Blog Posts - Teach the Children

Caleb's Gratitude

8/20/2019

The tall boy in the blue shirt is Caleb. He (and the other children pictured) was recently awarded a TTC scholarship. In his application essay about what he would do if he were president of Uganda for one day, he said, "I would create many industries in each district.... I would give to the needy people by giving them land for settlement, providing to them good social services, and giving them food and education.... I would construct roads, mostly out to rural villages, in order to carry out trade in the villages.... I would construct valley dams in order to get enough water... for growing crops and rearing animals." A few days after being notified of his scholarship, we received this letter from him.

Nanyonyi Goes to School

8/13/2019

When we were working on the Community Learning Center in Luwero last June (2018), we met this sweet girl - Nanyoni - who lived near the job site. She wasn’t able to go to school because her family didn’t have enough money to send her, and her mom needed her home, to watch the baby while she went to work. Almost every day, she came to the site and quietly start working along side us - always with her baby brother on her back. She would move bricks and help clean the site for hours - using one hand to work and the other to care for the baby. At the end of each day she would smile and let us know that she would return the following day.

We’ve thought about her a lot - while we were there, and in the months since we came home. We’d like to think that she went home each day, excited about the resources and opportunities that would be housed in this building... The adventures and worlds of imagination that lay inside each book, and the stories of strong and resilient people who overcame adversity to become something extraordinary -something more than what seemed possible at one point, given their circumstances. We hope that since the completion of the Learning Center, that she visits frequently. I hope she dreams, and dreams big.
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We posted the story above on social media in November, and a friend reached out to us, asking how they could help Nanyoni attend school. Through a series of miracles, we were able to get her registered! She started in February, and we couldn’t be more excited. Our hearts are full of happiness, and gratitude for the kindness of so many people, who give of themselves to bless the lives of children on the other side of the world. (The first picture is of Nanyonyi helping us at the Community Learning Center in June 2018; the second picture is her with her mom in January 2019, when we told her that TTC would be paying her school fees so she could attend school; the third picture is recent (June 2019) of her at school. She's healthy and happy, and loves school!

Deberah

8/2/2019

This is Deberah. She is on a Teach the Children scholarship, meaning the organization pays her tuition and school fees. While we were in Luwero in June, she met up with us at the Community Learning Center. She shyly approached us, thanked us for paying her school fees, and said that she had brought us a gift. From behind her back she took out something that was wrapped in blue tissue paper with gold sparkles and a gold bow. I opened it and inside found an old pen box. She told me to look inside... And I found this vase.

To the naked eye, it may seem plain and boring. But to me, it is one of the most beautiful vases I’ve ever seen, because the beauty is deeper than which can be seen. It’s a symbol of this sweet girl’s desire to stay in school, and the depth of her gratitude to all the people who support TTC and make her scholarship possible. To buy such a vase I’m sure came at a great sacrifice for her and her family. I hugged her and shed a tear or two - grateful for those whose kindness and generosity to TTC blesses the lives of children like Deberah in Uganda. 💕

Two Pineapples and a bag of Mangoes

7/28/2019

This is Joyce. She came to see us a few weeks ago while we were visiting the Luwero Community Learning Center that we built in June 2018. Last year she was awarded a Teach the Children scholarship, and she wanted to tell us thank you and show us the progress she’s made in her academic performance. When she walked up to Dickson and me, she knelt in gratitude and took our hands in hers – and my eyes leaked a little.

The headmistress of the school that Joyce attends told us that Joyce’s caretaker (her parents have both passed away, so an older woman cares for her) was on her way to the Learning Center as well. A few minutes later a woman who looked to be in her late 60’s walked in from outside, soaking wet. She had come from deep in the village a few miles away, through a rainstorm, to bring us two pineapples and a small bag of mangoes – her way of expressing her deepest gratitude. We found out that she takes care of a few children – to whom she is not related – and does everything she can to keep them in school. The Teach the Children scholarship that was awarded to Joyce greatly relieved the financial and emotional burden she carried. She did not speak any English, but she handed me the fruit, and gave me the warmest hug. My eyes filled with tears as our hearts spoke to each other and said what words could not.

To those who have offered their time, energy, prayers, and monetary means to supporting our efforts in Uganda, I pass along the hugs and deepest gratitude from those who have been impacted by your kindness. I wish I could have shared the pineapple and mangoes with you too - they were the best I've ever had.

