Orphans
Three
Support
Help Alvin, Venancio and Resty to succeed in life!
I would like to give a shout out to all those people out there who, like me, ever wanted to donate to a charity but because of doubts on whether our money would or would not arrive to those it was aimed at, have failed to do so. Today, we have the opportunity of donating to a real cause that can change the life of 3 orphans, Alvin, Venancio and Resty, their loving aunt Justine, and grandmother Peternoria.
Remember that any donation, small though it may seem, adds up! I understand that not everyone is in a position to contribute economically, but if we join to spread the word, we can do something wonderful together!
Main characters
Venancio and Resty’s father, Justine’s brother, died of Brucellosis. After his death, his wife, and mother to Venancio and Resty, went away. At the age of 8 and 6 respectively, these two kids became orphans.
Let me introduce you to Venancio:
Venancio is now 11 years old and thanks to the big efforts his aunt has done for him, he is studying at Nyabwina, Sheema district, Primary 7.
He has told me that when he sees ill kids, he feels really sorry for them, this is why his dream is to become a paediatrics specialist, so he can help them all. Also, he is really good at science class
Resty:
She is now 9 years old and she studies at Masheruka Modern, Sheema district, Primary 4. Same as her brother, she is talented at science subjects.
In one of our conversations, she explained to me that when she grows up, she would like to become a midwife, so she can help mothers to bring their children to this world.
Alvin:
He is the only son of Justine’s sister. In 2005, Alvin’s father died of AIDS and ten years after, when he was only 10, his mother died of the same disease. Fortunately, Alvin is healthy and AIDS-free.
Alvin is now 14, he is studying Senior 1 at Rwentojo School in Mbarara district.
Like his cousins, Alvin has a privilege mind for science and when he grows up, he wants to become an engineer, although he confessed to me he is not sure which branch of engineering he would like to specialise in.
The Courageous grandmother and aunt:
In Uganda, many families that are in similar situations to this one, because of the low income and lack of resources available, decide to abandon these types of kids. However, Justine and Peternoria, have committed superhuman efforts to guarantee these children are raised in a safe and loving environment so they do not have to suffer even more the lack of their parents.
Peternoria: The grandmother
Around 1996, her husband died. With 8 children on her shoulders and against all odds, with little rights as a woman and low levels of education, she managed to take care of all of them.
With a big smile, she tells me about those times, how tough they were and how she had to work really hard to overcome the difficulties, but how proud she feels of herself as she has defeated the odds.
Now she only wishes and hopes that her grandsons and granddaughters do not have to go through the same hardships she did and so they can make their dreams come true.
Justine: The aunt
She is the 6th born of 8 siblings and although she is one of the youngest, at glance, you can notice that life has made her a strong and determined woman.
At her father’s death, her mother could not continue supporting her studies, so she moved to a convent, where she worked for some time. Thanks to her good character and intelligence, she finally accomplished her dream of becoming a teacher. Now, she wishes this same luck for her ‘children’.
“The day my brother and sister died… Alvin, Venancio and Resty became like my own children”
And as if they were of her own, she has taken care of them with the same love and care all these years.
“In Uganda life is complicated, there isn’t any type of social help to these types of cases, salaries are extremely low compared to the costs of living. Particularly, school fees are really hard to pay if you have more than one child under your care, imagine when you have 5 like I do!”.
Although she only earns 470.000 UGX a month, around 100€, Justine is the only one of her siblings that with massive sacrifices, can somehow afford to pay these children expenses. As you can imagine, this salary cannot really manage all the costs (food, school, doctors, school material, etc.) of her mother, daughters, niece and nephews - not even here, in Uganda. However, Justine does not lose her smile and hope, she tries really hard to fight for these children to have a better future, independently of their orphan status.
Once I found out all the details of this story, as probably would have happened to any of you too, I remained conflicted. I am not used to encountering these types of situations in my daily life.
Hence, I started to think in which ways I could possibly help these kids and consequently their family. I came up then, with the idea of starting a Go Fund Me campaign to fundraise some money to start a sustainable project that would allow them not only to make a living but also to develop themselves and have access to a more encouraging future.
In this case, the money raised through Go Fund Me will not only alleviate the precarious situation of this family but, most importantly, will also provide them with the necessary means to change their own destiny by themselves.
The funds would be used to:
* Part A: Fundraise the deficit of school fees for the rest of 2019 period. For this part, the period from February 2019 to November 2019 is considered, according to the Ugandan educational system calendar. The target for this part of the project is 4,348,400 UGX.
Budget for Part A in each currency: $1,175.24/ 1.114,97€/ £ 945,30
Exchange rate used: $1= 3,700 UGX. 1€= 3,900 UGX. £1= 4,600 UGX
* Part B: Fundraise a piggery project at Peternoria’s land. This part of the proposal would implement the possibility of starting a farming project that guarantees the sustainability of her grandsons and granddaughters, as well as her family, from the period between the proposed starting date, August 2019, and onwards.
The main goal of Part B is for this family to be able of making by themselves the amount required to pay school fees from next year (2020) and in the foreseeable future. Therefore, the profit required to be made from this project should be at least the sum of all these kids school fees.
Additionally, since the last school term is always in November, the deadline for these profits to be made should be November 2020 at the latest. The target for this part of the project is 8,790,940.00 UGX.
Budget for Part B in each currency: $ 2,375.93/ € 2.254,09/ £ 1,911.07
Exchange rate used: $1= 3,700 UGX. 1€= 3.900 UGX. £1= 4,600 UGX
Hence, by fundraising the deficit of school fees for the rest of the 2019 period (Part A), it is intended to free this family from any current obligations in these regards, thereby allowing them to save all profits of the piggery project (Part B) to be later spent, next year, on the 2020 school fees.
Consequently, the final target (A+B) is 13.139.340,00 UGX. An additional 10% contingency has been added to the budget, to guarantee that any fees the bank charges are covered. To meet the school fees obligations for next academic year, its necessary to start the project on the 1st of August 2019 at the latest. Therefore, the last day to donate would be the 7th of July 2019.
Total budget with contingency: $3.906,29 / € 3.705,97 / £3.142,02
Exchange rate used: $1= 3,700 UGX. 1€= 3.900 UGX. £1= 4,600 UGX
To conclude let me share with you, some words Justine has written for you all.
“Thanks for your interest in our story. Thank you very much for you kind and generous heart and for showing solidarity for me and my family. Your donation can really make the difference in our lives.”