The EarlyBird256 scholarship impact: Mary Namulondo’s story

At EarlyBird256, we strive to not only show our students that they are loved and supported, but also empower them to pursue their dreams and write their own futures. We show them that they have the ability to create with their hands, and we teach them how that can help them financially to achieve their goals. As a result, most of the students have their own projects or “side hustles” — such as farming, raising livestock, or helping a parent run a shop — and part of our work is to help them thrive with their side projects as well as in school.

The EB256 girls never cease to amaze us with their brilliance and ingenuity, and one of the girls recently surprised us with the initiative she has taken with one of her hobbies. Mary Namulondo has been with us since the first EarlyBird256 workshops. She has been showing up rain or shine and always makes an effort to update us about her progress outside of school and the EarlyBird space. Mary recently used her skills to take charge of her education and ensure a better future for herself.

Although Busoga High School is both a day school and boarding school, the EarlyBird256 scholarship only covers the day school fees. After one term at Busoga High School, Mary realized that she would be able to focus better if she attended boarding school. Intent on making it a reality, she made yarn ropes during the holiday, and she was able to sell them and make enough money to cover most of her tuition. According to our Kamuli Coordinator, Mary sold close to $100 worth of ropes. The universe favors the bold, because Mary was then able to convince her father to cover the remaining costs so that she could join boarding school and concentrate on her studies.

With a mantra of #doinglittlethingswithpassion, Mary realized the small steps that she could take to make her dream a reality. In the process, she exemplified everything we are trying to instill in our students at EarlyBird256. Children and parents who had never dreamed of receiving quality secondary education now see the possibility through EarlyBird’s mantra of #doinglittlethingswithpassion. We have so many business women in our squad, and Mary is just one example. With your support, we can continue building a space where the girls in the communities we work with can chase after their wildest dreams.