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News

• Our Mubende school has achieved top 5 results in each of the last 5 years. This is out of 450 plus primary schools in Western Uganda
• The first water catchments project with capacity of 250,000 litres is now working well and will help provide fresh water all year long. The one at Gayazza school was completed in the spring of 2007.
• We now have photo voltaic power for all our lighting systems at both schools.
• New Dormitory block and teachers accommodation were completed at Mubende and 4 new classrooms and a chapel were built at Gayazza.
• School attendances have reached a total of 770. Both schools have been running now for about 5 years so this is a really wonderful achievement.
• In the  Mubende region 90% of primary school leavers will have no secondary school to go. So we are going to build a secondary school at the site of our Primary school. It will take about 8 years to complete but we aim to be the very best of its kind in Ugand. Here is a picture of the site layout and we ex[ect to provide top quality education at secondary level for up to 600 childrnen by 2016. Site layout

Projects

• Neither of the schools has much likelihood of getting mains water, sanitation or electricity in the foreseeable future and the nearest power supply is some considerable distance away. With darkness coming at about 6.30 each evening then it is very hard for the children to read to do their homework. The only sort of lighting comes from burning expensive and rather dangerous kerosene. At the same time there is not lighting to allow children who are living at the school to safely walk around after dusk.  Throughout Africa the mobile phone has really transformed communications but without electricity it means a long cycle ride with a bag of phones to be charged at the nearest township. Simple power tools cannot be used and with Uganda hot climate it would be of great benefit if some simple refrigerators could be used to prevent considerable wastage of food.
• The plan is to raise enough money to install solar power systems at each school. Each would have capacity of about 8 KWh and each will cost about £20,000 to purchase, install and commission. From then on electricity if free. Sunshine is not in short supply. We started work on the first of these in August 2007. We completed on time and budget by December and both schools now have pv lighting.
• In May 2007 we decided that we would redouble our efforts in order to help to build a new school for children with speciual needs. This will cost around £120,000 and may take us 5 years. Work started on site in November 2007.
• Early thinking is now going into where and how we could build secondary schools at each location. Obtaining the land should not be difficult but this project is really for the next 5 years.
• We are also considering some further student gap experiences and at the same time looking at how we might do more in the provision of general healthcare, both  provision and also teaching.

The Good Shepherd School

• Children born with disabilities have a tough time in much of Africa and the developing world. Even where the parents keep the children the chance of them getting any education is very slim. The chance of getting the special help which these children need is remote. And children can be pretty unkind to those who are not fully able.  Add to this the fact that for poor people it is very hard for them to see any real value in sending children with special needs to school assuming there is one they could get to.
• So we are working with partners to build and to run a school just designed for these children. It will be our biggest challenge yet but the support we are getting is wonderful.