SAPE Foundation

The Sustainable Actions for Poverty Eradication (SAPE) Foundation is a Ugandan grassroots nonprofit organization born out of the lived experiences and vision of its founder, Richard Tusabe.  Having grown up as an orphan in the Ssese Islands on Lake Victoria, in conditions of abject poverty, Richard witnessed firsthand how lack of opportunity and environmental degradation reinforced cycles of suffering in his community. He tested the continuous hardship of going without basic needs, and he appreciated the relentless hustle of his father, who struggled to fend for his two boys after the death of their mother to HIV/AIDS. Sadly, their father also passed away soon after, leaving Richard and his brother as orphans facing hunger, limited access to scholastic materials, and the harsh realities of early childhood in a community already crippled by poverty.

Yet in the midst of this hardship, the power of community support came alive. The people of Ssese Islands, who had very little themselves, stepped in to help raise Richard and his brother. Neighbors shared food, teachers offered encouragement, and local leaders helped bridge the gaps that poverty had created. This communal safety net kept Richard in school during his most vulnerable years. Later, when his academic talent became evident, the Government of Uganda extended a hand—supporting him on a national merit scholarship through six years of high school and then on to university.

This journey, however, was not simply a privilege. As Richard notes, it was purely the mercy of a community that chose to nurture his potential. Without such intervention, he reflects, “I would see nothing, and I would be nothing.” His story underscores the seriousness of poverty: countless other talented children in ghettos, remote landing sites, and deep rural villages remain unseen and unsupported, their potential extinguished by circumstance.