A School For My Village: A Promise To The Orphans Of Nyaka (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
Informative and inspiring. If you’re looking for beautiful prose, this might not be for you; the writing is simple and gets repetitive at times, but despite that, the pacing is steady and the book is easy to get through. It accomplishes what it set out to accomplish: the book informs and educates while intermittently entertaining. I would definitely recommend buying this book from Jackson’s website, as 25% of the earnings go to the Nyaka program. The stories of Nyaka’s orphans will stay with you, and you may even be convinced to give aid yourself. The author grew up in Nyakagyezi, a village in southwest Uganda. Through hard work, he did well in school and was able to go on to University and ultimately came to the States. After losing a brother, sister, and nephew to AIDS, he felt compelled to do something to help the crisis. Realizing that many families caring for the orphaned children couldn't afford the school fees for these kids, and recognizing the importance of education as a means out of the village poverty, he determined to build a school for the children that would be tuition-free. The book chronicles those efforts - the early struggles leading to success. Mixed in are accounts from his own childhood. Obvious comparisons to "Three Cups of Tea". In fact, one of the reviews in the front of the book refers to this as "Africa's 'Three Cups of Tea'". The big difference that I see is the fact that, in this case, he wants to do something good for the village where he grew up instead of just some village that he stumbled upon. In this, Twesi goes back to the village a couple times a year and really follows-up with the kids and builds relationships with the kids. He also freely mentions praying about decisions and how God opens the doors for him to be able to do what he does. What he did in Nyaka (as it's often referred to) has become a model for other villages - providing not just schooling but clean water systems and health care to benefit the entire village.
What do You think about A School For My Village: A Promise To The Orphans Of Nyaka (2011)?
A moving story of how an immigrant to the US started a school in his home country for AIDS orphans.
—Nawal05
A truly inspiring book about a Ugandan man starting a school for aids orphans in his home village.
—chapple97
Inspiring book and a good look inside modern Ethiopia.
—leo
