THE BRIDGE IS DONE...and the 3rd annual Prize-Giving Day.

Thanks to your support, a firm and secure bridge now stands in Mugumo where people once had to walk over an unstable log. Children do not have to skip school just because it rained and the river flooded. Farmers can move their produce across the river more easily and in any weather. Hundreds of people in Mugumo are a step closer to total self-reliance because you believed in them and invested in them.

I am also happy to report that the third annual prize-giving day was a huge success. This time we included four schools and had roughly 2,000 school children in attendance. It was my first time being at the function, along with fellow WGF officials Erin, Steve and Margaret. We were lavished with hospitality, and the appreciation the people of Mugumo showed for our work will forever remain embedded in my memory.

We are happy to note that academic performance has improved since we started holding a prize-giving day, even though we believe much more remains to be done. But, in addition to the measurable outcome of improved scores, the other goal of WGF’s prize-giving day is to stir children into believing in and yearning for a brighter and more exciting world beyond their extremely limiting circumstances and to understand that education can open that world to them. This spirit of aspiring to rise above crippling obstacles by excelling in education was poignantly encapsulated by a poem called “The African Girl” that a bright young girl called Elizabeth Nyambura recited at the ceremony.