Sponsor a student
The children in rural Uganda are like children everywhere. They have hopes and dreams of a brighter future but they need your help. Sponsoring a student will profoundly change the future of your student and will change your life as well - you will personally experience the positive change you are making in the life of a young person and their community. When the student finds out they’ve been sponsored, the joy they feel is indescribable! Your sponsorship means more than you can imagine.
Sponsorship fosters sustainability. Student sponsorship works by bringing change to more than just one child. The benefits you help provide extend to each student’s family and community. That’s because SSFOH works alongside community members to help build and promote healthy communities and foster empowered children and young people.
The Power of an Education
Illiteracy is common in Uganda, particularly among females. Although some primary education is compulsory under law, in many rural communities girls, specifically, are held back. Many families cannot afford the costs associated with sending a girl child to school in addition to the tuition, such as required uniforms and writing equipment.
Research shows that educating girls in third world countries leads to positive social and economic changes for their villages and countries at large. Communities experience improved standards of living and suffering and hardship diminish. Empowering females with education leads to longer life expectancies, fewer teenage pregnancies and a decrease in infant and child mortality.
Ugandan Educational System
The education system in Uganda has a structure of seven years of primary education, six years of secondary education (divided into four years of lower secondary and two years of upper secondary school) and three to five years of post-secondary education. In primary education, students sit for exams at the end of each academic year in order to discern whether they are to progress to the next class. This leads to some classes that include a large range of ages.
Every Student Sponsor Receives
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A welcome kit with photo and information about your sponsored student
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The opportunity to write and receive letters from your student
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Progress reports after each semester with updated photos as they are available
Contributions are tax-deductible under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3).
Frequently asked questions
1. How much does it cost to sponsor a student?
The total cost of sponsoring a student is $540.00 per year. This covers their tuition, uniform, school supplies, and daily lunch.
2. When are payments due?
We will automatically deduct monthly payments of $45/month (or the equivalent of $1.47/day) from your checking account. Your first month will be billed immediately. Your next payment will be processed in the first week of the following month.
3. Will I receive updates about my student's progress?
Yes. Sponsors will receive updates about the sponsored student three times a year, after each semester.
4. Other than my student’s tuition, is there anything else required of me?
No. However, SSFOH asks that your commitment to your student doesn’t begin and end with your tuition donation. Additional ways to support your student and SSFOH include, but are not limited to: prayer support, volunteer opportunities, a donation to other SSFOH projects, and positive endorsement of our organization and its efforts.
5. If I must discontinue my student's sponsorship, what happens to the child I’m helping?
If you need to discontinue your student's sponsorship, we will immediately look for a new sponsor for your student and continue the student's sponsorship support without interruption. Please notify us as soon as possible should you be unable to fulfill your commitment to a year’s tuition.
6. Whom can I contact with questions about the program or about my sponsored student?
Program Director for Sponsor a Student is Karen Becker. She can be reached at karen@ssfoh.org / 630-261-5932. At the end of the year, you will receive a receipt from our SSFOH treasurer with your donation amount for your taxes.
Success Stories
We have concrete success stories! These students were sponsored from primary school through a certificate program and/or university degree! Joan (Bachelor of Accounting), Tonny (Bachelor of Business Administration - Marketing), Ronald (Mechanic) , Flavia and Mugagga (Electricians), Juliet (Nurse), Janepher (Administrative Assistant), Paschal (Priest), Faustina (Nursery School Teacher), John Baptist (Medical Clinician), Allen (Fashion Design), Olivia (Catering), Teddy (Catering)... Many more are in the making! If it were not for Stepping Stones Foundation of Hope, these student's lives would be in jeopardy today and their futures bleak.
Educating these children not only changes their lives for the better, they also become a positive influence in their communities. In particular, educating young women is critical for both economic and spiritual development in Africa. But they are the most vulnerable. This is why the majority of our beneficiaries are girls.
We strive toward the positive transformation of the whole young person. Hence, creativity, responsibility and personal growth through involvement in the community are actively embraced.
For more information, please contact:
Karen Becker
Director
Sponsor a Student Program
Stepping Stones Foundation of Hope
630-261-5932
Sponsor a Student
Your small gift today can make a big difference in these children's lives.
The total cost of sponsoring a student is $540.00 per year - in manageable increments of $45 per month. This covers their tuition, uniform, school supplies, and daily lunch.
Your contribution can go a long way to change these children's lives and keep them in school.