BEING A LEADER IS GREAT. I LOVE MY JOB!

Madame Christine is our hostel matron.  Her strength and ability to influence these girls inspires me daily.  The girls listen to her, respect her, love her, and fear her.  She truly is such a big part of this project and I am happy to call her my sister.  These are her words….

Since I become a leader, it changed my life and my behavior. I love my job which is being a matron to keep young girls at Think Humanity Girls’ Hostel in Hoima. I love staying with young girls because I can teach them many things like how a girl child must behave, because teaching a girl child is to promote the nation.

I love Think Humanity girls because they listen to me joke, love my advice, play with me netball every weekend at Kitara Secondary School in Hoima and they like it so much because am a mother to them since they left their parents at home to come to school. I become a mother but I also have to play with them and that’s assign of love becouse I love them so much.

Some people say that girls are bad because they steal their husbands , especially woman. But I say no because once they are taught how to behave, then they become good leaders of tomorrow. Look at Uganda today: women are so important because they are being elected to be representatives in communities, councils, and parliament.

Staying with young girls changed my life. I respect my life such that I can be an example to the rest. When you find same one in need you can help because you will get blessing from our lord and you can have the ever-lasting life upon that. Therefore, members lets join hands and support young girls.

My mother used to stop me from having groups but I could tell that mummy this is my time but then which time is that? Because I could see other girls going to public places I had to sit down and ask my uncle’s wife, but abwooli does my mother love me? she said yes and that is why she is stopping you from having groups they are bad and it will not help you any more. After getting that from her I told her that am not going to ashame you I have to be a leader anywhere so long as I lead young girls such that they can get a bright feature

Share what you have: Command them to do good, good needs, and to generous and willing to share. In this way, they will lay up treasure for them selves as a firm foundation for the coming age. So that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

ADVICE: I do advise my girls about many things in this world as a girl child:

• The way they should behave in the community.
• Acquire a positive, prosperity mindset.
• Work harder, wisely and smartly more especially in education.
• Set and work on spiritual, social and career goals.
• Maintain your integrity, virginity in all you do people will continue respecting you.
• Look after your self and families as well e.g. by helping your mother cooking digging and other work were necessary. Soon than later, you will be a prosperous girl/woman.

COURAGE: The other ingredient of prosperity is courage. In life, one is often confronted with a situation where one is to take a risk. Here I mean that going out for discos, videos, night cinemas as a young girl. To take risks and unknown is by going out with bad groups.

PROSPERITY: Since whatever is inside a person’s life, behavior, and achievements of anyone are determined by the inside self, someone with prosperity will become prosperous.

GOALS: The first and the most important step for any successful life are to set goals. With goals, a person looks for what he or she knows and moves towards a known destination. You know what you are looking for you are likely to find it.

MEANWHILE:Before you achieve your goals to live in abundance, learn from your teachers what they teach you. They are very important lessons.

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances, I know what it is to be in need, I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether we are fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in wants. “I can do every thing through him who gives me strength’’ yes do every thing through him and the rest will follow and that is our Lord.

Written by Nyandera Christine (ateenyi)

Email:Christine.nyandera@yahoo.com

Facebook:Christine.nyandera@yahoo.com

Tel: 0788833681

“How Education Has Changed My Life…”

Nteziyaremye Jonas, Education Manager at Think Humanity, shares his insightful thoughts on education….

 

When I started thinking about why education is so important, I remembered why I am in school. I went down memory lane; I remembered my teachers Kasim and the head teacher or Bwikya Secondary School, Sempongo Dauda.  I remembered my school subjects, the study, and the fun! The way I love education /school. But I have seen many who hate going to school; I have had some friends who did not like the idea of studying in classrooms. Many of you must have unwillingly entered your school gates. But you know, this dislike never lasts long. We soon start loving school and then when it’s time to leave school that we are in tears… Our school lays the foundation of our education; it is the institution where we understand why education is so important. And oh how important it is! It is our school, where we learn to read and write and we become literate. It is where young talent is recognized, nurtured, and encouraged. On leaving school, we are all set to soar high in life, and enter the real world in pursuit of our dreams.

Education has become so important to my life and to the communities in Africa.  The first thing that strikes me about education is the knowledge gain. Education gives us knowledge of the world around us. It develops in us a perspective of looking at life. It helps us build opinions and have points of view on things in life. People debate over the subject of whether education is the only thing that gives knowledge. Some say, education is the process of gaining information about the surrounding world while knowledge is something very different. They are right. But then, information cannot be converted into knowledge without the catalyst called education. Education makes us capable of interpreting things rightly. Education is not just about lessons in textbooks. It is about the lessons of life.

Education is important because it equips us with all that is needed to make our dreams come true. Education opens doors to brilliant career opportunities. It fetches better prospects in career and growth. Every employer of today requires his prospective employees to be well-educated. He requires expertise. So, education becomes an eligibility criterion for employment in any sector of the industry. We are rewarded for exercising the expertise required for the field we venture. We are weighed in the market on the basis of our educational skills and how well we can apply them.

Though not enlisted as one of the three basic human needs, education is equally important. For the progress of a nation, for the enrichment of society in general, education is necessary. A country’s literate population is a nation’s asset. The number of institutes offering vocational courses and colleges offering online education is increasing by the day.  I would request those who think of promoting education to keep up that spirit. I thank so much people who support Think Humanity by supporting child education.  I also thank those who contribute to my education – may you live long and may God bless you, and I thank God because I am able to give back to my community by promoting education. My special thanks goes to Beth, director of Think Humanity, Charity for supporting the hostel, Julie for supporting me and Katie and Grayson for the support you give to Think Humanity.

