Gift
Uganda
Gift was born the fourth of twelve children in Uganda, near Lake Victoria. For years, she was treated unfairly by her teachers, peers, and family for being an albino. It even affected her schooling. When she would go to turn in her work, her teachers would refuse to touch it, thinking it was “dirty.”
Gift was ready to start at a new school, aimed to get her into secondary education. But the rising water levels of Lake Victoria washed away her home and family farm where her parents made their livelihood. Her family struggled to get by, unable to buy the necessities, including Gift’s health products that protect her skin and eyes from the sun’s rays.
The Empowering Girls with Disabilities through Education project in Uganda reached out to Gift after her school was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project helped her obtain the supplies she needed to get a proper education, including a phone to help track and turn in her school assignments.
Gift wants to support her family by one day becoming an archaeologist.
Story courtesy of Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE), a global network of people working to ensure an equitable education for all.