Empower women in Africa through higher education!

In February, I had the pleasure of meeting Alice, an intelligent, persevering and extremely inspiring young woman. Alice exemplifies the passion and dedication of our students. We are thrilled to welcome her into our family.

We walked down the dusty, narrow, winding spaces between each shack. We passed clothing lying out on bushes to dry; dishes waiting to be washed in dirty water; and children staring wide-eyed at us. We followed closely behind Alice as she smiled and shouted greetings to her neighbors, who smiled and shouted right back.

Finally, we arrived at a one-room hut, the size of a typical bedroom in the United States.

"This is it. Please, come in. You are welcome here."

Alice ushered us into the home she shares with seven others, none of which are her parents. Brought together because of loss, these distant relatives make up their own, unique family unit. There was a makeshift clothesline attached to the walls that served as a closet, draping each family member's few outfits. There was hardly room to walk; the bed and piles of belongings took up most of the floor, but we squeezed in to explain why we had come to this Ugandan slum in the first place: to accept Alice as a These Numbers Have Faces scholar.

Alice is the sole provider for the seven other members of her family. However, even with these hardships, she's studying accounting at the best university in East Africa in the evenings and spends her days (eight hours each day, seven days each week) balancing the finances at a local bar to pay for rent, food, and her siblings' school fees. Without money for transportation, she spends over two hours walking from home, to university, to her job each day. And with a large family, she's the first to sacrifice her dinner when there isn't quite enough.

Alice's love and selflessness is overwhelming. In the short time we spent with her, we realized she personifies exactly what These Numbers Have Faces stands for, including the potential to be an inspiring leader in her family and community. As we told Alice and her auntie about These Numbers Have Faces - that 75% of Alice's tuition would be covered, that she would receive top-of-the-line professional development training, and that she was part of a community that believed in her, her auntie pulled each of us onto her lap, hugging us and laughing and shouting thanks.

Alice remained fairly quiet during our visit. But as we got ready to leave and started our goodbye hugs, she turned to us and said, "I will not let you down." And we won't let Alice down either. To give to Alice's tuition, transportation, or food stipend, please consider giving to These Numbers Have Faces today. You can give Alice and her family the boost they need to escape poverty.

Links:

• Support Alice Today