Help Mercy go to College

Hello Facebook friends, family, and donors of all sorts.

Thomas Gillach and I are starting this fundraiser to assist Mercy Athieno in continuing her education at Kyambogo University in Kampala, Uganda. From the moment Thomas and I arrived in Tororo, the Athieno family has been nothing short of sweet and welcoming to us. Over some time, we got to know the mother of Mercy, Rosemary, and quickly noticed her loving commitment as a parent to her three children. We met Rosemary at a local restaurant in Tororo called Cafe Shire where she served us each visit. She was curious on our endeavors in Tororo, what we were doing in the community, and who we were as people. She greeted us with a smile every time we stepped foot in the restaurant while making sure to provide the best service imaginable. After about a month, conversations grew more personal and she began opening up about her family struggles in addition to the financial stress she has been enduring in order to send her daughter to University. Rosemary is a single mother of three children and is devoted to supporting them to the best of her ability. The overlying issue is that Rosemary, on average, makes 2 dollars a day and roughly 60 dollars a month. This is enough to keep her family alive, but she has bigger ambitions such as sending her children to school and giving them a better life than the one she was given as a young woman. Rosemary works 6 days a week just to ensure food is on the table for her kids at home. Her dedication stretches further by her daily walking commute of about 4 miles each day. Oftentimes Rosemary is gone the entirety of the day to serve the customers at Cafe Shire. Her unending commitment to support her family is truly inspiring to both Thomas and myself, so we started this fundraising plan in efforts to give her and her daughter Mercy the support that they deserve.

Mercy is an aspiring English teacher that is currently in her second year at college. I was excited to hear that she is choosing this career path. From the moment we met her, we knew she possessed a wonderful potential to be a great Ugandan educator. We hope that she can continue pursing her dreams with financial assistance from our friends in America.

The $1,000 target goal is designed to meet some of her requirements needed for school. The monetary list of items for Mercy's educational pursuit is prioritized as follows:

Tuition for a semester: 1,300,000 UGX ~ $362 USD

Hostel for Living: 500,000 UGX ~ $140 USD

National Council: 20,000 UGX ~ $6 USD

Laptop requirement for courses: 700,000 UGX ~ $195 USD

Blanket and Pillows for Hostel: 100,000 UGX ~ $28 USD

Food and Grocery throughout the semester: 200,000 UGX ~ $56

Any donations beyond the $1000 benchmark will be used for her next semester payments. 

Any donation, big or small, can make a huge impact on this family's livelihood, and more importantly, can change Mercy's future for the better. Every young person deserves the opportunity to receive a quality education, so any financial contribution would be greatly appreciated. THANK YOU!