Sponsored Students

Rosette Ayikoru

Date of birth: 9/25/93

I lost my mother in 2006. I was at school when I found out that she had died. She died of AIDS. And my father died in the war when I was much younger. Before coming to St. Mary Kevin, I lived in Kitiko with my grandfather. He is still alive and is my guardian. I came to SMK for music and dancing. I stay here during the holidays and I board at school. I don’t get to see my grandfather that often. I love St. Mary Kevin. It is a place where I can be very happy. I am especially happy when I am with the other orphans. I love Mama Rosemary and the other kids. My family is all of us here at SMK. When I grow up I want to be a lawyer for young children. And I hope to run my own orphanage one day, so I can help kids in need just like Mama Rosemary helped me.

• Talents: Dancing, singing, and netball
• Future goals: a lawyer for young children. And wants to run her own orphanage one day

Sheila Kirungi

Date of birth: 8/23/95

My family is very complicated. When I was younger, I lived with my mother. She had always told me that my father had died when I was very young. Growing up, my uncle would always come over to spend time with me and play with me. We had a really good relationship. He died when I was seven years old. Then when I was ten, my mother died from heart disease. Losing my mother was hard for me. I loved my mother. I lived with my mother’s sister for a while after my mother died. We are very close and she is the person I trust most in the world. But after a while it was hard for my aunt to care for all of my siblings and me because we were such a big family. So, I went to live with my cousins and their mother. Their mother arranged for me to come live at St. Mary Kevin.

Just recently, my aunt, who I trust very much, told me that my uncle was actually my father, not my uncle. This information was very hurtful because all along I thought that he was my uncle. I think all my relatives knew that he was my father, but they never wanted to tell me, including my mother. Growing up, people always told me that I resembled my uncle, even though I am black and he was Indian. Now it will be very hard to ever know the real truth because my mother is dead. This confusion makes me unhappy.

Had I not come to St. Mary Kevin, my life would have been really different. I now live with my fellow students and they make me happy. We converse with each other and we talk about our stories. I now know that I am not the only one with problems like this. My fellow students and Rosemary make me happy. Rosemary brought me here and takes care of me. She makes me proud. Rosemary treats me like her own daughter and loves me. She is really special to me. My Change the Truth sponsor, Judy, is also like a mother to me.

One day I hope to help others with heart problems because I wish someone could have helped my mother.

• Talents: Singing
• Future goals: doctor (specifically a cardiologist)
• Inspirations: God, making my brothers proud

Catherine Nanziri

Date of birth: 12/14/94

Before my life at St. Mary Kevin, I lived in northern Uganda with both of my parents and all of my siblings. During the Northern War, the rebels attacked my village. Many people died. My family and I were in our house when the rebels came. Our house had a front and back door. The rebels came in through the front door and shot and killed both of my parents and some of my siblings. Five of my siblings and I were able to escape through the back door. We ran and ran until we were safe. When our parents were killed we had to shift from there to look for help. We went to go live with my aunt. My aunt found Rosemary and arranged for me to live at St. Mary Kevin. Rosemary promised her that she would take care of me. My aunt later died of malaria in a hospital. If I hadn’t come to SMK my life would have been very difficult. At St. Mary Kevin, the kids, Mama Rosemary and Joseph make my family. Mama Rosemary is my inspiration.

• Talents: Netball, reading novels and caring for the other children
• Future goals: become an eye doctor or optician

Samuel Omoding

Date of birth: 1/1/95

I came to SMK because I wanted help. I wasn’t going to school and I knew I could go to school here. A football coach, Michael, brought me here. Change the Truth supports me. I want to study and have a better life so I can help my sisters. I want to become an aerospace engineer and build airplanes. My favorite subjects are math, physics and chemistry.

My father was killed by rebels. I don’t remember when. My mother lives in our village and sells alcohol. I have two sisters and one brother.

• Talents: football, acrobatics, yoga
• Future goals: to be an aerospace engineer
• Inspiration: my friends at SMK who I study with

Nicholas Opio

Date of birth: 12/28/95

My mother and father were killed a long time ago in the war in northern Uganda. I arrived at SMK in 2005. I have two sisters: Petra and Issy.

