Cutting the turf on the new Katumba Nursery School

Juma helps with trench digging

We have just heard from Juma Siriwayo that construction of a brand new primary school for the Katumba community on the Congo border of Uganda has started with foundation work on the Nursery section. Weather conditions have been challenging. Very heavy rains have hindered progress. Floods have washed out two key bridges on the road to the school site. Lorries carrying building materials are having to take side roads and ford the River Humya to deliver materials on site.

Uganda National Roads Authority have set up a work camp to repair the roads and bridges that have been affected by the floods, but it will take until March before things are back to normal.
The attached photos show initial work on the site. They show materials being delivered to the site, tanks for storing water, and Juma helping to dig trenches for the foundations. Juma reports that: “The builder is doing really good work and the Directors, other parents and local leaders are helping and organising close supervision to ensure that all the work is done perfectly. Our whole community is happy with this amazing initiative and we are very grateful to the Uganda Humanist Schools Trust (UHST) team for their decision and commitment to support our community with a new school. It is the first of its kind in this community. We really feel proud of the school site. Due to its location and altitude, no part of it was affected by floods and we have high hopes that buildings on the site will endure to serve the needs of many future generations of children.