Help us educate 160 new students in 2017

Help us educate 160 new students in 2017

Please give generously this Christmas and help us educate 160 new students in 2017. 

Uganda is a predominately Christian country, however Santa won’t be dropping off presents to most children who live here. In contrast to Australian kids, Ugandan children don’t want presents – what they would prefer is the freedom and opportunity that comes with having an education, access to clean running water, nutritious meals and healthcare.

School for Life has 160 new students starting in 2017, bringing the total number of children in our care to 560, with 125 teachers and staff. We have set the ambitious target of raising $80,000 over the next 59 days to set up our new 160 students with everything they need to have the best start to the New Year.

 

Join us in Uganda for the opening of our secondary school!

Join us in Uganda for the opening of our secondary school!

You're invited to come along with our CEO and Co-Founder Annabelle to meet our School for Life students, teachers and staff in Uganda. This is your chance to see exactly where your fundraising dollars go and to celebrate the official opening of Mbazzi Riverside School. You’ll get a view of Ugandan life like no other when you come with us to our schools where you’ll be greeted with open arms by our students and staff. After your time at school you can head off on a wildlife safari to see Africa’s animals up close, including the rare mountain gorillas.

Nat + Mel take up our Kilimanjaro challenge

Nat + Mel take up our Kilimanjaro challenge

Here at School for Life we're fortunate to have some incredible supporters who go above and beyond for us. Mel and Nat are two of those amazing people. They were both among the first people to sign up for our Kilimanjaro: Trek for our Teachers challenge next year. Today we're learning the ins and outs of why they wanted to take up this challenge and how they plan to raise at least $4000 each for our teachers...

Changing lives with our Adult Literacy Program

Changing lives with our Adult Literacy Program

Our Project Coordinator, Kessia Lum, shares the inspiring stories of the graduates from our Adult Literacy Program in rural Uganda.

Last week, I sat and spoke to Winnie for thirty minutes. She told me all about her life, in English. One year ago, Winnie could not speak a word of English. 

A new group of vocational training ladies at Katuuso!

A new group of vocational training ladies at Katuuso!

We recently started our second vocational training program with five new ladies coming to learn the tailoring trade with our Kumi team in Katuuso. Our Head Tailor Winnie and three of our experienced Kumi tailors - Rose, Nalongo and Grace - will teach the course. Over the next five weeks the ladies will learn new skills including garment construction, accessories and product costing and sales. When finished the ladies will receive a certificate of completion and help to find employment within the local community or beyond. 

BOOKS ON DESKS DOES NOT EQUAL SUCCESS

BOOKS ON DESKS DOES NOT EQUAL SUCCESS

As I sit in the library in Katuuso Primary School, unpacking boxes of donations that get sent from all over the world, I can't help but be annoyed when I come across completely irrelevant books such as 'How to Use a Microwave' or a summary of Australia's Top 10 Cricket Players from 1985. I am further incensed when I think about the discrepancy between these donations and the real needs of schools in Uganda. 

CONSTRUCTION OF OUR SECOND SCHOOL IN FULL SWING!

CONSTRUCTION OF OUR SECOND SCHOOL IN FULL SWING!

Construction of Riverside Mbazi Primary School is now at foundation level. A huge thanks to Cotton On Foundation for partnering with us to make the construction of a second school possible. We are in dire need of sponsorship for the 120 students who are starting school in January 2016. If you are able to support us by signing up to sponsor a child for $50 a month (less than the cost of a coffee a day), please sign up now!

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS AT KATUUSO!

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS AT KATUUSO!

This week, we are excited to celebrate the end of the school year and Christmas at Katuuso!

Our students have been practising for their Christmas pageant and celebrated with a Christmas party where they came dressed in their very best clothes, had a special Christmas cake, goat and rice for lunch (a delicacy for children from Ugandan villages) and were given gifts.

The theme of this year’s Christmas party is ‘The Voice of an African Child’. They explore the theme through a range of skits and dances.

GIVE A GIFT – NEW LOOK CHRISTMAS CARDS

GIVE A GIFT – NEW LOOK CHRISTMAS CARDS

Tis the season! We have a new look Give a Gift appeal for Christmas and we’d love you to check it out! You can purchase a range of different items for our school, including a skipping rope ($10), chicken ($15), coloured pencils and paints ($20)… right through to a cow ($200). You can jump online and purchase a gift for a friend or family member and receive one of these lovely cards hand drawn by our students. Purchase these gifts online by visiting our online store here now!

