I WANT TO JOIN SECONDARY BUT MY PARENTS DON’T HAVE MEANS TO SUPPORT ME – SAYS BEST CANDIDATE IN NAKIVALE REFUGEE SETTLEMENT
Biringiro Samuel is an 18-year-old Congolese refugee, the fifth born among six children who live with his family in New Hope, Nakivale Refugee Settlement. His family moved to Uganda in 2015 after the war broke out in Democratic Republic of Congo. His parents enrolled him into primary one in 2015 at Bright International School but due to lack of school fees they transferred him to Kashojwa Common Primary School in 2020 as a learner in primary six and was able to complete his primary level from there. Kashojwa Common Primary school is government school that receives support from WIU/ UNHCR in Nakivale Refugee settlement.
In the recently released primary leaving Examination results of 2022, Samuel emerged as the best candidate in the entire settlement by scoring 4 aggregates. He accords his good results to praying to God, consulting teachers whenever he had any difficulty and also revising his books.
Samuel also noted that Windle International Uganda gave them support that helped him and his friends to stay in school. “They gave us scholastic materials for example pens, mathematical sets, exercise books and pencils,” he said. They also gave them home learning packages that helped him study during COVID-19 and the teachers were always available to support whenever he had any difficulty. “During COVID-19 school closure, we received the home learning packages to study and our teachers used to visit us at home for small group learning,” remarked Samuel.
Samuel also said that he wants to join secondary school but his parents are not able to support him to achieve his plans and therefore he is requesting WIU and UNHCR to help him continue his education and become a good business man.
He encouraged fellow learners to respect their teachers, concentrate on their studies and pray to God so that they can achieve good results.
MY TEACHERS AND PARENTS ENCOURAGED ME TO EXCEL
Ihimbazwe Noeline is an 18-year-old Burundian who lives in Nakivale Refugee Settlement Base Camp II. Noeline comes from humble family comprising of seven children whose parents are struggling to provide basic needs for them. When her family moved to Uganda in 2016, her parents immediately enrolled her into Nyarugugu Primary School as a learner in primary two and she completed the primary level from the same school. Nyarugugu Primary school is a government school that receives support from Windle International Uganda/UNHCR in Nakivale Refugee settlement.
During the recently released Primary Leaving Examinations results 2022, Noeline emerged as the best candidate in her entire school by scoring 7 aggregates. She thanks God, her teachers and her parents for the good results that she scored. “My main target when I was studying was to excel so that I get a scholarship that can help me continue with my studies and achieve my career dream of being a doctor,” Noeline said. She adds that her teachers always gave her all the support she needed while at school. Additionally, her father and mother always encouraged her to go to school and study hard. “Even though my parents do not have enough money they encouraged me to go school because they know the value of education,” remarked Noeline.
She appreciates Windle International Uganda for all the support given to the learners in terms of scholastic materials such as books, pens, pencils, rulers, mathematical sets and even home learning packages that helped her continue learning during the COVID-19 period. “I even got sanitary pads from school during my menstruation periods and it helped me not to miss my classes,” Noeline said.
She wants to continue to secondary education even though her parents are financially constrained to support her through it. “I want to become a doctor but my parents are not financially capable to support me achieve my dream,” remarked Noeline. Noeline hopes WIU and other donors will continue to support her and other refugees so that she can achieve her dreams.
She encouraged her fellow students to study hard and never lose hope so that they can pass.
MY TEACHERS SUPPORTED ME TO STUDY HARD
Metress Nyamugisha is a 14-year-old Congolese learner currently living with her family in Kashojwa B, Nakivale Refugee settlement. She is a third born in a family of six children. Her family moved to Uganda in November 2015 and her parents enrolled her into Kashojwa Common Primary School for her primary level of education. Kashojwa Common Primary school is government school that receives support from WIU/ UNHCR in Nakivale Refugee settlement.
Metress scored 7 aggregates from the recently released PLE results of 2022 emerging as the best female student in her school. She thanks God, her teachers and parents for supporting her to achieve good results. Since her father doesn’t work because he is old, her mother has been supporting her with education through her small business of selling clothes. “My teachers have been very good and they encouraged me to read very hard,” remarked Metress. During COVID-19 when schools were closed, she used to do casual labor so that she could get money to buy food and supplement on what the mother provided. But amidst all the difficulties, she created time to continue her studies even during the lock down. “I received home learning materials which I used for revision and my teachers used to visit and teach us as a group,” said Metress. She also thanks Windle International Uganda and UNHCR for giving her exercise books, pens, pencils and mathematical sets which helped her stay in school and study hard.
She would like to continue to secondary school but her mother doesn’t have enough money to support her through the next level of education. Metress said, “Since I currently don’t have money, I will stop studying as I work to get money so that I can join the vocational training institute in Kabahinda.”
WITH MY PARENTS’ SUPPORT I WAS ABLE TO EXCEL
Nishimwe Fidel is an 18-year-old Burundian living with his family at Sangano, Nakivale Refugee settlement. Fidel is the second born in a family of six children and he lives with his parents who are engaged in farming. When his family moved to Uganda in 2013, they enrolled him into Bright Future Community School, where he completed his primary level from in 2022. Bright Future Community School is a private school within Nakivale Refugee settlement.
Fidel was the best student in his school and second best in the settlement by scoring 6 aggregates in the recently released Primary Leaving Examinations. He thanks his parents for paying his school fees and encouraging him to study hard. Additionally, his teachers supported him through his studies. Furthermore, Fidel also worked very hard to achieve good results since he wanted to go to the next level of education. “I used to go to the community library to read my books during COVID-19 school closure so that I can catch up on my studies,” remarked Fidel.
In his closing remarks, Fidel said that his parents are willing to take him to the next level of education and they are currently deciding on which school they can take him to.