From Sponsored Child to an outstanding Engineer: Santrina’s Journey of confidence and purpose.

From a young age, Santrina dreamt of becoming an engineer. She was always fascinated by the way buildings rose from the ground and how places turned into towns.

In a quiet village of Nyamuha in Kasambya Sub-county, Santrina’s family of 9 lived nestled between hills and dusty roads. Her parents would rise early to figure out how to stretch the little they had into another day. Their small garden of coffee and maize could not yield enough, and school fees felt like a daily hardship. Santrina and her siblings, though often hungry, still walked to school barefoot, clutching their tattered books, but with bigger dreams.

After completing primary seven, all hope of continuing with secondary education faded. Santrina’s parents could not push her any further due to the unrelenting financial constrain. The situation was no any different in several households within her neighborhood, as she watched her peers become teenage mothers because further education was a distant dream.

World Vision, through the sponsorship and community engagement project, reached out like a glimmer of hope and offered Santrina an opportunity to acquire vocational skills. This felt like not just support, but also a doorway to a brighter future. Santrina felt like she had an opportunity to dream again.

In February 2022, she was among the 145 youths that World Vision enrolled at Birembo Memorial Technical Institute to pursue different skilling programs.

While her peers were dreaming of traditional vocations like tailoring and hairdressing, Santrina was drawn to the sound of bricks clinking and cement mixing. 

She chose bricklaying and concrete practice—a skill typically reserved for boys, and one that drew stares and attention. Nevertheless, she was not intimidated. “I wanted to build more than walls,” she says. “I wanted the people in my community to know that girls can do anything they put their minds to.” According to her tutor, Musa, it was evident that Santrina had not been forced to choose the course. She was passionate about it.

As the only girl in her class. The days were long and the work tough—mixing mortar under the hot sun, and carrying heavy concrete blocks. Many times, Satrina felt out of place and almost gave up, but quickly remembered her childhood dream.

With every layer of brick she laid, her confidence grew. Her instructors quickly noticed her precision and natural leadership. Never did she ever put herself in a position to be pitied as the weaker vessel, contrary to what her classmates expected. Within a year, she was leading group projects and topping her class with exceptional grades and smart, practical sessions.

According to Lawrence, the Director of Studies at the institute, skilling is very good and practical because it equips youths to become job creators rather than job seekers in a country like Uganda, where unemployment is very high.

During school breaks, she volunteered to work at one of the construction sites in town. Her intention was not to earn money but to learn as much as she could to perfect her skill. The site supervisor was impressed by her zeal and determination to learn. Eventually, they started paying her.

Though not much, she recalls how she bought 4 chickens from her first payment, which later multiplied, and she bought piglets. With that, she was able to lend a helping hand to her struggling parents to take care of the household. From that moment, she realized that if one works hard, livelihood could change.

Today, Santrina is employed at the same vocational training center that she attended. She is the only lady among the 27 workers at the mega school extension project. She is not just making a living but is building a reputation. 

Her goal is to become one of the most respected female contractors in Uganda. She dreams of furthering her studies in the same vocation and owning a construction company that employs other young women someday. 

Her hands are often dusted with cement, but they are full of purpose. She is no longer just laying bricks—she’s laying the foundation for change. 

"Seeing these young people in Kasambya rise with confidence, skills, and purpose has been the greatest reward of this journey. As we celebrate the end of this project, we are not closing a chapter—we are launching futures filled with dignity, opportunity, and hope. " Margaret Ayebazibwe, Kasambya Area Programme Manager

Story By Sarah. N. Kirabo, Donor Liason Officer, and Mungu Jakisa Brian, Communications Officer