Child Sponsorship

Heron is no ordinary young woman. From the moment you meet her, her warmth and energy shine through. She exudes a strong and hard-working spirit. This was confirmed when we visited her during one of our routine monitoring sessions at her workplace in Kamuli General Hospital, located in Eastern Uganda. 

Her story began in Buwuda village, Kamuli District, where she grew up in a humble home with several siblings. Life was far from easy. Her parents, subsistence farmers relied on a small piece of land for their livelihood.

Here she engages in chores

However, their meager harvests barely covered the basics, let alone the cost of education. With an annual family income of less than $100 (approximately sh370,000), they lived in a modest mud-and-wattle house, struggling to make ends meet. 

However, her life changed in 2001 when her mother sought support from ChildFund. Upon enrolment, she was supported to access quality healthcare, improving her health subsequently. 

She was also supported with scholastic materials, and she enrolled in school. In 2013 her family was supported with 2 goats, which multiplied and in 2015, the family sold them off, topped up to purchase an exotic heifer. The heifer gave birth after one year and the family started to receive milk daily. 

The family used some milk as food while the surplus was sold off for income to cater for family needs. On average, they received $68 (sh250,000) monthly out of the milk sales. This enabled her mother to join a village savings group where she remitted $2.7 (sh10,000) per week.

Heron at school

The savings were used to facilitate the school requirements for Heron and her siblings. In addition, Heron attended several training sessions organized by ChildFund on the value of education and this not only kept her in school but also improved her grades.

Today, Heron works as a certified nurse at Kamuli General Hospital, having graduated with a certificate and Diploma in midwifery. She particularly works with Makerere Joint Aids Program, an organization supporting children and families that are affected with HIV/AIDs.

Heron poses for a photo with ChildFund and local partner staff during a visit to Kamuli General hospital.

Clad in her green apron, Heron moves swiftly through the antenatal ward and the ART (antiretroviral therapy) clinic, attending to patients with undivided attention. “As a professional nurse, I’ve gained a wealth of experience counselling teenage mothers, particularly those grappling with their HIV status,” she says, adding that, “My role is to inspire them to remain hopeful, adhere to their medication and live a better life.” 

In addition, she established a drug shop where she works in the evening and during weekends. This venture supports her daily needs and fuels her dream of advancing her education. With a monthly gross income of shs1,900,000 ($522), Heron aspires to become a doctor. 

“It is my way of ensuring I can provide even more comprehensive care to patients who need it the most,” Heron credits ChildFund for not only elevating her status in the community but also enabling her to do what she loves the most.

“I am an important person in the community because of ChildFund. I’m also giving back to the community by inspiring many young people that are hopeless to study and work hard so that they can fend for themselves and their families,” she concludes.