James

When I was finishing my house in Kisoro in western Uganda – now the local office of the Stella-Rosie Foundation – there was a lot of heavy work to be done.  For example, hauling the rocks out of what would become the septic field and using them to build a wall around the compound.  Many local labourers showed up for work each day.  The custom is to give them money at mid-day to buy their lunch.  I noticed one boy named James, only 13 at the time, who sat in the shade during lunch-time without eating.  After the second day I approached him and asked why he didn’t eat lunch.  “I’m saving my money to pay for school fees and books,” he replied.

I asked him to come and eat lunch with us, and learned his story.  He was an orphan, living with his young sisters and his 88 year-old grandmother.  His parents had been killed in Rwanda during the genocide  (Western Uganda is very close to the border with Rwanda, and many refugees migrated  to the Kisoro area afterwards.)

James was very humble, polite and well-spoken, and I could also see after talking to him for a while that he was very intelligent.  I took a chance (as I so often do) and told him I would pay his school fees if he did well.  He was overwhelmed.  He has stayed in school, and still comes around during vacations to help in any way he can.  He is 18 now and nearly finished with secondary school.  I pray that he can pass the exams for the university.