University Stories: Noel Aciro

Wearing her purple scrubs, Noel Aciro stopped by the Hope Alive! office on her way to work at a nearby dermatology clinic. Her big smile clearly emanates from deep within. Noel is happy; she’s finally made it. Life is good, but it hasn’t always been that way. 

Noel used to walk with her dad to work at the dairy plant when she was very young; Noel and her dad were best friends. She remembers those walks, and she also remembers the day she realized that those walks would never happen again. Her dad died when she was six years old, and she, her mom, and her siblings had to move into their grandparents’ home in the city. Her mom didn’t have a job but did the best she could to provide for Noel and her siblings. Life was hard. 

Though the school they attended was not very expensive, the family struggled to pay tuition. Noel was gifted academically, so the teachers allowed her to  attend school in exchange for tutoring younger students. Through the mercy of the teachers, the hard work of Noel and her mom, and the grace of the Lord, Noel was able to keep going to school through third grade.

Noel and her family attended Lugogo Baptist Church in Kampala every Sunday. On one particular Sunday, when Noel was hoping to enter fourth grade, Noel had a conversation that would change her life forever; she met Catharine Coon, founder and former executive director of Hope Alive!. Aunt Catharine heard the struggles of the family, saw the intelligence of the children, and almost immediately enrolled Noel and two of her siblings in Hope Alive!. Noel’s school fees were paid, school uniforms were purchased, and she was paired with a successful Ugandan adult role model called a “mentor.” She still missed the walks and talks with her dad but was so thankful that she could begin walking and talking with her mentor. 

After finishing secondary school, Noel, through a Hope Alive! scholarship, was able to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Clark International University. In Uganda, that means that she has completed the same academic courses as a Doctor of Medicine and is able to split rotations with the doctors at her dermatology clinic. It is a good career.  

Noel says, “From the day I graduated (from university), I knew that my life would change. Right now, I am free. I have a job. I have hope. My future husband will respect me. I know that I can instill in my children the right morals and values. If it weren’t for the opportunity to pursue a degree, I would have settled somewhere along the way for something far less.”  She continues, “I want to say thank you so much to the Krikke family for giving me a light to shine through a tunnel. Right now, I am who I am because you listened to God. You changed my life. From deep, deep in my heart, I want to say, ‘Thank you.’ I hope you live every day of your life knowing that you changed the life of a Ugandan girl somewhere in Kampala. You not only changed her life but you changed the lives of her whole family.”

She knows a lot of hard work is still ahead for her and her family, but she also knows that the dark days of poverty, despair, and darkness are behind her. She will be able to provide for her family. She will be able to see her kids have a bright future. Her life and those of her whole family are changed forever.