Africa's Daughters Photo

Story Matters

Documentaries about people overcoming great obstacles to achieve their goals are inspiring. They provide a sense of hope that, like the film’s characters, we too can make our biggest dreams come true.

The two young women featured in my documentary “Africa’s Daughters” continue to inspire me. Now 20, they’re both in college in Uganda—Ruth at Makerere University in Kampala studying Food, Science and Agriculture and Hoctavia at Uganda Christian University in Mukono studying Law.

Sometimes documentaries tell stories that do more than inspire, they bring about real change. Stanley Nelson’s film “The Murder of Emmett Till” led the court system to reopen the case after several decades and finally put the perpetrators of this horrible crime in jail. Other documentaries raise awareness about an issue and get people to take action to resolve it.

With “Africa’s Daughters” I was able to document the gap in girls’ secondary education in Africa and how it limits the progress of many societies in that continent. But even more rewarding is that through screenings in Jacksonville I have been able to raise enough money to cover Hoctavia’s college tuition for two of her three years. I’m still working on the third.

Here is an excerpt of an email I received from Hoctavia at the start of the year. It reminds me every day that story matters.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank you in your generosity in financing my education. I don’t believe that I would adequately be able to put into words how much receiving this support means to me.

Because of your support my financial needs have been lessened. Now I am in a position to focus entirely on school. I am sincerely appreciative and I hope that you know I will continue to towards earning good grades and future honors. I will work very hard to make you proud that you awarded this honors to me.

As a law student I was very nervous and exited to start UCU and after my fist year I have found that I am very comfortable to stay in UCU.

God bless you, and have a happy and healthy new year.”

Sincerely,
HOCTAVIA NOELINE SABITI

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Real People, Real Stories

I believe in using real people to tell real stories that inspire and entertain. The multimedia stories and documentary-style videos I produce create an emotional connection with viewers so that they are invested in your core values rather than just the products or services you offer.

As Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

My films and videos have helped organizations raise awareness about an issue, personalize their relationships online, and reach a deeper level of engagement with the public.

“Tumaini Letu” (Our Hope), which I produced for AED, positioned the organization as a leader in implementing programs that aid the care of children orphaned or affected by HIV/AIDS.

One of its key results was helping to secure a multi-million dollar contract for AED with one of the National Institutes of Health.

Africa's Daughters Photo

Africa’s Daughters

Director’s Statement

For girls like Hoctavia Sabiti and Ruth Aringo, both from Uganda, graduating from high school is something almost beyond reach, nearly unimaginable.

And yet, as 17-year old Hoctavia expresses in the film, “When you educate a girl, you educate a whole nation.”

The meaning behind these words was the motivation for “Africa’s Daughters.”

It’s widely accepted that education is the cornerstone of progress for individuals and countries alike. But when girls in developing countries are educated, especially at the high school level, the benefits to society – social, economic, and political – are multiplied many times over.

Hoctavia and Ruth, two remarkable young women, represent the dreams of millions of girls in Uganda and across Africa who understand that the only way to break the cycle of poverty in which they’ve grown up is to complete high school and, hopefully, go on to college.

Capturing their stories of hope and determination, and seeing how they’re rising above cultural beliefs and traditions to realize their full potential was an amazing experience.

Their courage and their spirit have moved me.

I hope that their stories reach across borders and move others to learn more about the impact of girls’ education, while inspiring young people to stay in school and pursue even the most impossible dream.