Opolot Ivan

Name:  Opolot Ivan (goes by Opolot)
Gender:  Boy
Reported birthdate:  Not available (currently about 8 years old)
Favorite food:  Posho (a staple food in Uganda)
Favorite color:  Red
Favorite subject:  Drawing
Favorite activity:  Sweeping his family’s compound (home)
Child is happy when...  He is going to school
Child wants to be a...  Doctor
Home information:  Opolot is growing up in the village of Bugoi in rural northeastern Uganda. His family resides in Akwei, a small community within Bugoi. He lives with his father, David, and has two sisters and two brothers. His mother is alive but left their family, so David now cares for all of the children. Opolot’s family supports themselves by “digging”—they grow cassava, millet, and maize to eat and to sell when they can. However, they struggle to meet all of their needs. Opolot helps at home by fetching water.
School information:  Opolot joined the Bugoi Haven of Hope Nursery and Primary School in 2020, just before Uganda closed its schools due to Covid. He learned from home until schools fully reopened in January 2022. Opolot is currently in middle class, the second year of nursery school. In Uganda, nursery school (similar to preschool) lasts for three years and is followed by seven years of primary school and six years of secondary school. At school, Opolot will continue to learn and play, be taught about God, and receive meals, medical care, and clothing.
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 beside 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.
Prayer requests:  Opolot requests prayer that he will do well in school.