Dear everyone,

My name is Obuk Charles and I am a 19 year-old Ugandan - a member of the Butterfly project, Chrysalis Limited, Uganda. If you want to know more about my Childhood background, you can visit this link https://chrysalisuganda.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/charles-obuk-a-passion-to-do-good/.  I am currently in my vacation period having completed my A-level as one of the best students in Uganda last year(2016) with 18 points out of a possible 20 points. Now, I have registered for the top University here in Uganda - Makerere University - to study Economics starting mid-August 2017 but I need urgent sponsorship to be able to attend, approximately £500 pounds per semester, to include tuition and accommodation. There are two semesters each year.  So, I am looking for £1000 over the course of this year. But I urgently need £500 for the first semester by monday 21/08/2017 inorder to confirm my position at the University. Note that I will be raising the cost of books and food independently.

I studied Economics for two years at St Kizito Secondary, as a sponsored student of the Butterfly Project and it has been an area in which I have been especially passionate.  I could have gained a scholarship to Makerere, as a result of my grades but they would not support me in this subject.  I am particularly interested in new economics, as I believe that Uganda has yet to fully embrace the new models and ideas, where trade, environment and social enterprise play a significant part and I want to focus on these during my studies, working with international experts in the field from other universities, if possible.

I have compiled a video, which you can view at this link, if you want to know more about me and my aspirations - https://youtu.be/jkBpfPSUNSo

As a social entrepreneur, I have started a number of social projects:

• Rural library for Ugandan children in Northern Uganda.  I started this, as few children in Uganda studying at school have a chance to read story books and improve their command of English, which disadvantages them in their exams and subsequent career
• The "Young Achievers Club" was started by me and a colleague, Jimmy Oryema, at my secondary school, Kitgum High School.  The objective of this programme was to encourage young people to utilise computers to communicate and we delivered ICT training to them on a regular basis.  We held debates discussing issues such as corruption and health e.g. malaria prevention.  We presented our conclusions at school lunchtime periods
• "Drama for Change" was a project I instigated while I was in Kampala when I was just 13.  We involved local slum children in productions handling such subjects as school absenteeism and child sacrifice, which is quite prevalent in kampala and in the village areas.

I believe that internet will reach village children in the next 10-15 years, as the Ugandan government has a vision to electrify rural areas throughout the country.  I see this period as crucial for the development of my country, as the access to information that internet brings will transform the way rural people and children especially view their futures.  

Culture in village areas is very oppressive to children and I believe that an expanding use of computers and internet will start to empower these young people to be able to break free of this oppression and realise their children's rights.  In time, a reading culture can be developed in these villages, which can unlock some of the potential of creative people living there and this can bring about an equalisation of the prospects of those children living in village and urban areas, when currently sadly rural children have almost no chance of reaching their potential.  

I would like to be a catalyst for this change in Northern Uganda, given my background and my experience in creating change amongst disadvantaged young people, while part of the Butterfly Project.