CASE STUDY: PROSSY NAKACUBYA by James Andrew. Prossy Nakacubya was born in the Rakai District of Uganda to parents from Bukoba, just across the border in Tanzania, in September 1988 – sadly both her parents were terminally ill and by the beginning of 1989, she was orphaned. Luckily for Prossy, she was taken in by a neighbour, Juliet, who became her legal guardian, and she grew up in a happy but very poor household with Juliet and her four other children. Prossy was fortunate to attend a good local primary school – Katerero – and towards the end of her time at the school it was clear she was a promising young student, however, she was all too aware that her prospects of a secondary education were bleak. Juliet had four other children to take care of, and she needed Prossy’s help. Also, the expense of secondary schooling was beyond her reach, which made Prossy’s dream of a secondary education a near impossibility.
However, Prossy had become aware of an organisation called the Rakai Children’s Trust (RACT) through other orphans in her home town, and she knew that the founder, Dr. James Kimera Ssekiwanuka, supported orphans in his home district of Rakai, and even funded their education and accommodation at a boarding school he had established in the area – St. James Secondary School. So, Prossy, at just 11 years of age, took it upon herself to find this man and RACT. She succeeded, and after some time met with one of RACT’s field assistants, to whom she presented her case, and more importantly, her P7 exam results. The field assistant was impressed and passed her information on to Dr. Ssekiwanuka. Subsequently, Prossy was told to make a formal application to become a part of the RACT educational programme, and, in September 1999 was enrolled at St. James Secondary School as a boarder to commence the education she had been dreaming of. She excelled at St. James’, establishing herself as a natural leader and becoming head-girl at the school in years S4 and S5. She even taught herself her parents’ language of Swahili to help other Tanzanian children at the school, by translating the lessons held in the English and Luganda languages. In 2004, Prossy completed her O-Level exams and received a second-grade pass – more than enough to graduate to A-Level studies, for which she was kept on at St. James’ as a boarder within the RACT educational programme (now CALM Africa). A-Levels
in Economics, Divinity, Swahili and General Studies, Geography,
followed. WE ARE DELIGHTED TO REPORT THAT PROSSY WAS SUCCESSFUL
IN HER EXAMS AND ACHIEVED 11 POINTS MAKING HER ELIGIBLE FOR UNIVERSITY.
HER OLD HEADMASTER COMMENTED THAT SHE ACHIEVED THE BEST RESULTS
IN ST JAMES – BUT THEN WHAT ELSE WOULD WE EXPECT FROM THE
HEAD GIRL! In the meantime, Prossy has relocated to Kampala in
preparation for university at Makerere, where she hopes to study
for a BA in Business Administration. Also in the three months
she has been living in Kampala she applied for, and was successful
in securing a position at
Prossy is determined to continue with her work at CALM Africa on a part-time basis whilst at University, assisting with the Charity’s mission - to promote the observance and realisation of children’s rights through education, practical training and charitable support – those very same principles that helped her progress from her adoptive home in rural Rakai to a successful career here in Kampala. |
