to
share his story is Peter Mutavasi.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
I'm from a small village at the border of Uganda
and Rwanda. My name is Peter Moutavasi. Habiadmna Mutabasi is
my dad's name, and Habiaedmana is the name that I
was given at an age of two. You know, for
most moms, you know, we never have kids before they
(00:54):
are born. As soon as we know we're pregnant or expecting,
you know, we look for names. But my time in
my village, moms were not able to do so. In
my village, most kids would die before the age of two.
So most moms didn't name their kids, not because they
didn't love them, but they weren't sure they will make it,
and so they didn't give us a name until we're
(01:16):
a little bit older. So I two, I was giving
a name Habbier and Manner, which means a gift given
to me by God. That's what my mom named me.
I come from a village, you know, where life was
miserable in every ship form. You could imagine grapping a
home where no one ever told me to be hopeful,
or grabbing a home where really tomorrow wasn't guaranteed, you know,
(01:39):
and here the reasons why. Think about as a mom,
if you cannot feed your child for a day, how
do you tell them they have a future? And that
was me. You know, at the age of four, I
knew I can go fetch water, you know, three to
four miles away just for us to have drinking water.
And so as a kid, that's all I did think
about that you have to walk four miles one way
(02:01):
and four miles back. Do you ever have time to
go to school? Absolutely no. That My family needed more,
you know, they needed water, that they needed me to
go to school, but also they could not afford me
to go to school. Also, you know, I grew up
from our family that are farmers. In other words, you know,
we call ourselves subsisens farmers, which means we only grow
(02:22):
what we consume. You know, we didn't have enough meals.
I can remember we had a meal every other day
and me, you know, to ask a meal was beans
and potatoes and if we're lucky, we could have both,
but most of them would have one of them, so
we can spare one for the next day. So that's
all I knew as a kid, you know, of misery
and hardship. But it wasn't just me. It was every
(02:47):
child in that village that worked hard. We were all
went to fetch water miles and miles away. So I
took it as a norm that this is a normal,
normal life in some way. But then at the age
of five, four began to realize that we were different,
that my dad was different from any other dad. I
knew that my dad was just so mean, abusive to me,
(03:11):
and abusive to my mom and to my siblings as well.
I never had kind words from my dad like another kid.
You know, we work so hard to please our dads.
You go fetch water for days and hours and go
look for firewood, and you would hope your dad would say, son,
that was a great job you did to me. Now
you know, I think all I had from my dad
(03:33):
I was garbage. I would never mount to anything. I
am useless. You know, the dogs in my neighborhood were
worthy or worth more than I was, And those are
the things I had from my dad every day, and
if it wasn't my you know, coming towards me, it
was going through my mom. And as you know, five
years old, I could not protect my mom. Miseries all
(03:56):
I knew, and I never wanted to see tomorrow because
to was hard enough that I really didn't want to
repeat it the next day. And that was my life,
you know, from the age of zero to ten eleven,
as a kid in my village, you know. So at
the age of ten, I think I was life had
become so miserable. And I think as you grow older,
(04:17):
you understand abuse harsher and harder in some way, you know,
those words that I had every day that I would
never mount to anything, you know, now they were striking me,
you know, dip down the core of myself, you know.
But also I think I hated my dad so much
that I thought, look, to give him a reason to
kill me, that is that is a gift, you know.
(04:40):
And I think at the age of ten, I said, look,
I'd rather go die in the hands of someone else
than my dad. So you know, I didn't know where
I was going. But also I wasn't looking for future.
But I think I was looking in some way to
die in the hands of a stranger than my own dad.
So I had never been twenty miles away from my village,
you know. I ran away to the bus station at
(05:00):
three in the morning, and I asked the lady, hey,
of all these buses here, which goes the farthest And
the reason why I was asking was I needed to
go as far as I could. That I knew if
he met me, if he found me, that he would
take my life. So running as far as I could
was all that I needed. So the lady told me
that one, you know, I got on that bus. I
(05:21):
can tell you it could not. It wasn't traveling enough,
you know. And I had never been in a kind someway.
So I was scared to death. I was little. But
at the same time there was a joy to look
back and see that I was living my village, that
I was leaving that man who had, you know, CAUs
harm and somewhere that I detested and headed so much.
(05:43):
I didn't know where I was going, but there was
a glimpse of I don't have to hear him anymore,
I don't have to take his physical abuse anymore. I
don't have to listen to my mom crying from his abuse,
like I can not hear this anymore. So there was
a joy, you know, in some way of living. I
didn't know really where I was going and family. I
(06:03):
made it to Compala, you know. The journey took up,
you know, took about fourteen fourteen, sixteen hours, and I
ended up in Compala, the capital city of Uganda, which
is about five hundred kilometers away from my village. And
I knew I was fine enough, but also I knew
he I mean a new city. I have no idea,
I don't speak the language. I've never been here, but
(06:25):
I got one thing to make to make it through
the day you're coming from home. It was survival day
by day on the streets. It was survival, hour by hour.
I remember, I don't think I ever slept at one
point for more than two hours, just to make it,
you know, I think I slept less than two hours
for four and a half years. Hours on the streets
(06:47):
because it wasn't safe. I got to meet other street kids,
and I knew, you know, that I had found family,
and that became my family. So I, you know, right away,
became a street kid. And I lunch how survive. And yes,
the abuse on the streets was harsher and we had
to survive hour by hour. But they were strangers, you know,
(07:09):
they called me garbage, They called me, you know, names
that you call any useless animal. But at the same
time that I was hearing them from strangers that didn't
matter to me, or that I didn't care about an
iland to survive. And as three kids, we learned how
to work hard. You know. Working hard was to help
people so we can earn the right to be on
the streets. You know that the work ethic is one
(07:31):
thing I knew how to do, you know, but also
to be honest, it was easier to steal while you're helping.
