A Spark For Education

Kristin Fronczek

Victor Hugo, a French poet, once said, “To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.”


For many years, there has been a significant deficit in reading skills of village children in Zirobwe, Uganda. This is partly due to lack of teacher trainers and partly due to not having reinforcement at home since many village parents do not know how to fluently read or speak English. Since English is the national language in Uganda, it is important that students are taught not only how to speak it, but also how to fluently read it.


When volunteer, Natalie Puzuk, an elementary school teacher from Texas, traveled to Uganda and saw the huge need for reading skills in the village.  She felt called to come back for 9 months in 2017 to volunteer specifically with Empowered Leader’s Academy, Empower a Child’s primary school, to help spark a love for learning and create opportunity to each child in her class.


She partnered with the national teachers at Empowered Leaders' Academey to carve out time every day working specifically on children’s reading skills in each class. However, she quickly realized there was an even greater need than just reinforced reading in the classrooms. Some students were struggling more than others and needed one-on-one time with the teachers. In response to that need, she collaborated her resources and ideas with the management at the school and created a space for the children to have one-on-one reading lessons. The reading room was painted, remodeled with shelves and tables, and filled with reading materials to make a fun and appealing place for children to learn to read and to love to read. Teacher MiIly describes Natalie’s impact on the school, “The children have been very blessed to have her as she taught them all the reading skills that she had. She did not leave a single child behind and even went to the extent of having one-on-one time with children who struggled in class. As teachers too, we have benefitted from her skills as much as they were taught to the children. We also got an opportunity to learn a modern way of teaching.” 


However, Natalie didn’t just stop there. She also realized that there was a need for a pit latrine, also known as the restrooms, in the school since theirs was in need of repairs and renovation. Natalie was able to launch a campaign and raise funds to give the school new pit latrines for the boys and girls.


The time Natalie spent in Uganda not only made a significant impact on the community of Zirobwe by strengthening and improving their education standards, but also on her. Natalie describes her trip, “Working alongside these teachers has taught me to put my trust in the Lord. The children are so eager to learn, even when they haven't eaten all day. Seeing them running to me saying, ‘Auntie Natalie, we want to read!’ made me feel so encouraged and wanted to do it more and more.”


Thank you Natalie for your impact on the students and teachers at Empowered Leaders' Academy and thank you Armstrong Elementary School for your huge support to our children’s reading and hygiene standards. Empower a Child community will be forever grateful. 


If you would like to find out more how you can be apart of sparking a flame for education in Uganda and training teachers, email our Volunteer Coordinator here. 

A group of children are standing next to each other and smiling.

