All Ugandan girls should be able to go to school!

When Amelia was a child, she and her orphaned siblings lived with their grandmother. Amelia’s grandmother loved her children. However, as a farmer, it was hard to afford the grandchildren’s basic needs, including school fees.

Amelia attended school, but often, she would be chased away from class because her family couldn’t afford the school fees. Even when she was in class, she couldn’t focus. She was too nervous that someone would run into her classroom and chase her away until she could pay.

Amelia saw how one of her sisters had to drop out of school, before age 13, to work in the fields. Amelia dreamed of becoming a nurse to help people who were sick like her family members. Yet, she was terrified that, like her sister, she would have to end her education early.

Because of you, Amelia’s life is changed forever! When Amelia was seven, a community member told her grandmother how Nyaka school offers free education to children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. Her grandmother immediately enrolled her.

Once Amelia started at Nyaka, she loved learning how to read and write. She became an avid reader. She loved to discover new words. If she didn’t know a word, her teachers encouraged her to look it up! Amelia is now a Primary Seven student who loves to impress the judges in debate club with her advanced vocabulary. (Often, her verbosity and eloquence expeditiously stupefies her opponents.)

Your Nyaka Debate Club helped Amelia gain the confidence to speak in public. She has learned to consider her opinions and defend them with research. Since you helped Amelia to find her voice, she wants to become an advocate to speak up for other children who are chased out of school.

Amelia is so excited to follow your example and make a difference.

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