TRANSFORMING LIVES:
Turning Uganda’s Forgotten Children Into Leaders
Published by Star Bright Books
Photographs & Essay by Award-Winning Photojournalist Stephen Shames
Foreword by People magazine writer Pete Norman.
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PUBLICATION DATE: October 1, 2009
8×10 inches. 44 pages.
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The book will be available for purchase through the LEAD Uganda website starting September 2, 2009, for $12.95. (plus $3 shipping) If you order the book before October 1st you will receive a signed book and free shipping.
THE BOOK
Nearly every child in Uganda is affected by poverty, HIV/AIDS, abduction, and brutal war. Many have witnessed trauma that no child should ever experience. And yet, despite their lost innocence, these children still possess a burning desire to succeed and to serve their country. Transforming Lives: Turning Uganda’s Forgotten Children Into Leaders (Star Bright Books, October 2009) documents the powerful and inspirational stories of thirteen young and talented Ugandan boys and girls who are on their way to leading their country into a brighter future. These are children who are beating the odds through a combination of personal grit and determination, and with the help of LEAD Uganda, an educational leadership initiative founded by photographer and child advocate Stephen Shames, that seeks out forgotten children and offers them education, security, emotional pport, and most importantly, the chance to become the next leaders of the country they love.
These children are beating the odds through a combination of personal grit and determination, and with the help of L.E.A.D Uganda, an educational leadership initiative founded by photographer and child advocate Stephen Shames, that seeks out forgotten children and offers them education, security, emotional support, and most importantly, the chance to become the next leaders of the country they love.
Through the children’s essays and drawings and Shames’ photographs, Transforming Lives presents a compelling and candid portrait of these resilient children of Uganda. AIDS orphans, former child soldiers, child laborers, and children living in refugee camps are now attending the best schools in their country alongside the children of Uganda’s elite, earning high marks, gaining self esteem, and experiencing first-hand the healing and transforming powers of education.
In Transforming Lives you will read about our students, including:
Katongole, who as a teenager worked in a quarry breaking stones into pebbles for 1,500 shillings (73 cents a day). He couldn’t afford to go to school fulltime, but his innate abilities and resilience have rewarded him with a full scholarship to pharmacy school.
Ronald, a past child soldier, who lost his father and right arm to rebel fighters. Without drive and assistance, he would not have been able to work, but now his dream of being a lawyer is a reality.
Sarah, a double AIDS orphan, who lost her mother and father before her first birthday. As a child, she struggled to help raise her siblings, walking up to five miles a day to fetch water from a well. She is now first in her class and dreams of helping other children in need.
Hilda, who lost her father when she was a baby, and has a mother who is HIV positive and struggling to raise six children, is now the deputy head girl at the best high school in Uganda. Hilda’s goal is to be a neurosurgeon and create jobs by building her own hospital.
SOME BOOK PAGES
This is a great book to share with the entire family, and includes tips on how you can raise money to help the kids.