We had the privilege of honoring 17 students from Toggo High this past November. They graduated from the 6th year of our high school program.
This is a huge accomplishment for our students. Many have been attending our schools since they were very young, and have had many setbacks in their education, most recently being the frequent school closures due to COVID-19.
In Uganda the culture that doesn’t yet fully embrace the value of education, many of these students face pressure to quit their education to go get any kind of job they can to provide for their immediate needs. The problem is that kids who don’t have the proper qualifications and often are taken advantage of. When this happens they will struggle their whole lives to provide for themselves or their families. Those who persevere and finish their school have greater opportunities with the knowledge and vocational training they have received.
Unfortunately for most students, they will not be able to go off to college. Though going to a university in Uganda is much cheaper than in the United States, it is still beyond anything they can afford and they don’t have the option to take out student loans like in the USA.
One of the ways we have helped prepare them for their future is to make vocational training a core part of their high school learning. In addition, we offer the option for an advanced certificate in the vocation they choose. The advanced certificate opens more doors for them, functioning like what would be an equivalent of a Associate of Arts (AA) degree in the USA.
We have established an Alumni program for our students so they we can stay in touch with them and offer guidance, counseling and support as they launch out into the world after their school.
We had originally planned to take the students on an overnight trip to the Nile river to celebrate their graduation, but an outbreak of ebola in western Uganda restricted the movement of students in school and they had to cancel the trip.
Instead they put on a celebration for the students on campus. The other high school students were then also able to celebrate and appreciate their accomplishment.
As you can see from the videos they had a great time of celebrating and remembering their time at Toggo schools. Pastor Steve gave them words of encouragement as they move on to the next phase of their life.
We are so grateful to all of our partners who supported and and cared for these students over the years. It’s because of your support, love and prayers that we are able to celebrate along with these students!