A Tale of Two Veterinarians

Kawuma Peter was 11 years old in 2005 when he was first enrolled in Hope Alive!’s Masaka site. At that time, he was restarting second grade. He lost his mom when he was 7 and is one of five children. Peter enjoyed school, especially mathematics. He dreamed of becoming a veterinarian. Catharine Coon, HA!’s founder, remembers Peter well. She says Hope Alive! staff worked with him closely for a long time, as he had missed some years of school due to his family not being able to afford school fees. This made him much older and bigger than everyone else in his class, and that can be difficult. He had some rough patches, but he persevered, and he now holds a diploma in veterinary medicine. He is also very dedicated to serving his church and community. He loves to preach and is a great mentor to the younger children.



Jon and Cheryl Taylor of Roseville, California began sponsoring Peter when he was 12. He could not yet write; his early years of communication consisted of mostly pictures. The Taylors continued to sponsor him until he graduated and corresponded with him regularly. During that time, their daughter, Marie, who is just a few years younger than Peter, had expressed her desire to also work with animals. She graduated from Cal Poly (California Polytechnical University) and is now in veterinary school. The Taylors will soon have two veterinarians in their family! 

Our students are tremendously blessed when our sponsors engage in regular communication with them – they are encouraged to press on in their education and know that there is someone they’ve never met, on the other side of the world, praying for them, supporting them, and rooting for them. To our student sponsors, thank you! Your support is invaluable. For those of you who are considering investing in the lives and futures of the faces on this website, please know that your contribution goes further than just providing education. It provides hope, growth, and lasting relationships.