You know, if people need cheap labor, they weren't paying you,
so all you could do is help. In the process
of helping, you would steal what you need so the
end of the day would have enough to eat. And
that's how we survived. You know, back in the Uganda,
we didn't beg for money. You know, most people don't
(07:53):
make a dollar day. You don't beg for money, but
you work so you can earn the right, but also
work so hard so you felt you're useful to the
strangers who needed your help in somewhere, but also for
us as strict kids, it provided a venue and a
place to find food and to feel safe, you know,
for us commotion and where there were people, we felt
(08:15):
we can be self within that environment, and so marketplaces
became at home. We lived on the streets where they
threw all the garbage, so that meant there were there
were straight animals, There were dogs, you know, there were
vultures that were all looking for food just like our SnO,
and people were mean sometimes, so we would do some
work and they would refuse to give us food or
(08:37):
they would rather throw the way to the garbage, and
that's where we had to go get it. In order
for them to get rid of us from where they were.
They would throw away the food in the garbage for
us to go find it so we can we can go.
But that meant to struggle it with the dogs. That
meant to fight it with the vultures, you know, And
I don't know how I survived, you know, eating you know,
(08:58):
the most horrible food, but some how make it through
the day. You know, that's truly the aggress of God,
to be honest, but it was a way to survive.
It was a way to make it through the day,
and that became my new life.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
And you're listening to Peter Mutabasi tell the story of
his howering childhood in the worst possible circumstances a person
could grow up and mothers in his village wouldn't even
name kids until they had reached a certain decent age
because most died before they were two. Unimaginable. An abusive
(09:33):
father on top of it, and he escapes to the
streets of Kampala where he finds community with fellow refugees
from the villages to the streets, and community and family
with those kids. When we come back, more of Peter
Mutabasi's story here on our American Story. And we're back
(10:10):
with our American stories and the story of Peter Mutabasi.
His book Now I Am Known is available on Amazon
at local bookstores wherever you get your books. Peter was
born in Uganda in poverty and ran away to Kampala,
Uganda's capital, to escape an abusive father, where he lived
(10:31):
on the streets. Back to Peter, you know this.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Is strange, but if someone was kind to us, we
were not. We didn't go towards that because we knew
anyone who was kind, especially for me, anyone who was
kind would also come with abuse. So we weren't trusting.
We didn't trust people. So one day I am sitting
with my friends, you know, we see someone wearing glasses
and smart and clean. I'm speaking English, so we always
(10:59):
knew that was a target. So for me, I saw him,
I was like, I got my target. He's going to
buy food. I'm gonna help him, and then I'm gonna
steal some and I'm gonna go, you know. So I
followed him. He bought food, and as soon as he
bought what he was buying, I think it were bananas
and sweet potatoes, and so I went to him. I said,
I'm going to carry these things to your car. But
(11:19):
before I could do that, he said, hey, what's your name?
And that rattled me. I had lived on the streets
for four and a half years. No one at any
point during that time ever asked me what my name was.
No once, and so I stopped, and you know, I
told him my name is Peter, and I you know,
(11:41):
of course, I tried to help him, and before I
could take it, he had something to eat and he
gave me something to eat, and I was surprised, you know,
and so he left. I didn't buy into it. You know,
most people were kind, as I said, they were mean
at the same time. So I was waiting for him
to be mean. But he left. Well, the next week
I saw him again. So the second time I saw him,
(12:02):
you know, he gave me something to eat and he
called me by name, which was really kind of cool,
you know. So he left the third time. I was like,
wait a minute, I know what day he comes, I
know what car he drives, I know what he buys,
and I know where he goes. So I was assured
every Monday that he was coming to the city. So
that's how I got to know him. Though he was kind,
(12:25):
though he helped me, I kept the distance. Remember, anyone
who was kind always came with abuse. So for me,
I was waiting for abuse, like I didn't trust him.
Though he was kind, I didn't trust him because I
was waiting for the bad part to come. I was
waiting for, you know, for the abuse to come. But
it never came. So for one year and a half,
(12:46):
he gave me something to eat and sometimes we'll bring
more for other kids. And so one day he said, hey, Peter,
if he had an opportunity to go to school, who
do you go to school? You know? And I was like, wait, me,
a garbage boy, a useless boy, a kid whould never
mounted anything me go to school, you know. And I
did not believe him. But men every time he came
(13:09):
and say, hey, I would like to take you to
school if you like to, and men, finally I said absolutely.
And the reason why I said yes it wasn't because
I wanted to be somebody. You know, my family, we
didn't have so many educated people that I wanted to be.
Like now, for me, for the first time in my
entire life, someone saw me as a human being. Well,
(13:32):
he gave me clothes to where and he told me
I was going to a boarding school. But before he
could take me, he said, hey, there are two things
are going to happen. One you're going to be part
of the local church. Then the other one is there'll
be meals for you. There'll be learning to breakfast and dinner.
I think I didn't hear anything else, but I had
the meal, that's all I heard. So as we went,
you know, I really looked at him and I said,
(13:54):
you know, for kids why me, Like, why are you
doing this for me? And he looked at me and
I said, you know, boy, I just want to be faithful,
that's all. I really want to be faithful. But I
did not understand what it meant, you know. So finally
we make it to school and it was lunchtime. They
gave me something to eat and he said there will
be dinner. So for me, I waited for the next meal.
(14:15):
I really didn't think about school. I didn't think about anything,
and I slept there for one night and then because
before I left, I told the other street kids like, hey,
if you don't see me in the next twenty four hours,
when you see this man, hum him, please harm him.
That means either he killed me or something happened, So
payback time. So I slept, and the following night I
(14:39):
had to come back to the city because I wanted
to tell them that I was okay, because I knew
they would harm him if I didn't come back. So
I came back and said, hey, I'm okay. He put
him in school and I really like it. There has food,
so I'm going back for food. So I went back
and in the process of waiting for a meal, I
think I realized that in order to do this, I
needed to go to class. So then I started going
(15:01):
to class. And then I realized that I was smart.
Not only was I just good at finding food, but
I knew also that I was smart in school as well.
