AIDS + Starcross

Milly

We first met Milly at a primitive primary school. Even then she was someone special. She had been elected "Head Girl" at her school, which gave her the honor of leading the singing and dancing. This sparkling girl knew how to combine responsibility with a real sense of fun.

Outside of school, Milly's life was bleak. Her parents and sibling had died of AIDS. All that remained of the family were Milly and her elderly grandmother. Milly helped grow the vegetables and bananas on their tiny plot of land. She carried water from the river, and kept the mud hut swept and tidy. But there was no income and no way to raise money for school fees so that she could go to high school.

We saw that the grandmother was looked after, and took Milly in. Our sponsors provided everything she needed to complete her education. She eagerly helped care for any sick children at our House of Hope. Milly has now completed a three-year nursing course at Mengo Hospital in Kampala, Uganda with a specialty in midwifery. She sent us this letter:

"This is written from the bottom of my heart. Becoming a nurse was not easy but because you have the best Love and Care for an African child I have been able to go through ... . You are the song in my day to day life. Really you are too sweet."

As with our other SKW graduates, Milly received a "package" of money to pay first rent and get her started in her new career, and Nurse Milly is launched as the nurse in a clinic deep in the bush. Besides delivering babies, she makes home visits where she does everything from teaching nutrition to caring for people with AIDS.

Milly is bubbling with enthusiasm for her work. She said sometimes she just can’t believe it. To come from having no one and nothing, to achieving all her dreams.