In the first phase of our 2028 Sustainability Appeal we are trying to raise £16,000 to help the Kasese Humanist Schools. Robert Bwambale opened his first school in 2013. He manages 3 primary schools and one high school. The main school site is in Rukoki, a very poor suburb of the western town of Kasese.It is home to Municipal Humanist High School and the first primary school. However, Robert wishes to direct the funds we raise to help the other two primary schools which are in rural locations to the south of the town.
One is within the boundary of Queen Elizabeth National Park at the fishing village of Kahendero. This must be one of the poorest communities in Uganda. Totally dependent on fishing in Lake George, livelihoods were taken away when government fisheries officials destroyed the entire fleet of boats (pictured above) when they found that the fishermen were using narrow gauge net sizes which caught fish that were too small to maintain a sustainable fishery. The fishermen are slowly rebuilding the boats and buying new nets but, in the meantime, cash incomes are at rock bottom, so parents struggle to pay school fees and it is a constant challenge for the school to pay its teachers. Another problem for the school is that elephants demolished the outer wall (pictured above), when the school was closed during Covid. Furthermore, the school classrooms have earth floors (below) so parasitic infections are spread from child to child through bare feet.
The school has piped water and mains electricity but it needs comprehensive refurbishment. The outer wall must be rebuilt. Classrooms floors need to be concreted and walls plastered to reduce hiding places for mosquitoes. Windows and doors need repair and the entire site painted so that it becomes an attractive place for children and teachers to spend their time. Smartening up the school will help to restore dignity to the community and make them more willing to send their children to the school and pay school fees.
Once the work has been completed at Kahendero, attention will shift to the third school at Muhokya. This school, which is beside the main road south of Kasese, serves a poor and scattered rural farming community. Phiona Ngabirwe, the school’s headteacher has brought together a keen young teaching team (pictured below with children from the school) who are enthusiastic to improve the school and this is shows in improved Primary Leaving Examination Results. The school has a water supply but it needs to be connected to mains power. The 3 classrooms that still have earth floors need to be concreted and, as with Kahendero, the school needs repairs and an overall face lift.
Donate to the Uganda Schools 2028 Sustainability Appeal
Posted: November 13, 2024 by Steve Hurd
Phase I: Support for Kasese Schools
In the first phase of our 2028 Sustainability Appeal we are trying to raise £16,000 to help the Kasese Humanist Schools. Robert Bwambale opened his first school in 2013. He manages 3 primary schools and one high school. The main school site is in Rukoki, a very poor suburb of the western town of Kasese.It is home to Municipal Humanist High School and the first primary school. However, Robert wishes to direct the funds we raise to help the other two primary schools which are in rural locations to the south of the town.
One is within the boundary of Queen Elizabeth National Park at the fishing village of Kahendero. This must be one of the poorest communities in Uganda. Totally dependent on fishing in Lake George, livelihoods were taken away when government fisheries officials destroyed the entire fleet of boats (pictured above) when they found that the fishermen were using narrow gauge net sizes which caught fish that were too small to maintain a sustainable fishery. The fishermen are slowly rebuilding the boats and buying new nets but, in the meantime, cash incomes are at rock bottom, so parents struggle to pay school fees and it is a constant challenge for the school to pay its teachers. Another problem for the school is that elephants demolished the outer wall (pictured above), when the school was closed during Covid. Furthermore, the school classrooms have earth floors (below) so parasitic infections are spread from child to child through bare feet.
The school has piped water and mains electricity but it needs comprehensive refurbishment. The outer wall must be rebuilt. Classrooms floors need to be concreted and walls plastered to reduce hiding places for mosquitoes. Windows and doors need repair and the entire site painted so that it becomes an attractive place for children and teachers to spend their time. Smartening up the school will help to restore dignity to the community and make them more willing to send their children to the school and pay school fees.
Once the work has been completed at Kahendero, attention will shift to the third school at Muhokya. This school, which is beside the main road south of Kasese, serves a poor and scattered rural farming community. Phiona Ngabirwe, the school’s headteacher has brought together a keen young teaching team (pictured below with children from the school) who are enthusiastic to improve the school and this is shows in improved Primary Leaving Examination Results. The school has a water supply but it needs to be connected to mains power. The 3 classrooms that still have earth floors need to be concreted and, as with Kahendero, the school needs repairs and an overall face lift.
Donate to the Uganda Schools 2028 Sustainability Appeal
Posted: November 13, 2024 by Steve Hurd
2028 Sustainability Appeal
In 2028, UHST will be 20-years old as a charity. We intend to mark the anniversary with a celebratory International Friendship event bringing together in Uganda teachers and children from the Humanist schools with UHST supporters. We will to use the intervening period to help the schools to become more self-reliant and sustainable.
As a first step, we are starting to devolve our scholarship programme to schools. Improvements in international money transfer have made this much easier, and we are working to find the best ways to transfer support funds to the schools. It will enable donors to have a closer personal relationship with the schools and children they support. We will circulate details as soon as we have received them from all the schools.
Paying for new buildings is one of the biggest challenges for the schools. In order to operate as registered schools and to meet the expectations of school inspectors they must have adequate facilities for teaching and to ensure the health of children. All schools still lack something and we have drawn up with the schools a priority list of essential infrastructure improvements. The work will cost about £130,000 over the next 4 years.
Full details of the appeal can be read here:
Uganda Humanist Schools 2028 Sustainability Appeal
Contributions to the Appeal may be made through the weblink:
Donate to the Uganda Schools 2028 Sustainability Appeal
or by using our Supporter Form.
We intend to work systematically down the list as donations are received. However, if a supporter wishes their donation to be used for a particular priority further down the list then we will ensure that the funds are directed as requested.
Posted: July 29, 2024 by Steve Hurd
Uganda Humanist Schools 2024
You can read about the progress of individual Humanist Schools in Uganda in the following reports:
Isaac Newton Humanist Schools
Mustard Seed Humanist Schools
Kasese Humanist Schools
Katumba Parents Humanist Primary School
Kanungu Humanist Primary School
Eagle’s View Humanist Primary School