And after a while, you know, I was there for
six months, he said, you know, you can be part
of a family. And that really began to change my life,
you know, because the teachers, the social workers that they were,
(15:22):
you know, that they were coming alongside, began to see
the best in me. They're so potential that I didn't
see myself. And I think for me, that truly began
to change my world on how I looked at things,
you know. And then the one thing he did, once
he brought me to his family, they would use words
of affirmation that I had never had before. They would
(15:43):
say things like, Peter, you married. I'm like, well, what
me I mattered? You know? This one day he was
going to the city and he was taking me with me.
I always knew sitting in front was for the important people,
you know, that I wasn't worthy of sitting in front
with him. I always sat in the back. But this
time he said, Peter can you sit in front? And
(16:03):
I said no, I don't deserve to sit in France.
I need to sit in the back. And he looked
at me and said, Peter, no, you belong to this family.
You see it in front. Man. I can remember those words.
This day kind of removed the scales of sham, the
scales of what I'd been told all my life that
I was nobody, that I don't ever mount to anything,
because they saw more in me than I saw in myself.
(16:29):
Finally I finished high school, and then I went to
university in Uganda, and then I got a scarship to
go study in England. You know. So after England and
then I went back to Uganda, and I was working
for the International Committee of Red Cross and my job
was to work as a radio operator to make sure
that food on planes and trucks was moving from Kenya
(16:50):
to Sudan. And so one day I wanted to visit
the you know, the refugee camp. So I went there
and while I was there, I saw this eighteen year
old boy shut lit. Yes why it was the only
one kid ever. So I was like, man, what are
you doing here? He said, my name is Luke and
I'm here to help the refugees. And I got to
know him and I said, hey, you know, I did
(17:11):
an American, so if you come to Compiler, please come
and have clean water and we'll make sure you're okay.
And so he came and stayed with us for about
two months, and then he went back to United States.
And when he got back in the US, he said,
you know, he said, Peter, there's a school I go to.
I think I would like to really help you get
a scholarship to come and study here. And I was like, man,
(17:31):
I'm not sure. I can't afford. It's like, no, leave
it out to me. I will do the best I can.
And here I was, you know, from one strange end,
it's like you got more potential in life. And so
he got me a scholarship to come and study here
in the United States. And so I went to school
for four years, and then I was hired at the end,
you know, to be an advocate for Children with Compassion International.
(17:53):
So I get to travel with key not speakers and
you know, reverends and all people to show them the
walk of compassion all over the world. And so not
only did I travel, you know, to my twenty countries
I had traveled in, but now I had an opportunity
to travel to one hundred and one countries, which was
absolutely mind bro you know, from a strict kid in
(18:14):
Kampala who didn't think about tomorrow. There I was jumping
from one country to the other, which was really fascinating.
But all I wanted was to truly be a voice
for the unseen, the anahard, the ones that we all
know that I wanted them to know their story through
telling my own story, that people would help them. And
so that became my job for ten years.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
And what a story you've been listening to from Peter Mudabasi.
He lived on the streets for four and a half years.
When a man asked him what his name was. It
was the first time it had happened to him. And
of course, that active kindness he assumed would always be
followed by an active abuse, in fact that kept on
(19:01):
persisting until it didn't. And when this man offered up
the kindness of free school, heater asked why me, and
he answered, boy, I want to be faithful when we
come back. More of this remarkable story of faith of
love of a stranger. Here on our American stories and
(19:38):
we're back with our American stories and the final portion
of Peter Mudabatsi's story. After being adopted himself, Peter eventually
ended up working for the international humanitarian organization Compassion International
and advocated for children living in the very same poverty
he experienced growing up. His work took him around the world,
(20:01):
but his home base is the United States. Let's return
to Peter.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
Well, so when I came to you, and I said,
I think I struggled. I would visit people and then,
you know, most most families where I come from, you know,
our homes as big as the American garage and there's
seven to twelve people that live in that garage, you know.
So when I would walk into these homes, they were huge,
but they were empty. There were only like two people living.
And I'm like, but why there must be kids in
(20:33):
the neighborhood that are truly looking for a place to be.
So I think from that conviction, I wanted to somehow
or leave what someone did for me, that he saw
the need of kids on the streets of Kampala, but
he didn't walk away, but he wanted to do something,
and he happened to help one and that one happened
to be me that I wanted to do the same,
(20:53):
you know, LOOKEDWD for eight to home matches, giving matches
required like I felt I had been given so much
that I wanted to give back as well. Oh you know,
so I you know, I think it was a promise
in my head, like God, if you ever give me
an extra bedroom, I'm gonna help a child, you know.
So that's when it came. So I bought a house,
quit my job where I was working with Compassion to National,
(21:16):
and then I moved to Oklahoma because it was cheaper
to live in Oklahoma but also a good place to
learn to be a foster parent. And so I walked
in the Foscar system. I said, Hey, I would like
to mentor children. Is any way you could help, you know,
help me or anyway I could I could be of help.
And the reason why I thought of mentoring was I
had traveled with people adapting in India, in Ethiopia, in
(21:40):
China and in Ughana. I had never seen a black
person like me doing so. I had never seen a
male doing so. So in my head, I think I
believed the lie. I thought I don't qualify it because
I'm single, and I don't qualify it because I'm black.
So when I walked in, it was more like, okay,
here's the list. You can let me be be a mentor.
(22:01):
And the social worker looked at me and said, have
you ever thought of being a foster da I was like,
wait a minute, I don't qualify. I'm seeing what she's like.
So man, I was like, you mean I can forster.
That day, I mean literally that day, I signed up
to be a forced dad Because now I had been
(22:21):
helping kids in other countries. I would go see and help,
but come back, but this time I wanted it to
be part of my everyday life. And so four months later,
you know, I had my first placement, you know, I
had my first child, and that began the whole journey.
