STORIES IN ENGLISH

None of these women had easy lives. They overcame some incredible challenges. All of them worked hard to finish school and to get important jobs. All girls struggle in school sometimes. Learning is not always easy. Life can be hard. But knowledge can be a powerful force for doing good. Follow these examples of these women to reach your full potential and become the amazing woman that you can be.

Eva Kabwongera

In a village in the Hoima District of Western Uganda, Dr. Eva Kabwongera was

born into a loving family full of children. Sadly, Eva’s father passed away

when she was just nine years old, so her older sister looked after her and her

brothers and sisters. Their mother did what she could to make money to

support the family, but times were not easy for them.

But Eva, determined not to give up, kept going to school. She finished primary and secondary school and studied hard. She made it to the university level, where she earned a degree in medicine and surgery. She later completed her Masters in internal medicine and has post graduate diplomas in public health and financial management. The fees made it difficult for her to receive her education, but by staying with a relative’s family throughout University, she was able to overcome that.

Because she worked hard, she has held important jobs and helped others. She has worked in a hospital and the Ministry of Health in the National Immunization Program making sure people have vaccines they need to stay healthy. Today, she works for UNICEF (The United Nations Children's Fund) in the Child Survival Section as the immunization Focal Person. She has helped thousands and thousands of Ugandans.

Eva now has two grown children of her own. Sadly, her husband passed away several years ago, leaving Eva to look after the children even though she was the only educated person in her immediate family with a well paid job. She now looks after her many family members and has prioritized paying their school fees, particularly for the girls.

Eva wants to encourage all girls to stay in school. If her friends, siblings, and relatives had done so, she thinks her entire village would be much better off. She says, “One important thing girls need to know is to keep in school. At whatever cost.”

Beatrice Nyangoma

Beatrice Nyangoma was born in Kyegegwa District in

Western Uganda. When Beatrice was eleven, her

father died, leaving her mother with five children and

one on the way. With her mother facing many

challenges, Beatrice’s grandfather came to help the

family and took Beatrice to school near Kampala.

Beatrice loved going to school and did well. In Primary

seven, she could no longer afford the school fees. She frequently switched schools because she couldn’t pay tuition. Since Beatrice was such an enthusiastic and hardworking student, some teachers allowed her to stay in school for a bit of time, though usually not long. She studied in many schools at the same time, studying different things at each school.

While Beatrice was in school, all three of her sisters dropped out as teens because of pregnancy. Her only brother died of a rare cancer that affects children. Beatrice was determined to do whatever it took to change her family’s storyline. She knew school was the way to do that.

Even though she had to wake up early and return home late, she knew how important it was for her to receive her education. It was very difficult for Beatrice to go through school without any resources, still having to complete her chores, and feeling like no one else understood what she was going through. However, through her determination, she stayed in school and did very well. She went on to earn a bachelor's degree in Mass Communication from Makerere University.

Beatrice is now a journalist and works as the communications officer at Coalition for Health Promotion and Social Development (HEPS-Uganda). The organization advocates for equal access for medicine for vulnerable groups in Uganda. She wants to get her Masters degree. She wants every girl to know that they can finish school if they are determined and believe in themselves, just as she did.

Dorca Inzikuru

Dorca was born in Vurra, in Arua District. Her father was a priest and both

her parents were very talented athletes. They had eight children, and

Dorca was their third born. Sadly, her two older brothers died at fairly

young ages. Dorca became the oldest living sibling in her family.

Dorca loves to run and became a track and field athlete. Her family did not

have money to afford running shoes, so she competed barefoot at her

school meets. She kept winning. In 2003, she competed in the Afro-Asian

Games and won third place in her race! This was very impressive, but Dorca wasn’t satisfied.

Two years later, Dorca competed in the World Championships and won the gold medal. She ran one of the fastest times ever recorded! She won money, and used it to build a house to help other young athletes.

Dorca decided to take some time off running when she had her first child and was sick for a while. But, a few years later, she came back to her running career. She ran in a small race and won, so she decided to go back to big races.

She worked so hard and ran so fast that she qualified for the Olympic Games! She didn’t win, but knew it was a great accomplishment to represent Uganda on the world stage.

Then she decided to run marathons instead of running short distances. She didn’t break the Ugandan record like she wanted to, but she knew it was okay because she already broke so many records and always worked very hard.

After she finished competing, she went back to school and earned a degree in Business Administration from Ndejje University. She said that it while it took some time, she was glad she did not leave education. She felt “overjoyed” at getting her degree.

Jamila Lunkuse

On New Year’s Day in 1997, Jamila was born in Mengo, Uganda.

No one knew then that she would become a talented swimmer,

but that’s what she grew up to be.

When she was a teenager, Jamila combined swimming and

education when she received a scholarship to attend Plymouth

College, a boarding school in Great Britain, where she swam on

the swim team. Jamila says the time she spent there were the best years of her life. She became both a better swimmer and better student.

When the swimming championships were held in Zambia, Jamila won seven gold medals and one silver medal, setting all time records too! She was awarded the Rwenzori Uganda Sports Press Association Sportsman of the Month because of her wonderful achievements.

She competed in both the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil representing Uganda.

After this, Jamila decided to continue her education because she knew how important school was for her success, even after everything she already accomplished. She decided to attend the University of Brighton to study business and marketing and recently graduated.

Eva Baguma

Eva Baguma’s parents are from Western Uganda, but they moved

to Kampala for school and decided to stay and raise their family

there. Her mother worked as a nurse and her father worked as an

accountant.

Eva was born just after the start of the 1979 Liberation War (also

known as the Kegera War), a violent conflict between Uganda and Tanzania which led to the Ugandan Bush War. Growing up, she was surrounded by danger and lived in constant fear because of the war around her. Luckily, Kampala was far enough from the fighting that Eva and her five siblings were able to keep attending school. However, there were still frequent breakouts of gun fire close to her home, which would mean her school was often closed for days at a time. The school became very crowded and Eva found learning challenging, but she did not give up.

She went to university and got a degree in tourism. She changed jobs many times before finding one she loves. She earned a Master’s Degree and is now Heard of Programmes for Montrose managing the delivery of food security programs in Northern Uganda.

Eva tells girls to embrace who they are. She says growing girls should accept and embrace that their body will change. She says that they should not let those changes impact their education. Girls should focus on school while they’re growing up. She also encourages girls to read as much as they can and ask many questions.

Emily Cheptoek

In Kapchorwa District in the Eastern Region of Uganda, Emily Cheptoek was

raised in a family that she says had a humble background.

Emily was the youngest of seven children and attended a village school for her

primary education. Unfortunately, her father died when Emily was in the fifth

class, leaving her mother alone to keep her children in school. Her mother

worked many jobs to pay her children’s school fees. Luckily, her mother was able

to afford an education for all her children.

After Emily finished sixth grade, she was admitted to nursing school to be a midwife. Her mother could not afford this additional cost. Emily got married with the promise that her spouse would pay for Emily’s school, which he did. It was difficult for Emily to handle the responsibilities of being both a wife and a student at the same time, but she worked hard to do well at both of those oles. She soon became a mother too, a new important role in her life that required time and dedication.

Her first job was at a district hospital near her home. She worked there for six years before going back to school to get a degree to be a nurse. After her hard work, she became the senior Nurse/Midwife at the Ministry of Health Uganda Administration Level. She also is a mother of four. Handling both her family life and her educational was not easy, but she was able to succeed.

Emily wants other girls to know that life is not easy or smooth, but that is okay. Problems with school will happen, but if you handle them with patience and respect and accept yourself, you can overcome many things.

68547549_2392934354158222_69863924845657