Hope found for graduate student

By Shannen Kennedy • July 22, 2020
Students in East Africa often find themselves caught in a dilemma where they have limited choices in the future of their education. Dreams remain dreams and career paths dissolve into family trades. This is most often due to a family’s financial circumstances but can also involve lack of encouragement or motivation. For these reasons students commonly drop out of school and rarely have the opportunity to return. However in some cases, hope is found when a sponsor enters a child’s life. One beautiful example is Ketty. She recalls the time when her family was struggling. “My sponsors came in at a time when I was badly off. I was in Senior 4. There were no school fees, my dad was sick, and all that. So they gave me hope where there was no hope.” She explains the timing was all a blessing from God saying, “Thank God my sponsors came to my rescue.” When she finished her secondary education, she was humbled and honored that her sponsors offered to support her through university sponsorship. Ketty is in awe of what she has achieved since those difficult days. Ketty is approaching the day of her graduation and will soon receive her degree in Adult Education from Makerere University in Uganda. Her dream is to help empower people as the manager of an animal farm. Following graduation she has big plans to realize this dream. She intends to begin volunteering for a position related to her chosen occupation in order to gain experience and be better prepared for her career. She giggles as she considers her future, “I am planning as I am learning about animals and people. I love helping people.” She believes that using her gifts and skills to manage a farm will be a productive way to help lots of people. As a child, Ketty remembers her dream job was to become a lawyer. “That was my dream. But all in all, I still see my current study leading me on the right path. It has made me who I am and it is taking me to where I want to be.” She knows the huge impact sponsorship has had on her life and expresses her gratitude and appreciation for the program. “My sponsors have helped me reach where I am. And where I had no hope, they gave me hope. Nothing has discouraged or prevented me from attending school since they started sponsoring me. Sponsorship has provided everything I need for university, so it has really helped me educationally and has also reduced stress factors.” She smiles in amazement at the provision given to her through sponsorship and looks forward to one day blessing another child in the same way. “The little I get, I will give out to another child who is like I was. This is the promise I made to God.” Ketty acknowledged the great need she sees in her village and similar communities. Her education has prepared her to initiate positive development in these places. “I hope my education will inspire more young people in our communities to bring positive change in our villages.” Ketty took the opportunity of an internship through her school and found it to be very interesting and resourceful in composing her future calling. “I was working in Northern Uganda with the local government and a social work association. It gave me the motivation because I saw all the people that really need help. It gave me more hope to help them. This will happen if I excel in my dream. That is my prayer – to help people.” With graduation this year, Ketty has high hopes for the days ahead. “I am really happy and my heart is really grateful. I know this is the effort I have worked for. I know that by graduating I will be inspired all the more. There is no way I can really express it. I cannot show it, but my heart can. I do not believe in a dim future. I believe in a bright one.” Ketty understands the importance of having dreams and goals and is striving to fulfill each one of them. “We have to dream big and that is what I’m aiming for.” Ketty has asked for prayer for her job after graduation. She wants to begin saving and gaining experience to lead into her career path. She would also appreciate prayer for her family and God’s grace and favor in their lives.
A group of people are posing for a picture in front of a brick building.

New Homes For Families

By Kristin Fronczek • April 6, 2020
This past year, you helped make a tangible impact on the lives of two families in both Uganda and Kenya. These families were blessed with new and improved homes to call their own, helping each family improve their living conditions and provide for themselves on the land. Kato’s family has lived in Zirobwe, Uganda for over twenty years. Kato is a local manson who lives with his wife, Nalongo, and their 10 children. Kato and his family initially moved to Uganda when they were displaced from the 1986 war, but unfortunately were never able to reclaim their property, so they stayed in Zirobwe. Kato’s family was blessed with donations that helped them purchase a 2-acre piece of land for the family. Kato’s and his eldest son, George, who graduated from our sponsorship program with hands-on skills in building and carpentry had the skills to build their own home, but lacked funds for building materials. Since, they could barely afford school fees and could not afford to build a permanent home on their property, they continued to live in their mud hut that cracked bit by bit during each rainstorm. Thankfully, in 2018, donors joined together brick by brick, to build them a bigger, 3-bedroom permanent house for the family. Nalongo responded to her new home was, “I have always dreamed of having a place where my children will have space away from the chickens, and myself having private space. I will forever be grateful for the unconditional love, care and taking care of my children.” Celestine Auma’s family from Kenya, was also blessed with a new home. The Auma family has lived in the Kibera slum, the largest slum in Africa, for over a decade. Kibera is riddled with disease, drugs and despair, with little to no job opportunities. The father worked as a blacksmith but was unable to provide more than renting a shack of a room for his wife and children to share. The Auma’s owned land in the village but did not have enough funds to build a home. Through gift funds Celestine’s sponsor gave, the family was able to save and invest in building a permanent home. The Auma’s now have a home on their own land in the village. Building their home has empowered the family even more as it has allowed Celestine’s mother to farm on their land, harvesting crops to sustain the family and create some income and to save money as they no longer have to rent. The family is beyond grateful for their improved living conditions and quality of life. Your partnership has made a direct impact not only on these families, but also on other families in the village. Currently, people, like you are helping a grandmother and grandson build a new home so they too can transform their lives and have a safe place to live. Thank you for your generosity.

