What’s happening behind the bright eyes of an 8-year-old girl? She has her Raising Up Hope for Uganda (RUHU) uniform on. It has been recently pressed. Her face is clean, her skin shines. Her shoes are worn down but well cared for. She arrives at the RUHU Primary School by 7:30. She has walked 30 minutes under a brightening sky, carrying a backpack she inherited from a friend who no longer needs it. Ripped, it still holds the few notebooks she can afford.
Her mom is proud to send her to a school they can afford. A school with uniforms and expectations. Her mom recently attended the parent–teacher conferences, where she learned about her daughter’s progress. The older students were required to retake their school exams because the teachers were not satisfied with their scores. Try again. She’s glad to have a school that feels its reputation is on the line with every student’s results.
Behind the eyes of this 8-year-old is an entire world. She has hopes and dreams that are still being shaped. She is learning how to read and write, skills RUHU will give her for the rest of her life. She is one of the 200+ kids at the RUHU Primary School; each of them with bright eyes waiting to tell a story.
The very first thing I ever did at RUHU was teach the primary kids. Back in 2010, there was no school. There were simple English lessons on the porch. But Patrick and William took turns teaching, and volunteers filtered in and out, making some kind of education possible.
Beautiful Response began with primary education. “Get the kids in school, we thought,” “we’ll figure the rest out later.” Today, there are brightly painted classrooms and paid teachers, a seamstress, cooks, security, and a kitchen that needs to be renovated so the smoke doesn’t float into the Year 3 class. They still need more scholastic materials and uniforms for their soccer team.
I’m proud to serve a group of teachers who care deeply about the quality of the education they are providing. The girl behind those eyes deserves the best education we can provide. Thank you for helping us on the journey.
Peace, Caleb
