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Jewelry
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Lifestyle
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Impact
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Sponsorship
Seated in a circle with eight smartly dressed young adults, I’m simply an observer. The young woman to my right, Gloria, a graduate of the sponsorship program, leads the group. “Tell us your name, when Project Have Hope started sponsoring you and what you’re doing now,” she directs. A young man with a freshly pressed white button down shirt and a red tie begins. “My name is Opio Jotham. Project Have Hope started sponsoring me in 2008. I received my diploma in clinical medicine and am now studying to become an anesthesiologist.” “My name is Ajok Winifred. Project Have Hope started my sponsorship in 2007. I am studying to become a mechanical engineer.” Tears threaten to overtake me as I look around the circle – two lawyers, two teachers, a doctor, a mechanical engineer, a civil engineer, an auto mechanic, a tailor, a beautician and the list goes on.
It seems like a lifetime has passed since I first met these children, now adults, who proudly proclaimed their childhood dreams to me. Like children everywhere, their dreams were lofty. Considering the circumstances into which they were born, I had doubted that they would become doctors and lawyers. Shame on me for doubting their dreams and their tenacity to achieve them.
The circle continues to grow as more stylishly attired young adults meander in, eventually reaching 25. After they each introduce themselves, Gloria turns to me and asks what I had hoped they could help me with when I chose to call them together. I hesitate. Stumped. Unsure of what to say. Surrounding me is a group of students who have graduated from Project Have Hope’s scholastic sponsorship program. After eighteen years, more than 100 children have passed through the ranks. Some I periodically see while in Uganda. Many I haven’t seen in years. Upon Gloria’s suggestion last fall, I put the word out that I’d like to meet with any graduates who were around and willing. My only real hope was to gather updates to share with past sponsors and to muster a little encouragement for myself. Because, to be honest, running PHH is hard. Like, really, really hard. There’s never enough money. Never enough time. Never enough manpower. And, more often than not, I feel like I‘m spinning my wheels and my efforts are wasted. Quite honestly, I was feeling burnt out and really needed some positive reinforcements to latch onto to set the tone and keep me motivated to continue.
My mind replayed Gloria’s question. What did I want from them? “Honestly, I just wanted to know what you were up to …” I faltered. Then some coherent thoughts took shape. These were no longer kids sitting before me seeking my assistance. These were empowered, educated adults. “Do you recall how you’d write letters to your sponsors?” They nodded and grinned and stifled some impish giggles reminding me of their younger selves. I continued, “Well, the letters are a really powerful way to help the sponsors feel connected. Often the younger kids are unable to write well. It would be really helpful if at the end of each term, some of you could come and write letters together with the younger kids.” Gloria moderated, completely in charge of the gathering. “We will help write letters,” she informed the group. “But what more can we do?” she earnestly implored. “These are our people. Our brothers and sisters. We were there before. We were young once. What do we know now that can help them achieve their dreams?”
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"I think big!" gushes Eric. "I want to be the best designer ever!"
His goals aren’t limited to fashioning clothes, but to every aspect of design. With unbridled ambition, a strong work ethic and passion, this 22 year old is unstoppable.
Thanks to Project Have Hope's scholastic sponsorship program, Eric had the opportunity to pursue a course in fashion and design, and is currently employed by a company that manufactures clothes for government contracts.
Eric’s passion for design was ignited when he was 17 years old. His uniform was too big and ill-fitting. He was determined to fix it. “ ‘Let me try,’ ” he recalls saying to himself as he sat behind a sewing machine for the first time to adjust his uniform. “From that day, I loved tailoring.
Pursuing a course in tailoring would have been an impossibility without the financial support of Project Have Hope. Susan has gained both a skill and a confidence that helps her to navigate the future and the challenges that persist.
Much of Susan’s youth was spent rising before the sun and going to bed long after the moon had risen. Her day would start at 4am, when she would rise to head to the fields to work. She’d return home as the sun was setting and begin the time-consuming task of preparing a meal. Day after day.
At 19, a young mother herself, Susan moved to the Acholi Quarter. There, she labored in the stone quarry, often with her infant baby on her back.
When Project Have Hope began, it was a welcome relief to Susan. She could work from home with her daughter seated nearby and roll paper into beads. “It was simple work, easy work,” Susan carefreely recalls. Not only was the work easy, but she’d earn twice what she earned in the quarry. “It was a very great change for me.”
Susan later enrolled in a tailoring course through Project Have Hope’s support. From the beginning, she was thrilled with the opportunity tailoring presented. “You can expect money any day, any time,” Susan beams. “If I return to the village, I can bring my tailoring machine and work from there and earn a living. I can work anywhere.”
