Grace Upon Grace

“And from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” ‭‭-John 1:16

Divine Care Ministries’ vision statement is to identify with the hurting especially orphaned or vulnerable children to give them hope. One of the ways we do this is through our Child Sponsorship program. When in poverty, there is not always a high priority for education but rather a pressure to find a job and help support the family. With these mindsets, sometimes a child’s sponsor is the only source of encouragement and support to pursue an education. This is true of Grace Nassiwa.

In 2010, Grace became part of the Divine Care Ministries program when she was 7 years old. She attended Divine Grace Primary School and was in grade 3. She joined our program after one of her teacher’s advocated for her. Her teacher noticed she was always being sent home from school for not being able to pay school fees. To find out more about Grace’s situation her teacher contacted a social worker. Grace’s father abandoned her and her siblings when she was very little. Grace’s mother is the one who raised them all.  Her mother digs in people’s gardens in order to make an income but it is so small that she is unable to afford Grace’s school fees. Grace kept going into default on her school fees, she was given multiple grace periods and still would be unable to make her tuition payments.

The Bobo family visited Uganda to see all the work that Divine Care Ministries does. They met Grace and after hearing her story they decided to sponsor her. We are so thankful for the kindness and generosity of the Bobo family. They have been such a source of hope for Grace. Grace was then able to continue in her education.

In 2018, Grace was in grade 11 and she decided to drop out of school. The financial situation her family was in put pressure on her to quit school and find a job. She moved to the city and began working two jobs as a maid and a shop attendant in order to help support her mother. Unfortunately, there was a fire at the shop she worked at and the person's home she was helping to clean also let her go. Grace had no money and no other options but to go and live with her grandmother. During this time, Divine Care Ministries did not know where Grace was and had no contact with her.

When the Bobo family heard that Grace dropped out, they were very concerned for her. She was still very young and had such a bright future ahead of her. They prayed for her and really wanted her to go back to school. Divine Care Ministries searched for her and kept trying to get in touch with her. A year later she was found and with the encouragement of the Bobo Family she decided to start school again in 2020. Because this is the year COVID-19 hit, she stayed in the home of Peter and Phoebe Sozi. Grace not only completed Secondary school but continued on to higher education by attending YMCA Comprehensive Institute.

At the beginning of 2024, Grace graduated from this program with a certificate in Catering and Hospitality. She now has a high paying job working in a hotel. With her income, she is able to support her mother and her siblings. Grace would not have returned to school without the encouragement, prayers and concerns of her sponsors. The Bobo family have greatly impacted her life and helped her break the cycle of poverty in her family, be strengthened in her faith and successful in future. 

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