EDUCATION
We recognize that educating our children is the most important and most basic building block in HIV prevention. We support the local schools by buying school supplies and books and through encouraging school attendance and reading. We have volunteers from Canada each year who offer free computer lessons to our primary school students.
Our Impact
Funding received for education is used to sponsor children for the four years of secondary school. Our investment has paid off and each year more and more of our orphans pass the national exams in class 8 and are eligible for secondary school. We attempt to find sponsors for all children who qualify. This practice has instilled hope and motivation in the primary school children and their teachers. Last year we had 13 children begin secondary school.
​Our Current Initiative
In previous years, we have tried to balance the availability of funds with the number of students hoping that everyone who qualifies for school can attend. This has meant sending most of the children to a day school.
The difference between a boarding school and day school education affects young girls the most. This is mostly the result of household responsibilities on the girls, many of whom carry water and firewood at least twice a day for long distances and cannot study. Often their homes do not have enough food and they cannot access electricity to complete homework and study their lessons.
We have therefore made a difficult decision. It is now our policy to send all girls to a boarding school.
WE NEED YOUR HELP
Attending boarding school is really the best option when the child comes from a small rural village but it is simply not affordable for us and we desperately need to find sponsors so they can continue.