Paul Kayonga (PK) has been so sick and has not been able to work in peoples’ gardens to earn very much money at all. He has severe ulcers and high blood pressure.
His 3 children suffer from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and so far have been able to attend Ssegganga Primary School in Gobero Town, Wakiso District in Uganda. But their school fees have not been paid for the previous semester yet.
The total that is required for each of the 3 children for each quarter of school is $22.86 per child. This is a very large amount in Uganda. It is 80,000 Ugandan Shillings. That’s a lot.
So the total that Paul owes for last semester for his sons, Julius, Herbert and Emma is:
3 x $22.86 = $68.57
The new semester starts next week on February 4th. Paul needs to pay off last semester if the kids are to be able to continue in school. Next semester should also be paid in advance per the rules.
Paul does not have any way to pay this. I will explain the 4 additional reasons why it is so difficult, besides the illnesses, below. What we are raising for him is $68.57 for last quarter and $68.57 for this coming quarter.
Total for last quarter and this coming quarter needed = $137.14 (rounding up to $138).
Please help if you can!!
The Kayonga kids are the sweetest kids that you could possibly imagine. When Dr. Teina, Celia and myself visited them last fall we were deeply moved by their kindness and joy. What great kids to be around. And their father Paul was so full of love and service of them. What a good father. We fell in love with all 4 of them.
2 core members of The Everett and Austin Project on the ground in Uganda – Paul Collins (PC) and Joshua Kasaija (JK) – hypothesized with us today on a conference call why it is so difficult for the Kayongas and why they do not get much help from their village community that they are living in.
4 Possible Reasons:
1. Paul Kayonga (PK) is a refugee from Rwanda, having arrived many years ago and marrying a Ugandan woman and purchasing property in this village. He is an outsider to the community.
2. His kids are very sick, having a very uncommon and rare disease. When PC and JK ask people in the village about if they are helping the Kayongas they often hear a fear expressed that the disease that the Kayonga children have is contagious. They do not know or understand that it is a genetic disease passed on through the mother.
3. The Kayongas are VERY poor, even by Ugandan standards, and no one wants associate with a poor person.
4. PK does not go out and socialize with people in the village, drinking or anything because he if he isn’t working he is always home attending to his disabled childrens’ very pressing and immediate needs.
Please help the Kayonga kids stay in school at least. That they are able to go to school and be a part of things with the school children gives the kids a lot of self esteem and enjoyment.
If they are forced to stay home this coming quarter it will only add to the stigma and negative energy surrounding the Kayonga home.
Thank you
Here is a plea from PK from just the other day when Paul and Julius returned home from the hospital. Paul Collins translates for us…
For more information on the good works that The Everett and Austin Project is doing, please click on the HOME button, or like our FACEBOOK PAGE. Thank you!