Charlette’s father died from HIV. Her mother died in an ambush during the war. She now lives with an Auntie who has 6 children to care for. She would like to go to a boarding school as this would improve her living arrangements and help her to study in better conditions. Charlette will be S-1, which is 8th grade. She is the niece of a very good friend of mine.
Agnes Akello- 23 years (Picture not available)
Agnes was abducted by the LRA Rebels when she was 14 and given to an LRA soldier as his wife. She was with him for two years before he was killed. She escaped and returned home to find her father and elder brother dead from the rebels. She supports her mother and daughter and several villagers with her small salary as a cook for UNHCR. Agnes would like to return to Alliance High School for adults S-2 (9th) in the evening.
Sarah’s mother is caring for 8 orphans whose mother died of cervical cancer. During the war, the cattle which were of great help to their family were collected and taken by rebel soldiers. Sarah’s mother has great chronic pain of the backbone which prevents her to do heavy work like digging or walking long distances which could help in earning some money to help the family. She is the cousin of a very good friend of mine.
Rebecca’s parents are both dead. She is being supported by her sister, who cannot afford the school fees for Rebecca. Rebecca’s schooling was being paid by her uncle until last fall when he died. She has no other means to pay for school fees. We also paid for her uniform. She lives next door to us.
Agnes was my daughter’s first friend in Gulu. She is living with her grandmother. She is the youngest of six siblings. Her mother died when she was very young and her father left all his children with the grandmother. Her grandmother cannot afford the school fees for Agnes, so she was not attending classes until we arrived. She is the first one we sponsored and she is so very grateful.
Jamesey is asking for assistance with a driving permit for 3 years so he can become more self-reliant. His studies ended in S-2 (9th) because of economic crisis. Jamesey supports his grandmother and a few orphans with odd jobs here and there. A driving permit would greatly increase his ability to support his family. He is my friend and neighbor, and brother to Agnes (above).
Vicky is the oldest of 4 children. Her father is alive but he has two wives. Vicky’s mother, Margaret, is deserted by her husband and he will not pay the school fees for the children. Margaret does not have the capacity now to support Vicky in her high school years. She was brought to me by St. Jude’s Orphanage.
Cecilia Acen lost both parents during the war. Her father was killed by the LRA rebels and the mother died of sickness. Cecilia stays with the paternal grandmother. Her grandmother is old and weak and cannot support Cecilia’s education. This is her first year of high school S-1 (8th). She was brought to me by St. Jude’s Orphanage.
Mercy lives at Kati Kati with her maternal grandmother. She is the third of four children. Her mother is alive and her father was killed by the LRA rebels in 1999. Both parents were peasant farmers. Mercy is interested in school, but her mother cannot support her education. She was brought to me by St. Jude’s Orphanage. This would be her first year of high school, S-1 (8th).
Jenet is blind. She has 4 siblings. She was beaten by her Aunt three years ago and lost her sight. She is a very bright girl. Jenet lost her father in the war. Her mother could not meet her school fees, and she cannot study in regular schools because she is blind. She is now studying in Gulu Primary school Annex of the blind .She was brought to me by St. Jude’s Orphanage.
Lucky has been a great friend to both Kayla and I. She escorted Kayla many nights, and she stayed in our house with Kayla whenever I left town on business. I have grown to love Lucky like a daughter. Lucky is the first and only person we have sponsored to a University program. She is very bright and has such a desire to continue her education at the University level. Although it will be very hard, she has agreed to come up with half of the cost by working full-time as an office assistant for 150,000/month ($75), and I will sponsor the other half of the cost. Lucky is getting no support from home. Her father has 5 wives and about 23 other children to support. She is on her own.
There are many others that just don't have the space for. We sponsored 26 students for the school year 2010 in Gulu, Uganda. We raised $5,190 in donations or approximately 10,205,700 UGX. Thank you to all who donated to this great cause!
I love how you write about each person and their story. What a neat experience you had!
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