Uganda Humanist Schools Trust is working with the charity Play Action International, https://playactioninternational.org/, on a Joint Project to create playgrounds in four Humanist primary schools.
Our schools are in poor rural areas where families find it difficult to make ends meet and many children are required to work from an early age. They rise early to complete household chores before they go to school. They fetch water and firewood when they return in the evenings. In cases of extreme poverty, some children do hard physical labour as charcoal burners and carriers.
Going to school is a relief from the daily drudgery but in many schools, children have formal lessons all day long. Humanist Schools are a little different. They recognise that children learn better when schools are welcoming and caring, and foster a happy environment based on mutual respect.
Play Action International has many years of experience developing playgrounds in situations of high social stress, such as in camps housing the many refugees that Uganda cares for from the Congo and South Sudan. They work in impoverished rural areas, where they have found that schools with well-designed playgrounds have:
Higher enrolment rates
Less absence from school
More cooperative learning through play
Improved concentration in class
We all recognise the truth in the adage that “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy”. Through this collaboration with Play Action International, we aim to help the Humanist Schools to foster joy and happiness through purposeful play. Play Action International has put much thought into designing playground equipment that is safe, durable and promotes imaginative play (a few of these are pictured). As part of the project Play Action will run 4 days of play-based education training in each school to introduce the schools to new strategies for learning through play.
We should like to thank UHST supporters for enabling us to buy two failed primary schools. It was difficult to ignore appeals from the Directors of Isaac Newton and Mustard Seed Humanist High Schools, which had, in turn, been petitioned by members of their local communities. The attached photograph shows parents from Kateera village meeting Peter Kisirinya to plead with him to save their local primary school.
A similar meeting took place in Busota, where local families pressed for Moses Kamya to turn their failed primary school into one run on the lines of the Humanist high school, which has become much respected in the area.
We received donations of £38,000 which, with a bequest from the will of Thelma Taylor, a long-term supporter of our charity, made it possible to buy the two schools.
There is still a lot to do to bring them up to standard. However, there is enough money to make a good start on this. We have worked out a programme to refurbish the schools, improve the water supply, construct decent toilets, appoint teachers with some pay in advance so they can have some confidence that they will be looked after. Each school needs a playground for the little ones and books, educational toys and learning materials.
Families in the two communities are delighted. They have seen the difference that Humanist schools, based on reason, compassion and tolerance, can make to their children and indeed to the whole community around them and they will do all they can to support the new schools.
The last two years have seen a step change for UHST and the Humanist school movement in Uganda. We are important partners of two Humanist high schools and four Humanist primary schools and are helping to support new schools as they come along. Reports will be sent out in the next few days on developments at the Katumba and Kanungu Schools, near the Congo border.
I would like to say a big thank you for supporting these ground-breaking Humanist Schools in Uganda. Perhaps they will become a model for other countries. The second photograph shows happy children from the rescued primary school visiting the campus of Isaac Newton High School.
For the second year running Isaac Newton High School students are completely clear of HIV/AIDS. The National Blood Transfusion service came to the school and tested students giving blood to the national blood bank. This would not have been possible in the past as HIV was rife in the community. In fact a major reason why the Humanist School was set up in 2005 was to provide education to the many AIDS orphans in the area.When many other countries in Africa (notably South Africa) denied the problem of AIDS, the Uganda government instituted a clear national policy to combat the disease, based upon the ABC of Aids – Abstinence, Be faithful, and use Condoms.The National Blood Transfusion team are now regular visitors to the school. Many faith schools refuse to allow the Blood teams into their schools, due to irrational fears. In contrast, central to the aims of Humanist Schools is to encourage a rational approach to life’s challenges, including the utmost respect for science and modern medicine.
Posted: May 15, 2021 by Steve Hurd
Bringing the Joy of Play
Uganda Humanist Schools Trust is working with the charity Play Action International, https://playactioninternational.org/, on a Joint Project to create playgrounds in four Humanist primary schools.
Our schools are in poor rural areas where families find it difficult to make ends meet and many children are required to work from an early age. They rise early to complete household chores before they go to school. They fetch water and firewood when they return in the evenings. In cases of extreme poverty, some children do hard physical labour as charcoal burners and carriers.
Going to school is a relief from the daily drudgery but in many schools, children have formal lessons all day long. Humanist Schools are a little different. They recognise that children learn better when schools are welcoming and caring, and foster a happy environment based on mutual respect.
Play Action International has many years of experience developing playgrounds in situations of high social stress, such as in camps housing the many refugees that Uganda cares for from the Congo and South Sudan. They work in impoverished rural areas, where they have found that schools with well-designed playgrounds have:
We all recognise the truth in the adage that “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy”. Through this collaboration with Play Action International, we aim to help the Humanist Schools to foster joy and happiness through purposeful play. Play Action International has put much thought into designing playground equipment that is safe, durable and promotes imaginative play (a few of these are pictured). As part of the project Play Action will run 4 days of play-based education training in each school to introduce the schools to new strategies for learning through play.
Posted: May 5, 2021 by Steve Hurd
UHST helps Humanist High Schools to rescue Primary Schools
We should like to thank UHST supporters for enabling us to buy two failed primary schools. It was difficult to ignore appeals from the Directors of Isaac Newton and Mustard Seed Humanist High Schools, which had, in turn, been petitioned by members of their local communities. The attached photograph shows parents from Kateera village meeting Peter Kisirinya to plead with him to save their local primary school.
A similar meeting took place in Busota, where local families pressed for Moses Kamya to turn their failed primary school into one run on the lines of the Humanist high school, which has become much respected in the area.
We received donations of £38,000 which, with a bequest from the will of Thelma Taylor, a long-term supporter of our charity, made it possible to buy the two schools.
There is still a lot to do to bring them up to standard. However, there is enough money to make a good start on this. We have worked out a programme to refurbish the schools, improve the water supply, construct decent toilets, appoint teachers with some pay in advance so they can have some confidence that they will be looked after. Each school needs a playground for the little ones and books, educational toys and learning materials.
Families in the two communities are delighted. They have seen the difference that Humanist schools, based on reason, compassion and tolerance, can make to their children and indeed to the whole community around them and they will do all they can to support the new schools.
The last two years have seen a step change for UHST and the Humanist school movement in Uganda. We are important partners of two Humanist high schools and four Humanist primary schools and are helping to support new schools as they come along. Reports will be sent out in the next few days on developments at the Katumba and Kanungu Schools, near the Congo border.
I would like to say a big thank you for supporting these ground-breaking Humanist Schools in Uganda. Perhaps they will become a model for other countries. The second photograph shows happy children from the rescued primary school visiting the campus of Isaac Newton High School.
Posted: April 13, 2021 by Steve Hurd
Blood Doning by Isaac Newton Students shows huge progress in beating HIV/AIDS
For the second year running Isaac Newton High School students are completely clear of HIV/AIDS. The National Blood Transfusion service came to the school and tested students giving blood to the national blood bank. This would not have been possible in the past as HIV was rife in the community. In fact a major reason why the Humanist School was set up in 2005 was to provide education to the many AIDS orphans in the area.When many other countries in Africa (notably South Africa) denied the problem of AIDS, the Uganda government instituted a clear national policy to combat the disease, based upon the ABC of Aids – Abstinence, Be faithful, and use Condoms.The National Blood Transfusion team are now regular visitors to the school. Many faith schools refuse to allow the Blood teams into their schools, due to irrational fears. In contrast, central to the aims of Humanist Schools is to encourage a rational approach to life’s challenges, including the utmost respect for science and modern medicine.