Meet Emily, an inspiring student and mother

A day in my life

Being a VSO volunteer takes a lot of passion and commitment. I work with 15 schools, and my days can be busy and long, but I wouldn’t change a thing!

Here’s what a typical day might look like…

5:30am I wake early on my VSO days and have a cup of tea and kikomando (chapati and beans) for breakfast before getting prepared for the day ahead.

8:00am After a long motorbike journey (over 100km on small roads and dirt tracks!), I finally arrive at my first school of the day and say hello to the students and teachers.

2:00PM After a quick lunch, it’s over to another school to run a training workshop on engaging learning methods. I help teachers encourage all students to take part, discover their talents and find joy in learning.

4:00PM I end the day with one of my favourite activities, helping schools plant trees and set up kitchen gardens that provide nutritious food as well as a practical learning.

6:00PM I head home to review my notes from the day before relaxing for the rest of the evening.

Where my passion comes from 

I’ve seen this in my own family. My mother and father were both illiterate and never went to school. I am one of ten children, and our family’s life was heavily affected by poverty, hunger and unpredictable droughts. My parents simply could not afford to educate all of us. 

I was lucky because my uncle saw my potential and stepped in to support me through secondary school and my teacher training. Without him, I would not be where I am today.

My five sisters sadly did not get that chance. None of them stayed in school, and two became pregnant when they were just 15. I was young and worried for them, but there was nothing I could do. It wasn’t uncommon, but it doesn’t make it right. It fills me with sadness to 
think that my sisters – like so many other young girls in Karamoja – didn’t get a fair chance tom learn and decide their own future.

It is one of the reasons I care so much about being a VSO volunteer. Part of my role is to help teachers feel more confident and able to support children – particularly girls – who have faced tough challenges – such as forced marriage, pregnancy or violence. We talk about how to listen, guide and counsel children safely, while also managing their own stress.

Why your support matters

Sometimes I think how different things might have been if my sisters had had that kind of support around them. I try to help them now that I’m a qualified teacher, but this can’t make up for their lost education. It’s one of the things that motivates me now. I’m so grateful that, with your support, I can help teachers and communities give girls a better chance – to have their education valued, to learn in a safe environment, and to move towards a 
better life. 

One inspiring young woman who experienced this support for herself is Emily. VSO tells me Emily was in the Christmas appeal this year, so you might recognise her already. I’d love to tell her story again, as a reminder of how your support is changing lives here in Uganda.

Emily’s story

Emily’s father died when she was very young, and later her mother migrated to Kenya. She and her siblings were left with their uncle, but he refused to pay any school fees. Emily was determined to learn, and, for a while, her teachers helped her stay in school.

But, when Emily was just 15, her uncle forced her into an early marriage. She became pregnant and was not allowed to go to school. The man she married had another wife, and Emily was forced to do chores and cook for them. Emily told me she used to cry when she saw other girls going to school. It was a heartbreaking situation that no child should go through.

The school staff and I were very concerned that she was not safe at home. One day, Emily’s teacher Elijah and I found out where she was and helped her return to school. With my training and guidance, when Emily came back to school, Elijah was able to encourage her, counsel her, and support her to continue learning while caring for her baby. 

Emily and her son Shedi* are now safely living in the rescue centre that VSO helped set up at the school. She is back learning and understands her rights to education, health and a better future. 

Emily told me this support made a huge difference in her life. She said it helped her to talk openly about her experiences and finally feel free of the burdens she’s carried for so long. Today, Emily is thriving. She wants to become a nurse and hopes that one day she can speak to other girls and their parents, so they understand the value of education.

Emily’s story gives me a lot of hope. It shows how with the right training and support, we can give children a safe and supportive place to learn and prevent them from being left behind. Thank you for making this work possible. Your kindness means so much.