Our Back To School initiative has been in full swing this month that partners with our $10 for Ten program! By providing $10 a month, you ensure that one child is able to be treated for jiggers and spark a new life trajectory. We shared Dembe’s story last week.
Below, we share Charles‘ story and how his life has been changed through this program.
Don’t miss your opportunity to partner with us during our last week.
Join the Back To School Campaign!
STORY OF IMPACT: CHARLES
“I want to give her what is in her heart,” Charles says. As father of seven, he loves to learn and he knows how important an education is for his children. Charles works hard day in and day out, to help the people he loves reach their dreams. “My oldest daughter wants to be a nurse, My second born, a teacher, My third born, a nurse, my fourth, a pilot…” he says.
So, six days a week, Charles gets up early enough to feed his pigs, chickens, and check on his fields. He then takes care of his children and his elderly father, before setting out for Jinja. He crosses a rickety footbridge over the Nile each morning on his way to work. When he arrives at Sole Hope he greets his friends and then starts making shoes for children that could never afford them.
Charles has now been with Sole Hope for three years. His job as a shoemaker allows him to care for his family and pay for his children’s education. Yet, for Charles, it’s more than just a job. Sole Hope is part of his community and a support system. “Sole Hope stood with me when my wife was sick,” he says, “I cannot forget that.”
The work itself is engaging and challenging.“I like shoemaking because of the skills you gain,” he says. “You become creative and you can do anything.” For Charles, it isn’t about himself. He gets up early and works hard everyday so that his children can have hope for the future. “I have four biological daughters,” he says. “When my sister died she left three children and I also take care of them.”
Six of Charles’ children are in school, and in Uganda school is not cheap. Each of these children relies on Charles for school fees, supplies, and uniforms. In many ways, their hopes, plans, and futures are in his hands and he wants to do everything he can to help them reach those aspirations.
“I want them to reach their dreams,” Charles says.
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