Without sponsorship, I would never have gone to school
Sep 07, 2010
FAVOUR Mirembe had never been to a formal school, and when an opportunity came by, she was too old to join P.1. She was, therefore, put in P.5 where she worked hard to excel. After three years of hard work, Mirembe emerged the best pupil in her school, with Aggregate 5 in the Primary Leaving Examina
By Gladys Kalibbala
FAVOUR Mirembe had never been to a formal school, and when an opportunity came by, she was too old to join P.1. She was, therefore, put in P.5 where she worked hard to excel. After three years of hard work, Mirembe emerged the best pupil in her school, with Aggregate 5 in the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE).
Unfortunately, she had no money to continue with her studies until Forum for African Women Educationalists Uganda Chapter (FAWEU) came in to give her hope. Mirembe eventually reached Makerere University, something she describes as a dream come true.
Mirembe’s exodus
When her father, Samuel Kanakulya, passed away in 1992, Mirembe the only girl among five children, had no one to turn to since their mother had left their father long before his death.
One of her aunts offered to stay with her at her home in Entebbe (although for a short time) but Mirembe’s hopes of ever going back to school were dim as her aunt had no money. She was eventually taken to Mweyogereze Orphanage Centre Entebbe, where she got some formal education. “We were taught Luganda and a bit of English, drama and crafts,†she recalls.
But Mirembe’s turning point was when Agnes Biryahwaho, the director of Early Learning Centre, Entebbe, visited the orphanage and requested the administration for three girls to take to her school and give them free education. Because Mirembe was disciplined, she was among those who were chosen for the scholarship. “I was too old for P.1 so I started in P.5. I made friends with teachers of the lower classes who helped me catch up on what I had missed,†she says.
Mirembe scored Aggregate 5 in her PLE and was admitted to Gayaza High School. However, if it was not for parents of Early Learning Centre to pay her school fees for first term, Mirembe would not have even stepped in her new school. Fortunately in her S.1 second term, Biryahwaho’s application for Mirembe to become a beneficiary of FAWEU was successful.
“I just cannot imagine what would have happened if FAWEU had not come to my rescue,†she says.
Biryahwaho’s impact
Before sitting for PLE, Mirembe’s aunt (with whom she stayed) chased her out of her home for unclear reasons but Biryahwaho welcomed her with open hands, letting her stay with school workers. “She gave me a blanket and I slept on a bare mat up to S.3. I was grateful to her for her generosity. What mattered was a roof over my head while I struggled with books,†Mirembe explains.
Biryahwaho later contacted a friend, Margaret Kabagenyi, who took Mirembe to her home from S.3-S.6 and treated her like her own child.
Saviour for the girls
FAWE is an NGO that was started by five African women ministers — Simone de Comarmond (Seychelles), Dr Fay Chung (Zimbabwe), Paullete Moussavo-Missambo (Gabon), Alice Tiendrebeugo (Burkina Faso) and Vida Yeboah (RIP) of Ghana in 1993.
FAWE set out to lift brilliant but financially constrained girls from the state of hopelessness. In February 1997, FAWE Uganda Chapter was born under the joint effort of the education ministry, Makerere University, civil society organisations and people committed to the education of the girl-child.
“Many girls were unable to continue with their education because there was no proper hygiene and sanitation to cater for their special biological needs,†says Martha Muhwezi, the FAWE national coordinator.
During her S.6 vacation, Mirembe taught at a school in Nsangi, where she was paid sh7,000 per day and was supposed to teach four days in a week. She says Florence Kanyike, her mentor, kept reminding her that engaging in love relationships while at school would ruin her future.
“Some boys used to approach me but I had already set my goal of achieving the best in education before any relationships. Indeed it is what has brought me this far,†she said during the FAWE girls education week.
Mirembe scored 22 points at A’ Level from Gayaza High School but did not qualify for government sponsorship. This again left her in a dilemma because FAWE’s sponsorship stopped at A’ level.
