Recently, one of the students from Invisible Children’s Legacy Scholarship Program earned the top score at her school in national exams. Her journey to success has not been easy, but she has shown a commitment to her education despite all odds. She recently wrote to share her story with us.
I am Jackline, 20 years old and a beneficiary of the Legacy Scholarship Program.
In 2005, I took my exams for graduation from primary school. I had expected to score well, but instead got a much lower score. The reason I did not perform well was because I had just lost my mother and I had a lot of things on my mind. I was the one heading my family, and because of financial problems I dropped out of school. But still I did not give up. Eventually, one of my uncles volunteered to support me. I joined the term late, but I was able to catch up with the rest of the class and got 1st position in class.
A UK-based charity began to support me and my studies went on smoothly. Unfortunately, when I reached my fourth year of secondary school, I lost my grandmother. She was the one looking after my siblings, and her death affected my concentration on my studies. My class performance was again much lower than I had hoped for after all my hard work.
The next year I worked so hard that I emerged as the best student in class for my first two terms. Unfortunately, in third term, I got a serious health problem; my legs got so swollen that sometimes I was unable to walk. I was in and out of school while trying to get the right medication. Because of the frequent absences, I lost my scholarship and had to drop out of school temporarily.
My desperation was short-lived, however, because Invisible Children gave me a scholarship. Although I went to school late in the term, I was very committed to my studies. At the end of the year my dedication paid off when I took the UACE (Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education) exam and emerged as the top student at my school.
I attribute my good performance to the seminars, guidance and counseling organized by Invisible Children and our mentors. I am very grateful to Invisible Children and may God bless them.
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