Carol and Tricia: After School Friends
Every year, five high school graduates who have been part of the Action in Africa scholarship program join us as interns at the AIA Centre in Nakuwadde. They are given an opportunity to serve their communities and work in a professional environment as part of our Internship Program right before they join the university. We are very excited to welcome our interns this year, Tricia, Peter, Carol, Harrison and William.
Today, we would like to introduce you to two friends, Tricia Nambogo and Carol Nabasumba. Both of these young girls finished high school together last year at Central College School in Nakuwadde with the support of the Action in Africa scholarship program. However, because of the differences in the subjects they specialised in at school, they were never able to build a close relationship.
In the first month of their internship, Carol and Tricia have been supporting the Action in Africa After-School Program. The program invites children from schools in the Nakuwadde community to come to the AIA Centre to play, be assisted in doing their homework and have a warm cup of porridge. Both Tricia and Carol participated in this program as young children, and they were sure to mention that from then to now as interns, they still think the Action in Africa porridge is the best porridge in Nakuwadde. The healthy and nutritious treat continues to interest Tricia, Carol and all the young children in the community who come for the After-School Program.
The after-school program is intended to be fun and exciting for the participants, breaking away from the usual monotony of school life, The Centre is a safe place for the children to come and play, and find nourishment in the company of responsible adults who want to assist them and ensure that they are comfortable.
The program has free co-curricular activities like art, writing and dance classes for children who wish to learn or just have fun. As young students, Carol and Tricia were dedicated participants in the after-school dance classes. Tricia even went on to compete in her school’s dance competition and won certificates and medals. Carol, on the other hand, now facilitates a community dance class for children in Nakuwadde with one of our University Scholarship students Kalema Brian, where they keep children in the community safe from vices by keeping them occupied and active through dance.
As part of their internship, Tricia volunteers to assist the children with doing their homework while Carol joins them in playing board games. Both Tricia and Carol find assisting in these programs fulfilling because they get to witness first-hand the brilliant and consistent interest of the young children while they participate in the program. In all honesty, Carol will tell you that the creativity of a 9-year-old who is playing Scrabble is unmatched. And just like most parents do, Tricia is not shy to use the assistance of Google while helping out in answering primary three science questions.
Being part of the after-school program and the AIA internship program, in general, has made Tricia and Carol a lot more fond of each other. Carol’s mom now even knows and likes Tricia, and Carol is glad to have a fellow female intern to confide in and chat with. These two young girls now share this great experience in community service, while waiting to live their dream of going to university.