Heaven-sent sponsors, pay school fees

By Victor Anecho • December 6, 2019
Mastula Namugambe is 14 year’s old and lives in Zirobwe, Uganda. She happens to be one of the first sponsored children who have just completed primary school from Empowered Leaders Academy. Today, she is full of joy and is glowing at the realization that her dreams of being a doctor have been reawakened after God blessed her with a sponsor about a year ago. Mastula describes her story from the days when she felt there was no hope in achieving her dreams, to a time where her hope was restored. “First and foremost, I want to thank God for enabling me to complete primary school well, safe, and sound. I also want to thank God for my heaven-sent sponsors, whom I dearly love and am grateful to; that’s Mr. and Mrs. Jane Hindle. I started primary school at Empowered Leaders Academy before Empower a Child purchased it. At the time, it was called Ebenezer Education Center. During my early school days, until I got a sponsor, life wasn’t easy for me with my studies and my parents too. I was always irregular in school because I lacked scholastic materials and school fees, which always kept me out of school. Never in my childhood life did I think or hope that I will even finish primary school. My story changed when I met one of Empower a Child’s volunteers, Porsche Dobinson, who happens to be a very close good friend of mine. I got to know Porsche after she picked interest in my little brother, whom she today sponsors, and after knowing what I was going through at home, she promised to get me a sponsor in 2013 and, indeed, it came to pass early this year when I was informed by the organization of how I had gotten a sponsor. That was the beginning of change in my life. I am more than happy that I receive gifts from my sponsors, school and life’s basic necessities, which have made an amazing difference in my life. My hope has been restored and my dreams reawakened. I am more than happy that I have finished primary school and I am looking forward to what God has in store for me as I press on harder to be the best throughout my education.” Empowered Leaders Academy has very good, loving, and caring teachers that we are proud of! It has now been a year since Empowered Leaders Academy was purchased by Empower a Child. The school is the first thing your eyes see when you drive towards the training center in Zirobwe. The school’s population has grown to approximately 450 children today, quite an increase from the previous 180 children who attended before Empower a Child took ownership. The increase in the number of students was a result of the organization’s assurance to elevate the community school into a role model institution that builds leaders after God’s heart. David Luwassa is a primary six student at Empowered Leaders Academy. He joined the school last year while it was still Ebenezer Education Center. David has been in the top position in his class for the first 2 terms of the year, a spot he has maintained since joining the school before it became Empowered Leaders Academy. He tells of how different his experience has been at Empowered Leaders Academy in comparison to the previous school. “There is a big difference between the two school that I’ve had the opportunity to study in. I might not mention everything, but I will share with you a few things from my observation.” The very first amazing difference Empowered Leaders Academy has brought to our community is being examined. Using well-printed examination papers that we write on, and well-marked [by teachers], then our papers are returned. The very first time I received a marked printed examination paper, I was overwhelmed with joy because it’s a morale-boosting factor to my performance. In the previous school, we were always instructed to take out pieces of paper from our books and write the questions from the black board as we answered them. It was a very old fashioned. That I never appreciated. Another humbling thing that desires me to come to school every day are our very loving and caring teachers. They act in a more professional way, they follow up on our performances regularly, and I attribute my good performance to their input, compared to the previous teachers who never used to care about students’ academics. I am proud of the fact that our teachers encourage us to speak and express ourselves in English always, which was something that never existed before. We are always reminded to understand that English is the language we will always use throughout our education, especially in examinations. It’s a language used in work places so it’s for the good of our performance and always endeavor to speak even when I am not very fluent. My experience with Empowered Leaders Academy is the good education we are being given, with well-dedicated teachers, is just good. My favorite experience is being able to play sports, especially soccer. We have ample space to play games, which was something we never had previously. I am so much looking forward to returning next year and enjoying more of the school. Since I will be sitting for my final year in primary school, I am more than confident and determined to be the best student in the district representing Empowered Leaders Academy."