Mariam’s story
September 23, 2023"I want to become a nurse and treat the sick. I still have hope that I will achieve my dream."
My name is Josephine Kwagala. I go to Muguluka primary school. I am an orphan who lives with my grand mother in Jinja District. My mother passed away when i was three (3) years old. It is very difficult for us at home because grand mother is already old and providing for me and my three other siblings is not easy. My siblings and i slept on " Ekisampa"(a mat made from dry banana fibre), on the floor for several years and our grandmother's clothes were our beddings. We could hardly stay in school because we lacked school supplies mush as education is free. When ever i was sent back home for school requirements, i would go to the sugarcane plantations and offer cheap labor, which affected by attendance and performance in school. In 2017, Hindu Asha Foundation transformed our lives when they began to provide us with the basic needs in life, and gave us mattresses and beds to sleep on and also provided us with school supplies every term, which increased my attendance and performance in school. With Hindu Asha Foundation, I have hope that i will achieve my dream.
Our impact
- Promoting activities which address the problems associated/ affecting the girl child in the sugar cane growing areas of Busoga region in Eastern Uganda
- Sensitization and raising awareness about girls' education in communities engaged in sugar cane growing.
- Stake holder engagements
- Policy advocacy in areas of health and education, targeting the girl child.
Being an orphaned vulnerable girl child, we are privileged to support Josephine on her educational journey to become a nurse by supporting her with the basic needs, school supplies and mentorship under the campaign dubbed "keep them in school"
Sugar cane growing is the main economic activity in Busoga Region. The region has eleven sugar plants (between small scale millers and big manufactures, with almost one for every district and is the largest producer of sugar in Uganda. 80% of household land in Jinja, Luuka, Mayuge districts is under sugar cane cultivation and 80% of the employees in this industry are children. Busoga sub - region is ranked with the highest number of children between the age of 6 and 13 in employment. To exacerbate the problem, it has come along with it high dropout rates in both UPE and USE, child marriage with its other attendant problems as 45% of the children aged 10 and 14 years are engaged in sugar cane growing and attending school at the same time, accounting for the corresponding high levels of school absenteeism and/or dropout in these sugarcane growing areas where Busedde, Buyengo, Budondo, and Butagaya sub counties are the most affected communities in Jinja District in Eastern Uganda.
My dream is to become a nurse and treat the sick some day.
It is on these grounds that we invite you to partner with us on our journey of regional transformation; Development partnerships with civil society, religious organizations, corporate companies ,governments and individuals.
4 Comments
Thank you for the good work you do in helping the girls access school in the community.
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