And I knew how it felt to be neglected. I
knew how it felt to have your own parents be
(22:43):
your worst enemies. I knew what it meant to be
called garbage every day. And also I knew what it
meant to live in a place where you did not
feel it was your home. I lived that every day
that I thought I can impact at least one child,
and so it's been a great journey that I've had
twenty two kids now and right now I have six
(23:04):
in my home, and it's been hard, but it's been
a joy for sure. You know, I've adapted one, my son, Anthony,
and I'm in the process of adapting my three other ones,
you know. And I counted a blessing for sure. You
know that a one street kid in your guy that
I had no food, I had no hope that I
can give hope. So I had fasted about ten eleven kids,
(23:29):
and you know, they had all gone back to their family.
So I think I wasn't you know, our hour. I
was demolized kind of. You see, kids come and we
want them to go to their parents, absolutely, but when
you do it over and over, it kind of leaves
you empty and not angry, but just in pieces. So
my number ten and Levin had gone home on a Monday,
and I told my social work, I said, look, really
(23:50):
I really need a break. I need three month break,
like I cannot do this, and she said, okay, this
is Monday. On Friday, I get a phone call, hey, sir,
I was like, sister, it's not three months yet. And
she's like, hey, there's a kid at the hospital that
really needs help. Could you keep him just for the weekend?
And I said absolutely, I would do so, but please
(24:12):
do not tell me why in the fast get because
I didn't want to be attached. So finally he came
at three in the morning, you know, the social I
had to live really quickly. I mean, he was in
my house twenty minutes and I told him, Hey, my
name is Peter Mutubasi, but you can call me Peter
because my African name is it's kind of hard. And
he looked in my eyes and he says, hey, but
(24:32):
can I call you my dad? I'm like, hell, no, no,
you can't call me that, you know. But in my head,
I think I was more like every kid I've had
had to call me dad, and they've all gone, So
you cannot be in my house for twenty minutes and
call me dad. And also I know you're living on Monday,
so I don't want to be associated. I don't want
(24:53):
to be called dad right now, you know. And then
he looked back at me and said, you know, I
was told since now I'm eleven, I can choose with
my father? Should be I choose you? Man? I was like,
this kid doesn't listen, does he? So I said now.
So finally they came to pick him up on Monday.
So this time, after I signed the paperwork, I asked
the social work. I said, okay, so can you tell
(25:14):
me the story. You know, why is in the fourth
care because I knew I have no responsibilities right now
since he's up to go. And then the social work said, hey,
you know he was in the fourth care when he
was one and a half, and then he was placed
with a family, and this family adapted him at four,
and then this same family that adapted him before, they
just dropped him at the hospital. They never said goodbye,
(25:38):
They never gave him a reason why they didn't want anymore.
They never said one thing. They just left and went
to the county and signed off their parential rights. I mean,
you should have seen me just crying, because I think
it took me to when I was eleven, you know, ten,
running away as a kid from my own family, to
(25:58):
see this kid that he'd been giving in Hope for
nine years and for some reason, they just dropped him
at the hospital and they did not want him anymore.
And I think I felt I was doing the same,
like I've always wanted to be a dad and he's
a kid who just somehow knew I'll be his dad,
and he called me by his dad name, Dad, Like,
I just can't let him go. And so I told
(26:21):
the social work, I said, hey, you give me his paperwork.
I think he already knew I'll be his dad, so
you know, let me, let me, let me take him.
And so from there I knew he'll be my son.
And two years later he got to be adapted and
we share the same last name. And it's cool. You know.
Most people ask me, man, he's lucky to have you.
(26:42):
I'm like, no, I'm the lucky one. He chose me
to be his dad, and forever I will be grateful
for sure, you know, just like that, from a weekend
respite to a family forever. So recently I became an
American citizen. So think about it took me seventeen years
(27:03):
to be an American citizen, you know. Twenty nineteen, I
finally became a US citizen. It was really awesome, you
know that I could find across that line. I never
thought I could, you know, And it's truly being a joy.
You know. I think even being a forced parent has
really helped me in some way, to feel like this
is my country, these are my people, this is my community.
(27:26):
That I feel indebted to this country to do the
best I can and to help others as well, but
also to come alongside those that need us the most
and contribute to the society. Like I feel They've given
me a place to breathe, a place to be free,
a place to do things that I would ever do,
but also a place that I need to be responsible
for that as well to give back, to be responsible
(27:50):
citizen and contribute to what I can and for me
forcery and advocating for kids, you know, in Charlotte, North
Carolina and anywhere you know, States is my next goal.
Like my dream is truly to advocate for kids. You know.
My dream, I would like to have a bigger house
so I can have twenty more teenagers that I will
(28:11):
provide a home for them. You know, my dream is
so I can have a place where they can feel
they're safe and loved. You know. I live in mac
and Back County. There's eight hundred kids in the Fosse
care system. There's only sixty families that are falster parents.
Think about eight hundred kids sixty foster parents. That's crazy.
(28:33):
You know that I feel it's my community to truly
say I will step in and do what I can
to help. You know, for those eight hundred that are
looking for a plus to be I cannot take them more.
But if I can help one, I've done my part.
Or if I can encourage someone else to think through
and help one of them, then I've done my part.
(28:53):
Or if I can help someone and inspire them to
help another family so they're able to do that or
come alongside that I've done my part. That we can
all take part, you know, or even advocating for them
through our legislature and say we want to help the
kids so they can have a better future. This is
our community to do what we can to do. We
(29:15):
ought to help those in need.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
And a terrific job on the production, editing and storytelling
by Robbie Davis and a special thanks to Peter Muttabatsi
and his remarkable book. Now I Am Known is available
at local bookstores or Amazon or wherever you get your books.
