The Power of an Empty Stomach: How Ndayisaba Isaac Turned Hunger into a Movement
By Ndayisaba Isaac, Founder and CEO, Corants Initiative Development
My name is Ndayisaba Isaac, Founder and CEO of Corants Initiative Development Organization (CIDO). I live in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement, Kikuube District, Western Uganda a place filled with hope, potential, and struggle.
I am a young leader who has faced hunger, hopelessness, and doubt yet out of those struggles, I discovered my life’s purpose: to empower others to rise.
The Dark Days
My journey began in November 2021, during one of the most difficult periods of my life. For four days, I went without food not by choice, but by circumstance.
I was living alone. I had no land to cultivate, no job to earn a living, and no one to depend on. Yet, I still had energy and determination to work. One morning, I told myself, “Today, I must find something to do to get food.”
I searched the village for casual work, but the day ended with disappointment. When I returned home, I looked around for any leftover food but there was none. I even caught myself asking, “Who could have kept food here?” forgetting that I lived alone.
The same story repeated on the second, third, and fourth days. My body grew weaker, and hunger became unbearable. On the fourth day, as I walked back home, I collapsed on the roadside. My head hit the ground, and I lost consciousness for over three hours.
The Moment of Awakening
When I finally regained consciousness, a stranger stood beside me. He had fetched some water from a nearby source dirty and unsafe but it was all I had. I drank it without hesitation. At that moment, I cared only about survival.
Sitting there, weak and broken, my mind began to fill with painful questions:
> “I went to primary school, but why don’t I have a skill that can help me survive?”
“Why does our education system not prepare us for real-life struggles?”
I realized how far I had come, completing primary school had already been a huge struggle, including two dead academic years that nearly ended my dream of learning. I had lost hope of continuing to secondary school.
But right there, in the middle of hunger and despair, something powerful was born inside me, an idea that would change my life and the lives of others forever.
The Birth of a Vision
From that place of weakness and emptiness, I gave birth to a dream Corants Initiative Development Organization (CIDO).
I founded CIDO with nothing but hunger in my stomach and hope in my heart. I had no resources, no support, and no food. But I had a purpose: to empower young people and women to build skills, confidence, and opportunities that could transform their lives.
I realized that the best way to fight poverty was not just through charity, but through empowerment giving people the tools to help themselves.
At first, many people in my community doubted my idea. They said, “How can someone who once had nothing change the community?”
But I believed in my vision. I believed that the same hunger that nearly killed me could also give birth to something greater a movement of empowerment and hope.
Growth and Impact
Over time, CIDO grew from a small idea into a community force. What began with nothing now empowers hundreds of lives.
Through CIDO, we have:
- Impacted over 500 lives of children, youth, and women.
- Trained more than 200 youth in leadership and entrepreneurship.
- Connected over 30 young people to secondary school scholarships.
- Supported families, youth, and young mothers with livelihood and vocational skills.
We have built partnerships with both national and international organizations, including: THINK HUMANITY ORGANIZATION, and FBC Global Missions, which have strengthened our programs and expanded our reach.
My work has also been recognized globally. I was selected as a 2024 African Leadership Academy (ALA) Finalist, an opportunity that deepened my understanding of youth-led innovation. I was also chosen from over 330 applicants for the Refugee Leaders Capacity Building Program on Climate Action, organized alongside Uganda’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP).
These experiences have fueled my commitment to creating practical, impactful change for refugee and host communities.
Reimagining Education
Today, I am pioneering a STEM-based, solar-powered school model, a technology-driven learning approach that prepares learners with real-life, hands-on skills.
This innovation directly answers the questions that once haunted me:
> “Why did I go to school and still lack survival skills?”
“Why does education not match our daily struggles?”
Through this new model, I am reimagining education to make it relevant, empowering, and transformative, helping children grow into problem solvers, creators, and leaders.
The Meaning of It All
If you ask me who the father of CIDO is, I will tell you, without hesitation Hunger is the father of CIDO.
Because if I had not experienced hunger, I might never have found the courage to act, to dream, and to serve.
Today, when I look back at that moment lying weak, hungry, and hopeless I don’t see the end of my story. I see the beginning of my purpose.
The power of an empty stomach taught me that pain can be the birthplace of purpose. Hunger gave me vision. Struggle gave me strength. And hope gave me direction.
Final Message
I believe that real transformation begins in the mind. To build self-reliant and sustainable communities, we must start by empowering children and youth with the right education, one that connects knowledge to life.
From hunger to hope, from despair to determination my journey is proof that even an empty stomach can give birth to a full vision.
And that vision continues to grow
one mind, one skill, and one dream at a time.