My uncle brought me and Issy to SMK. Petra came last year. We had lived with an aunt in a safe part of the North. Our aunt needed help with our school fees. I stay here because I want to study. I want to be an artist and sell my work. I want to do business all over the world and become famous. I study art — painting of human figures and animals.

• Talents: dancing, playing basketball and football, reading novels
• Future goals: to be a famous artist
• Inspiration: I believe in myself that I can make it. I see people in poor conditions that have become good people, and I want to do the same. President Obama inspires me. My aunties and uncles inspire me. They had a poor mother, but they are now living a happy life. Even before my father was killed, he was a traveler, a bus driver to other countries. He worked hard and had a happy life.

Henry Ssemanda

Date of birth: 6/25/92

After my parents died of disease, I went to live with my uncle, and my sister went to go live with a nice lady. My uncle brought me to his priest. When I was six, my uncle died. Having nowhere else to go, I had to live on the streets. Life on the streets was very difficult and getting food was a struggle. I would search for food in the garbage. At night, I would sleep on the street. After living on the streets for one year, Rosemary found me and took me in at St. Mary Kevin. I feel good here because I get food, shelter, school fees and clothing. I feel at home. They take are of us. I really thank Mama Rosemary and Change the Truth for all that they do for us. Change the Truth has helped us with so much. We have gotten new beds, blankets, and mosquito nets. After the way I have suffered, I feel better when I am here at SMK. When I am here I work hard so that I will have a bright future and to set a good example for the younger kids. And Mama Gloria works hard so that my bright future will happen. I sometimes get to see my sister, but we both work so hard that it is difficult to get together. I have no other living family members. St. Mary Kevin is my home and the people here are my family.

• Talents: Football and singing
• Future goals: to become an electrician

Billy Bonny Tumusiime

Date of birth: 7/31/92

My father was a great man and a good father. He always provided for our family. I have many fond memories of him teaching me football and playing football with my brother and me. He always made time for us. My father was an engineer. He died in an automobile accident returning home from work one day. We were neighbors with Rosemary. She agreed to help out my mom by allowing my sister, Claire Faith, and me to come and stay at SMK to study. I am so proud of my mom. She is the best mother. She works very hard, so very hard. She works from the time the sun comes up until it goes down again at the restaurant near our home. When I am on holiday, I stay part of the time at SMK and the other part I get to stay with her. I love being with my mother, siblings, and cousins. We don’t have much to enjoy, but we enjoy being with each other. The people at SMK are my family too. Guys like Henry and Saka and all the Big Boys are like my brothers.

• Talents: Football, basketball, music, dancing
• Future goals: Accountant (subject combination: math, accounting, art, history, geography)
• Inspirations: CTT (I want them to be proud of me), my mother
• Place I cherish: church

Isabella Namatoyu

Date of birth: 8/14/89

We were living with our mother and father when my father got sick. He had intestinal problems and stomach ulcers. He couldn’t eat because of them. He had to go to the hospital. And after two days they told us that our father was dead. After that we still stayed with our mother. Then she got sick with malaria. When she got sick, we had an aunt who took us to the hospital to see her. My mother soon died in the hospital. We then stayed with our aunt for a long time. She eventually brought us to St. Mary Kevin so that we could be better cared for. We were told some time later that she had also died. I don’t know what ever happened to her.

Our lives have not been difficult since coming to St. Mary Kevin. We have Mama Rosemary, Change the Truth and many others to care for us. Mama Rosemary is like our mother.

• Talents: Music and art (painting)
• Future goals: Doctor (stomach doctor)
• Inspirations: my friends

Caleb Tusingwire

Date of birth: 10/10/97

Caleb arrived at SMK in 2007 to attend Primary 4. His mother heard of the supportive services provided by SMK. Caleb does not know the location of his father, and his mother died in January 2011 after a prolonged illness (Caleb does not what illness she had). His currently guardian is his uncle, who lives in Kawala. Caleb has 3 siblings, an older sister (Faith who is 18 year), a younger sister (Shine who is 10 years and attend SMK), and a younger brother (Mesearch who is 11 years and attends SMK). Caleb’s interest includes football and art. Through the course of his studies, Caleb aspires to be a doctor.