The prolonged Covid induced closure of schools in Uganda has led to many private schools becoming insolvent and closing, including the two primary schools closest to Isaac Newton and Mustard Seed High Schools.
Both High Schools have suffered from the poor primary education of local children coming into them, and this gives us an opportunity to do something about it.
MUSTARD SEED BUSOTA COMMUNITY A Muslim primary school, nestling within the perimeter of Mustard Seed School, has closed leaving 280 children with nowhere to go to school. The parents called a meeting this week and implored Moses Kamya to take over the school and run it as a Secular Humanist school like Mustard Seed, which they believe would be much better for their children.
ISAAC NEWTON KATEERA COMMUNITYA private primary school a few hundred metres from Isaac Newton School has closed, leaving 200 children with nowhere to be educated. The proprietor has received an offer from a Turkish Sunni Moslem group, wishing to establish a Madrasa. The community does not want this. They also called a community meeting with Peter Kisirinya and asked him to take it over and run it on Secular Humanist lines like Isaac Newton High School, which has developed a high reputation in the area.
The Trustees of UHST see both of these as opportunities to strengthen both Mustard Seed and Isaac Newton Schools, by improving the education of children before they come into the schools. We really wish to respond to the heart-felt request for our help from the two communities, which is a ringing endorsement of Secular Humanist education.
We are in negotiations with the owners of each school. They have both incurred debts and need a quick sale. So many other schools are in the same position and there are few buyers around at the moment. We are currently negotiating to buy each school, and haggling over whether this will include school furniture and whether we can pay in instalments. If we can, then we will proceed with both purchases.
If the sale goes through, which we hope it will, we will need to raise funds to refurbish the buildings and furniture, improve teachers conditions and pay, and buy lots of books, learning and play materials. We will need to do this while continuing to help out our other schools with the short term cash flow needs caused by Covid.
If the sale goes through the two schools will be renamed as: Isaac Newton Humanist Primary School, and Mustard Seed Humanist Primary School.
Perversely, if we pull this off, it could bring a huge Covid gain for the Humanist Schools.
Our appeal to raise money to take over the schools and bring them up to standard began two days ago and has already raised over £20,000. We would be delighted if others contributed. Transfers can be made to: Uganda Humanist Schools Trust (UK), A/C 00455909, Lloyds Banks Sort Code 30-95-91. Or by donating through our website (https://ugandahumanistschoolstrust.org). If you do decide to send a donation directly to our account, do please email us so we can confirm its receipt.
The picture below shows children from one of the closed primary schools being taught in the old hall of Isaac Newton High School.
The report contains information about how the school is coping in the face of the Covid pandemic. It also includes a profile of this remarkable young lady, Joan Mukisa. The school gave her opportunities to develop her potential after a difficult start in life. Joan won a place in the top Law School in Uganda and is just starting her second year of study.
In the UK, daily new cases of Covid are around 50,000. We have 30,000 patients in hospital, and the daily death toll from Covid has exceeded 1,000. The new Kent variant of the virus is 70% more transmissible and the government has called another national lockdown. People must stay at home apart from for essential work, food shopping, medical appointments and taking exercise outdoors. We must remember “hands – face – space”; wash hands frequently with soap, cover mouths and noses to reduce spread and maintain at least 2 metres distance from others at all times. Despite high levels of compliance with these rules, the virus is spreading fast. Total deaths will soon reach 100,000 and many, who have recovered, suffer the long-term ill effects of long-Covid.
The economic impact has been immense. National production is down 10% and many people have lost their jobs or suffered severely reduced incomes. This has affected charities raising funds to help others. Major national charities have experienced substantial falls in donations and been forced to cut programme budgets.
Compared to many charities, Uganda Humanist Schools Trust has weathered the storm fairly well so far. Since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, a number of supporters have cancelled their monthly bank standing orders. However, most have remained committed to the charity and to children and staff in Humanist Schools in Uganda.
For example, a London musician who has supported our work in Uganda for some years has suffered a severe fall in his income. The closure of music venues due to the pandemic has caused his income from live performances to disappear. Some instrumental teaching has continued on Zoom video, but there has been a substantial fall in students and income. He had no alternative but to cut his standing order to UHST by 90%. However, he is strongly committed to supporting the Humanist Schools in Uganda and hopes to restore the cut once his income picks up again. We find it very moving that someone who has suffered from the economic impact of Covid still prioritises the liberal-Humanist education of needy children in Uganda.
We wrote to supporters explaining the immense negative impact of Covid on the schools we support. After months of closure, they are reopening in 2021 for exam classes only (other students will not be allowed to return until after Easter). It was looking as if they would need to lay off some staff and reduce the pay of those remaining in order to survive.
