Raising $4,000 for School Fees

Rina is a Nursing Student at Gulu University. The Well of Hope just paid $400 for her last semester of Nursing School.  She is in email contact with her sponsor, Paula Bailey.

I am currently raising $4,000 dollars to pay for the third year of School Fees for my 20 teenagers in Gulu, Uganda. But I dont want to stop at 20 kids.  If I can raise $20,000, I will sponsor 100 kids!  I will reach my goal some day.  I know this. Education is my passion, and I have always succeeded when it comes to something I am passionate about. My donors from past years have been great and very supportive so it won't be a daunting task. This project is sustainable, and these lives depend on me and my ability to raise the funds. So I am reaching out to all of my readers to help me do this. I collect the funds through the Well of Hope Foundation, a 501(C) 3 non-profit organization. Our Federal I.D. # is 20-8086100. Every dime that you donate is spent on a child. There are not many charities that can claim that 100% of your donation goes to the cause! You may send a check payable to:

The Well of Hope Foundation
P.O. Box 30904
Honolulu, HI 96820

Let me share some of the stories with you.

CHARLETTE ADONG is16 years. Charlette’s father died from HIV. Her mother died in an ambush during the war. She now lives with an Auntie who has 6 other children to care for, and cannot afford school fees. Charlette is attending Pope Paul boarding school, which has improved her living & studying arrangements. Charlette is S-2, which is 9th grade. Her boarding school fees were $476 last year. 

AGNES AKELLO is 24 years old. Agnes was abducted by the LRA Rebels when she was 14 and given to a 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 cleaning for others. Agnes’ grades were fantastic at Alliance High School for adults. She is now in S-3 (10th). Her school fees were $120 last year. 

SARAH ADYERO is16 years old. 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 S-6 (13th grade) at Sacred Heart Secondary School. Her full year boarding school fees were $489.

MERCY AKELLO is 16 years old. 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 is her 2nd year at Sacred Heart SS, Level S-2 (9th) and a full year of boarding school for her is $431. 

VICKY ACAYO is17 years old. Vicky was born in Pader in 1993. Her father, Richard, died in 1996 of sickness. Her mother, Rose, is still alive. Rose produced 2 children with Richard before he died and then she remarried another man who is still alive and they had four more children. The current husband of her mother, Isaac, refuses to pay the school fees for the children of her first marriage, the late Richard. The mother cannot provide the school fees for Vicky due to their poverty. Vicky has passed all her exams but is at home due to school fees problems. She was brought to me by St. Jude’s Orphanage. She is attending Gulu Alliance Level S-4 (11th). Her school fees for day school are $117. 

CECILIA ACEN is 17 years. Cecilia Acen lost both parents during the war. Her father was killed by the LRA rebels and the mother died of HIV. Cecilia stays with the paternal grandmother. Her grandmother is old and weak and cannot support Cecilia’s education. Last year she attended Gulu College and her grades were excellent. This year she is attending Graceland and she is Level S-2 (9th). She was brought to me by St. Jude’s Orphanage. Her term fees for a full year of boarding school are $504. 

JENET LAWINO is14 years.  Jenet is blind. She has 4 siblings. She was beaten by her Aunt a few 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 Level P-7. She was brought to me by St. Jude’s Orphanage. Her school fees are $184 for a year of public day school.

AGNES ADOKORACH is 17 years. 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! She is attending Pope Paul SS Level S-4. Her school fees were $476 last year.

GLADYS ALIMOGUM is 15 years. Gladys was born in Koch Goma in 1996. Her mother is alive but sick with high blood pressure. Her father is deceased. He was UPDF, a Uganda Army soldier who was killed in Congo when fighting with the Kony rebels in 2009. There are five children in the family and Gladys is the second born. Gladys is living at home with her mother helping her take care of the younger siblings. Her grades are excellent and she has worked hard at her studies. She desperately wants to continue with her education. I have met with her, talked with her, and I am very impressed with Gladys and her desire to get back into school. She knows that education is the only way for her to get out of poverty and help her family. She will attend Gulu Senior School. She is Level S-2 which is equivalent to our 9th grade level. She was brought to me by St. Jude’s Orphanage. Her school fees were $120 for day school.

Vicky Arach-17 years. 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. Vicky is attending Sacred Heart SS and is level S-3. She was brought to me by St. Jude’s Orphanage. Her term fees are $431.

My friends, this is what I was doing in Africa this past year.  Educating as many youth as I can.  When you educate a young woman, she will educate her children.  It is a generational gift.  When you educate a young woman, she is not so likely to be married off at such a young age.  Instead of selling peanuts on the street or just living on the street, she will become a productive member of society.  Education is the foundation of progress.  It can't be sold, traded or stolen.  It changes lives.  It makes a huge difference in their life, their family, community and society! Educating the youth is the best thing to change corruption, poverty, and over population problems. Education is my passion and I want to get as many kids in this world, all over this world, an opportunity to get an education!