Tamara White met John Sekito in 2007 when she was interviewing child laborers in and around Mulajje Village, Luweero DIstrict, Uganda. At 17 years old, John was the oldest of three children who had been orphaned by AIDS and was being raised by his paternal great grandmother. John's story is not unique. He and his siblings were unable to attend school on a regular basis because they were frequently sent home and told not to return to school until they paid their school fees. John and his siblings would spend most of their days clearing land for local farmers who paid them less than 30 cents a day. But all too frequently John, his brother Asharif, and sister Farida would come to find at the end of a long day of heavy labor that the farmer refused to pay them and, as children, there was nothing they could say or do other than walk away and go home. John and his siblings were among the first students who's education was sponsored with the proceeds from the piggery AsOne Global built in Mulajje Village in 2008. Unfortunately, his great grandmother died that same year. He went on to attend a government school and became a teacher intent on helping students suffering the same effects of extreme poverty he faced as a child. Since starting his own school in 2013, John has worked with the parents of his students to find ways to collectively ensure that no student is ever sent home when a family cannot afford school fees. AsOne Global is currently working on constructing a new building for Sekito Primary School as well as a piggery which will generate the income needed to sustain the cost of running the school for years to come.
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