"I Am Proud to Be a Change Maker!": Hannah's Story

Published Wed, Feb 05, 25. Written by Kelly Flannery.

 

“I am proud to be a change maker!”

To understand the impact of Hannah’s words, you have to know where she came from.

As a child, Hannah lived with her grandparents in a village in Uganda. Their most basic needs—food, education, clothes, and proper medical care—were out of reach for their family. Her grandfather owned a small garden where he grew beans, cassava (a starchy root vegetable), and greens, but they only had enough food for one meal a day.

Hannah’s life in the village became so hard that she was brought to town to work as a babysitter. Working meant she was no longer able to go to school.

“It was really a tough journey in there because I could babysit all day long while the children of my age in that home would wake up to go to school. I’d wake up, and the next thing I knew, there would be a baby on my back as the mother of the home got her children ready for school. It was a very painful scene for me at that time . . . I felt my future was shuttered and nothing good would come my way.”

But life started to change for Hannah when she joined Children of the Nations at about nine years old.

She no longer had to stand by and watch while other children went to school. She was able to return to class and start working toward a better future.

Hannah remembers that when she first started school again, she still felt weak physically and mentally. She felt she was behind the other students. “But after Children of the Nations gave me food, I became healthy and strong and therefore started performing well in my academics,” says Hannah.

This year, Hannah achieved something amazing and rare for her community: she graduated from university with a degree in public administration and management.

She says, “I want to make great impacts in my community by supporting in my capacity those struggling with the same challenges I experienced . . . I am proud to be a change maker!” 

 

As a child living in poverty, Hannah had little hope her future could ever be better. But with the nutritious meals and education you provided her, Hannah has the power to create a better future not only for herself but her community. 

From a childhood in poverty to a change maker, Hannah’s story is just beginning.

P.S. To empower other children like Hannah with education, give today to our education fund. Transformation starts with changing lives, one child at a time.

 

By Kelly Flannery, Marketing Writer at Children of the Nations

 

How Education and God's Love Change Lives

Published Thu, Jan 22, 26. Written by Kelly Flannery.

 

“They gave me more than just an education; they gave me hope.”

Graduating from a college or university is a big milestone for anyone, but for Jonathan, it was a gateway to give back to his community. When a child is given the resources to apply themselves to their schooling, they are given the chance to succeed and change the community around them. You gave Jonathan that chance.

"Before Children of the Nations–Uganda, I was just a student struggling to keep up. But with their support, I felt like I could finally breathe.”

Because Jonathan had lost hope of having a good future, he felt isolated and had low self-esteem. Without access to quality education or spiritual care, Jonathan felt that his life had no purpose or direction. He needed someone to believe in him and give him the chance that all children deserve: to follow where the Lord was leading him.

At eleven years old, Jonathan’s life changed.

“Children of the Nations transformed me and helped me believe in a great future of possibilities. My hope was restored.”

Because of your generosity, Jonathan received the quality education and spiritual care he craved. With the desire to improve the health of his community, he chose to earn a chemistry degree at Kyambogo University. Having graduated, Jonathan is now a research and development chemist at Rene Pharmaceutical Industries in Uganda’s capital with a dream to improve health for people all over the world. Jonathan is making a difference because of donors like you.

“I was able to focus on my studies and develop skills that I never thought I would have the opportunity to learn."

And Jonathan's story is only one of many—in March 2025 alone, we celebrated the graduation of twenty-three university and vocational students in Uganda. These graduation ceremonies bring to light the miracles the students have experienced and how much their lives have changed because of the love of God.

By becoming a sponsor now, you can help prepare a child for the education that they would not be able to access without help and support from you. So, become a sponsor today by visiting cotni.org and set a child on the path toward success.

“Thank you for shaping my future and nurturing my faith so I could become the responsible, God-fearing man I have become.”

 

By Emily Hayhurst, Marketing Writer Intern at Children of the Nations