–by Miriam Odong.
I have a child called Olinga Raymond in P.4 class. Raymond had never spoken English from the beginning of his study at Hope Center. So one Saturday, I wrote a story on the blackboard and asked each one of the pupils present to read a line. W
hen it came to Raymond, he responded in the local language saying, “Madam I don’t know.”
I was patient with him and told him to listen very well to his friends as they read the story. And eventually everyone read except him. Then I asked him if he wanted to be the only person who never read anything that day. He told me, “no,” and stood up and read one of the questions about the story.
Although he was not perfect in pronouncing some words, I was so impressed by his courage to read for the very first time. Raymond is a slow learner but during the time he has been with us, his handwriting has improved and can be read, and he can now speak some few words in English. He is a dedicated child who never misses school even when he is sick. I really want to see him improve and also progress in his study. There are, however, many children like Raymond that I’m working with and I will keep updating you about their progress.
Hope Center Uganda 