Elizabeth’s life has been transformed – by you! Elizabeth stands on the grounds of St Peter Faber Primary School in Akol Jal – a school that would not have been opened without your help and that of the Irish government through Irish Aid/Misean Cara. The school started off under a tree. Now, the foundations you see behind Elizabeth in her photo, will be for Primary 7 (which Elizabeth will join in January 2026) and Primary 8 classes.
Elizabeth is 17 years old, and in Primary 6 – the equivalent of 4th class in Ireland when most children are around 10 years of age. The challenges she’s gone through to reach this stage of primary have been tremendous. She lost her father at a young age, leaving her mother to raise five children alone through farming and cattle keeping. Elizabeth’s two brothers left school to join the cattle camp so that she and her older brother Gabriel could continue their education. Gabriel now teaches at the school. Elizabeth strives to be a doctor – she wants to improve healthcare in her village, as families must walk long distances to Rumbek town for basic treatment and medicine.
Elizabeth writes this letter to thank you for the gift of a Hygiene Kit that she has been given to help her stay in school. It includes sanitary pads, soap and deodorant – ensuring she doesn’t have to miss classes and can stay in school with dignity and confidence.
Elizabeth asks how you will be celebrating Christmas this year? She is keen to share her plans with you. Her brother Gabriel, a teacher, will save enough to buy a new outfit for each of them – this will be their only new outfit for the year. They will share cookies and chicken and will welcome their two brothers home from the cattle camp. Their two brothers will bring butter and milk. Together they celebrate with gratitude, turning Christmas into a moment of reunion, love, and hope.
We thank you for making stories like Elizabeth’s possible. Because of you, children in one of the most remote and disadvantaged parts of the world can dream of a brighter future for their community.