Education is a powerful tool that can transform lives. It can open up new opportunities and empower people to reach their full potential. Nabirye's story is a perfect example of this. She was able to attend school and pursue her dream of becoming a medical professional thanks to a scholarship from our local partner, Project Yesu. See how education has changed everything for Nabirye:
Nabirye is my name. I am 18 years of age, and I completed my Senior Four in 2023 at Musana Vocational High School. My home district is Jinja, and I live in the village of Musima with my aunt.
My dream career is to be a pharmacist specializing in medicine. But at first, I saw that my dream was dying because my aunt didn’t have the money to take me to the best-performing schools before meeting a good friend of Project Yesu.
Before, I attended government schools where academic excellence was lacking. I did not feel happy because I was generally not performing well like those students who could attend good schools.
The education facilities were not good because of the overcrowding of students within one classroom. Sending me back for school fees was the order of the day. There was no way I could escape traveling long distances to and from school. When it rained, it meant that there was no school that day, but when it came to sunny weather, it shined on me like never before. All these issues affected my learning process.
The time came when I got tired of all such situations and conditions that I was experiencing throughout my education. I used to pray to God to at least remember me and make me one of his chosen daughters. I want to inform you that He hears and listens to every person’s prayer when you believe and trust Him.
One early morning, my beloved aunt heard that an organization, Project Yesu, had come to the village of Musima and started to operate within our community by providing scholarships and taking children to better-performing schools. I also got the opportunity to have a sponsor. I began attending the best-performing school in Mayuge. By this time, I attended Primary Six and then Primary Seven, where life gradually started changing and shining for me because the school had the best academic facilities and the lowest number of learners in each classroom.
I gained confidence through my academic excellence, thereby seeing a better chance for my dream career due to being the best in my class in Grade Eight, an accolade that I also obtained in Primary Seven. We had greater hope in our family, as my brother Hasadi also got a sponsorship and was able to attend a better school.
Because I stayed in school the entire time without being sent home for school fees, I was never disorganized, which made me feel comfortable in class. I achieved a high concentration to my books and teachers, which led me to be among the best-performing students in my class.
I look forward to achieving the best academic results in the Uganda Certificate of Education, which will enable me to join the Advanced Level that offers Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics/ICT. I will work hard, be determined, and be focused to see that I score the best grades. This will take me to university to pursue my dream career of being a pharmacist.
Since I fell in love with Project Yesu, many important things have been achieved, like the counseling and guidance I received during the holidays for my morals and discipline because discipline is the key to success. Project Yesu also organizes dental and medical clinics every year for us, and because of this, I get an opportunity to see a dentist, which was very rare before.
Many thanks to Project Yesu for the love and care they have shown me to help me reach cloud nine — my dream career as a pharmacist. I promise to “be the change” in my family, society, and within the world. Thank you.
This story has been edited for length and clarity.