I (Michael; Founder and Managing Director of McBern Tours and Travel) had a sick mother who developed Rheumatism at the age of 19 in 1978. I stayed with Mum and my grandparents so I could help my grandparents to take care of mum. I would not afford it myself since was so young (I was only born in 1986) Since Mum was so sick and at the same time looking after me, she struggled and did a great job of bringing me up. My mum knew she was dying anytime but stayed firm. She rested from this world on 1st February 2007.

Mum’s sickness and later her death after 29 years of pain impacted so much on how I saw life. My struggling grandparents took care of their 19year old sick daughter till her death at 48years. I spent most of my holidays looking after her, and after her death, I continued to live with my grandmother since my grandfather had died in 2000. It was this experience that showed me what kind of life most of the elderly people in Uganda have. They care for themselves, their children and later their grandchildren after their children die. This is just my story but many more people in Uganda almost go through the same.

I mobilized some of my friends who used to visit my mum from time to time and sold them an idea of caring for the elderly and the sick just as they had done with mum. We started visiting a few of the elderly and sick and since I was still in school, there was nothing much we could give them but to talk to them and give them hope, wash their clothes and find a few books and pens for their grandchildren to use at school.

What began as a humble thought of caring for one elderly person, is now growing to bigger numbers. We started this cause of helping the needy elderly in 2008 and started the tour company in 2012 to boost our operations.