From Loss to Leadership: James's Story
Updated: 5 days ago
When James was a child, his mother died from an HIV-related illness. His father, struggling alone, couldn't keep up with school fees and without support, James's education would have ended there.
Instead, Mildmay's Universal Fund stepped in, covering his school fees so he could stay in education. Today, James is a peer educator with Uganda's PIASCY programme (Presidential Initiative on AIDS Strategy for Communication to Youth), teaching his fellow students about HIV awareness and prevention. He hopes, one day, to train as a doctor.
James's story is one strand of what the Universal Fund makes possible. For other young people, it's a different kind of support entirely: apprenticeships in hairdressing, tailoring, soap-making or motor vehicle and motorcycle mechanics, giving them a practical skill and a route to earning their own income. Others need medical and maternal healthcare, or counselling and family support after the loss of a parent. The fund is designed to meet whichever of these a young person needs most.
October 2025 update:
This summer, supporters gave more than £35,000 to our appeal for the Universal Fund, helping to fund education, healthcare, vocational training and family support for vulnerable young people in Uganda. The Fund remains open, and every further gift helps it reach more young people like James.
£150 funds six months of vocational training
£250 covers a year of primary school
£320 provides a year of secondary education.
Whatever you're able to give, it goes directly to a young person like James.