Fortunately, KEN PROJECT, one of the funders of FAWE, took her up. The project now foots her tuition, hostel fees and upkeep at Makerere University. She is among the four students FAWE is sponsoring at university level.
According to Muhwezi, FAWE has sponsored over 4,000 girls since it opened its doors in Uganda. She adds that 384 students have completed university and tertiary education while 1,442 are now in secondary school. However, all sponsorship stops at A’level.
Currently there are 561 students in universities and tertiary institutions (but most of them meet their tuition) while 1,039 are facing difficulties in accessing higher education. Of these, 722 attained university entry points but were not admitted under government sponsorship while 250 students have joined tertiary institutions on private sponsorship. On the other hand, 67 of them did not qualify for university while 165 girls dropped out of school for various reasons such as pregnancy.
Recently, FAWEU launched a higher girl’s education sponsorship programme which will cater for about 200 girls in university and tertiary institutions.
Rose Izizinga, the FAWE chairperson, says the programme will bail out many girls in Mirembe’s situation. “Fawe’s mandate is to ensure that women are an integral part of the national intellectual resource base through the support and effort of the Government to bridge the gender gap in the education sector,†Izizinga says.
She adds that through its higher education sponsorship programme, FAWE’s aims to support girls who have failed to go beyond A’ Level due to financial constraints.
Initially, FAWE did not have the tertiary education component because they assumed that the girls they supported at secondary school would benefit from government sponsorship in public universities and tertiary institutions.
“With the tight competition for government sponsorship, FAWE deemed it fit to introduce the programme to help these girls attain their dreams,†Muhwezi concludes.
PRODUCTS OF FAWE According to Muhwezi, FAWE has sponsored over 4,000 girls since it opened its doors in Uganda. She adds that 384 students have completed university and tertiary education while 1,442 are now in secondary school. However, all sponsorship stops at A’level.
Currently there are 561 students in universities and tertiary institutions (but most of them meet their tuition) while 1,039 are facing difficulties in accessing higher education. Of these, 722 attained university entry points but were not admitted under government sponsorship while 250 students have joined tertiary institutions on private sponsorship.
On the other hand, 67 of them did not qualify for university while 165 girls dropped out of school for various reasons such as pregnancy.
FAVOUR Mirembe had never been to a formal school, and when an opportunity came by, she was too old to join P.1. She was, therefore, put in P.5 where she worked hard to excel. After three years of hard work, Mirembe emerged the best pupil in her school, with Aggregate 5 in the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE).
Unfortunately, she had no money to continue with her studies until Forum for African Women Educationalists Uganda Chapter (FAWEU) came in to give her hope. Mirembe eventually reached Makerere University, something she describes as a dream come true.
Mirembe’s exodus
When her father, Samuel Kanakulya, passed away in 1992, Mirembe the only girl among five children, had no one to turn to since their mother had left their father long before his death.
One of her aunts offered to stay with her at her home in Entebbe (although for a short time) but Mirembe’s hopes of ever going back to school were dim as her aunt had no money. She was eventually taken to Mweyogereze Orphanage Centre Entebbe, where she got some formal education. “We were taught Luganda and a bit of English, drama and crafts,†she recalls.
But Mirembe’s turning point was when Agnes Biryahwaho, the director of Early Learning Centre, Entebbe, visited the orphanage and requested the administration for three girls to take to her school and give them free education. Because Mirembe was disciplined, she was among those who were chosen for the scholarship. “I was too old for P.1 so I started in P.5. I made friends with teachers of the lower classes who helped me catch up on what I had missed,†she says.
Mirembe scored Aggregate 5 in her PLE and was admitted to Gayaza High School. However, if it was not for parents of Early Learning Centre to pay her school fees for first term, Mirembe would not have even stepped in her new school. Fortunately in her S.1 second term, Biryahwaho’s application for Mirembe to become a beneficiary of FAWEU was successful.
“I just cannot imagine what would have happened if FAWEU had not come to my rescue,†she says.
