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See what a day is like in the life of one sponsored child and her family in rural Uganda. This story originally appeared in Holt's fall 2016 sponsorship magazine. 

  • girl smiling at camera
    Sophia lives with her grandmother and four of her cousins in a rural village in Uganda. With the support of sponsors, Sophia and her cousins have everything they need to stay in school and thrive in the loving care of their grandmother. See what their daily lives are like!
  • four children sweeping
    Before heading off for school in the morning, Sophia and her cousins first sweep their grandmother’s compound.
  • five children washing in a basin of water
    They then wash with rainwater collected in a cistern in front of their home.
  • girl kneeling to fill jug of water
    Sophia fills a jug of water from the family’s large cistern.
  • five children walking down a dirt road
    Sophia and her cousins start their hour-long walk to school.
  • children sitting at a long desk
    They attend a primary school with 150 Holt-sponsored children in attendance. Sophia’s sponsors cover her school fees, uniform, textbooks, supplies and lunch, pictured here.
  • children talking and playing outside in school uniforms
    In Uganda, a maximum of two children in a family are directly supported by sponsors. In their family, Sophia and her cousin Ronald have Holt sponsors. But as part of Holt’s family strengthening program, their family has also received agricultural investments to help them generate income — including pigs, a goat and coffee, maize and bean seedlings. By saving her earnings, Sophia’s grandmother can afford to meet the needs of all her grandchildren, including their school fees.
  • children walking down a dirt road in uganda
    Sophia and her cousins walk home to her grandma's house.
  • two girls carrying firewood above their heads
    After school, Sophia and her cousins help by gathering firewood and food from the garden.
  • a girl with a basket of cassava on her head
    Sophia’s grandmother helps Sophia lift a basket of cassava to carry on her head. At 62, Sophia’s grandmother continues to farm their small plot of land, where she also grows peanuts, avocados, bananas, beans, maize, coffee and sugarcane.
  • a boy holding a jackfruit on his shoulder
    Ronald carries a large jackfruit from the family farm.
  • a girl feeding a large pig
    One of the family’s most prized assets is a pig, which Sophia’s cousin feeds above. With the support of Holt sponsors and donors who helped provide everything from school uniforms to income-generating livestock, Sophia, her cousins and her grandmother are thriving — every day.

Meet Sophia. Sophia lives with her grandmother and four of her cousins in a small farming community recovering from both the spread of HIV and years of brutal conflict in central Uganda. Sophia has lived with her grandmother since she lost her mother when she was 10 years old.

Now 13, Sophia is in the sixth grade and she aspires to be a nurse. With the support of sponsors, Sophia and her cousins have everything they need to stay in school and thrive in the loving care of their grandmother. View the slideshow above to learn what daily life is like for Sophia and her cousins and how Holt sponsorship supports them every step of the way.