God’s Hope High School is now in its fourth year of operation, and we want to take a minute to recognize one of the major successes of our vocational program. We started the vocational program at God’s Hope High School in 2017 as a way of providing a need for immediate income for older students. Due to the agricultural lifestyle in Nakaseke, we realized that even with the help of Simone’s Kids, many students were not able to attend college and receive an education that leads to a job to provide for their needs. Vocational training and certification in a hands-on skill opens many doors for these students to provide for their families while they establish a career or attend college.

We are excited to share that we celebrated the first graduation for our vocational students this year! These students took their national exams last year in building, welding, mechanics, hairdressing, or tailoring. Our students not only passed but passed with high marks! We are proud of the aptitude our students have shown in their vocational training and how well they have performed on their exams.

The tests are given in two parts: practical and theory. The practical section covers hands-on skills, and the theory section is a written exam. One student, in particular, deserves special recognition. Sabandeke Livingstone earned the highest score in all of Uganda on his practical exam in welding skills! That’s right—the highest in the country! Livingstone has been with Simone’s Kids for almost seven years, so we’ve had the privilege of seeing him grow up and truly impress us. His determination and focus on his welding courses led him to excellence, and now he has accomplished something to be very proud of.

These test scores are worth much more than a piece of paper to these students. Livingstone’s family lives in the village, and they don’t have much. Since the time that the rest scores were released, he has had several job offers including a teaching position at one of the largest universities in the country! Simone’s Kids is blessed to be a part of God’s plan for Livingstone’s life.

The opportunities that opened up for Sandeke Livingstone would not have been possible without the vocational school he was able to attend thanks to our faithful supporters! We hope to expand our vocational program to include more trades and courses so that we can help others like Livingstone tap into their full potential and callings. We look forward to hearing many more success stories like his in the future!