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The Students

Angela, an AIDS orphan, has been raised by her aunt, a widow, who has her own family. Angela did well in her Primary Leaving Exams (P.L.E.), but her aunt could not afford to pay for her secondary fees, so she approached T.E.T. In 2006 Angela is in Senior 4, and is due to sit her UNEB ‘O’ Levels in November.

Betty comes from Gulu – a war-torn area where the Internally Displaced People now live in camps. She was one of the best girls in the District at P.L.E. She used to cycle to school with the constant danger of being abducted by rebels. At night she slept under a different tree each night to avoid being captured by the rebels. She likes having her own bed in the dormitory! In 2006 she is in S4 and is due to take her UNEB ‘O’ levels in November

Constance used to walk 12 kms each way to school on one meal a day that was provided by her grandmother as her mother was dying of AIDS. Constance has worked hard & achieved her dream of a place at Makerere University where she is studying education. She hopes to join Lords Meade Vocational College when she graduates in 2007 Initially her mother’s health improved due to the reduction in worry over her children’s future education, and when she died she knew that her children would have a good education.

Lydia’s father and step-mothers insisted that she dropped out of school and look for a suitable man to marry after her maternal uncle died in a road accident, as the uncle had been paying her school fees. Lydia has been assisted to complete her secondary education and continue to follow her dream of becoming a teacher. In 2006 she is completing her course at a Teacher Training College and achieving her dream.

Geoffrey’s uncle wanted him to herd cows – but Geoffrey, an AIDS orphan from Western Kenya, was determined to further his education. He is now a top student in Senior 5 having done well in his UNEB ‘O’ levels, and he is well on his way to achieving his ambition of becoming a doctor so that he can help other people. He is active in class, on the sports field and in agriculture where he has his own garden where he grows vegetables for the school.

Deo, who lost his father to AIDS, comes from a very poor rural area, where he had to dig to raise money to cater for both his fees and food for his sick mother and siblings. He has worked hard in 2005 and achieved good ‘A’ level results which will enable him to join a tertiary education institution and hence ensure a better future for himself and his family. He used to dig in the gardens to provide food for his fellow students so as to show his appreciation for his assistance.

Moses, like Geoffrey, is an AIDS orphan from Western Kenya. He works hard in class and is ever grateful for the chance that he has been offered to further his education. He visits his elderly grandmother once a year during the Christmas holiday. He is active in his class work and also in his garden. He often talks of his friends at his home who have been ‘put onto the human refuse pile’ as they cannot further their education. He joined Senior 5 in 2006 as he had worked hard and achieved good results in his UNEB ‘O’ levels.

Charles is a victim of polio. He is also an orphan whose guardian was not able to cope with his school fees for ‘A’ level. T.E.T. helped Charles to study in Jinja near his guardian, and enabled him to obtain a government scholarship to attend Makerere University. In 2006 he started his second year at Makerere. The wheelchair – donated by the Rotary Club of Jinja - gives Charles a new lease of life.

(Not pictured) Hussein – an AIDS orphan – used to have a 4-hour walk to school when it rained, as he could not cross a local river when it is flooded. He could not attend a boarding school, as he had to care for his sister and elderly grandmother. T.E.T. continues to enable him to attend Nakawa College of Commerce where he is studying a Diploma in Business Management, and hence looking for a better future for his sister and grandmother.

A small sample of Tofta’s successes:

“Excuse me, sir, I have come to say good-bye”
Peter was in Senior 2 – aged 15 – and was fighting back tears as he came to bid farewell to his teacher, as his father could no longer manage to pay his school fees. Peter wept openly as he discussed his situation with John as his dream was to obtain his education and elevate himself and his family out of the poverty they were currently in – yet he was facing being forced to return to his home in the rural village and leading the life of a semi-literate person. Peter was the first student to benefit from the founder’s ideal of assisting disadvantaged youth to obtain education to enable them to have meaningful lives.
Peter’s mother died in 1988, and his father in 1990 – both from HIV / AIDS. Now Peter is the head of the family of 14 siblings, and he uses his salary to educate 5 of his siblings – as all the mothers have also died of HIV / AIDS. Peter is now a director of the Tofta Educational Trust as well as being the Field Officer for the Trust. He is also a director of the Lords Meade Vocational College, and he is a Past President of the Rotaract Club of Jinja. Peter got married in 2005 and now he and his wife, Ruth, have a baby, Joshua. Robert (not pictured), Peter’s brother, has completed his university degree at Makerere University – the main university in Uganda, and is now embarking on a career as a teacher. He will also assist to raise the family of orphans to obtain meaningful lives to help benefit both the family and their community.

Isaac dropped out of school in Senior 2 before being assisted by T.E.T. In 2005 he joined Lords Meade Vocational College as a teacher in Fine Art, having completed his final year at Teacher Training College. He uses his talent in Fine Art to assist his siblings with their education. At L.M.V.C he works with the Tofta students in their free time.

Primrose comes from a poor rural family. She is the only child who attended secondary school, and with the help of T.E.T. she managed not only to complete her secondary education, but also to go to Makerere University. She now works in a financial institution, and assists her sisters and elderly mother.

Sam comes from a poor family near Soroti in North Eastern Uganda. His parents are both alive, but his father is weak from HIV / AIDS. When Sam’s siblings were no longer able to support him in a secondary school in Jinja, he approached T.E.T. to enable him to complete both his secondary education to do his teacher training course. He is now teaching at Lords Meade Vocational College, where he is as active outside the classroom as he is inside it! He joined L.M.V.C. in 2005, and he now supports his siblings’ children in furthering their education. In secondary school Sam was active in the Interact Club.

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