Rose Nakidde is a second year student pursuing a bachelor of human rights, peace and humanitarian intervention at Uganda Christian University (UCU) whose hopes of finishing her dream course remain uncertain.
Nakidde has been struggling with education fees right from her lower primary since she lost both of her parents at an early age. Nakidde’s grand mum decided to care of her and has been struggling tooth and nail to raise her fees. Later on, she was joined by good Samaritans to ensure that her dream come true. Everything was going on well as her grand mum and a few relatives tried to push her until when the first lockdown of COVID-19 disrupted the grand mum’s sources of income.
Nakidde then opted to look for ways sustaining her education journey as she narrates below;
The struggle started when my grandmother failed to raise money for P.5 not until one our relatives visited and decided to take me with her to help out with house-keeping as I study. I then went to Seeta Boarding Primary School where I studied hard and impressed this lady and she took care of my fees dues until I completed P.7. She was then impressed and took care of me up to S4.
In A’level, things changed and one of my aunties had to come in to assist my grand mum. While at St. Maria Gorretti Katende, I got an illness that was never detected up to now that made my leg swell. I started using clutches as a moving support and the other aunt who previously took me in helped out again. I studied with the help of my teachers as well. These took me as their daughter and made me forget that I had to leave after the end of my A’ level journey since they had become my family and gave all the love I initially yearned for.
Unfortunately, towards writing my UNEB exams, also the hand got swollen and so painful but still the teachers bore it all and helped me to get a transcriber who helped write my exams and passed them well. My grandmother then promised to sell what she has to help me become a humanitarian advocate and I opted to do human rights, peace and humanitarian intervention at UCU.
From there, my grand mum has been helping me but when the first wave of COVID-19 came in, it snatched her away from me since she also had pressure. I saw my dreams shuttered since nobody cared anymore and I had to fight on my own. One of my OGs then offered to accommodate me in her hostel for some time.
Later, I got a house keeping job and my boss was always supportive to me as she used to give me some of the essentials but the problem came in when the tuition balance accumulated and I could not pay it up at once because it was COVID time and online classes were going and yet as for me I was not working fully like before.
It amounted to 4.8m and when we resumed with physical classes, I was forbidden from doing exams. My dream is to finish my course so that I can also get a job to help back my family especially my grand mum who has been there for me for any years. I’m kindly requesting for any support that can help me clear this outstanding balance of UGX 4.8 million so that I can continue with my course.
Currently, her OBs and OGs have started the campaign to keep Rose in school. For any kind of help towards Nakidde Rose, one can contact;
Nakidde Rose: 0705962968 Mr, Yiga Francis: 0702016452/0770836710
