A Sponsorship Story – The Sheridan Family

We became sponsors in July of 2014 and were matched with Erinah Nahulira shortly thereafter.  Tom and Elizabeth had been discussing helping out a disadvantaged child, and at the time there was a notice in the St. Aloysius Bulletin about ChangeALife Uganda.  When they brought it to my attention that there were schools in Nabbingo and Migyera that needed sponsors for their students, I remembered that a doctor that I had previously worked for had just posted on Facebook that she and her family were in Nabbingo and Migyera volunteering their time at schools in the area.  That couldn’t be a coincidence!

After a little research we found that she was on a trip with ChangeALife Uganda and she spoke very highly of the organization.  That, coupled with St. Aloysius’s involvement made it evident that they were a reputable organization, so we decided to become sponsors.

We were so happy to be matched with Erinah!

Erinah 

She is only a bit younger that our daughter Elizabeth, and she was going to the St. Lawrence School in Migyera, where she hoped to one day be able to become a nurse.

In the two years that we have been sponsors, we were able to see her educational performance – ChangeALife sends us a copy of her report card! – and we have been able to correspond with her as well.  She sends us beautifully written letters, often with drawings, letting us know about herself, her family and her studies.  We in turn send her letters telling her about our lives here in New Jersey, about any trips we take or events going on, often sending her postcards in between letters if we are someplace fun or interesting.  For Christmas, we also send her a small care package, with school supplies, a little treat for her, and the next installment in the “Percy Jackson” series, which she says that she is enjoying.

Being able to make a difference in someone’s life, even if in a small way, is very meaningful to us.  Knowing that our contribution to her education with help her to grow and achieve her goals is very rewarding and the personal connection that we have with her helps us to see firsthand how she is doing. We feel that it is a true blessing to be able to help, and we are thankful that ChangeALife Uganda makes it possible.

Christine Sheridan