Fred Asiimwe

Fred is a bright student who takes school seriously. However, he was in constant jeopardy of being unable to attend school. He is an only child to a widowed mother who requires his help at home as well as raising his own school fees. In the past he has missed classes in search of school fees or has been asked to leave school due to unpaid balances. In these cases, he remained outside the classroom, like another student, to listen to the lessons. The teachers could see his desire to learn so they paid his fees for the 2007 year. In 2008, his fees were waived so he could attend without any interruption. He quickly became one of the top students and in 2009, was one of the top students in a P7 mock exam that was written by over 180 students. Fred is hoping to attend secondary school and plans on becoming a soldier for Uganda. If possible, he would like to be an officer.
In his P7 exams (PLE), Fred scored 14 and was in the top 12 out of 166 students. 

Sponsor: Carole Newness, New Jersey, USA

Paul Kyoyita

Paul is an extremely bright and eager student, he has excelled at Tekera Primary, achieving the top marks for P.7! On his primary leaving examination (PLE), he was first out of 166 students that wrote the exam. His home life, however, is not as positive. His mother passed away when he was very young and both his paternal and step fathers refused to fulfill parental duties. As a result, he lives with his grandfather who often cannot work thus, failed to pay for school fees. Even when asked to leave school due to unpaid fees Paul, was often found sitting outside listening to the lesson as not to fall behind. With the opportunity to continue his education, Paul would like to become a lawyer to fight for children’s rights.    

Prossy Nakamanya
 

Her father died five years ago in an auto accident while the family lived in Kampla. Because of the high cost and no income, the family was forced to move to the village. Prossy's mom had no education and did odd jobs to maintain the the family of 6 children. Prossy's mom realized the value of a good education and has struggled to raise school fees. Her aim was to see that her children get an education so they will be able to maintain themselves. Prossy is very determined to achive good results and wants to eventually become a nurse.
In her P7 exams (PLE), she achieved a score of 15 and was in the top 30 out of the 166 that wrote the exam.

Sponsor: Karen, Vancouver, B.C., Canada

Christine Babirye

Christine is probably the biggest surprise this year. Her father died a few years ago and her mother had difficulty paying fees. An arrangement was made with TRC that she could work and pay the fees in pesos. At the beginning of the year, she was well behind other students and was almost put back to P6. However, she worked very hard and made steady progress throughout the year. In her final exams (PLE), she scored a respectable 19. She is a very determined girl.

Sponsor:
Jasper Bins, Renée & Desiree Martius, Holland

Juliet Nabukenya

Juliet enjoys school very much but fears for her education. She is being raised by her grandparents as both of her parents are deceased. Sadly, she is fighting a cultural battle at home whereby her grandfather is of the notion that young women do not need education and he refuses to pay for secondary school fees. Legally, he is not required to pay after she obtains the age of 16 so she would need to attend boarding school. Juliet would very much like to continue her education as she has hopes of one day becoming a nurse to help those around her.
Juliet was the top female at the school that Tekera wrote the PLE, recording a score of 13 and fifth overall.
 

Richard (Hudson) Kitayimbwa

Richard lost his natural father a few years age. His mother married and left Richard behind since her husband refused to care for him. This happens quite often in Africa. As a result, Richard (commonly known as Hudson) stayed with various people in the area, including our farm manager and a teacher, so he could continue his studies. His mother sent whatever she could to help. Richard helped out wherever he stayed and was always positive in his attitude. On the P7 exam (PLE), Richard placed second overall out of 166 students and this was no surprise. Everyone knew Richard was a bright boy with the potential of a bright future if given the chance.

Sponsor: Family Peters