Alaba Topista

Name:  Alaba Topista (prefers to be called Topista)
Gender:  Girl
Birthdate:  September 1, 2014
Age:  4 years old
Favorite food:  Beans
Favorite activity:  Drawing pictures
Child is happy when...  She receives a gift
Child wants to be a...  Teacher
Home information:  Topista is growing up in the village of Bugoi in rural northeastern Uganda. She lives with her mother and grandmother and has one sister; her father passed away. Her family works in people’s gardens in exchange for food. However, they struggle to meet all of their needs, especially school fees for the children. Topista’s most immediate needs are education and clothing.
School information:  Topista has not previously been in school. Once she is sponsored, she will join the kindergarten class at the Bugoi Haven of Hope Nursery and Primary School, where she will learn and play, be taught about God, receive meals and medical care, and prepare for nursery or primary school (she will be placed appropriately). In Uganda, nursery school lasts for three years and is followed by seven years of primary school and six years of secondary school.
Village information:  In Bugoi, most people live in small groupings of mud huts with thatched roofs and depend on small-scale farming or gardening to feed themselves. This is often made difficult by drought, which can lead to poor harvests and famine. The Haven of Hope school is located near a lake, where some villagers also engage in fishing. Families tend to be large, and many adults care for orphans in addition to their biological children. Disease, including HIV and AIDS, is common and has left many children without one or both of their parents. Poverty also keeps many children from attending school, as families struggle to meet their basic needs and afford school fees.