Gift of University Fees (Digital Download)

How your gift has helped Laughter Africa children in the past year:

In 2023/2024, we paid for over 20 young people to attend university. This year we will be paying for another 13 new students, They are studying a variety of subjects including international relations, social work, laboratory technician studies, banking and finance, procurement and logistics, human resources, midwifery, para-legal studies, public health, public administration and nursing.

Our newest university student is James. He lived on the streets for three years. His mum died in 2012 and he went on the streets after his brother's wife maltreated him. He is about to start at UNIMAK to study a diploma in para-legal studies. His eventual aim is to be a lawyer

He said, "The reason I want to be a lawyer is because I have seen so much injustice here where the less privileged are suffering. They might be right but they don’t have the finance backing them. I want to be Laughter Africa's lawyer. I have suffered a lot and I want to fight for those less privileged who are suffering too. I know it’s like to be ignored and have my rights trampled on." 

James had a special message of thanks to Laughter Africa supporters, "I am overwhelmed. Even though I don’t know you- I am so appreciative of what you have done for me. I promise that I will make a difference and not let you down."

Another new student is Faith who has just gained admission to the School of Midwifery in Kenema. She lived on the streets for over two years in Funkia. She has been through a lot in such a short space of time….

After the death of her mother and father in the village, her sister brought her to Freetown and paid school for her. Tragically Faith's sister died in a traffic accident coming home from Guinea.

She said, "After the death of my sister, I had to live with my uncle. He married a new woman and the woman maltreated me. One day my uncle tried to sleep with me so I ran away for my life."

The streets were not easy for Faith but now Faith is extremely excited about her future.  She said, "So many women here die in childbirth and I want to help. They die because we don't have good facilities or trained professionals. I want to save lives." She wanted to pass on her thanks to our supporters for making this possible, "Tenki. I promise that I will make you proud."

Another new student is 19 year Isatu who is about to start studying nursing at EBK University in Makeni. We met her living on the streets in Portee in 2021 during our mobile project. She lived on the streets for three years. Isatu went on the streets after her mother remarried another man after the death of her father. Her step father maltreated her, including beating her with a cable. Isatu said that she wants to be a nurse because she wants to save lives and help the nation. Isatu also had a special message for Laughter Africa supporters,"I really appreciate what you have done for me. I appreciate your effort. Since I started at Laughter I have seen plenty of positive changes in my life. Thank you!"

Meanwhile 24 year old Ruth is about to study Human Resource Management at UNIMTECH. She lived on the streets for 5 years. She went on the streets after her aunt’s constant maltreatment. Her aunt beat her and made Ruth sell charcoal and banana cake. Ruth experienced a lot of heartbreak on the streets. She miscarried a few times and also lost her friend who died after smoking too much Kush. When we took Ruth home back to family she was pregnant. She gave birth to a daughter called Agnes who is 8 months old. She absolutely smashed her WASCE and got a fantastic mark, despite the challenges of being a single mum.

Another young man we are paying university for is 20 year old Gibrilla. We first met Gibrilla in 2018 and fast forward 6 years later, he is about to start an accounting diploma at IPALM. He first went onto the streets at age 13 and lost three of his friends while living on the street: one was beaten to death while another died after he fell sick and his face swelled.

Gibrilla had a special message for Laughter Africa supporters, “I tell you plenti tenki for all the help you have given me over the last 6 years.  If not for you, I wouldn’t be here. Whenever I have been sick, you have always come to my rescue. Thanks to you I have now achieved what I have always dreamed of. I wouldn’t have gone school if it was not for you. I would have been a drop-out. You have helped me greatly in life. My dream is finally starting to come true. This is just the beginning…. Thank you!”