Sponsored Students

Faith and her sister Mary, the two surviving children of five, lost their mum when they were 10 and 14 years old and were left in a child-headed household.

Faith became pregnant at 16 but has now returned to school a year after having her baby. It is not unusual in Uganda for classes to be of mixed ages, as many young people have sporadic and interrupted education due to illness and poverty.

Friends of Bwindi provides ongoing support for a small number of students at various stages of education, and occasional one-off grants where appropriate. The students currently supported by Friends of Bwindi are orphans living in sibling-headed households and it is unlikely that they would be in school without our support.

Our approach to student sponsorship is flexible and holistic, taking account of family circumstances and recognising that the costs of keeping a child in education may go beyond the price of uniforms, books and school fees.

Education costs vary depending on a range of factors including stage of education, school attended and distance to school – many students live too far away from their school to travel daily, particularly high school students living in rural areas such as the Bwindi region where the school may be many miles away, and boarding fees may be needed. If a student or family member becomes ill there may be extra costs for medical expenses, or students may need glasses.

Girls brought up in child-headed families have a higher chance of becoming young single mums, who need to cover childcare costs if they are to return to school. This applies to one of our sponsored students, returning to the second year of high school in the hope of providing a better future for her daughter (see box).

Sponsoring a student can have a huge impact on their life chances. Education opens up opportunities for future employment and income generation, and may even increase life expectancy as there is a strong link between the number of years in education and probability of contracting HIV, particularly for girls.

We have a new 'group sponsor' programme to support our sponsored students. Unlike most sponsor programmes, every penny of your donations will directly support students and families and you decide how much you can afford to contribute.

You can also make a one-off contribution to our Students and Families fund.

Please contact us if you would like to find out more about joining our sponsors.

We are extremely proud of the students supported by Friends of Bwindi in the past. They are already using their opportunities to support others - Find out more

Donate to our Students and Families fund online using a credit or debit card or your Paypal account

Your donation will be processed by Paypal's secure online service. We can accept online donations in any currency. You do not need a Paypal account to use this service.

You can also make a postal donation by cheque or postal order. Find out how