A Ugandan boy who wants to become a doctor is motivated and encouraged by his sponsor — who is a doctor. And his mother’s dream for her youngest child to attend school for a chance at a better future comes true through his Hope Center.
When Kasolo’s mum Betty took him to Revival Children Hope Center to be registered into OneChild’s program, neither he nor his mom knew what to expect.
All Betty knew was that her youngest child’s education was guaranteed once he joined the center. And that was enough for her to sign him up.
Kasolo, 8, lives with his mom, five siblings, and two stepbrothers in Kenkebu, a village in Eastern Uganda.
Betty decided to have Kasolo registered when he was 6 because she was worried that he might miss an opportunity to get an education and make a better life for himself in the future.
She didn’t want what had happened to her to happen to Kasolo. As a young girl, Betty did not get a chance to further her education when she dropped out of lower primary school. At 16, she got married and, together with her husband, had seven children.
Of Betty’s children, only Kasolo consistently attends school every day. Her eldest child, a girl, who is 20, dropped out of school at 17 and got married. Her other children struggle to attend school because she can’t afford to pay their school fees.
This means that they can only attend school a few times in a term and can’t sit for exams because they have unpaid school fees.
Digging for a Living
Betty works as a day laborer in the village, where she goes to work on other people’s farms as a casual laborer to earn a living. She makes the equivalent of $3-$4 per piece of land she digs, with which she singlehandedly provides for the family.
She says her husband struggles with alcohol addiction, leaving Betty to care for the family, including his children from other relationships, on her own.
In addition to working on other people’s farms, she also grows maize, ground nuts, vegetables, and cassava on their small piece of family land.
Betty uses the proceeds from the farm to feed the family and her income from her day labor to settle school fees and buy household necessities.
Unfortunately, this isn’t enough to meet the needs of her family. Betty is only able to provide one meal a day for them, and when things get tough, the kids are forced to stay out of school so they can buy food instead.
She says she feared taking Kasolo to school because she didn’t think she could afford it.
“I wanted to register him to the public school that my other kids attend, but what if he dropped out too? It was easier having him home than dealing with the disappointment of dropping out,” Betty says.
A Doctor-to-be Meets a Doctor
With the Hope Center in her community, Betty hoped that she would get some relief for Kasolo.
During registration, Kasolo was asked what his dreams were, and he said he wanted to be a doctor.
Once his information was collected and sent over to the U.S. to be seen by people who had decided to sponsor a child, Kasolo was blessed to have someone choose him. Shortly after he began attending the Hope Center, he received a Welcome Letter from Douglas, his sponsor.
From the letter — which was read and translated to Kasolo by teacher Keziah, a Child Champion at the center — Kasolo learned that Douglas was a doctor.
“I think this was a divine connection between Kasolo and Douglas,” says Keziah, “because Kasolo, even before joining school, knew he wanted to be a doctor, and God made a doctor sponsor him.”
In subsequent letters to Kasolo, Douglas continues to encourage him to work hard in school and become a doctor. He also tells Kasolo about how he prays for him.
Kasolo wants to become a doctor because he loves what doctors do.
“I want to become a doctor because they treat sick people, and they feel better after being treated,” he says in a small, shy voice.
After joining the Hope Center, Kasolo was able to start school, taking his first step toward being a doctor.
Kasolo is now in grade one and loves mathematics and reading. He is slowly catching up with his reading and writing and hopes to one day be able to independently write Douglas a letter. Currently, Keziah translates and helps him write the letters.
Kasolo also loves playing, singing, games, going down the slide, and playing soccer with his best friend, Bright, at the center.
Apart from the joy of knowing Kasolo’s education is secured, Betty is also proud that he is now able to memorize Bible verses and share them with his siblings every evening when he returns from the Hope Center.
“He is different from other kids that don’t go to the center,” Betty says. “I see how kind he is to other kids. He is happy to share whatever he has and is always teaching his siblings the new verses he learns at school.”
Betty is hopeful that her family will be transformed, thanks to the light that the Hope Center and Douglas are shining on Kasolo.
“Currently, times are tough for my family, but despite the tough times, there is a glimpse of hope,” Betty says. “Kasolo will change the story of this family, and this greatly motivates us not to give up.”
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