Needy Mukwana gets 5 in PLE, wants to join Budo

Though his parents both lived, life was not a rollercoaster ride for Kevin Mukwana.

He had to wake up every day to first go to the garden to dig before going to school. Whenever the planting and harvesting time reached, Mukwana and his siblings would have to forego school until the exercise was finished.

"And many a time during the course of the term, my studies would be interrupted by sending me back home for fees. I was literally not studying," he says.     

It was until 2007 while in Primary Three (P.3) that Mukwana got a new lease of life. He, together with 26 other needy children from around the country, was taken on by Bishop Lawrence Wooten of African Orphanage Ministry - a charity organisation that takes care of needy children.  

Last year, Mukwana sat his Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) at St Lawrence Primary School Kabowa and when the National Examinations Board (UNEB) released the PLE results last Tuesday, Mukwana had got aggregate 5.

"While still studying in Busano Village in Mbale, I could neither speak English nor express myself well.

"I could not also read. If I had not come to Kampala, I would have been a school drop-out by now," said the ecstatic yet shy Mukwana, adding: "I am very thankful to my sponsors for giving me an opportunity that guarantees me a better future. May God reward you abundantly."

Mukwana wants to join Kings College Budo, one of the most prestigious schools in the country, though he is not sure of his source of funding for his secondary education.

According to Lady Justice Pr. Margaret Mutonyi, Mukwana's caretaker in Uganda, Mukwana and co are sponsored by Bishop Lawrence and Shirley Wooten of Church Of God In Christ [COGIC] in St Louis Missouri plus other well-wishers in the US.

How it all started

Justice Mutonyi says that when Shirley Wooten first came to Uganda in 2007, she exhibited a lot of love and passion for Uganda and her children.

"She wanted to help children and we shared with her the idea of helping needy children. At first, she wanted to open up an orphanage but we realized it was very expensive. It was then that we zeroed on sponsoring their education."

Currently, 27 children are under Justice Mutonyi's tutelage, with some in secondary school and others in primary.

Charity Nyamungu, one of the volunteers at Bishop Lawrence Wooten African Orphanage ministry, says all the primary school children are in one school - St Lawrence Junior School, Kabowa - while those in secondary school are attending different schools, including Seeta High School, Makerere College School, Mengo SS, and others.

Justice Mutonyi calls on well-wishers both local and international to come on board and help fund the education of these bright children.

"We welcome any support in any way, be it clothes, scholastic materials, finances and anything else that may help these children attain their education. There are so many bright children out there who are rotting from rural poor schools yet they can actually have a better future if given a helping hand.

"We need more help so that we can add on more children," she says.

On her part, Nyamungu says that although they picked these children randomly from around the country, the group has gone on to show that there are many bright children who just need a good education to exhibit their brilliance.

"All these children have been getting super first grades and we have a lot of hope in them."