Jeero is the youngest of eight children to a single mother.
He remembers growing up sleeping on a bed of grass on a small verandah with his brothers and sisters.
Jeero’s mother couldn’t afford his schooling, so he would sneak into his local class early and hide under desks to learn.
Each time he was caught, he would be chased off the property.
Jeero’s mother went to a local Anglican church and explained the family’s situation.
The reverend pointed her to a half-built home with a leaky roof and no windows where the family could move.
“To [Mum], it was God’s answer to her prayers,” Jeero said.
The family moved possessions in multiple bicycle trips to their new home.
The reverend then told Jeero’s mother about Compassion International, a global Christian child charity.
Jeero registered and was paired with Australian couple Jonathan and Rebecca Brake.
With the Brakes’ help, Jeero paid half his school fees.
But that wasn’t enough to get him back in class, and he continued sneaking in before being chased out.
Jeero’s mother spoke with the headmaster, who allowed him to return to class permanently.
“So I was in school, but life was still hard.”
He said the family regularly went without food for several days at a time, but they “kept on”.
Jeero’s mother moved to the UK when he was 13, leaving him and his siblings living with an aunt.
“I didn’t know because they didn’t tell me and she didn’t say bye to me,” he said.
Jeero’s mother died just less than a year later when he was 14. This led him to lose hope.
“Instead of crying, I just got mad. I came out of the house and walked aimlessly,” he said.
“Life was so challenging, but I thank God for Compassion International.”
The charity increased its payments for schooling, medical and food for him and his family.
When Jeero turned 22, the charity ended its payments, but, thanks to his schooling, he was able to attend university.
After graduating, Jeero was determined to make life better for Ugandan children.
He started working for children’s ministries at Watoto Church before founding a school bus service and an administration app called Quisat.
Ronald Jeero says the family that sponsored him as a child in Uganda changed his life. Photo / Jack Riddell
While at Watoto, he looked up the Brakes on Facebook and sent them a message.
A year later, the family responded, leading them to attend Jeero’s wedding in Kampala.
“The truth is, if they weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be what I am today,” Jeero said.
“I wouldn’t have gone to school and, at that time, if a child is not in school chances of becoming a thug or joining bad peers were high.”
Jeero said the Brakes weren’t particularly wealthy, but their sponsorship changed his life.
“You are saving a human life. You don’t need a lot, but what you can give is always going to be a lot.”
Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and has worked in radio and media in the UK, Germany, and New Zealand.