And what a story to tell about love, about love
(29:39):
of a stranger and what a heart this man has
and on his heart was working to take care of
and advocate for kids. So many kids without fathers, so
many kids without love. Here's an answer for Our show
does one thing to inspire you to imitate a guy
like Peter, just one of you listening. The show is
worth all the years we've been on air, the story
(30:02):
of Peter Muttabatsi. Here on our American story
And we continue with our American stories. Up next, we
bring you a story that begins across the ocean in Africa,
but winds up being a true story of faith, generosity,
and citizenship based here in the United States. Here to
share his story is Peter Mutavasi.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
I'm from a small village at the border of Uganda
and Rwanda. My name is Peter Moutavasi. Habiadmna Mutabasi is
my dad's name, and Habiaedmana is the name that I
was given at an age of two. You know, for
most moms, you know, we never have kids before they
(00:54):
are born. As soon as we know we're pregnant or expecting,
you know, we look for names. But my time in
my village, moms were not able to do so. In
my village, most kids would die before the age of two.
So most moms didn't name their kids, not because they
didn't love them, but they weren't sure they will make it,
and so they didn't give us a name until we're
(01:16):
a little bit older. So I two, I was giving
a name Habbier and Manner, which means a gift given
to me by God. That's what my mom named me.
I come from a village, you know, where life was
miserable in every ship form. You could imagine grapping a
home where no one ever told me to be hopeful,
or grabbing a home where really tomorrow wasn't guaranteed, you know,
(01:39):
and here the reasons why. Think about as a mom,
if you cannot feed your child for a day, how
do you tell them they have a future? And that
was me. You know, at the age of four, I
knew I can go fetch water, you know, three to
four miles away just for us to have drinking water.
And so as a kid, that's all I did think
about that you have to walk four miles one way
(02:01):
and four miles back. Do you ever have time to
go to school? Absolutely no. That My family needed more,
you know, they needed water, that they needed me to
go to school, but also they could not afford me
to go to school. Also, you know, I grew up
from our family that are farmers. In other words, you know,
we call ourselves subsisens farmers, which means we only grow
(02:22):
what we consume. You know, we didn't have enough meals.
I can remember we had a meal every other day
and me, you know, to ask a meal was beans
and potatoes and if we're lucky, we could have both,
but most of them would have one of them, so
we can spare one for the next day. So that's
all I knew as a kid, you know, of misery
and hardship. But it wasn't just me. It was every
(02:47):
child in that village that worked hard. We were all
went to fetch water miles and miles away. So I
took it as a norm that this is a normal,
normal life in some way. But then at the age
of five, four began to realize that we were different,
that my dad was different from any other dad. I
knew that my dad was just so mean, abusive to me,
(03:11):
and abusive to my mom and to my siblings as well.
I never had kind words from my dad like another kid.
You know, we work so hard to please our dads.
You go fetch water for days and hours and go
look for firewood, and you would hope your dad would say, son,
that was a great job you did to me. Now
you know, I think all I had from my dad
(03:33):
I was garbage. I would never mount to anything. I
am useless. You know, the dogs in my neighborhood were
worthy or worth more than I was, And those are
the things I had from my dad every day, and
if it wasn't my you know, coming towards me, it
was going through my mom. And as you know, five
years old, I could not protect my mom. Miseries all
(03:56):
I knew, and I never wanted to see tomorrow because
to was hard enough that I really didn't want to
repeat it the next day. And that was my life,
you know, from the age of zero to ten eleven,
as a kid in my village, you know. So at
the age of ten, I think I was life had
become so miserable. And I think as you grow older,
(04:17):
you understand abuse harsher and harder in some way, you know,
those words that I had every day that I would
never mount to anything, you know, now they were striking me,
you know, dip down the core of myself, you know.
But also I think I hated my dad so much
that I thought, look, to give him a reason to
kill me, that is that is a gift, you know.
(04:40):
And I think at the age of ten, I said, look,
I'd rather go die in the hands of someone else
than my dad. So you know, I didn't know where
I was going. But also I wasn't looking for future.
But I think I was looking in some way to
die in the hands of a stranger than my own dad.
So I had never been twenty miles away from my village,
you know. I ran away to the bus station at
(05:00):
three in the morning, and I asked the lady, hey,
of all these buses here, which goes the farthest And
the reason why I was asking was I needed to
go as far as I could. That I knew if
he met me, if he found me, that he would
take my life. So running as far as I could
was all that I needed. So the lady told me
that one, you know, I got on that bus. I
(05:21):
can tell you it could not. It wasn't traveling enough,
you know. And I had never been in a kind someway.
So I was scared to death. I was little. But
at the same time there was a joy to look
back and see that I was living my village, that
I was leaving that man who had, you know, CAUs
harm and somewhere that I detested and headed so much.
(05:43):
I didn't know where I was going, but there was
a glimpse of I don't have to hear him anymore,
I don't have to take his physical abuse anymore. I
don't have to listen to my mom crying from his abuse,
like I can not hear this anymore. So there was
a joy, you know, in some way of living. I
didn't know really where I was going and family. I
(06:03):
made it to Compala, you know. The journey took up,
you know, took about fourteen fourteen, sixteen hours, and I
ended up in Compala, the capital city of Uganda, which
is about five hundred kilometers away from my village. And
I knew I was fine enough, but also I knew
he I mean a new city. I have no idea,
I don't speak the language. I've never been here, but
(06:25):
I got one thing to make to make it through
the day you're coming from home. It was survival day
by day on the streets. It was survival, hour by hour.
I remember, I don't think I ever slept at one
point for more than two hours, just to make it,
you know, I think I slept less than two hours
for four and a half years. Hours on the streets
(06:47):
because it wasn't safe. I got to meet other street kids,
and I knew, you know, that I had found family,
and that became my family. So I, you know, right away,
became a street kid. And I lunch how survive. And yes,
the abuse on the streets was harsher and we had
to survive hour by hour. But they were strangers, you know,
(07:09):
they called me garbage, They called me, you know, names
that you call any useless animal. But at the same
time that I was hearing them from strangers that didn't
matter to me, or that I didn't care about an
iland to survive. And as three kids, we learned how
to work hard. You know. Working hard was to help
people so we can earn the right to be on
the streets. You know that the work ethic is one
(07:31):
thing I knew how to do, you know, but also
to be honest, it was easier to steal while you're helping.
