Thank you so much for all the support and for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page! 

"Secondary education is still inaccessible to most adolescents in Uganda. Less than a quarter (24 per cent) of adolescents are enrolled at this level. Early marriage, teenage pregnancy, abuse at schools and school fees keep many teens, especially girls, out of secondary schools." -  UNICEF

I am going into my final year of high school this year and this has made me appreciate the privilege of education and all the opportunities it has afforded me. I grew up in Africa until I was nine: a continent where over 30 million children do not attend school - especially girls. My parents and several friends started a primary school that grew to 36 kids while we lived there, but many children do not attend high school because of poverty. Education, while I call it a privilege because so many children don't receive it, is in fact a fundamental human right - recognized as a pivotal element of ending poverty.

Because of the education I have received, I have decided to give up sweets and chocolate - some of my favourite things - to raise money for some of the poorest people in Africa, in the  Mbale region of Eastern Uganda.

I am giving up sweets and chocolate for 76 days (beginning January 1st, 2022) since secondary school is still inaccessible for 76% of children in Uganda.

Specifically in the Mbale region, their education opportunities are lacking, with only one primary school and no secondary schools, and a life expectancy of only 58 and no GP's. Many families have been ravaged by war, HIV/AIDS and tropical diseases.

Your generous donations help them with projects like building primary and nursery schools, gaining fresh drinking water, helping orphans and widows, helping people in this region develop sustainable sources of income and improving farming. 

Thanks again! 

Every dollar is so appreciated,

Samara.