Biryahwaho’s impact
Before sitting for PLE, Mirembe’s aunt (with whom she stayed) chased her out of her home for unclear reasons but Biryahwaho welcomed her with open hands, letting her stay with school workers. “She gave me a blanket and I slept on a bare mat up to S.3. I was grateful to her for her generosity. What mattered was a roof over my head while I struggled with books,†Mirembe explains.
Biryahwaho later contacted a friend, Margaret Kabagenyi, who took Mirembe to her home from S.3-S.6 and treated her like her own child.
Saviour for the girls
FAWE is an NGO that was started by five African women ministers — Simone de Comarmond (Seychelles), Dr Fay Chung (Zimbabwe), Paullete Moussavo-Missambo (Gabon), Alice Tiendrebeugo (Burkina Faso) and Vida Yeboah (RIP) of Ghana in 1993.
FAWE set out to lift brilliant but financially constrained girls from the state of hopelessness. In February 1997, FAWE Uganda Chapter was born under the joint effort of the education ministry, Makerere University, civil society organisations and people committed to the education of the girl-child.
“Many girls were unable to continue with their education because there was no proper hygiene and sanitation to cater for their special biological needs,†says Martha Muhwezi, the FAWE national coordinator.
During her S.6 vacation, Mirembe taught at a school in Nsangi, where she was paid sh7,000 per day and was supposed to teach four days in a week. She says Florence Kanyike, her mentor, kept reminding her that engaging in love relationships while at school would ruin her future.
“Some boys used to approach me but I had already set my goal of achieving the best in education before any relationships. Indeed it is what has brought me this far,†she said during the FAWE girls education week.
Mirembe scored 22 points at A’ Level from Gayaza High School but did not qualify for government sponsorship. This again left her in a dilemma because FAWE’s sponsorship stopped at A’ level.
Fortunately, KEN PROJECT, one of the funders of FAWE, took her up. The project now foots her tuition, hostel fees and upkeep at Makerere University. She is among the four students FAWE is sponsoring at university level.
According to Muhwezi, FAWE has sponsored over 4,000 girls since it opened its doors in Uganda. She adds that 384 students have completed university and tertiary education while 1,442 are now in secondary school. However, all sponsorship stops at A’level.
Currently there are 561 students in universities and tertiary institutions (but most of them meet their tuition) while 1,039 are facing difficulties in accessing higher education. Of these, 722 attained university entry points but were not admitted under government sponsorship while 250 students have joined tertiary institutions on private sponsorship. On the other hand, 67 of them did not qualify for university while 165 girls dropped out of school for various reasons such as pregnancy.
Recently, FAWEU launched a higher girl’s education sponsorship programme which will cater for about 200 girls in university and tertiary institutions.
Rose Izizinga, the FAWE chairperson, says the programme will bail out many girls in Mirembe’s situation. “Fawe’s mandate is to ensure that women are an integral part of the national intellectual resource base through the support and effort of the Government to bridge the gender gap in the education sector,†Izizinga says.
She adds that through its higher education sponsorship programme, FAWE’s aims to support girls who have failed to go beyond A’ Level due to financial constraints.
Initially, FAWE did not have the tertiary education component because they assumed that the girls they supported at secondary school would benefit from government sponsorship in public universities and tertiary institutions.
“With the tight competition for government sponsorship, FAWE deemed it fit to introduce the programme to help these girls attain their dreams,†Muhwezi concludes.
PRODUCTS OF FAWE According to Muhwezi, FAWE has sponsored over 4,000 girls since it opened its doors in Uganda. She adds that 384 students have completed university and tertiary education while 1,442 are now in secondary school. However, all sponsorship stops at A’level.
Currently there are 561 students in universities and tertiary institutions (but most of them meet their tuition) while 1,039 are facing difficulties in accessing higher education. Of these, 722 attained university entry points but were not admitted under government sponsorship while 250 students have joined tertiary institutions on private sponsorship.
On the other hand, 67 of them did not qualify for university while 165 girls dropped out of school for various reasons such as pregnancy.