Jinja: Asia Musubika, 16, had slowly started settling to the fact that she had become a waitress in a low-price roadside local food restaurant in Mafubira village, Jinja City.
A fifth born in a family of 8, all school drops and engaged in third grade jobs around Jinja and Kampala, Asia lost her father when she was in upper primary before her mother got as mental brake down and later went on to, in Asia’s words remarry.
At her father’s burial, a good-hearted friend of her father promised to educate her. However, he took her to work in a restaurant to, apparently, raise money for her school fees. She would, however, miss most of the school days as she would be busy waiting in the restaurant.
It is during her waiting job that a customer she served asked her about her education. She is now at Jinja SSS thanks to Dreams Restored Scholarship Fund and has also been enrolled for Golf training at Jinja Golf Club under the East Enders sports talent development program.
Jazmine Esther Namutamba, had sat primary seven scored aggregates, eleven, wrapped up her education hopes and joined her single mother in Ivunamba village to do contract gardening and work as a waiter in their village makeshift Katogo restaurant.
“For my education mom, lets keep praying. May be God will bring someone to rescue me,” her mother, Nabirye Sarah 39, narrates how her daughter kept keeping her hopes alive.
The last born in the family of five, all Jazmine’s siblings are school dropouts, the first born suffered a cerebral palsy and is confined in the house.
“One neighbour just came to us and told us that there are people giving poor kids scholarships and that we should apply. We did not know who was behind it but when we applied, we got the scholarship and now she is at school,” Nabirye says adding, “indeed God brought someone and rescued her as she used to pray and believe.”
Jazmine is also enrolled at Jinja Senior Secondary School in Senior one and at Jinja Golf Club to learn golf under the East Enders sports development program.
Asia and Jazmine are kind of vulnerable kids Dreams Restored Scholarship Fund was started to help. To give brilliant vulnerable kids from humble homes a chance at education in the hope that the education they get will be used to turn around the fortunes of their families and the communities they come from.
The idea of the fund was started by three friends, Emmanuel Okolotum, Charles Waiswa and Isaac Imaka, who were beneficiaries of the Needy Students Scheme at Jinja Senior Secondary School.
“If Mr Kaddu (former Headteacher at Jinja SSS) had not started the Need Students Scheme, I wouldn’t have got a chance to finish school,” said Okolotum, now the country manager of Kansai Plascon in Burundi. “Starting the Dreams Restored Fund is our way of giving a chance to those who in the same situation we were in. To restore their dreams and send them to school.”
The fund’s mission is to educate 10,000 students through senior secondary school in the next ten years. It started by awarding scholarships to four kids, all enrolled at Jinja Senior Secondary School.
Ketra Nangobi, 15, Asia Musubika, 16, Trevor Wampande, 14, and Esther Namutamba Jazimine, a 14-year-old are the first beneficiaries.
Waiswa Charles, a co-founder of the Fund and currently the Manager of the National Cricket Team, says the fund’s dream of educating 10,000 needy students through school will be successful is like minded people and entities join the drive.
“We are encouraging Old Students of Jinja SSS, individuals who love education and have something to spare to contribute to the fund. We are also encouraging corporate entities to join in with whatever they can.
“It could be money or something physical like books, shoes, or any scholastic material. We want to increase the number of beneficiaries from four this year tp0 whatever number we will be able to take on next year,” he said.
On top of the monetary contributions from the three founders, the fund so far has partnerships form East Enders, a Sports Charity organization in Busoga which has taken on the sports development needs of the beneficiaries, Busoga Today Newspaper, Jinja Senior Secondary School, Jinja Scouts Council and Gabula Royal Foundation.
“All beneficiaries will, as a must, take on a sport of their choice from the four sports East Enders is involved in: Cricket, Tennis, Golf and Swimming,” says Isaac Imaka, one of the Fund founders. “We want to give the beneficiaries a chance at playing professional sports and who knows, maybe they can even earn from it before they finish university.
The fund will next year add on more schools around the region to have variety. It also plans to solicit the partnership of corporate companies and individuals starting with the over 50 students who benefited from the Need Students Scheme at Jinja SSS.
“It is going to help me a lot, and I hope to maintain my good performance in secondary,” said Ketra Nangobi.
Nangobi wants to become a surgical doctor and own a hospital where she will provide services to her community members at fair costs and help her family.
Asia wants to become a nurse. “I was serving food in a restaurant, and I couldn’t even think of getting money to go for further studies. I am now happy that I have got people to help me,” said Musubika.
Wampande, who resides in Buzika village, got 12 aggregates and came to know about the scholarship through his uncle. The 14-year-old boy who stays with his grandmother believes he is fit for the scholarship because his parents are unable to support him throughout his education as he has other siblings who need to go to school as well.
He believes that his ability to work hard will help him sustain this scholarship, and he dreams of becoming a powerful entrepreneur, which he thinks will then enable him to help his parents.
According to Esther Namutamba Jazimine, her former primary teacher who found her in the garden digging for someone for money, whispered to her about the bursary opportunity when she had lost complete hope about joining secondary.
Namutamba doesn’t know whether her father is alive or dead because he woke up one day and left home when she was in primary three and never came back to date. She envisions becoming a doctor in the future so that she can change her family’s fortunes.
The fund is managed by a team of three led by St Peter Church of Uganda Reverend Ivan Waimaga, with a membership of Ms Vivian Mpango and Mr Ongom Olara the deputy headteacher of Jinja SSS who represents the school on the committee.
Mr Isaac Balimusangayo, the headteacher of Jinja SSS, is positive about the prospects of the fund.
“Yes, the four students were received and my deputy headteacher, Mr Ongom, has the file containing all that information. We are hopeful for a great future,” he said.
