Stories like Eric’s inspire our work, reminding us just why investing in school supplies is so worthwhile.
Eric is the youngest of 11 siblings. While Eric’s father was often absent from his life, splitting his time between two families, his mother was his rock. Eric credits his mom for the hard work she put in to care for their family. She spent most of her days selling textiles in the market, scraping together a living to provide basic needs for her children.
When it came to education however, she couldn’t afford much. Nobody in Eric’s family had ever been to a “nice” school. They could only afford cheaper schools, which usually meant lower academic achievement.
Eric bounced around between different schools growing up, depending on what was the most affordable option at the time. In Primary 5 (5th grade) he started attending Mukono Boarding School. At the time, Mukono was struggling, not yet the shining example of academic achievement it is today. But all that was about to change. Eric started at Mukono the year before we first partnered with them.
He vividly remembers the first time his school received a shipment of school supplies from Sister Schools. The whole campus was so excited. Eric couldn’t believe all the gifts that came from that shipment. There were pencils, rulers, crayons, books, and even soccer balls!
Holding these tools of education, and knowing that someone thousands of miles away cared enough about his future to provide them for him really inspired Eric to work hard at his studies. Those gifts helped him believe he could build a successful future, even as the youngest of 11 children from a split family with few resources of their own.
With ongoing support from Sister Schools, Eric graduated from Mukono Boarding School with excellent grades, and went on to attend Mulago Medical School. He graduated in 2017 with a diploma in orthopedic medicine, the first in his family to obtain a higher education degree. For the last five years, he’s been working as a pharmaceutical sales representative, success many of his peers can only dream of.
But Eric’s not done yet! During his years with Sister Schools, Eric learned the importance of using your gifts to their full potential. “Anything is possible,” he says, “Use what you’ve been given!” Right now, Eric is using the gift of his current career to save for his next dream: his doctorate of medicine.
Reflecting on his journey, Eric says, “It’s because of Sister Schools that I am what I am today.” Without the academic boost we provided to Eric and his school, he doubts he would have graduated high school, let alone college. We’re so grateful to all the generous donors like you who have played a part in his story and inspired him to thrive!