Tabitha Bako is a 19 year old who was in senior 4 student at Buzaya secondary school in Kisozi in 2010. She is one of the students that had the chance to participate in the cycling to school program carried out by Hope Alive Uganda and Cycling out of poverty. Tabitha Bako is also one of the students who participated in an essay contest organised by Cycling out of poverty. Students were asked to write about what the bike they were able to buy on credit means to them and if it has influenced their lives in a positive way. The essays were judged by students from the Citadel College in the Netherlands and the winner won a bike for free! The students of the Citadel College chose the essay written by Tabitha Bako as the best essay and thus, she is the winner of the essay contest.

Tabitha Bako recounts:

"I am Bako Tabitha, nineteen years old, a senior four student of Buzaya secondary school. I live in Nawanyago village which is about 10 kilometres away from the school.

In my rural setting, when you are above eighteen years old, you are expected not to sleep with your parents in the same house. The house is usually a hut, so what a wise child is to do, is to construct himself or herself a hut whose wall is made out of reeds, mud and grass thatched roof. The floor is smeared with cow dung which looks very beautiful like cement. I don't have a mattress but I sleep on a papyrus mat which is fairly hard. I usually wake up at 5 am, I wash my face, then pick a hoe and go to the garden. I dig three hours in a day, one and a half in the morning and one and a half in the evening. After that I come back home, I sweep the compound for twenty minutes, brush my teeth, bathe, dress up and finally pick my books and ride to school.

Normal lessons begin at 8 am and end at 5 pm. Subjects such as biology, chemistry, physics, commerce, agriculture among others are taught according to the time table. The bicycle has made a positive impact in my life in various ways: the bicycle has made my life better in that I have always been able to arrive at school in time ever since I got this bicycle which has done great improvements on my performance. Nowadays I have a personal revision before normal lessons begin, so now I have a bright future and I will make it. In addition it has saved me from punishments such as cleaning latrines, sweeping the compound while my friends are studying which made me miss some lessons hence leading to poor performance in the class but now I am academically improving. So bicycles are very good.

Sometimes it is used for taking sick persons in the hospital where a chair is tied on the bicycle carrier. Then the sick person is put on the chair which was once a big problem. When I go back home, I use it for fetching water. I used to carry a jerrycan of water on my head moreover walking a long distance, but now I used a bicycle thus making life better. The bicycle has also created friendship and unity with our neighbours because we sometimes lend them when they are in need of it. I also use it for visiting my relatives and friends during weekends and holidays not only that, I even enjoy riding. The bicycle is also used for collecting firewood and transport during harvesting ready crops from the garden. The many challenges like punishment at school, missing classes, poor performance, strenous work among others had made me consider dropping out of school. I thank Cycling out of poverty for having kept me at school. My future is much brighter now".