Lydia's Story

7/21/2019

When we were in Uganda in 2015, we held an essay contest at the two schools we partner with, asking the 5th - 7th graders to write about how education empowers them and their community; two winners per grade would be chosen at each school, and awarded a TTC scholarship to cover their school fees.
At Alpha Academy, this sweet girl, Lydia, was one of the winners of the contest. We found out later that day that she was not current on the payment of her school fees. A few weeks prior, her mother had tried to pull her out of school, due to her inability to pay the required fees. The headmistress told her mother that all children should be in school - and thus, the girl would be allowed to stay, despite the family's inability to pay... And that God would find a way to make things right.

When we arrived in Uganda that year and introduced the essay contest to the students, we did not know her situation. But because she was one of the winners selected, her school fees were paid, and all was made whole.

Through the support of some dear friends, we have been able to keep Lydia on a TTC scholarship since we first met her in 2015. We saw her and her mom again in June 2019, and she is doing great! She studies hard, works hard, and is ranked second in her class of 68 students. She is grateful for the chance to continue her education.

There are other children like “Lydia version 2015” who are bright and motivated and work hard, whose families struggle to keep them in school due to the financial burden it presents. If you are interested in supporting/sponsoring a student in Uganda, please let us know. ❤️

Scholarship Winners - Application Essays

7/14/2019

As part of the application process for a Teach the Children scholarship, we asked the students to write a short essay, about (1) What they want to be when they grow up, why, and how they would help their community; or (2) What they would do if they were the president of Uganda for one day.

Aloyorwoth Oprah (the girl in the middle) wrote, “I want to become a doctor to treat sick people... Some people work for money, but some people who don’t have money die because they cannot be treated.... God said to help and love your friends as you love yourself, and if you do so, you will create friendships and care for your friends. I will help the needy, and when I help them, I will get blessings from God which will make me happy....”

Nasuuna Rashidah (the girl on the right) wrote, “If I could be the president of Uganda for one day, I would help all the people who are dying in Uganda, because it’s my nation and presidents should take care of their people.... I would provide medicine to the hospitals, make a national budget to promote the economic, social, and political development of Uganda.... I would ... build schools such that pupils learn up to university. I would get cleaners who would keep the towns clean and construct good roads to reduce the rate of accidents....”

A Letter from Lydia

7/10/2019

We received a letter from one of the children that Teach the Children has sponsored for the last few years. My eyes may have leaked a little.

“Dear Friends, How are you doing? Hope you are fine. I am also going on with my studies. It has been a long time since I wrote to you and sorry not to have written to you before. I greet everybody who may read this letter with a lot of joy. With a lot of happiness I have written this letter to thank you for the love you showed me the day we met. It was really a tranquil day and bliss to meet and talk to you! From the bottom of my heart with joy, thanks. And thanks for our new library you built. We promise to use it well for good. Secondly, I thank you for paying my school fees. It is a tremendous gift given to me to be educated. I remember my back times education and compare it to the present, it is very different. It is an immense gift to me. Let the Almighty God bless you. With a lot of thanks and prayers, I appreciate you. I wish one day we meet again, as the Lord wishes. I thank everybody for all the things you have done for me. I cannot mention everything but thanks to everybody. Having a lot of bliss, thank you for supporting my studies and life. Greet everybody. Waiting for your replies very soon.

Thanks. Yours affectionate,

Nabukomeko Lydia Nsubuga
Let the Almighty God bless you.”

My School Library

4/17/2019

We love visiting the library that we built at Ntumwa Primary School - spending timing with the students, reading and talking about their favorite books, and seeing their excitement and desire to learn. The headmistress of the school gave us a compilation of student writings, in which they expressed their feelings about their library. It made our hearts smile. 📚

Shoes

3/26/2019

I love this picture with all the shoes. This is the patio area outside the library we built at Ntumwa Primary School in 2016. When we visited the school last year, we spent time with the students in each classroom, before we all headed to the library to read together. As the children ran from their classroom to the library, they all stopped on the stoop, unprompted, to remove their shoes before going inside - a sign of care and respect. I love that they love it. ❤️

To Sweep .... or to Read, Instead

2/13/2019

When we built a library at Ntumwa Primary School in 2016, this sweet girl was sent into the library by one of the teachers, to sweep the floor, prior to our opening ceremonies. A few minutes after she went inside, I walked in to find this.... She was sitting in the corner reading a book, with her broom between her legs. And my heart smiled. I hope she’s been in there hundreds of times since, learning, imagining, exploring new worlds, and going on adventures with the characters found inside those books. ❤️