You know, if people need cheap labor, they weren't paying you,
so all you could do is help. In the process
of helping, you would steal what you need so the
end of the day would have enough to eat. And
that's how we survived. You know, back in the Uganda,
we didn't beg for money. You know, most people don't
(07:53):
make a dollar day. You don't beg for money, but
you work so you can earn the right, but also
work so hard so you felt you're useful to the
strangers who needed your help in somewhere, but also for
us as strict kids, it provided a venue and a
place to find food and to feel safe, you know,
for us commotion and where there were people, we felt
(08:15):
we can be self within that environment, and so marketplaces
became at home. We lived on the streets where they
threw all the garbage, so that meant there were there
were straight animals, There were dogs, you know, there were
vultures that were all looking for food just like our SnO,
and people were mean sometimes, so we would do some
work and they would refuse to give us food or
(08:37):
they would rather throw the way to the garbage, and
that's where we had to go get it. In order
for them to get rid of us from where they were.
They would throw away the food in the garbage for
us to go find it so we can we can go.
But that meant to struggle it with the dogs. That
meant to fight it with the vultures, you know, And
I don't know how I survived, you know, eating you know,
(08:58):
the most horrible food, but some how make it through
the day. You know, that's truly the aggress of God,
to be honest, but it was a way to survive.
It was a way to make it through the day,
and that became my new life.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
And you're listening to Peter Mutabasi tell the story of
his howering childhood in the worst possible circumstances a person
could grow up and mothers in his village wouldn't even
name kids until they had reached a certain decent age
because most died before they were two. Unimaginable. An abusive
(09:33):
father on top of it, and he escapes to the
streets of Kampala where he finds community with fellow refugees
from the villages to the streets, and community and family
with those kids. When we come back, more of Peter
Mutabasi's story here on our American Story. And we're back
(10:10):
with our American stories and the story of Peter Mutabasi.
His book Now I Am Known is available on Amazon
at local bookstores wherever you get your books. Peter was
born in Uganda in poverty and ran away to Kampala,
Uganda's capital, to escape an abusive father, where he lived
(10:31):
on the streets. Back to Peter, you know this.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Is strange, but if someone was kind to us, we
were not. We didn't go towards that because we knew
anyone who was kind, especially for me, anyone who was
kind would also come with abuse. So we weren't trusting.
We didn't trust people. So one day I am sitting
with my friends, you know, we see someone wearing glasses
and smart and clean. I'm speaking English, so we always
(10:59):
knew that was a target. So for me, I saw him,
I was like, I got my target. He's going to
buy food. I'm gonna help him, and then I'm gonna
steal some and I'm gonna go, you know. So I
followed him. He bought food, and as soon as he
bought what he was buying, I think it were bananas
and sweet potatoes, and so I went to him. I said,
I'm going to carry these things to your car. But
(11:19):
before I could do that, he said, hey, what's your name?
And that rattled me. I had lived on the streets
for four and a half years. No one at any
point during that time ever asked me what my name was.
No once, and so I stopped, and you know, I
told him my name is Peter, and I you know,
(11:41):
of course, I tried to help him, and before I
could take it, he had something to eat and he
gave me something to eat, and I was surprised, you know,
and so he left. I didn't buy into it. You know,
most people were kind, as I said, they were mean
at the same time. So I was waiting for him
to be mean. But he left. Well, the next week
I saw him again. So the second time I saw him,
(12:02):
you know, he gave me something to eat and he
called me by name, which was really kind of cool,
you know. So he left the third time. I was like,
wait a minute, I know what day he comes, I
know what car he drives, I know what he buys,
and I know where he goes. So I was assured
every Monday that he was coming to the city. So
that's how I got to know him. Though he was kind,
(12:25):
though he helped me, I kept the distance. Remember, anyone
who was kind always came with abuse. So for me,
I was waiting for abuse, like I didn't trust him.
Though he was kind, I didn't trust him because I
was waiting for the bad part to come. I was
waiting for, you know, for the abuse to come. But
it never came. So for one year and a half,
(12:46):
he gave me something to eat and sometimes we'll bring
more for other kids. And so one day he said, hey, Peter,
if he had an opportunity to go to school, who
do you go to school? You know? And I was like, wait, me,
a garbage boy, a useless boy, a kid whould never
mounted anything me go to school, you know. And I
did not believe him. But men every time he came
(13:09):
and say, hey, I would like to take you to
school if you like to, and men, finally I said absolutely.
And the reason why I said yes it wasn't because
I wanted to be somebody. You know, my family, we
didn't have so many educated people that I wanted to be.
Like now, for me, for the first time in my
entire life, someone saw me as a human being. Well,
(13:32):
he gave me clothes to where and he told me
I was going to a boarding school. But before he
could take me, he said, hey, there are two things
are going to happen. One you're going to be part
of the local church. Then the other one is there'll
be meals for you. There'll be learning to breakfast and dinner.
I think I didn't hear anything else, but I had
the meal, that's all I heard. So as we went,
you know, I really looked at him and I said,
(13:54):
you know, for kids why me, Like, why are you
doing this for me? And he looked at me and
I said, you know, boy, I just want to be faithful,
that's all. I really want to be faithful. But I
did not understand what it meant, you know. So finally
we make it to school and it was lunchtime. They
gave me something to eat and he said there will
be dinner. So for me, I waited for the next meal.
(14:15):
I really didn't think about school. I didn't think about anything,
and I slept there for one night and then because
before I left, I told the other street kids like, hey,
if you don't see me in the next twenty four hours,
when you see this man, hum him, please harm him.
That means either he killed me or something happened, So
payback time. So I slept, and the following night I
(14:39):
had to come back to the city because I wanted
to tell them that I was okay, because I knew
they would harm him if I didn't come back. So
I came back and said, hey, I'm okay. He put
him in school and I really like it. There has food,
so I'm going back for food. So I went back
and in the process of waiting for a meal, I
think I realized that in order to do this, I
needed to go to class. So then I started going
(15:01):
to class. And then I realized that I was smart.
Not only was I just good at finding food, but
I knew also that I was smart in school as well.
