The winner of the David Astor award in 2013 tells how writing for the Observer changed her career as a journalist in Africa • Click here for more on the Observer at 225

I came to the Observer in 2013 after winning the David Astor award, which gives a chance to young, talented journalists from east Africa to write for media companies in the UK. I went to the Observer offices for just two weeks, but they loved my work and I loved them back. I felt it was the kind of newspaper that I had wanted to write for all my life. I had the freedom to express myself in a way I never could have in a paper back home in Uganda.

Newspapers at home could never publish an article with a headline referring to the president (who has been in power for 30 years) as a dictator. It was exhilarating. I lived for my next article. When I returned home, I continued writing for the Observer. I was so proud of myself. It is still my favourite newspaper to read and write for. I wrote a lot about gay rights – an emotive issue that many Ugandan journalists are still reluctant to talk about. One piece was about a church in Uganda where the gay community meets and takes solace every Sunday. I later told of my personal experience: I had lost friends, received hate mail… still, it felt so good to write it out loud; to share it.

When Nelson Mandela died I had the chance to compare his legacy to that of other African presidents, and earlier this year I wrote about elections in Uganda.

You’re not likely to find stereotypes about Africa in the Observer: maybe because it makes an effort to have diverse views, and many times opinions on Africa are from Africans. It feels good to read an article written by an African in an international publication – these pieces are always different, insightful, and we’re spared the misconceptions.

The Observer has made me a much better writer, and I feel like I can pretty much pitch myself into anything. I have since been contacted to write for New Internationalist, African Business and African Arguments – this would never have happened for an obscure African journalist, however good they may be. I am so glad that the Observer gave me a platform.