Education for Ugandans

Friends,

I hesitate to write this, but I guess I just feel like this is what I am supposed to do.

For those of you that read my blog while I was in Uganda, you know the story about Mama Jane and her son Raymond--how the Lord provided money for Raymond to go to college through the excess funds I had raised to go to Uganda.

Well Uncle Francis just sent me an email with an update on Mama Jane. (I have asked him to keep me updated on what is happening with Alma house) He tells me that she is very distraught right now because she has one college student and 2 high school students (her biological children) and she can not afford to pay for, really, any of them to attend school this term (if ever). I believe she is, at least, hoping to be able to afford Bridget's fees, but she is stressing out greatly because of the other two. I believe a lot of her trouble is from having to choose which child's education to support.

As you may already know, education in Uganda is very expensive and highly unattainable for most. Mama Jane desires an education for her children so much--equally, if not more than all of us here. She is doing all she can--giving up her life to live in a remote village to be a non-biological mother for 12 children--to provide for them.

Anyways, Uncle Francis was asking me if I know of anyone that would want to sponsor her children's education. For better or for worse, the means by which most Ugandans get through the educational system is having a Western "sponsor." I told him I would "see what I can do."
I absolutely plan on sending Mama Jane some money as soon as possible, but I am unsure of how much I can commit throughout the rest of the rest for both of her young adults.

I asked Francis for more details and this is what he gave me:

Raymond:
--2 terms of university left which go through June
--each semester is $180
--a total of $360
--i have never actually met him, but I feel connected to him for obvious reasons

Joy:
--4 terms of high school left at $128 each
--This young woman is absolutely amazing. One of the most humble, servant-hearted spirit's I've ever met. She has beautiful dreams and I believe the Lord is going to do great things with her. I truly want to support her future in any way I can. The picture above is f Joy.

Anyways, I'm not necessarily asking any of you for money. Really. I just feel like part of my role in being in between the worlds of Uganda and America is to share the struggles of my people 'over there' with my people here. Of course in hopes that the Lord will do His thing with the details.

Coincidentally, I was going to send over a check to Alma house next month that I've been saving up. My hope is to send money directly for Alma house every 3 months. (Maybe more frequently, if Francis says so)
I'm just letting you know this because some people have expressed interest in wanting to support Alma house in the future over this past year. So, feel free to join in at any time! I suppose I could use that money for Raymond and Joy, but I feel strongly about it going to Alma house, and then just helping the other two in addition.

If there is anyone else you think may be interested, pass this on

What Is It About 20-somethings?

Emily sent me this email/article. I find this topic extremely interesting.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
So you should read the whole article--even though its long.

The article listed below articulates a lot about our (20 something) culture, and in my opinion it could not be more right on in a lot areas. Here are just a few quotes.

...

We've entered a new stage, "Arnett says, between the age of 18 and the late 20s. Among the cultural changes he points to that have led to “emerging adulthood” are the need for more education to survive in an information-based economy; fewer entry-level jobs even after all that schooling; young people feeling less rush to marry because of the general acceptance of premarital sex, cohabitation and birth control; and young women feeling less rush to have babies given their wide range of career options and their access to assisted reproductive technology if they delay pregnancy beyond their most fertile years."

"...Just as adolescence has its particular psychological profile, Arnett says, so does emerging adulthood: identity exploration, instability, self-focus, feeling in-between and a rather poetic characteristic he calls “a sense of possibilities.” A few of these, especially identity exploration, are part of adolescence too, but they take on new depth and urgency in the 20s. The stakes are higher when people are approaching the age when options tend to close off and lifelong commitments must be made. Arnett calls it “the age 30 deadline.”

...and the question we are all asking...

"... is it better for young people to experiment in their 20s before making choices they’ll have to live with for more than half a century? Or is adulthood now so malleable, with marriage and employment options constantly being reassessed, that young people would be better off just getting started on something, or else they’ll never catch up, consigned to remain always a few steps behind the early bloomers? Is emerging adulthood a rich and varied period for self-discovery, as Arnett says it is? Or is it just another term for self-indulgence?"

“It’s somewhat terrifying,” writes a 25-year-old named Jennifer, “to think about all the things I’m supposed to be doing in order to ‘get somewhere’ successful: ‘Follow your passions, live your dreams, take risks, network with the right people, find mentors, be financially responsible, volunteer, work, think about or go to grad school, fall in love and maintain personal well-being, mental health and nutrition.’ When is there time to just be and enjoy?” Adds a 24-year-old from Virginia: “There is pressure to make decisions that will form the foundation for the rest of your life in your 20s. It’s almost as if having a range of limited options would be easier.”

This dependence on Mom and Dad also means that during the 20s the rift between rich and poor becomes entrenched. According to data gathered by the Network on Transitions to Adulthood, a research consortium supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, American parents give an average of 10 percent of their income to their 18- to 21-year-old children. This percentage is basically the same no matter the family’s total income, meaning that upper-class kids tend to get more than working-class ones. And wealthier kids have other, less obvious, advantages. When they go to four-year colleges or universities, they get supervised dormitory housing, health care and alumni networks not available at community colleges. And they often get a leg up on their careers by using parents’ contacts to help land an entry-level job — or by using parents as a financial backup when they want to take an interesting internship that doesn’t pay.

“You get on a pathway, and pathways have momentum,” Jennifer Lynn Tanner of Rutgers told me. “In emerging adulthood, if you spend this time exploring and you get yourself on a pathway that really fits you, then there’s going to be this snowball effect of finding the right fit, the right partner, the right job, the right place to live. The less you have at first, the less you’re going to get this positive effect compounded over time. You’re not going to have the same acceleration.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/magazine/22Adulthood-t.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1

I might write more thoughts soon, but personally, I think we need to grow up.
And I think parents need to truly parent children well so that they CAN grow up when they're supposed to.