And after a while, you know, I was there for
six months, he said, you know, you can be part
of a family. And that really began to change my life,
you know, because the teachers, the social workers that they were,
(15:22):
you know, that they were coming alongside, began to see
the best in me. They're so potential that I didn't
see myself. And I think for me, that truly began
to change my world on how I looked at things,
you know. And then the one thing he did, once
he brought me to his family, they would use words
of affirmation that I had never had before. They would
(15:43):
say things like, Peter, you married. I'm like, well, what
me I mattered? You know? This one day he was
going to the city and he was taking me with me.
I always knew sitting in front was for the important people,
you know, that I wasn't worthy of sitting in front
with him. I always sat in the back. But this
time he said, Peter can you sit in front? And
(16:03):
I said no, I don't deserve to sit in France.
I need to sit in the back. And he looked
at me and said, Peter, no, you belong to this family.
You see it in front. Man. I can remember those words.
This day kind of removed the scales of sham, the
scales of what I'd been told all my life that
I was nobody, that I don't ever mount to anything,
because they saw more in me than I saw in myself.
(16:29):
Finally I finished high school, and then I went to
university in Uganda, and then I got a scarship to
go study in England. You know. So after England and
then I went back to Uganda, and I was working
for the International Committee of Red Cross and my job
was to work as a radio operator to make sure
that food on planes and trucks was moving from Kenya
(16:50):
to Sudan. And so one day I wanted to visit
the you know, the refugee camp. So I went there
and while I was there, I saw this eighteen year
old boy shut lit. Yes why it was the only
one kid ever. So I was like, man, what are
you doing here? He said, my name is Luke and
I'm here to help the refugees. And I got to
know him and I said, hey, you know, I did
(17:11):
an American, so if you come to Compiler, please come
and have clean water and we'll make sure you're okay.
And so he came and stayed with us for about
two months, and then he went back to United States.
And when he got back in the US, he said,
you know, he said, Peter, there's a school I go to.
I think I would like to really help you get
a scholarship to come and study here. And I was like, man,
(17:31):
I'm not sure. I can't afford. It's like, no, leave
it out to me. I will do the best I can.
And here I was, you know, from one strange end,
it's like you got more potential in life. And so
he got me a scholarship to come and study here
in the United States. And so I went to school
for four years, and then I was hired at the end,
you know, to be an advocate for Children with Compassion International.
(17:53):
So I get to travel with key not speakers and
you know, reverends and all people to show them the
walk of compassion all over the world. And so not
only did I travel, you know, to my twenty countries
I had traveled in, but now I had an opportunity
to travel to one hundred and one countries, which was
absolutely mind bro you know, from a strict kid in
(18:14):
Kampala who didn't think about tomorrow. There I was jumping
from one country to the other, which was really fascinating.
But all I wanted was to truly be a voice
for the unseen, the anahard, the ones that we all
know that I wanted them to know their story through
telling my own story, that people would help them. And
so that became my job for ten years.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
And what a story you've been listening to from Peter Mudabasi.
He lived on the streets for four and a half years.
When a man asked him what his name was. It
was the first time it had happened to him. And
of course, that active kindness he assumed would always be
followed by an active abuse, in fact that kept on
(19:01):
persisting until it didn't. And when this man offered up
the kindness of free school, heater asked why me, and
he answered, boy, I want to be faithful when we
come back. More of this remarkable story of faith of
love of a stranger. Here on our American stories and
(19:38):
we're back with our American stories and the final portion
of Peter Mudabatsi's story. After being adopted himself, Peter eventually
ended up working for the international humanitarian organization Compassion International
and advocated for children living in the very same poverty
he experienced growing up. His work took him around the world,
(20:01):
but his home base is the United States. Let's return
to Peter.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
Well, so when I came to you, and I said,
I think I struggled. I would visit people and then,
you know, most most families where I come from, you know,
our homes as big as the American garage and there's
seven to twelve people that live in that garage, you know.
So when I would walk into these homes, they were huge,
but they were empty. There were only like two people living.
And I'm like, but why there must be kids in
(20:33):
the neighborhood that are truly looking for a place to be.
So I think from that conviction, I wanted to somehow
or leave what someone did for me, that he saw
the need of kids on the streets of Kampala, but
he didn't walk away, but he wanted to do something,
and he happened to help one and that one happened
to be me that I wanted to do the same,
(20:53):
you know, LOOKEDWD for eight to home matches, giving matches
required like I felt I had been given so much
that I wanted to give back as well. Oh you know,
so I you know, I think it was a promise
in my head, like God, if you ever give me
an extra bedroom, I'm gonna help a child, you know.
So that's when it came. So I bought a house,
quit my job where I was working with Compassion to National,
(21:16):
and then I moved to Oklahoma because it was cheaper
to live in Oklahoma but also a good place to
learn to be a foster parent. And so I walked
in the Foscar system. I said, Hey, I would like
to mentor children. Is any way you could help, you know,
help me or anyway I could I could be of help.
And the reason why I thought of mentoring was I
had traveled with people adapting in India, in Ethiopia, in
(21:40):
China and in Ughana. I had never seen a black
person like me doing so. I had never seen a
male doing so. So in my head, I think I
believed the lie. I thought I don't qualify it because
I'm single, and I don't qualify it because I'm black.
So when I walked in, it was more like, okay,
here's the list. You can let me be be a mentor.
(22:01):
And the social worker looked at me and said, have
you ever thought of being a foster da I was like,
wait a minute, I don't qualify. I'm seeing what she's like.
So man, I was like, you mean I can forster.
That day, I mean literally that day, I signed up
to be a forced dad Because now I had been
(22:21):
helping kids in other countries. I would go see and help,
but come back, but this time I wanted it to
be part of my everyday life. And so four months later,
you know, I had my first placement, you know, I
had my first child, and that began the whole journey.