The First Assignment: What Inspires You?

Is everyone understanding me?

(All together): Yes, Madame.

Okay, then please work on this tonight and tomorrow morning.

As I walk away, young Muro Betty comes up to me shyly.  She says… I’m not understanding what we are supposed to do. I look up at everyone and ask, who is not understanding what I have explained?  Nearly everyone raises their hands.  Okay. Again, I show them my notebook.  I have drawn designs and written quotes on the cover over the last few months.  I explain that these things inspire me – they give me strength.  I tell them that when I face challenges, I look at these and they give me strength.

I look at these young girls and tell them that they are just beginning.  I say that they are about to enter S1 – they have many years of hard studying ahead of them.  I tell them that there are times when they will be tired – exhausted from studying – homesick.  I then give each of them a piece of paper and a pen.  I ask them to write what inspires them.  Wait – Do you all know the definition of inspire?  (Together) No. Inspire. To fill someone with strength.  To fill someone with the ability to push forward and finish something.   Are you getting me children?

Yes Madame.

(45 minutes later)  A shy head peaks in my office.  She has 4 papers in her hand (She is the brave one who also took them for her friends).  She kneels down as she hands them to me – Not because she is “kneeling down” – but because in her culture, it is a sign of respect.  This young girl is called Sifa Harriet and she comes from a village called Nalweyo.  When I went to this village 2 days ago to pick up the children, we found that she had nothing prepared and that her father was not answering our phone calls.  There was another girl who scored worse, but who was completely prepared. We took the latter and left Sifa Harriet.

A day later, a man we work with in that village called Joseph came all the way to Hoima.  He sat down and said, “Now… I’ve followed up with that other girl.”  He had decided to go to the father directly and find out why the family did not help this girl.  What he found was this:  The girl’s mother had died a number of years ago.  The father then remarried.  The man’s new wife did not accept the children of his previous marriage and refused to support them.  When Harriet passed her exam and had the chance to come study with us, there was nothing to be done for this child.  So Joseph went back to the man, he said, if this girl can become the child of our community and the community supports her, can she go?  The father said yes.  Joseph organized EVERYTHING for this young girl.  He then came all the way to our office in town, and asked us, is there any way this child can still come?  We still had 3 open spots.  I consulted Jonas, our education manager.  We agreed.  If Joseph could arrange her transportation, we could take her.

When this young girl left me her paper, I started reading it and my eyes welled up with tears.  This is what she wrote (as is):

What will make me move for word in my studies is being in future a nurse.  Because if I see the nurses I adimire them.  I fill like being a nurse in future.  Because if I be a nurse I will treat all the people in Uganda and all over the world and look for the bacteria/virus which cause HIV AIDS.  Because HIV AIDS kills very many people all over the world.  It does not select it kills badly.  It affect adults, young childrens, boys and girls.  Even if your beautiful or handsome.  Then please pray for me and I be what I want to be in future.  So let me say that nursing is GOOD. If I be a nurse in future I will make sure that HIV AIDS is treated among all people in Uganda and all over the country.  I will never give up until I be a nurse…

Thunk you.

The Beginning

“When you educate a girl, you educate a nation” – yes. BUT. That statement doesn’t even come close – it doesn’t come close to describing what it means when a girl from DEEP in the village of Uganda gets a chance to have an education.  We have all heard the statistics – the percentages – ratios – about the fact that educating young girls is the single best way to reduce poverty.  But those statistics are just numbers on paper – or rather, on the computer screens and PowerPoint slides of developed nations.  This blog is going to burst open the doors and windows of those statistics.  We are going to sweep away the numbers – push aside the pictures – rewind the videos… and we are going to give a voice to the people who make up those numbers.  We are going to hear from the people on the ground – from the administrators, the education managers, the matrons, the teachers… but MOST importantly – from the girls themselves.  We are plunging into the experience of what it means to educate a young girl in rural Uganda – of what it means to give a child the ability to dream – of what it means to give someone a future.

The Think Humanity Girls Hostel began as just an idea.  The idea was put onto paper back in October, 2011. Now, on January 25,^, 2012, it has become reality.  Our first groups of 26 girls arrived today in Hoima, Uganda.  We will add 4 more to make a total of 30.  Each of these 30 girls will begin S1 (the first year of secondary school) on Monday.  The girls come from different countries, different backgrounds, and different family situations – but they have one thing in common: the chance to go to secondary school will change not only their lives and the lives of their families, but it will transform their communities.

We are going to push these children.  We do not simply want to educate them; we want to empower them – for there is a big difference between giving someone an education, and for that person to know how to use it.  So in addition to accessing secondary school, these girls will have tutoring, debates, health education, entrepreneurship skills training, leadership development, sports, and peace-building.  Our hope is that each girl will not only be educated, but that upon completion, they will be able to think critically.  We want for them to learn how to be economically stable.  Ultimately, we want to see them giving back – solving the root causes of the many problems plaguing their communities.  It is these small children, more than any outsiders, who know the intimate problems that face their people.

So I invite you to join us on this journey – a journey to give a voice to the numbers.  A journey to educate. To empower. To develop.  To transform.  I invite you on a journey to look into the eyes – the hearts – the minds – and the voices of these small children who are beginning to dream.

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress.com. After you read this, you should delete and write your own post, with a new title above. Or hit Add New on the left (of the admin dashboard) to start a fresh post.

Here are some suggestions for your first post.

1. You can find new ideas for what to blog about by reading the Daily Post.
2. Add PressThis to your browser. It creates a new blog post for you about any interesting  page you read on the web.
3. Make some changes to this page, and then hit preview on the right. You can always preview any post or edit it before you share it to the world.