Phiona Naggayi

Phiona Naggayi

Phiona Naggayi, 13, lost her father, Steven Kisule, to HIV/AIDS in 2001. Phiona has two sisters and one brother. Phiona lamented: “we are four children; three girls and one boy.” “My mother had no stable source of income so she totally failed to pay my school fees.” “My other relatives have always pledged to pay for my school dues but have failed because they also don’t have stable sources of income, and besides they have their own children to cater for.” “My grandmother tried to pay for my primary seven fees, but unfortunately her piglets died and then she had no other source of income.” “I would have performed a lot better than I did in my primary leaving exams but I was never at school due to lack of fees.”

Phiona stays at Naalya village in Nama sub-county with her grandmother, Judith Nabakooza. Judith is a subsistence farmer who has other six grandchildren to look after, and she cannot afford to pay our fees in addition to feeding us. “I have always suffered with my education, even this term; I spent a full month seated at home”, said Phiona. “My grandmother couldn’t afford the cost of education in government aided schools.”  Hence Phiona is studying senior one at Mpoma Royal College, a relatively low cost private school. Phiona said: “I performed poorly in the first term because I reported to school very late.” Phiona was at home at the time when FINIDP staffs were moving through the villages identifying needy orphans yet it was at the peak of the 2nd school term. Basing on the genera assessment by FINIDP staff, Phiona is an average student and her report term records show that she is hardworking person amidst all her school fees challenges.

Phiona said: “my aspiration is to become a nurse so hat I can treat the many suffering people in Mukono district.” With tears dropping from her eyes, Phiona said: “if I were a nurse by the time my Dad was sick, who knows if I would have prolonged his life at least for a couple of months.” “My humble appeal to potential sponsors is that I need your support because I know that with education, I will overcome the miseries, which have filled a bigger part of my infancy.”