And I knew how it felt to be neglected. I
knew how it felt to have your own parents be
(22:43):
your worst enemies. I knew what it meant to be
called garbage every day. And also I knew what it
meant to live in a place where you did not
feel it was your home. I lived that every day
that I thought I can impact at least one child,
and so it's been a great journey that I've had
twenty two kids now and right now I have six
(23:04):
in my home, and it's been hard, but it's been
a joy for sure. You know, I've adapted one, my son, Anthony,
and I'm in the process of adapting my three other ones,
you know. And I counted a blessing for sure. You
know that a one street kid in your guy that
I had no food, I had no hope that I
can give hope. So I had fasted about ten eleven kids,
(23:29):
and you know, they had all gone back to their family.
So I think I wasn't you know, our hour. I
was demolized kind of. You see, kids come and we
want them to go to their parents, absolutely, but when
you do it over and over, it kind of leaves
you empty and not angry, but just in pieces. So
my number ten and Levin had gone home on a Monday,
and I told my social work, I said, look, really
(23:50):
I really need a break. I need three month break,
like I cannot do this, and she said, okay, this
is Monday. On Friday, I get a phone call, hey, sir,
I was like, sister, it's not three months yet. And
she's like, hey, there's a kid at the hospital that
really needs help. Could you keep him just for the weekend?
And I said absolutely, I would do so, but please
(24:12):
do not tell me why in the fast get because
I didn't want to be attached. So finally he came
at three in the morning, you know, the social I
had to live really quickly. I mean, he was in
my house twenty minutes and I told him, Hey, my
name is Peter Mutubasi, but you can call me Peter
because my African name is it's kind of hard. And
he looked in my eyes and he says, hey, but
(24:32):
can I call you my dad? I'm like, hell, no, no,
you can't call me that, you know. But in my head,
I think I was more like every kid I've had
had to call me dad, and they've all gone, So
you cannot be in my house for twenty minutes and
call me dad. And also I know you're living on Monday,
so I don't want to be associated. I don't want
(24:53):
to be called dad right now, you know. And then
he looked back at me and said, you know, I
was told since now I'm eleven, I can choose with
my father? Should be I choose you? Man? I was like,
this kid doesn't listen, does he? So I said now.
So finally they came to pick him up on Monday.
So this time, after I signed the paperwork, I asked
the social work. I said, okay, so can you tell
(25:14):
me the story. You know, why is in the fourth
care because I knew I have no responsibilities right now
since he's up to go. And then the social work said, hey,
you know he was in the fourth care when he
was one and a half, and then he was placed
with a family, and this family adapted him at four,
and then this same family that adapted him before, they
just dropped him at the hospital. They never said goodbye,
(25:38):
They never gave him a reason why they didn't want anymore.
They never said one thing. They just left and went
to the county and signed off their parential rights. I mean,
you should have seen me just crying, because I think
it took me to when I was eleven, you know, ten,
running away as a kid from my own family, to
(25:58):
see this kid that he'd been giving in Hope for
nine years and for some reason, they just dropped him
at the hospital and they did not want him anymore.
And I think I felt I was doing the same,
like I've always wanted to be a dad and he's
a kid who just somehow knew I'll be his dad,
and he called me by his dad name, Dad, Like,
I just can't let him go. And so I told
(26:21):
the social work, I said, hey, you give me his paperwork.
I think he already knew I'll be his dad, so
you know, let me, let me, let me take him.
And so from there I knew he'll be my son.
And two years later he got to be adapted and
we share the same last name. And it's cool. You know.
Most people ask me, man, he's lucky to have you.
(26:42):
I'm like, no, I'm the lucky one. He chose me
to be his dad, and forever I will be grateful
for sure, you know, just like that, from a weekend
respite to a family forever. So recently I became an
American citizen. So think about it took me seventeen years
(27:03):
to be an American citizen, you know. Twenty nineteen, I
finally became a US citizen. It was really awesome, you
know that I could find across that line. I never
thought I could, you know, And it's truly being a joy.
You know. I think even being a forced parent has
really helped me in some way, to feel like this
is my country, these are my people, this is my community.
(27:26):
That I feel indebted to this country to do the
best I can and to help others as well, but
also to come alongside those that need us the most
and contribute to the society. Like I feel They've given
me a place to breathe, a place to be free,
a place to do things that I would ever do,
but also a place that I need to be responsible
for that as well to give back, to be responsible
(27:50):
citizen and contribute to what I can and for me
forcery and advocating for kids, you know, in Charlotte, North
Carolina and anywhere you know, States is my next goal.
Like my dream is truly to advocate for kids. You know.
My dream, I would like to have a bigger house
so I can have twenty more teenagers that I will
(28:11):
provide a home for them. You know, my dream is
so I can have a place where they can feel
they're safe and loved. You know. I live in mac
and Back County. There's eight hundred kids in the Fosse
care system. There's only sixty families that are falster parents.
Think about eight hundred kids sixty foster parents. That's crazy.
(28:33):
You know that I feel it's my community to truly
say I will step in and do what I can
to help. You know, for those eight hundred that are
looking for a plus to be I cannot take them more.
But if I can help one, I've done my part.
Or if I can encourage someone else to think through
and help one of them, then I've done my part.
(28:53):
Or if I can help someone and inspire them to
help another family so they're able to do that or
come alongside that I've done my part. That we can
all take part, you know, or even advocating for them
through our legislature and say we want to help the
kids so they can have a better future. This is
our community to do what we can to do. We
(29:15):
ought to help those in need.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
And a terrific job on the production, editing and storytelling
by Robbie Davis and a special thanks to Peter Muttabatsi
and his remarkable book. Now I Am Known is available
at local bookstores or Amazon or wherever you get your books.
And what a story to tell about love, about love
(29:39):
of a stranger and what a heart this man has
and on his heart was working to take care of
and advocate for kids. So many kids without fathers, so
many kids without love. Here's an answer for Our show
does one thing to inspire you to imitate a guy
like Peter, just one of you listening. The show is
worth all the years we've been on air, the story
(30:02):
of Peter Muttabatsi. Here on our American story
Host
Lee Habeeb
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