Success of volunteers in Uganda
Our school project in Uganda is now just 2 months off the completion of its second full year. The changes in the school are amazing. The whole list is too long but here are the highlights. As a result of volunteer’s generosity the school now has a 60,000 litre underground water tank and a hydration programme for the pupils, a free mug of maize porridge every day for every child which means they can concentrate in the afternoon instead of trying to work on an empty stomach, a secure store room, a staff room, tables and chairs for the staff room so for the first time they have a flat surface to mark all the exercise books – sometimes 200 from 1 lesson!, 4 cupboards, a 4 stanza ecosan pit latrine, shutters on all the windows, a night watchman is now employed, electricity in 4 rooms, a computer, 3 laptops, a combined printer/scanner/copier, resurfaced blackboards, a sickbay with bed, a properly levelled football pitch with metal goalposts and a simple score board, some books and resources including Ugandan musical instruments such as drums. Amazing! There is also a girl’s sanitation project so that the girls don’t miss 25% of their time off school – some children are 18 by the time they leave primary school so nearly all the girls will benefit from this.
There is still much to do. The teacher’s accommodation needs completing so that most can live at school and then night classes can be held for the community. The school needs a library, a separate store room and a separate staff room. Also, the store of text books and science equipment need building up so that pupils don’t have to share books and can really learn science well. At present the children’s science ability is very poor so it is a priority area for development. Volunteers often want to try to bring out supplies to help the school and many buy them in country which is much better as it contributes to local income.
As long as volunteers continue to volunteer, the school will continue to develop. No volunteers equals no development as there isn’t any funding otherwise. The school achieved the best results in the sub county at the end of the last school year and it’s vital that the development is maintained and further developed as these children are the future for Uganda.
Moses, the Project Manager, is a man of extraordinary vision, especially given the impoverished background from which he has striven to raise himself. He is a phenomenon. Moses relates to all people as equals. He soaks up everything he can from volunteers who have experienced so much more of the world but he has a great deal to give too. No-one I ever met matches him for tolerance and patience and humility. He has catered for the needs of people from so many very different countries which are just coloured shapes on a page in an Atlas to him. Yet he is able to relate to everyone and volunteers become very fond of him and his whole lovely family. Moses’ motivation to improve the lot of his fellow Ugandans through the project knows no bounds.
Potential volunteers should know that they will make a huge difference to the future of these children and their descendents when they come to this school to work with Moses and the staff to improve teaching, learning and general conditions at the school. They can have great fun with these kids who love the volunteers and readily play and laugh with them and if given half a chance will get up to all sorts of mischief too!
volunteer in Uganda and continue the good work of this project
I really admire people who volunteer for this sort of thing – They are truly amazing!