FOUNDER, TOTYA PLATFORM
At the age of 8, I lost my mother and on the day we were laying her to rest, a close family friend sexually violated me in the pretense of comforting me claiming he was preparing me for the life a head; I didn’t share this with anyone, not even my sister whom I was very close to then.
I didn’t know how wrong it was but I feared I would be beaten any way and my sister wouldn’t believe me because this was her friend whom they sung together with in the church choir.
For seventeen years this affected me mentally causing me to have a self-esteem and no confidence at all. I remember always doubting my self-worth and believing that no one would love me because I wasn’t too beautiful any way. My grades too were affected and I knew that I would never amount to any good.
Once I shared this with a close friend, he got me help with an online coach that helped me slowly start to believe in myself. I saw the difference I could make using this same mechanism to help other girls in my community who might be going through the same struggles without actually revealing their identity. This led to the birth of the Totya Platform. “Totya” is a Luganda word that means “Fear Not!”
Ms. Aguti who is a professional Social Worker, registered with the National Association of Social Workers, Uganda continues to use her experience as a survivor to encourage other survivors of sexual violence to #BreakTheSilence and share their experiences
As a compassionate life coach and counsellor she is part of the team that lends an ear to survivors of sexual violence without blame, judgement or any other form of stigma. She is also the Executive Director of Totya Platform.