Education Progress

So every day this week I have traveled to the field (AKA the 5 sub counties in the Kitgum district that FH works in).  I went to meet with girls who have been to the Centre in the past and had expressed interest in returning to school.  We narrowed all the possible canidates down to 50.  I've been able to ask them questions about what kind of school they want (high school (secondary) or vocational), for how long, who would take care of the kids etc.

The women are excited to have this opportunity!

I've also started writing out their stories so that we can start pairing up the girls with people who have donated from home - I know you are anxious to hear where your money actually went.  I want to thank everyone who has donated - I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of people.  I wish you could be there with me when I tell each woman that she's going to get a second chance at an education.

Today we had a girl named Ketty who has completed Senior 1 (which is higher than most of the rest).  We asked her what she wanted to go to school for and she said she'd do a 2 year course on computers which only requires that you finish P7 - but doesn't teach you enough to get a job with computers.  I asked her why she didn't want to complete secondary.  She dropped her eyes and said that she couldn't do anything.  I accepted that she chose this tech course but told her to think about secondary and to let us know if she changed her mind.  (This conversation was with one of our interns as the interpretor).

About an hour later Ketty called me over and confidently said she wanted to pursue her secondary education despite having a daughter and the father saying that she'd be no good in school.  The intern was so moved by her change of heart that she offered to give Ketty her old texts books and to help her with some of the tough concepts.  She spent about 20 minutes encouraging her.  It was great to see one girl who came from Kitgum and is now finishing at a university in Kampala encouraging another to see past the limitations that others have put on her.

I also had a ton of fun seeing people that were at the Centre last time I was here - they're shocked when they realize that they recognize me!



PS I met with one of our girls instructors today, we all talked for about an hour.  When we said we had to get going he sent his wife to bring us soda (yes, Pittsburghers I'm using the word "soda" not "pop").  We drank them and then said we were going to go again.  But he told us that the other two sodas were for us also!  If I've learned one thing about making a visit to somebody's home, it's that if you refuse something they give you it will extremely offend them.  So we looked at each other, laughed and sucked down another.  This was at 7pm, I drank two mountain dews on an empty stomach.  I am never sleeping tonight.