Katumba Humanist Primary School has featured before on local radio programmes, but last week they went one step further. Development FM, which transmits in Western Uganda and Eastern Congo, devoted a half-hour talk show to highlight the school’s achievements. The school has brought hope to this forgotten community in the Ruwenzori foothills alongside the Congo border. Many local parents, including the Development FM reporter, have been keen to get their children into this inclusive, secular school.
Initial Presentation
Irumba Juma Siriwayo, the school’s Director, took the opportunity to thank their development partners, Uganda Humanist Schools Trust, Humanist Aid, Sweden and the Ethical Society of St Louis and Scope Uganda. The whole community has been inspired. Since 2019 the following impressive buildings have been completed:
3 nursery and 8 infant and primary classrooms.
A cook house with efficient, externally vented wood burning stoves.
Vented toilet blocks for children and staff.
Staff rooms, computer room and book reading room.
Changing rooms to promote girls’ menstrual health. Girls are given free reusable sanitary pads by members of the Ethical Society of St Louis.
A fine, multipurpose hall was completed this week. This will enable children to take their Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) within the school, instead of travelling to exam centres miles away.
Humanist Aid, Sweden, has helped to provide a support fund to help children from destitute homes who have difficulty paying their school fees.
UHST supporters ensure that the school is supplied with books and equipment for games, sports and science.
Scope Uganda provides permaculture training so children can create a school food forest.
With the school gaining good PLE results more parents want an opportunity for more children to continue to secondary education. The school’s current dream is to offer this at Katumba, as soon as sufficient resources can be mobilised.
On-air Discussion
When the moderator opened the programme to calls from the public, over 100 listeners responded. Listeners were appreciative of the progress the school has made and thanked donors for having built a unique modern school in the neglected village of Katumba Kisendera in Bukonzo subcounty. Many callers supported the addition of a secondary section.
Mr. Muhanika Julius A, our PTA member for academic standards, urged parents to support the school and work with teachers in improving the cognitive (knowledge), affective (values and sensibilities) and psychomotor (physical) abilities of the area’s children.
Mzee Bandaliza Amosi, the PTA Chairman, thanked Juma, as the managing Director, for inspiring the infrastructure developments, books, educational materials and the ICT Programme in the school. He further appealed to the parents to pay fees on time to ensure the ongoing sustainability of this fine school, which had been funded by donors.
Mr. Keith Morris, Director of Studies, explained that remedial teaching is offered to pupils whenever needed. This is important following unavoidable absences. Our children have a chance to assess what they still need to learn through regular homework and testing and we do our best to ensure that no child gets left behind. He thanked UHST supporters for equipping the school with reading materials. This has helped children to learn independently of the teacher.
Mr. Freedom Balikamaya , in charge sports, games and co-curricular activities, thanked UHST supporters for a recent donation for materials to develop games and sports in the school. Now that we have a Hall, we also need musical instruments to promote music, dance and drama.
Girls’ football team
Viola Atuhame, a pupil, said that sanitary pads and a place where girls can change them had really increased girls’ confidence in school. She also enjoyed using computers to send emails and messages to parents and friends.
Thembo Barbrine, another pupil, said he was proud to have moved a step forward into the digital world. He made a plea for more computers.
Computer room receives its first laptop computers
This ended a hugely successful venture into community engagement.
The touching and heart-warming story of a remarkable young lady.
“My name is Rita Kyolaba, born in 1996 in Uganda to a migrant family. My father was a refugee from Rwanda. He escaped from the persecution of Tutsi by the then Hutu led government. He was accused wrongly of being part of the group that was fighting the government from camps in the D.R. of Congo.
He fled to Uganda in 1991 before the genocide of 1994. A family near Masaka gave him a small piece of land where he put up a temporary home. It is in this house that I was born. I started schooling in the nearby Kinyerere Church of Uganda Primary School in 2001. The school is funded by the government, so it was free.
My father died in 2005 when I was in primary five. He was earlier diagnosed with HIV/Aids. He left me, my mother and my two young brothers in a small mud house, and my mother was also sick with Aids. We took whatever causal work we could find to get food to eat, as we lacked land to grow food.
In 2007 my mother died leaving me, at the age of 10, to head my family. I had decided to drop out of school so that I could work to feed my brothers. However, my primary school headteacher offered me and my brothers free food so that I could stay in school. I was the top student in class so the headteacher felt I should not drop out of school. Luckily our home was only a few metres from the school so we could stay at school until late in the evening. I managed to complete my Primary Leaving Examinations in 2007 and passed in division 2.
