‘I was a taxi conductor’

Belinda Atim is a wildlife enthusiast, who has  previously served as a publicist of the Uganda Wildlife Education and Conservation Centre (UWEC). 

What you need to know:

  • Scaling heights. Belinda Atim is a wildlife enthusiast, who has  previously served as a publicist of the Uganda Wildlife Education and Conservation Centre (UWEC). Atim is now the public relations and communications officer at The Microfinance Support Centre. She tells Edgar R. Batte about her firsts.

The first thing I do in the morning…

Check WhatsApp messages and read something medical- related for at least 30 minutes before I jump out of bed. I have always loved the medical field and would have pursued a career in medicine but I was not good at Math, Chemistry or Physics.

The first thing I do when I get to work…

Before Covid-19, the first thing I did was clock in. Now, the first thing I do is sanitise and have my temperature taken.

My earliest childhood memory…

I have a good recollection of my childhood and so many memories, but spending Saturday mornings in bed with my mum reading to me or telling me stories takes the icing. After our reading and storytelling session, we would go and prepare breakfast together. My job was to butter and toast the bread, or mix the ingredients in case we were having scones or little cakes for breakfast.

My first best friend…

Fatoumata Sheriff, an amazing human being from Conakry - Guinea. She was my neighbour and we were the best of friends from the age of  three years. Unfortunately, the curtains drew down on her in 2008. Her demise pains me to date.

My first kiss…

Hahaha. No comment.

My childhood hero…

Marion Jones, the athlete. I was very talented in track and field. 100m and 200m races were my specialties, with an occasional 400m. I never lost a race and every time I would walk up to the podium for my medals, I would picture Marion Jones. I drew my inspiration from her.

The first book I read…

Well, I do not remember the title but I am sure it was one of those famous children’s books of the early 1980s. I started reading when I was very young. My mum is an avid reader and a good storyteller.

My first job…

You will not believe this but my first job ever was as a conductor. I had just completed university and had moved to Uganda permanently. In between job searches and trying to familiarise myself with the country, a family friend who owned a mini-bus complained about his conductor swindling his daily collections. So, I proposed that he hires me instead. He laughed hard but stopped when he realised I was not joking. He gave me the opportunity and it was exciting.  

My first salary…

Shs250,000

My current job…

Public relations and communications officer at The Microfinance Support Centre.

What I like about my job…

Documenting success stories on livelihood transformation. The fact that our existence has significantly contributed to increased household incomes, especially of the rural poor, and created employment opportunities for many, is quite fulfilling. 

Most memorable experience…

Travelling by air by myself for the first time. Good Lord, it was disastrous! I got to Barajas Airport in Madrid and all the Spanish I had learnt while at school evaporated. I could not find an English speaker at the Bureau de Change, so I struggled to change currencies. When I finally did, I found out that the train I was supposed to use to my destination, was about to leave. In panic, I lost balance on the escalator and my luggage went flying, banging people’s heads. I wanted the ground to swallow me.

Someone offered to help me when I got to the bottom floor and I managed to catch the train, only for me to leave my hand luggage when we disembarked. I reported to a station staff who confirmed that my luggage had been found but had been left at the airport station and I had to go back. By the time I reached the campus (my destination), it was late and there was no room reserved for me. I asked the receptionist if he would allow me spend the night on a couch in the lobby and he harshly said, no. With nowhere to go and tears burning my eyeballs, I dragged my luggage to the campus underground train station and slept on a bench until morning. I think village people were after me that day but they didn’t succeed with their plans.

Biggest regret in life…

Growing up without a father-figure. My dad walked out on my mum and I  when I was five years old. I have since never heard from him. Growing up without him or a representative was very hard in the beginning. I always felt bad when other children talked about their fathers and how they took them places over the weekend or during the school holidays. I do not think I have fully got over it. 

My first boyfriend…

A nice young man that lived in our neighborhood. I was in high school at the time.