“HOPE MY APPLICATION WILL BE PUT UNDER YOUR POSITIVE CONSIDERATION.”

You can almost see Betty Jr., upon writing that big block-letter sentence at the end of her Sseko application essay, putting down the pen with a confident grin. All her teeth show; her nose scrunches up with humor. No problem, she thinks. You know this because Betty is above everything else relentlessly, imperturbably optimistic.

Case in point: Asked if the sight of blood frightens her – Betty Jr. plans to be a doctor – she smiles sweetly, shakes her head and insists, “It’s nice!”

This second Betty to the Sseko compound is more than just smiles, though; among the girls she is known for, teased for, even, her studiousness and ambition. School fees solved thanks to Sseko, fear of blood behind her, Betty Jr. is free to let her optimism roam into broader horizons.

“How expensive is university in the U.S.?” she asks with a mischievous grin, and laughs.