The Headteacher arranged for me to transfer to Isaac Newton Humanist High School, which is only 2km from my home. I was offered a full boarding scholarship but I could not leave my brothers alone in the house, so I decided to be a day scholar. It was 2008 when I joined Senior 1 at Isaac Newton School. During my Senior 2, Mr Kisirinya, the school Director, brought Steve and Hilary Hurd to my home and I was informed that I would be given a scholarship for the rest of my schooling. I loved the school and completed my O and A-levels, passing with good grades.
After completing my schooling, I fell in love with a boda-boda (motor-bike taxi) rider, and I got pregnant. Unfortunately, my lover did not have a reliable income and was unable to look after me. We could not afford any medical care, so my first child died during birth. When the father went away I resorted to teaching in the primary school to try and save some money for further studies but, after paying for essentials, there was little left.
I then heard that there were jobs in the Middle East working as housemaids. I used my savings to buy an air ticket to Saudi Arabia. I was with a good family. My accommodation and food was provided and they gave me net monthly pay of shs 850,000 (£200); a fortune by Ugandan standards. This enabled me to send money home for the care of my brothers and at the same time to set aside some money for my ambitious scheme of going to University. After 9 years working in Saudi, I managed to save 17.8 million shillings (over £4,000).
I returned to Uganda to apply for University. When I learnt that the new Isaac Newton Humanist Primary School needed a teachers’ house, I was happy to give 6.5 million shillings (£1,500) towards it. I am now seeking admission to study for a bachelor’s degree in vocational agriculture with Education. My wish is to return to Isaac Newton School to teach Agriculture at the high school and possibly Science in the primary school.
I am so glad to be back home in Uganda. I have two children and am living as a single mother, but life is looking up. I have already managed to replace my parents original mud house with a brick one and I now see light at the end of what looked to be a totally dark tunnel.”
Rita Kyolaba
Postscript: Peter Kisirinya has offered Rita a post at the Isaac Newton School teaching agriculture. She will be able to study for her degree at Kyambogo University through part-time study. The school gains a locally grown teacher who is totally committed to the Humanist ethos of the school and Rita gains a regular salary and some stability in her life while she continues to care for her two children and younger siblings.
Posted: August 27, 2023 by Steve Hurd
Katumba on community radio
Katumba Humanist Primary School has featured before on local radio programmes, but last week they went one step further. Development FM, which transmits in Western Uganda and Eastern Congo, devoted a half-hour talk show to highlight the school’s achievements. The school has brought hope to this forgotten community in the Ruwenzori foothills alongside the Congo border. Many local parents, including the Development FM reporter, have been keen to get their children into this inclusive, secular school.
Initial Presentation
Irumba Juma Siriwayo, the school’s Director, took the opportunity to thank their development partners, Uganda Humanist Schools Trust, Humanist Aid, Sweden and the Ethical Society of St Louis and Scope Uganda. The whole community has been inspired. Since 2019 the following impressive buildings have been completed:
With the school gaining good PLE results more parents want an opportunity for more children to continue to secondary education. The school’s current dream is to offer this at Katumba, as soon as sufficient resources can be mobilised.
On-air Discussion
When the moderator opened the programme to calls from the public, over 100 listeners responded. Listeners were appreciative of the progress the school has made and thanked donors for having built a unique modern school in the neglected village of Katumba Kisendera in Bukonzo subcounty. Many callers supported the addition of a secondary section.
Mr. Muhanika Julius A, our PTA member for academic standards, urged parents to support the school and work with teachers in improving the cognitive (knowledge), affective (values and sensibilities) and psychomotor (physical) abilities of the area’s children.
Mzee Bandaliza Amosi, the PTA Chairman, thanked Juma, as the managing Director, for inspiring the infrastructure developments, books, educational materials and the ICT Programme in the school. He further appealed to the parents to pay fees on time to ensure the ongoing sustainability of this fine school, which had been funded by donors.
Mr. Keith Morris, Director of Studies, explained that remedial teaching is offered to pupils whenever needed. This is important following unavoidable absences. Our children have a chance to assess what they still need to learn through regular homework and testing and we do our best to ensure that no child gets left behind. He thanked UHST supporters for equipping the school with reading materials. This has helped children to learn independently of the teacher.
