Charity Registration Number 1179986
Some of our LIU Alumni have chosen to share their stories of their life and the impact that their 3H scholarship has had on their future.
HILDA'S STORY
My name is Ayango Hilda and I grew up under the care of my grandparents, along with my three siblings.
Growing up we did not have enough to eat, we would sometimes eat only one meal a day or even no meal at all. My siblings and I would go and dig in peoples' gardens to get some money to sustain us. I also worked as a house help to to attain some of our basic needs, especially food, clothing and education.
I put myself through secondary education by working as a house help to get money for school fees. This affected me in so many ways as a child and balancing work, studies and a social life was not easy for me.
I remember when I was in S6, I was always being sent home for school fees, yet my friends were in class studying. In my final year, most of the students were boarding, but I had to live outside the school as I could not afford the boarding fees. That year was the most difficult for me, as I had to put so much concentration into passing my final exams.
My sponsorship with 3H has benefitted me in so many ways. From the time I joined the university, to the time I completed my studies, I have not had to worry about financial challenges which would have led to academic failure. Everything I needed was paid for through the sponsorship, including a laptop, which was vital for my studies, but something I could not afford without help.
Without the sponsorship from 3H, I probably would have got into early marriage.
The sponsorship meant there was always someone making sure I was ok and that I am doing well. They supported me through illness and some difficult situations.
I will forever be grateful to my sponsors for all their financial support rendered to me ensuring that I completed by studies at the university successfully.
The sponsorship from 3H helped me to complete my academic journey at a degree holder level at LIU.
It also helped me not to give up on my education and to avoid early marriage.
It gave me hope for a better future, that I would work hard and improve the lives of my family and those around me.
My degree has given me the skills I needed to start my own small business and to take care of myself.
Thank you all, much love!
Hilda
PHILLIP'S STORY
I am Phillip Dhieu, one of the first students who were sponsored by 3H to attend university. I had a dream about a brighter future because of difficulties I used to meet, which meant that university study seemed impossible.
I went to Uganda due to conflict in South Sudan in 2013 to find peace. I had to register as a migrant with the UNHCR, before adjusting to my new home.
Before I entered the sponsorship program, my living situation was not very good and I almost missed my chance at university. I passed my end of secondary school exams, but my family were financially broke. I could not sleep at night, worrying about my future.
I was accepted for sponsorship with 3H, which allowed me to join LIU. From that time, my whole life changed as I knew I did not need to worry about school fees anymore. The sponsorship program has played a vital role in my life today and for my family, who were unable to solve the all of the problems that I met in my academic life.
I really appreciate the financial support and their commitment towards my brighter future, which geared me to emphasize my academics and has resulted in a successful career.
The support I received from 3H changed my standard of living and made me who I am today. I completed my Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology at LIU and am now working as an engineer in the telecommunication industry.
Lastly, my occupation has allowed me to be self reliant rather than living off of family and friends. My message to other vulnerable children is to look for opportunities for sponsorship and support. To my sponsors, I was to assure you that your support is meaningful and contributes a lot to the needy and I encourage you to keep sponsoring those in need.
SYLVIA'S STORY
My name is Sylvia Mutonyi from Bukhatoko village in Mbale.
My life before joining Livingstone International University was hard and miserable. Growing up, my mother was left with five children on her own after my father became mentally unstable.
When our mother died shortly afterwards, my three eldest sisters were forced to marry young. I told myself I would not get married before finishing my studies. My younger sister Lydia and I ended up living with our aunt, who would leave us home alone. My sister has a mental disability which means she will need to be looked after for the rest of her life, but I was the only person in our family willing to do this.
After I received the scholarship from 3H to join LIU, life became good and more enjoyable as I didn't have to worry about school fees, meals or accommodation. I was able to get help to send my sister to a specialist school, where she could board while I was at LIU.
After finishing my first year at LIU, my aunt chased my sister and I out of her house, where we used to stay during school holidays.
I had to find places for us to stay in the holidays until I finished my studies and was able to find a place of our own. Now I live in my own house with Lydia, my son Paul and my niece Sandra.
My sincere appreciation goes to 3H, who came into my life and changed my story. They put a smile on my face and I don't know where I would be now without them. They are like my family.
Through 3H, peoples lives can be changed, especially children who are needy and disabled. Just from gaining a basic education, your life can be changed.
PRISCILLA'S STORY
I am Amoding Matyanga Priscilla. I grew up in a village where whispers carried weight, where people looked at my family with pity or worse, with ridicule. My mother, a woman of strength beyond measure, did everything she could to keep us afloat.
She took loan after loan, believing, hoping that one day things would get better. But with every loan came another burden, another sleepless night, another set of voices in the village saying, they will never make it.
Then everything changed.
The day my father passed away, our world shattered. His absence left a void, not just in our hearts, but in our lives. We were helpless, six children - five girls and one little boy - left in the hands of a single mother who suddenly had to bear it all. She became both mother and father, shouldering the weight of our survival.
With no steady income, she turned to the only work she could find, working on peoples farms for wages that were barely enough to feed us. Under the scorching sun, she toiled in fields that weren't ours, breaking her back so that we could have a meal, so that we could live. Many nights we went to bed hungry and many mornings we woke up not knowing where the next meal was coming from. My mother still has back problems today.
