Jacinta Nayiga, aged 39, is one of the adult learners participating in the Unbound Kampala sponsorship program. Jacinta was born in Tanzania but moved to Uganda to get married. As a graduate of the programme, she is celebrating her newfound reading and writing skills, and has become fluent in both Kiswahili and Luganda languages.

In December 2020 Unbound Kampala introduced a Functional Adult Literacy (FAL) Programme in Kyebe Sub County in Kyotera District. Unbound enrols illiterate and semi-literate sponsored parents into ICOLEW (Integrated Community Learning for Wealth Creation) classes in the community. The aim is to reduce illiteracy levels in the communities and enable participants to better participate in matters that affect their lives and wellbeing. Jacinta is a sponsored parent from Kigazi Village in Kyebe Subcounty of Kyotera District. She was a learner in the Tuliwangula Community Empowerment Group. She joined the community literacy sessions in January 2021, which then became part of Uganda’s national ICOLEW programme in 2022.

Jacinta, like many others, joined the programme at Level 0. She was not able to read, write or count. She attended the ICOLEW classes for 2 years (2021/2022) and has been able to attain the necessary reading and writing skills to graduate as a Level Two learner. Through her persistence and hard work, on December 14^th, 2022 she graduated with a certificate having completed Level Two.

Jacinta has faced some challenges during her time as a student. She was a victim of gender-based violence (GBV), which resulted in separation from her husband. She also had to interrupt her learning sessions due to maternity leave. These challenges affected the progress of her study, but she persevered. With the skills she has acquired, she can now help her children with their homework, especially in numeracy, so she is very appreciative of the opportunity that the Unbound programme has given her.

“I couldn’t understand how useful education was until I attended a parent-teacher meeting at the school of my children, where all parents were required to register in the attendance book. I requested a friend to assist me and write on my behalf because I felt ashamed about not being able to write. I felt useless at that time”, said Jacinta. She further expressed how much she regretted not having had the chance to attend school. When Unbound Kampala started the Functional Adult Literacy programme, Jacinta finally had an opportunity to change her life.

Unbound Kampala has rolled out the ICOLEW programme with the aim of reducing illiteracy levels in the community, and also to allow more sponsored parents to participate in adult education initiatives that can change their lives. Jacinta is one of their success stories. “Now I feel good that I can write my name by myself and can read and even guide my children in some homework”.