Small Beginnings. Never Give Up.
From small beginnings grows great change. One of the wonderful parts of being involved in a charity that helps children to learn is being able to share the stories of amazing people and how they have used their education to create a better life for themselves and their communities.
Recently Ronald, from the Slum Education Project (CEFOVID), shared photos of the women who we sponsored to gain a qualification in tailoring. A year after gaining, not only a certificate of competence, but also a renewed sense of self-worth and pride, all are now running new businesses. As most of the women are single parents, their new incomes empower them to take charge of their own lives. The extra cash they create is spent mainly on… you guessed it.. sending their children to school.
We have looked back through our records and found other HUGS students who have made the most of the generous gift of education which the HUGS Donors have given then.
Michael and Ronald came to our attention when they were studying their O levels. They were both bright ‘top of the class’ students, driven through their own personal tragedies, to work in health care. We supported them through University. Michael is a junior doctor who has just started his first job working in a community hospital. Ronald has his own Optician business, specialising in paediatric care, and offers his skills for free to our special needs school, St Francis de Sales, to diagnose and treat the children’s eye conditions.
These students knew where they were going. Two students who had less of a direction are Danny and Doreen. HUGS helped pay for Danny’s education right from primary school. He attended St Zoe’s, the first HUGS built school. He is a designer for construction companies, but his heart lies in making and producing music. Look him up on Youtube under the name Danny Nats https://youtu.be/A4LPeJiP1ds?si=jKdD4S9Lnw-5poBo
Doreen has just started her own Media and Branding business, an important growth industry in a developing country. This week, a HUGS donor supported her with a small grant to purchase her first colour printer. We wish her all the best.
One of the first students, HUGS ever sponsored, was Peter. Aged just 6 he was orphaned by the AIDS crisis in Uganda and his extended family helped him stay in school, by asking HUGS to help. We lost touch with him until last year when, though networks and mutual friends, he tracked the HUGS Trustees down during our last visit in February and joined us for dinner. He is now an ordained Catholic Priest, a keen community worker and embedded in a poor community. He is giving back so much.
One of Peter’s school friends was Patrick. When Patrick was aged 12 he started school for the first time. Initially, in a class of 5-6 year olds he was generous, kind and learned quickly. Now he runs a successful farming business producing honey and eggs. He offers help and support to HUGS Schools on how to use their land productively to maximise profit to improve the education of children, who like him, would never have had opportunity if it wasn’t for the support of others.
All of these activities are only possible because of the generous contributions of the HUGS donors. Thank you for supporting our new students. What will these children achieve in the future with your help? Isn’t the young boy’s tee-shirt appropriate? Never give up.
