Students Overcome Challenges to Pass Major Exams

At different points in their lives, Sharon, Angel and Oliver all wanted to give up. Decades of conflict, extreme poverty and a variety of social challenges have made life in Northern Uganda a rigorous, uphill journey: academics don’t always come easy, home life is rarely settled and the pathway to success is never a given. Students who “make it” have to overcome intense obstacles and rely on the grace of God to carry them. It’s not easy, but there.is.hope! Sharon, Angel and Oliver have hope! They haven’t arrived yet, but they are further than they ever thought they could be because there.is.hope!   

Sharon's parents separated when she was still young. She bounced from house to house and lived with many stepmothers who mistreated her; she lost self-esteem despite her capability. A few years ago, Sharon was surprised when her sponsor came to visit her in Uganda. Her sponsor learned about her story and offered to support her staying at a boarding school from primary four to seven, in order to distance Sharon from the difficulties at home. With the additional help of her sponsor who paid for her boarding school, Sharon was recently able to complete primary school. In fact, she not only completed, she excelled. 

Angel had to repeat primary level seven because she had difficulties understanding mathematics. Inwardly, Angel feared she would never make sense of the equations; she wanted to give up. Despite her circumstances, Angel came to Hope Alive! for math tutoring during her school break. With a little time and a little individualized help, Angel has mastered math, and her hope was restored. The next year she passed her exams and moved on to the next level of education. She wants to be a chef one day. 

At sixteen years old, Oliver (a girl’s name in Uganda) was older than most of her primary seven classmates by more than a few years. Life had been tough for Oliver. She enrolled in Hope Alive! later in life and was far behind academically. She wanted to catch up but struggled immensely, both socially and academically. After another failed exam, Oliver told her mother that she could not make it academically; she was ready to quit. Oliver’s mentor at Hope Alive! pleaded with her to switch schools and try one more time. She asked her to hope, even though her hope was lost. Hope Alive! identified a new school that would better suit Oliver’s learning needs. She loves her new school and is interested in learning again. She studied hard and passed her exams. Oliver is moving forward one step at a time!  

There is hope for Oliver, for Sharon, for Angel and the hundreds of other registered students of Hope Alive! Come what may, we won't give up on them. Together, we believe these students and the hundreds just like them will make it out of material poverty. One step, one student, one sponsorship at a time.