You might remember Kevin from an update we sent earlier in the year, she is one of the first children to join our Awamu education programme in 2008, the first of the children we work with to take her A-Level exams and she will be the first to go to university when they reopen in Uganda.

This Christmas Kevin will be on the front line as a volunteer, helping to protect girls in her community.

She explains why she is volunteering to share the skills she’s learnt from Awamu with other vulnerable girls as a tailoring trainer and peer counsellor.

“Just after I got my A level results in February, lockdown started and I haven’t been able to enrol in University yet . But I know I will get there! I’m so thankful for the tailoring skills and business management I learnt from Awamu as it has given me confidence and helped me support myself through school, during lockdown and it will help me when I join university too.

Many of the girls I went to school with are not so lucky, they are suffering a lot because of lockdown. Many have experienced violence at home. Others are putting themselves as risk as they are desperate for a little money to buy food. Sadly, even some very young girls are now pregnant.

They are telling me they have given up hope of ever going back to school. For me education is hope for a better future - and I want to help them fight for their futures.

If girls are forced to drop out of school our community will lose future women leaders, capable of driving change in their families, in our community and in the country. If girls miss out, we all miss out.

Please, if you are able to, will you give a donation to help make sure we can keep my sisters safe?