Zaina Kagoya

Age 14

Gender Female

Grade Primary Level 4

District Bugiri

From her home visit 5/22/23

"I am an orphan 13 years old in primary four in ROWAN program from Mawanga zone. We are ten members in a family, raised by a peasant mother; a struggling mother who wakes up at 6 am to go and dig in our garden while we stay helping her with domestic work like washing utensils, fetching water until she reports back from when we set off for school. And then she moves around looking for where she can work in return for money to support the family in buying food and other home basic needs.

She tries ever possible, but at times she fails to get where to work and also when she gets work, the money is little that can’t buy us enough food thus making us stay unsatisfied, angry and even at times we go empty stomach to school, leaving us stressed and dozing while in class and missing what the teachers are teaching making our learning so hard.

At times I miss writing in class not intentionally but when books are finished, when even money is not there for buying new books and all I do is to wait until my mother goes for digging for people, this has made me lose moral of studying, I keep asking my mother for support, I remain focused and pray to God for me and my mother. Sometimes at school teachers get annoyed with me and started abusing me, claiming that I am stubborn and asking me why I go to school when I do not want to study since they do not know what I pass through and my growth life."

 

Zaina's favorite foods are potatoes and beans. When asked about her favorite color, Zaina said, "I love white because it resembles milk!" When their home became a hazard, ROWAN stepped in to build them a new one. Zaina wants you to know that she is happy for the new house. Let's help support Zaina when her mother is unable to!