'It's A Joy': Single Dad Has Fostered 47 Children And Changed Countless Lives

April 24, 2026

After spending much of his childhood feeling unwanted and unsafe, Peter Mutabazi has dedicated his life to making sure children in foster care experience something he once longed for himself: love, stability, and a place to belong.

Credit: Peter Mutabazi Foster Dad

The Charlotte father has fostered 47 children over the past nine years as a single parent, opening his home — and his heart — to kids who need it most.

“I was single most of life, wasn’t a parent at all. So, being a dad wasn’t something part of my everyday life,” Peter said.

Now, hearing one simple word never gets old.

“It’s a joy (to hear) a kid say, ‘Dad!’ What, me?” he said with a smile.

Online, many people know Peter as “Foster Dad Flipper” through his inspiring social media posts about foster care and adoption. But behind the uplifting videos is a deeply personal story.

Peter grew up in Uganda and says he experienced abuse and instability as a child before someone eventually took him in and changed the course of his life.

“I think for me, I was one of those kids,” he said. “I came from an abusive family. I was unwanted, never felt safe at any time as a little boy.”

That experience inspired him to become the kind of adult he once needed himself.

Earlier this month, Peter shared emotional news about the adoption of one of the children he fostered.

In a heartfelt post, he announced that after spending 1,640 days in foster care, a young boy named Jacob had officially become Elijah Mutabazi.

Peter with Elijah on adoption day / @fosterdadflipper

“Today marks 395 days since he first came into my life. Before that, he had already spent 1,640 days in foster care, a long and unimaginable journey of waiting, moving, and hoping for the place he could finally call home,” Peter wrote.

“Today is Day 1 of a new chapter, as Jacob officially becomes Elijah Mutabazi. A name that represents not just a change, but a promise of love, of stability, of forever. Being adopted is more than a milestone; it’s the beginning of a lifetime of belonging, security, and unconditional love.”

For Peter, every child who walks through his door deserves to know they are safe, valued, and loved.

And for many of them, the man they first met as Peter eventually becomes something even more meaningful:

Dad.