The following was written by Tami Carsillo, Africa ELI Board President, during her recent trip to Uganda.
We can all remember the excitement and nervousness of the first day of a new school year. We made sure we had the proper uniform or clothing. We carefully gathered our school supplies. We wondered what our teachers would be like, how hard our classes would be, and whether we would we make new friends. Such an experience is shared by school children everywhere.
An experience, however, that is not shared by all — but unfortunately by way too many – is that of not being able to sleep in the same home every day or of going to a school that does not have a teacher for every classroom. When I reflect upon my own memories of school, I’m aware that, as a female, I was not required to miss classes due to menstruation and did not have to live in fear that my family would force me into childhood marriage. Many girls that come from the same area and background as our Africa ELI students do have to worry about such things.
So today, as I travel through Kampala, Uganda in a van along with Africa ELI’s sponsored South Sudanese girls ready for their first day of the new school year, I find myself reflecting upon what they must contend with and how much I myself have taken for granted.
After weeks of work preparing the girls for their first day back, I, along with Africa ELI staff members Charles and Zaharah, met them early this morning for a breakfast of tea, bread, and hard-boiled eggs. Then we loaded the van and headed out on a 2-hour drive to the boarding school. The girls, already in their uniforms, were happy to be starting back to school after being promoted to the next grade level. They have persevered through civil war, life in refugee camps, family separations, illnesses, and the academic challenges of language, rigor, and cultural differences.
Upon arriving at the school, we park in a large field filled with check-in tents, a security checkpoint, and dozens of nervous and exited students standing with their equally nervous and excited family members. We unload the van and organize belongings and supplies for each girl.
On the first day of the new school year, the girls are required to present their completed holiday assignments to their teachers. If they have not completed the holiday work to the teachers’ satisfaction, they are sent out of line to complete it. Once the teachers are satisfied with the school work, a student is “cleared” and can collect her belongings and proceed to the dormitory.
Once the last girl has been cleared, Charles, Zaharah, and I reflect on the opportunity for another first day of school. The girls’ first day is everyone’s first day — from donors, volunteers, staff, and board members to families, teachers, administrators, counselors, and tutors to health workers, businesses, and education organizations. My hope is that our students have not only the opportunity for a first day of school, but a lifetime of opportunities to come.
Our Mission
By providing access to education, Africa ELI prepares young women in South Sudan to become leaders in their families and communities, engage in business enterprise, counteract inequalities, improve health practices, and work toward improving society for the benefit of all citizens.
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