From Struggle to Strength – Uganda
Oyomaku Mercy Comfort
My name is Oyomaku Mercy Comfort, and I am currently serving as an AGF intern at St. Mary Assumpta Girls' Secondary School in Northern Uganda. I am the firstborn in a family of four children, and from a very young age, I knew what it meant to carry responsibility.
In 2014, our lives changed forever when we lost my father. Since then, it has been my mother—a woman of quiet strength and endless sacrifice—who has shouldered the burden of raising and educating us. She had no job, no steady income, and sadly, my other relatives showed little willingness to help. It was a constant struggle to make ends meet.
There was a point when I had to drop out of school for an entire term. Not because I lacked motivation, but because I needed to find a way to contribute—to help raise enough money for school fees so my siblings and I could continue our education. During those days, I couldn’t see a future beyond high school. The dream of university felt like a distant fantasy, something only meant for others—not for a girl like me.
But there’s a saying I’ve always held onto: God never forsakes His children. And indeed, He didn’t.
In the very last term of my high school journey, the team from the African Adolescent Girl Fund (AGF) visited our school. They announced that scholarships would be offered to girls who applied and successfully passed the interview process. That night, I fell to my knees and prayed. I asked God to make a way for me—to open the door that had always seemed closed.
And He did.
I passed the interview. I was awarded the scholarship. And from that moment on, everything changed.
Today, I am not only preparing for university—something I once thought impossible—but I’m also receiving a small stipend from the internship program, which allows me to help my mother, even in just a small way. I now walk through life with hope in my heart and confidence in my future. I know, without a doubt, that my dreams are valid, and that they will come true.
To Madam Chantal and the entire AGF team—you have done more than sponsor my education. You have restored my hope. You have made it possible for a girl from Northern Uganda, with no father and no wealth, to believe in a brighter tomorrow.
Thank you from the depths of my heart. May God richly bless you for the incredible work you are doing for the daughters of Africa.