A Reflection on My Involvement with CROSO

Photo taken at CROSO’s Annual Benefit in 2019 by Deb Winarski

Written by Sally Ryan, former CROSO Board Member & current CROSO Liaison and Donor

Can a little child know what he/she wants to be when they grow up? My vocation to be an educator was seeded in the 50's as I played school with my sister and the neighbors in the side yard or basement of my childhood home in the 1950s.  I was clearly a lover of learning and of teaching, and felt it was both fulfilling and a way to be of service.  In the end of the tumultuous '60's and 70's, began teaching on the southside of Chicago. Teaching children and teachers of children soon became my way to fulfill my vocational dreams.  

When I retired after 43 years in part- and full-time education, I was looking for outreach projects related to my love of teaching and learning.  I immediately signed up to volunteer to teach English in a second language program. My retirement years have also included some world travel and we have covered many miles to enjoy the development of six delightful grandchildren. I am in several book clubs, becoming more active civically through working with local election campaigns, connecting with the work of the local chapter of the League of Women Voters and trying to learn the intricacies of watercolor painting!

In 2011, joining the board of CROSO, a non-profit I was following with great interest, was a clear connection to my former work in education.  CROSO supports young Ugandan people of no other means to reach their goals through full support of their higher education, and I wanted to be a part of that mission.  Referring back to my own beginnings, I was drawn to the stories of these former street children who grew up (with support of C.R.O.), and they were at last able to dream of having a vocation to sustain themselves and serve effectively in their communities. With CROSO, their dreams could become reality.

As a Board member, I worked to initiate and formalize our letter exchange partnerships with the CROSO scholars through the liaison program. I was paired with Lotimong Esther for my writing partner and wrote my first monthly letter in December 2012. The following summer, CROSO founder, Molly Heineman MacCready with the company of Board member Beth Garstki made a journey to Uganda to support CROSO's partnership with C.R.O. They came home with very personal stories and photos of all the students that were CROSO scholars or were applying to be supported by a scholarship the next year. I heard about Esther's work toward her diploma in midwifery, and saw pictures of her interning in a medical clinic.  I was touched by their stories of how her spirit was inspiring and contagious to other members of the medical staff. Esther's smile was contagious in those photos. She was a scholar CROSO was proud to support and I was delighted to continue my writing relationship with Esther. We easily developed a trusting and open relationship, sharing personal stories and Esther's aspirations vocationally as she finished her diploma program.  

Photo taken at Lotimong Esther’s school in 2013 by Molly MacCready

When our first grandchild was born nine years ago, I was already firmly connected to Esther as her CROSO Liaison.  Esther was so excited about the new member in our family that she claimed him as a little brother for herself!   Ten years ago, Esther's writing skills were still developing, and some of her letters were brief, but we still developed a strong connection through these letters.  Our communication and exchanges across the miles led to both a mentor-mentee relationship and a trusting tender friendship.  I was an educator, not one who worked in the medical field.  However, she trusted me, and I was very sensitive to her educational challenges as she worked toward her goals.  I could both challenge her and provide personal and educational support through our exchange.  She supported me also.  When I had medical challenges that I could share, I let Esther know a bit, and let her advise and support me.  When I was privy to be in the delivery room with my daughters as they gave birth, I shared with Esther and she again counselled and advised me.  

Esther's vocational aspirations grew and changed, and CROSO was able to support her to continue her training through bachelor in midwifery program. I learned of Esther's vision for work in the field of midwifery, and she explained through her letters that the diploma level she was working toward would not get her to the level of expertise or job qualifications she needed. She applied for more scholarship support to become a fully certified RN in the field of obstetrics and midwifery, and asked me to advocate for her.  CROSO had many qualified candidates competing for a few scholarships those years, but after about a year of requesting and patiently waiting for the answer she deeply hoped for, Esther's dream came true.

Photo taken of Sally and Esther meeting at the CROSO Scholar Gathering in 2016 by Molly MacCready

Esther applied and was accepted to a nursing program up north at Gulu University’s Lira campus. That was hours away from Mbale where her family lives and where she had spent most of her life.  A long and arduous program with several internships began.  During her first year in Lira, I was privileged to be able to go with Molly to Uganda in 2016 to meet current and prospective students and coordinate the CROSO/C.R.O. partnership.  I was concerned that I would not see Esther who was dedicated to her studies in the hot northern city of Lira, but she found a way to take a break, and bused down to Mbale to meet with us and connect with her peer scholars for a meeting.  It was a joyous meeting, and I found her as engaging and effervescent as I pictured in my mind and heart.  The second day of her visit before she bused home, she brought me to meet her family who lived on the outskirts of Mbale in a very simple dwelling.  I sat in their home and conversed with her mother, brother, and beautiful little sister through Esther's translations. They shared a bit of their family story, teased me about how long my letters were, and I was able to communicate my care and support, and mostly my admiration for their star scholar, Esther. The government medical support for AIDS has helped Esther's mother and a little sister who live with the disease.  Before I left Esther that day, I met Peter, Esther's fiancé who is also looking for financial support so he can reach his dreams of becoming an anesthesiologist.  It is humbling to see the resilience in the people I met face to face, and also to recognize the deep needs and hopes in the people of this community.  The support of partnerships like CROSO are the lifelines to support the dreams of young capable people like Esther.  

Esther is coming to the end of her bachelor degree program, serving a yearlong internship now which was extended due to the stresses of the pandemic.  When she graduated from the midwifery program last January, she expected me to be there at the ceremony to celebrate with her.  Not being able to get through the challenges of making another international trip was painful for me.  I sent her greetings and a little gift which her CRO mentor Elizabeth made sure got into her hands.  That made me feel better.  In some ways, she has been an extension of my family, another daughter I care deeply for.  I feel deeply grateful for the structure of the CROSO liaison letter exchange program, and the extraordinary opportunity to go to Uganda and meet the students to whom I was writing at that time. These young Ugandans will always be held close to my heart, and encourage me to continue to support CROSO so other young adults who have found the strength within themselves to have dreams will know that they can ask for CROSO scholarship support to make them come true.  I hope to continue to follow Esther as she soon transitions into paid work in the field where she has developed so much knowledge and skill.  There will be grateful mothers, fellow colleagues, and healthy babies delivered because of Esther’s devotion to her vocational training.  I am grateful to have supported CROSO to support Esther Lotimong, RN!