Aubrey

This might just stand out as one of my favorite moments here. Meet Aubrey. He has been supported on a scholarship from PP for 5 years. He entered the program as his mother (the night she was dying) begged someone associated with PP to help her son get a good education. He was left living with his two brothers who created a terrible home environment for him to succeed in. They were big time thieves and drug addicts. He was an orphan at 13 years old.

I heard about Aubrey before I met him. He sounded like such a great kid. He just completed his senior year and took the MCSE (a national exam) to see if he passed to go onto college. While he was waiting for the results, he has worked everyday. Hard labor. He gets up at 6am every morning, travels 7km to the market to purchase a cows head. He then lugs it home and spend the whole day making stew with the head. He carries the stew (about half a trash can) 2 km to a market that is located between two bars. He gets harassed nightly by drunk men giving him a hard time. He returns home at 11 at night to start it all over again, for less than $5 a day. It just breaks my heart.

So the morning I met him he told us that the exam scores were out. They announce all the names of people who have passed the exam on the radio. 45,000 names!!! It takes them 3 days!!! What the......

So we worked and worked to find a way to see if he passed. We finally got in touch with his school who told us he passed with excellent results!!! It was so exciting! Only 50% of the kids pass this exam. After all their handwork and money spent. Needless to say, I cried. I was so happy for him and for all the people at PP who made this possible for him. There is noway this great kid would have made it anywhere without someone supporting his schooling after his mom passed away. These are the stories that keep you going when you see and hear so many heartbreaking stories of pain and suffering to such good people…..

This picture was taken right after he found out he passed. How cute is he?!