As we struggled, the world around us was not kind. Being five girls in a poor home meant that we were seen as nothing more than wives-in-waiting. Men, some older than our own father, came to our home with their promises, offering to take us as brides, as if marriage was our only escape.
Some saw our hunger and wanted to trade food for our dignity. My mother, despite all her struggles, stood firm. She refused to sell her daughters to fate.
But not everyone understood her strength. Even our own aunties mocked us. They even told us to our faces, calling us prostitutes simply because we were girls and too poor to afford an education. In their eyes, a girl without school fees had only one future; to become someone's wife.
I remember hearing them laugh, saying, "What else can they do? Their mother is too poor to send them to school. They will end up prostitutes."
Their words stung, but they did not break us.
Then, just when I thought all hope was slipping away, 3H came into my life. They didn't just give me an education, they gave me a future. They lifted my family up when we had nothing left. Because of them, I walked through the gates of Livingstone International University, a place I had only ever heard of in passing. A place I never imagined I would belong.
But I did.
And now? Now I give back. I work with Wise Choices for Life Uganda, reaching out to young mothers, widows and the youth, people like me who just need someone to believe in them.
I stand before them as proof that no matter how dark life seems, no matter how loud the world laughs at you, you can rise. Because I did. And I will keep rising not just for myself, but for every young girl out there who dares to dream.
This is my story. But it is only the beginning for I have hope.
SHORT VIDEO OF PRISCILLA TELLING HER STORY
ZEU'S STORY
My name is Zeu Kanyago, born in a rural village of Mpogo on the slopes of Mt. Elgon in Eastern Uganda. I was one of eight children born to Charles Mukama and his beloved wife Rose Namutosi.
Wana Richard was their first born, followed by Martha Wolayo, Irene Mwati, Barbra Muduwa, myself, then Winnie Namono, Beatrice Naula and lastly, Ben Mulabi.
Uganda is known for its beautiful sceneries, fertile soils and good weather. But despite all these, many young people have vast challenges limiting their enjoyment of these beautiful recitations that label the country the Pearl of Africa. Most people born in rural Uganda have never even had a chance to see the capital, Kampala.
Growing up in such a big family, proved to have been a blessing, knowing that you have the support of each other, yet it still brought stiff competition for resources. Meals were served the African way and apart from the little children, food was served on trays known locally as Olwelo, where everyone ate at the highest speed to get enough for the day. Getting enough food each day depended on how fast you could eat and how well you could deal with hot food. Sometimes by the time my mother had finished serving, it was all gone. It was wise for her to keep something aside before serving everyone else!
There are still many children starving and malnourished in communities today. It's not only starvation that is a problem, but long journeys to school, to the hospital or even to fetch water for the home.
When I began school, I went to a local school. But when I moved on to secondary school, that brought with it adventures of youthfulness, vulnerability, long journeys and starvation. Unaware of what was ahead, the long road wasn't only a challenge but left many young girls who could not afford transportation vulnerable. I was coming home at 7pm, having eaten nothing the whole day, having to do house chores, fetch water, get grass for the cow, cooking and finally having my only meal of the day. This was my routine for four years of high school before my life was disrupted by a wrong decision.
Getting pregnant as a teenager was not a decision I though I would be faced with. But a lack of understanding about sex education leaves young girls vulnerable to boys or even older men, who seek to take advantage and to intentionally impregnate them. My pregnancy was normal, but no day went well. I suffered the stigmatization from my peers in class, in the band I performed with, teachers, the community and family members.
Local people brought me herbs and medicines to cause an abortion, but I had heard of girls who had died after using them. I didn't want to be in my situation, but I could not take the herbs in fear I would die.
My suffering went on and on. I wished I could just leave home or be somewhere far away. But this was not my dream and I had to be strong. I had watched my siblings suffer and drop out of school. I felt I was the only one who could cause a change. I knew I could do it, I had raised my sisters son since he was five months old.
While doing my final exams, the invigilators spoke while I signed the attendance list, "This is what happens to girls who have sex when young. Why is she wasting her time when she will not even pass?"
After giving birth, I found that I had passed my final exams with good results and the band I performed with found someone to sponsor me to do my A Levels. Life was hard. I was taking care of a baby, copying school notes and going home every lunchtime to breastfeed the baby. Despite all this, my A Level results put me at the top of my class, even though I had missed a whole term after giving birth.
The 3H scholarship allowed me to attend Livingstone International University, supporting me with fees, accommodation and meals.
After completing my Bachelor if Science in Media Technology, I went on to pursue my masters in Communication and Media Studies. From there, I became a teacher at Livingstone International University where I taught; international relations, news writing and reporting, production and research.
Recently I began as a volunteer in a local NGO, offering youth based health services to young people including; teenage mothers, HIV patients and those with Sickle Cell. I also help train people in handling Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) and sexual reproductive health. I feel I have achieved a dream, impacting young people, mostly girls, from making bad choices, fighting stigma and creating an empowered generation.
Following the impact that sponsorship had on me, I decided to change the life of another person, just as mine had been touched. My younger sister Winnie had been working as a maid for someone who promised to send her to school, but didn't. I skipped meals to save money to pay her fees to a local village school. Today, she is a graduate with a diploma in social work. I also found sponsorship for my younger brother to attend school as well, he is now in the third year of secondary school. My own daughter has recently finished her primary leaving exams.
I want to say thank you so much for every donation that has been made to support myself and many other young children. It changes lives, giving hope and smiles to people across Uganda.
