The past two years have been particularly hard for children in Uganda. Schools remained shut through most of the pandemic. Light a Candle, our program there, worked tirelessly to help these children succeed in their education despite the seemingly impossible situation. Despite school closures, children have remained committed to pursuing education however they can, and several have successfully passed exams to proceed to the next grade. In 2021, three of our students graduated high school and are now preparing for college!
One of these graduates is Job. Job grew up in the slums of Kampala, where his life was defined by extreme hunger, domestic violence, and no opportunity to go to school. As the oldest child in his family, he was stripped of any chance to enjoy a healthy childhood.
“I was seeing other children going to school while I was left home to look after my younger siblings and there was never any sign of me ever going to school,” he said. Job all but gave up on the idea that he could have a purpose beyond just surviving. The violence in Job’s home got so bad that at one point, he decided the only option he had was to run away.
It was then that our program found him and was able to provide tuition so he could go to school, “I was able to finish school without ever worrying of being sent home for [lack of] fees.”
Job is now on his way to fulfilling his dream of going to nursing school. He is the first person in his family, and his entire community, to ever go to college. His dream is to “use my nursing skills to impact lives and be a ray of hope to my family and community.”
Job is a trailblazer. Through faith, and help from Forward Edge, he’s traversing completely new territory into a college education and a career in helping others. We can’t wait to see all God does in and through him in the years to come!
This story was shared in our 2021 Annual Report. You can view our full report here >>
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10 yrs. old
Entered the program: January 2019
Gideon lives with his grandmother and several cousins in a two-bedroom house made of burnt bricks and a cement floor. Gideon is the youngest of all the grand children and shares a bed with his grandmother while the rest of the children sleep in the other room on two tiny beds. Every morning, the children go to the community borehole to collect water before they go to school. The kitchen is outside and also houses the goats and chicken that the family keeps. The latrine is in very bad condition and the local authorities have often advised them to repair it but the family has no resources.
Gideon's cousin, Johnson, is also in the Light A Candle program.
Plus bonus group fundraising ideas!