DENTAL CLINIC AT KATUUSO

DENTAL CLINIC AT KATUUSO

This month, we were exceptionally lucky to have donors Darren and Tracey Scott visit Katuuso to conduct a dental clinic. Darren and Tracey have kindly donated the wine for the Black Tie Fundraising Ball annually from their winery, Ridgeview Wines. They saw all the students and some staff. They also gave the students toothbrushes and toothpaste to take home! Huge thank you for donating their time and resources to our school.

Family planning workshop for the Katuuso community

Family planning workshop for the Katuuso community

On Thursday July 16th 2015, Katuuso Primary and Vocational School hosted a family planning workshop for all teachers, staff and parents.  The workshop was delivered by a medical officer and a midwife from the local clinic in Muduuma to explain the importance of using contraception and to present the range of options available at the clinic, free of charge, to both men and women.

Success Stories
Goretti

Sweet and shy Goretti lives with her aunt, uncle and cousins in a small house in the local village. When Goretti was younger, she moved in with her aunt and uncle because her parents could no longer look after her. She was one of our first students at Katuuso Primary, starting in 2011 when she was just 4 years old. Now, Goretti is in Senior One at Mbazzi High School, and is relishing the honour of being a high school student in her community - something that is taken for granted in Australia, but in Uganda, represents freedom and opportunity. Goretti also loves attending School for Life because she hopes to one day become a pilot in Uganda - a dream which she knows can only be reached with the help of a good education.

Violah

Violah has been at School for Life since since she was six years old. Sadly, Violah has experienced hardship no child should ever deal with. Her Dad passed away three years ago, leaving her Mum without the financial means to support her family - so she left Violah and her siblings with their elderly grandmother. Every day, Violah has to wake up at 5am to fetch water, cook meals and make sure that her younger sisters are properly looked after. Then she walks half an hour to get to school. Despite this adversity, Violah has flourished at school and has made many friends. She loves that School for Life is "helping me to build a future". After finishing school, Violah hopes to become a teacher to help other children.

Umar

Umar is one of our best performing students at Mbazzi Riverside High School - but life has not always been easy for Umar. His father abandoned the family in 2015, leaving his mother to struggle to support her five children on her own. School for Life has provided Umar with opportunities that may never else have eventuated for him. Umar begun his journey with School for Life at Katuuso Primary School, where his academic ability was quickly revealed. Now, he is a thriving member of our Senior 1 class and a formidable wing on the football team. With a love for mathematics, Umar is set on studying electronic engineering after finishing his senior studies - a goal which he is the first to admit is now within reach thanks to the skills and resources provided to him by School for Life.

Rose Nambooze

Rose is a 32‐year‐old single mother of one. She started working with SFL in 2013, after taking part in our tailoring training program. Prior to working with us, she was unemployed and living in her father's home helping to care for her father, who had cataracts, and his farm.
Thanks to her full time employment, Rose was able to save enough money to pay for an eye operation and restore her father's sight, allowing him to return to work as a mechanic. Now, Rose has moved into her own home and no longer relies on her father financially. 

Joseph

Joseph is one of our Special Needs teachers at Katuuso. After surviving a severe case of malaria at age four, he was left permanently deaf. He was raised by his single mother and attended a nursery school for the handicapped and later transferred to a school for the Deaf in Kampala. He eventually mastered sign language and pursued a university degree in education. Joseph decided to become a teacher so that he could give the gift of education to others who are hearing impaired.

Teddy Namatovu

Teddy is a participant in the Kumi Tailoring Program and four of her five children attend Katuuso Primary School. She and her husband farm two acres of land, which supplies fluctuating revenue. Participation in the Kumi Tailoring Project has secured income to reliably pay for school fees, nutritious meals and renovations to the family home. Teddy has gained a great deal of self-esteem from her ability to support her family and she takes pride in independently financing the education of all five children. Teddy has also been working on her numeracy and administration skills. She was appointed Treasurer of the tailoring group and will be responsible for keeping records of their savings.

Flaviah Nassaazi

Flaviah Nassaazi started working at Katuuso Primary and Vocational School in 2011. Prior to cooking at the school, she and her husband were subsistence farmers. They worked tirelessly for small yields and minimal income to support their family. Flaviah's cooking job not only enables her to pay school fees for her children, but she has also invested in a local barbershop business. She is now passing her cooking skills onto her eldest son Frank, who has also joined the school's cooking staff. Flaviah and her husband attend the adult literacy classes offered weekly at the school. Her English and reading have improved immensely, as well as her confidence.

Rachel

In 2010, Rachel began as a cleaner at Katuuso Primary and Vocational School. She was working to save money to study to be a teacher at University. Thanks to Barrie and Simone Goldsmith, her dream of studying came true and she is now fully qualified.