Support Education for Youth in Rural Uganda

Dear Global Giving Team,

Our biggest news is the decision by FINIDP to start offering short-term scholarships to a few needy students using a fraction of the general operating funds already granted from Even Ground. The plan is to target a few academically promising but needy students who are in candidate (Certificate Awarding) classes but are struggling to stay in school because of tuition and other school dues.

Our first beneficiary is Shafik Kaweesi, a male aged 19 years, currently in Senior Six (Form 6) at Crested Senior Secondary School, in Kampala. To Shafiki primary education was smooth with no big school fees challenges but life changed drastically when his Dad lost a job. According to Shafiki, the education journey at first was not the worst not until his father, divorced the mum. Shafiki noted that this seemed as something to reckon with but later turned up to be a huddle in his way of life. Shafiki said: “when mum left home life completely changed as my father continuously lived a life of hardships”. “Dad deserted us; we were left alone in the house for about three years”. “In these years, my brothers and sisters had to take care of me but they were also in secondary school and couldn’t help much”. “From Primary Five, I have been to different schools because school fees debts have been accumulating”. I am currently in Form Six, but with lots of financial problems and inconsistency at school yet in a candidate class one needs maximum concentration to achieve good grades. FINIDP has so far paid started by paying Shafiki’s outstanding tuition fees and examination fees for his Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) exams due in December 2016. On May 20, 2016 we paid Shafiki’s 2^nd term tuition fees and he is currently attending school without any interruption related to school fees burden.

Our 2^nd beneficiary is a 19 year old female, Janet Brenda Nalwoga, who is also in Senior Six (Form 6) at Masajja Secondary School, Kamapala. Brenda, as she is popularly known, is a girl who has tested the wrath of parentless life since her parents separated and the responsibility of her welfare and education was left to her struggling grandmother. Unfortunately the grandmother is not gainfully employed and worse still she has other dependants. As a consequence, Brenda has had intermittent stay at school since her primary level education, something which has adversely affected her academic grades. Much as Brenda has managed to make it to Form Six, she is at the risk of failing to do her final exams if school dues are not cleared in time. As a result, FINIDP has adopted her as a befitting child to receive school fees for 2^nd and 3^rd terms so that she can do her UACE exams.

The purpose of the scholarships to both Shafijki and Brenda is to help the two needy students complete their UACE, which is a pre-requisite to Vocational Training or College or University Education Institution in Uganda.

We are in the process of recruiting a 3rd beneficiary - we will give details in due course.

FINIDP is grateful to Even Ground for the continued support and to the Global Giving Team for making all this possible.