Mr. Freedom Balikamaya , in charge sports, games and co-curricular activities, thanked UHST supporters for a recent donation for materials to develop games and sports in the school. Now that we have a Hall, we also need musical instruments to promote music, dance and drama.
Viola Atuhame, a pupil, said that sanitary pads and a place where girls can change them had really increased girls’ confidence in school. She also enjoyed using computers to send emails and messages to parents and friends.
Thembo Barbrine, another pupil, said he was proud to have moved a step forward into the digital world. He made a plea for more computers.
This ended a hugely successful venture into community engagement.
Posted: July 6, 2023 by Steve Hurd
Isaac Newton School Promotional Video
Performing arts students and the school choir have worked with a local producer to create a lively and entertaining promotional video of the school.
This is the link to it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/NTEHtydmImI
The song, in Luganda, has been written for current and potentially new parents. It praises the school by:
The entire 800,000 shilling cost of the video was recovered by selling DVDs to parents visiting an open event.
Posted: May 19, 2023 by Steve Hurd
Rita’s Story
The touching and heart-warming story of a remarkable young lady.
“My name is Rita Kyolaba, born in 1996 in Uganda to a migrant family. My father was a refugee from Rwanda. He escaped from the persecution of Tutsi by the then Hutu led government. He was accused wrongly of being part of the group that was fighting the government from camps in the D.R. of Congo.
He fled to Uganda in 1991 before the genocide of 1994. A family near Masaka gave him a small piece of land where he put up a temporary home. It is in this house that I was born. I started schooling in the nearby Kinyerere Church of Uganda Primary School in 2001. The school is funded by the government, so it was free.
My father died in 2005 when I was in primary five. He was earlier diagnosed with HIV/Aids. He left me, my mother and my two young brothers in a small mud house, and my mother was also sick with Aids. We took whatever causal work we could find to get food to eat, as we lacked land to grow food.
In 2007 my mother died leaving me, at the age of 10, to head my family. I had decided to drop out of school so that I could work to feed my brothers. However, my primary school headteacher offered me and my brothers free food so that I could stay in school. I was the top student in class so the headteacher felt I should not drop out of school. Luckily our home was only a few metres from the school so we could stay at school until late in the evening. I managed to complete my Primary Leaving Examinations in 2007 and passed in division 2.
The Headteacher arranged for me to transfer to Isaac Newton Humanist High School, which is only 2km from my home. I was offered a full boarding scholarship but I could not leave my brothers alone in the house, so I decided to be a day scholar. It was 2008 when I joined Senior 1 at Isaac Newton School. During my Senior 2, Mr Kisirinya, the school Director, brought Steve and Hilary Hurd to my home and I was informed that I would be given a scholarship for the rest of my schooling. I loved the school and completed my O and A-levels, passing with good grades.
After completing my schooling, I fell in love with a boda-boda (motor-bike taxi) rider, and I got pregnant. Unfortunately, my lover did not have a reliable income and was unable to look after me. We could not afford any medical care, so my first child died during birth. When the father went away I resorted to teaching in the primary school to try and save some money for further studies but, after paying for essentials, there was little left.
I then heard that there were jobs in the Middle East working as housemaids. I used my savings to buy an air ticket to Saudi Arabia. I was with a good family. My accommodation and food was provided and they gave me net monthly pay of shs 850,000 (£200); a fortune by Ugandan standards. This enabled me to send money home for the care of my brothers and at the same time to set aside some money for my ambitious scheme of going to University. After 9 years working in Saudi, I managed to save 17.8 million shillings (over £4,000).
I returned to Uganda to apply for University. When I learnt that the new Isaac Newton Humanist Primary School needed a teachers’ house, I was happy to give 6.5 million shillings (£1,500) towards it. I am now seeking admission to study for a bachelor’s degree in vocational agriculture with Education. My wish is to return to Isaac Newton School to teach Agriculture at the high school and possibly Science in the primary school.
I am so glad to be back home in Uganda. I have two children and am living as a single mother, but life is looking up. I have already managed to replace my parents original mud house with a brick one and I now see light at the end of what looked to be a totally dark tunnel.”
Rita Kyolaba
Postscript: Peter Kisirinya has offered Rita a post at the Isaac Newton School teaching agriculture. She will be able to study for her degree at Kyambogo University through part-time study. The school gains a locally grown teacher who is totally committed to the Humanist ethos of the school and Rita gains a regular salary and some stability in her life while she continues to care for her two children and younger siblings.