Okidi Simon Age 11 Primary 2 (Day) Okidi Simon lives with his parents, 7 other siblings and 1 other grandchild of his parents. They live in the Danida area of Jinja in 1 1/2 rented rooms which they can no longer afford to even rent. The family came here from Patong in the Pader district of northern Uganda five years ago because of the war. His mother makes bead necklaces. His father had a job that made a little income, but he was let go from the steel fabricating company in May 2007. Because of this layoff, the family faces many problems. It is unlikely he’ll be able to find another job, and they cannot afford any school fees or to rent anywhere. They have no plot on which to grow food in Jinja. One son has both a hearing problem and a mental problem. Currently, only 3 children are in school, but another 3 should also be in primary but aren’t due to no school fees. Some additional older children have stopped secondary school also because of no school fees. Okidi Simon is an above average student who was 17th out of at least 150 students last year. He especially likes English and wants to be a teacher some day. He likes to play soccer with his friends. He helps his family by making beads, sweeping the compound, washing clothes and washing dishes. Your sponsorship of Okidi Simon will help assure that this bright student can continue in school and it will also help lessen his family’s financial stress.  Click here to sponsor this student by adding the annual cost of $75 for school fees, uniform and supplies to your shopping cart. View More Children