A Desperate Escape and a New Beginning
When Peter Mutabazi was just 10 years old, he made a desperate choice, one that would change his life forever.
Fleeing his abusive father and an unbearable home in Kabale, a small town in southwestern Uganda, Peter went to the local bus station and asked a question that would define his future:
“Which bus goes the farthest?”
The answer led him to Kampala, Uganda’s capital. There, Peter spent four long years on the streets, scavenging for food, sleeping under stalls, and doing whatever he could to survive.
A Stranger Who Saw His Worth
One day, while hanging around a local market hoping to steal food, Peter met a man who didn’t scold or chase him away. Instead, he asked a simple question that no one had ever asked before:
“What’s your name?”
That moment changed everything. The man began visiting Peter regularly, feeding him, talking to him, and, most importantly, believing in him. Eventually, he offered Peter the chance to go to school.
“For the first time, someone saw the best in me”, Peter recalls. “He saw potential when no one else did.”
With the stranger’s help, Peter entered a boarding school in Kampala and flourished. Later, through scholarships and hard work, he earned a degree in business administration at Makerere University, studied theology in London, and completed further education in California.
Finding Purpose in Fatherhood
Years later, Peter’s journey brought him to the United States, where he built a career in real estate and worked with the Christian nonprofit World Vision. But his true calling came unexpectedly, through foster care.
In 2017, after mentoring teens in foster care, a social worker suggested he become a foster parent himself. Peter didn’t hesitate. He began training immediately.
Since then, he has fostered more than 20 children, all from different backgrounds and races. His first foster child was white, something that initially surprised him.
“At first I thought, ‘Wait, he doesn’t even look like me’”, Peter says with a smile. “But abuse and neglect don’t discriminate. I realized I was here to advocate for every child.”
A Family Built by Love
One of those children was Anthony, an 11-year-old boy whose adoptive parents had relinquished their rights after nine years. What was meant to be a weekend stay became something permanent.
“He reminded me of myself, unwanted, not knowing where I belonged”, Peter shares.
In 2017, Peter officially adopted Anthony. Now 15, Anthony says their shared experiences helped them bond deeply:
“We both went through a lot, but we got through it together”, he says.
Beyond Fatherhood: A Mission to Inspire
Peter’s impact doesn’t stop at home. Known online as #FosterDadFlipper, he uses his platform, with more than 1,1 million Facebook followers and a growing YouTube channel (Now I Am Known), to advocate for foster kids and challenge stereotypes about Black fathers and immigrants.
He also sells a plush toy dog modeled after his family’s golden doodle, Simba, each wearing a collar with affirmations like “You Matter”.
“I want to flip more than just houses”, Peter says. “I want to flip negative narratives — about Black men, about single dads, about foster care.”
A Ripple Effect of Kindness
Peter knows firsthand how one person’s compassion can change a life, because that’s how his own transformation began. He still keeps in touch with the man who rescued him from the streets of Kampala all those years ago.
“As much as I’m helping these kids through their trauma, they’re helping me heal mine”, Peter reflects. “They teach me every day about love, grace, and resilience.”
Ken Maxwell, who works with the agency that placed many of Peter’s foster children, says his legacy will ripple far beyond his own home:
“All those kids he’s touched, they’re going to change other people’s lives. The impact of one man will spread for generations.”
