The phrase “it takes a village to raise a child” originates from an African proverb and conveys the message that it takes many people (“the village”) to provide a safe, healthy environment for children, where children are given the security, they need to develop and flourish, and to be able to realize their hopes.
We know how critical a parental figure is to the development of a child. Children, especially girls, who grow up with an absent father, are more likely to be subjected to higher poverty rates, experiment with drugs, and experience teen pregnancy.
With the compounded problem of a global pandemic, support from community members, teachers, friends, and family is critical.
The world has now turned a global village, it had to be Bravo Shoes Community Support Organisation (BSCS) to put Leila Hayati in the limelight of hope, a girl child from Aii-vu Subcounty, Terego District in West Nile region over 500km from Kampala.
What Sharon Aseru, the 8-year-old girl abandoned by her mother to grandmother at 3 months old in the villages of Aii-Vu Subcounty missed, Leila got it and now she a brilliant student of Namuwaya Education Centre.
Aseru was picked randomly by the Bravo Shoes Community Support Organisation team on their mission to pick a girl child from West Nile, unfortunately, she could not break the shell out of primitive thinking.
Luckily, Aii-Vu Subcounty is the same community Leila is coming from living with his aging father and mother who have lived with a dream of educating their girl child at a given standard and the community will watch Leila cruising up to the university, thanks to Bravo Shoes Community Support.
The letter to Dawn Adams
Dated 26th March, 2023, Leila reaches out to her guardian angel with utmost humility,
Namuwaya Education Centre
P.O.Box 36257, Kampala – Uganda
26th March 2023
Dear Mum Dawn Adams,
I send greetings to you in the name of the almighty God Hope you’re fine and your relatives. I have written this letter to say thank upon the support you are giving to me.
Thank you for the scholastic materials and school fees you give me. May God continue to bless the work of your hands, blessings follow you; my lovely mum
Your Lovely Daughter
Hayati Leila, P.5
See the Scanned Copy of the Letter
It was on her school’s visiting day 26th March Leila also got to speak to Adams on a video call from UK, the soft-spoken Leila was relived upon speaking to her and promised greater performance in class.
Leila was also blessed to receive her eldest sister Jamila on the same day, she expressed gratitude to the BSCS activities and the role played in the transformation of her sister’s life.
“I stopped school in senior five and I was unable to continue because the situation was not favorable enough for me to continue in school. I am happy for works of this organisation in the life of my little sister and I pray to God to bless you abundantly,” she said.
She added; way back people used to lough at our family, at first where Leila was studying, we could not afford anything even buying her shoes.”
Her class teacher Charles Ewajo said that Leila has considerably transformed, she used to struggle with handwriting and comprehension.
“When Leila had just joined, even constructing a sentence was a problem. She is now doing well and her handwriting has greatly improved,” said Ewajo.