Former Girl Child Education Fund student wins award for fighting HIV stigma

ICN is proud to announce that a young woman who was previously on its Girl Child Education Fund (GCEF) has won a prestigious award for fighting HIV stigma.

Sharon Amongi, whose education was funded by the GCEF from 2008 until her graduation in 2016, was given the award by the Uganda Network of Young People Living With HIV/AIDS.

The GCEF supports the primary and secondary schooling of girls under the age of 18 in developing countries whose nurse parent or parents have died.

Donations to the fund go towards the costs of school fees, uniforms, shoes and books.

So far, more than 350 girls have benefited from the scheme and it is currently supporting 80 girls in Kenya, eSwatini (formerly Swaziland), Uganda and Zambia. ICN President Annette Kennedy has written to Ms Amongi congratulating her on the award and expressing ICN’s pride in her achievements.

Ms Kennedy said:

"This prestigious award is a fitting tribute to Sharon’s tremendous dedication to educating people about HIV/AIDs, fighting prejudice and helping her community. She is a remarkable young woman and I am particularly proud to claim her as one of our own, a GCEF alumnus!

‘Sharon is an inspiration and one of the reasons why we at ICN are dedicated to the GCEF programme. I hope to meet Sharon when I am Kampala next week, but for now, I send her our warmest congratulations and thank her for her great work.’

Ms Amongi said:

"Thank you so much for your congratulations. I am who I am because of the Girl Child Education Fund: without it I would not have had an education because there wasn’t anyone to support me. God sent this programme, and by luck, I was part of it.

‘I am brave, and I have come out to fight the stigma related to HIV among young people. I couldn’t have done this without the Girl Child Education Fund’s help."

Watch her inspiring video here

To donate to the GCEF by credit card, bank transfer or cheque please go to the Girl Child Education Fund donation page