Many supporters responded by sending additional one-off donations and by raising their monthly standing order payments. This has enabled UHST to provide supplementary grants to the schools to enable them to make them Covid safe. This has involved putting in more stations around the schools where students and staff can wash their hands with soap and equipping the schools with infra-red thermometers so they can regularly check temperatures. We have also provided supplementary funds to offset the loss of fee income and to enable the schools to find the money they need for salaries. As a result of a large bequest from the will of a lady who has supported our charity since its inception, a substantial donation from the proceeds of a will given to us by North London Humanists and a third large donation by a generous benefactor we have also be able to undertake a number of substantial building projects during the Covid closure of the schools: a second boys’ dormitory at Mustard Seed School, a new hall at Isaac Newton School; and work for two damaged communities near the Congo border – 50% completion of a brand new primary school at Katumba where over 100 fathers were killed in an abortive cult uprising, and the completion of a new Humanist primary school at Kanungu, where over 800 people were murdered in another cult atrocity.
We are very grateful to all UHST supporters for sticking with our charity and the schools in Uganda during this difficult time. The work we are doing together is giving hope for a better life to so many needy children. We are determined that the efforts we have made together over the past 10 years will not be frustrated by the pandemic and we intend to restore the momentum the schools had before it started. A big thank you to all!
Posted: April 8, 2021 by Steve Hurd
Primary Schools for Isaac Newton and Mustard Seed
The prolonged Covid induced closure of schools in Uganda has led to many private schools becoming insolvent and closing, including the two primary schools closest to Isaac Newton and Mustard Seed High Schools.
Both High Schools have suffered from the poor primary education of local children coming into them, and this gives us an opportunity to do something about it.
MUSTARD SEED BUSOTA COMMUNITY A Muslim primary school, nestling within the perimeter of Mustard Seed School, has closed leaving 280 children with nowhere to go to school. The parents called a meeting this week and implored Moses Kamya to take over the school and run it as a Secular Humanist school like Mustard Seed, which they believe would be much better for their children.
ISAAC NEWTON KATEERA COMMUNITYA private primary school a few hundred metres from Isaac Newton School has closed, leaving 200 children with nowhere to be educated. The proprietor has received an offer from a Turkish Sunni Moslem group, wishing to establish a Madrasa. The community does not want this. They also called a community meeting with Peter Kisirinya and asked him to take it over and run it on Secular Humanist lines like Isaac Newton High School, which has developed a high reputation in the area.
The Trustees of UHST see both of these as opportunities to strengthen both Mustard Seed and Isaac Newton Schools, by improving the education of children before they come into the schools. We really wish to respond to the heart-felt request for our help from the two communities, which is a ringing endorsement of Secular Humanist education.
We are in negotiations with the owners of each school. They have both incurred debts and need a quick sale. So many other schools are in the same position and there are few buyers around at the moment. We are currently negotiating to buy each school, and haggling over whether this will include school furniture and whether we can pay in instalments. If we can, then we will proceed with both purchases.
If the sale goes through, which we hope it will, we will need to raise funds to refurbish the buildings and furniture, improve teachers conditions and pay, and buy lots of books, learning and play materials. We will need to do this while continuing to help out our other schools with the short term cash flow needs caused by Covid.
If the sale goes through the two schools will be renamed as:
Isaac Newton Humanist Primary School, and Mustard Seed Humanist Primary School.
Perversely, if we pull this off, it could bring a huge Covid gain for the Humanist Schools.
Our appeal to raise money to take over the schools and bring them up to standard began two days ago and has already raised over £20,000. We would be delighted if others contributed. Transfers can be made to: Uganda Humanist Schools Trust (UK), A/C 00455909, Lloyds Banks Sort Code 30-95-91. Or by donating through our website (https://ugandahumanistschoolstrust.org). If you do decide to send a donation directly to our account, do please email us so we can confirm its receipt.
The picture below shows children from one of the closed primary schools being taught in the old hall of Isaac Newton High School.
Posted: February 10, 2021 by Steve Hurd
Latest news from Mustard Seed School
https://ugandahumanistschoolstrust.org/21-ms-directors-report-feb-2021-r/
The report contains information about how the school is coping in the face of the Covid pandemic. It also includes a profile of this remarkable young lady, Joan Mukisa. The school gave her opportunities to develop her potential after a difficult start in life. Joan won a place in the top Law School in Uganda and is just starting her second year of study.
Posted: January 11, 2021 by Steve Hurd
A Big THANK YOU to all Supporters
The economic impact has been immense. National production is down 10% and many people have lost their jobs or suffered severely reduced incomes. This has affected charities raising funds to help others. Major national charities have experienced substantial falls in donations and been forced to cut programme budgets.
Compared to many charities, Uganda Humanist Schools Trust has weathered the storm fairly well so far. Since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, a number of supporters have cancelled their monthly bank standing orders. However, most have remained committed to the charity and to children and staff in Humanist Schools in Uganda.
For example, a London musician who has supported our work in Uganda for some years has suffered a severe fall in his income. The closure of music venues due to the pandemic has caused his income from live performances to disappear. Some instrumental teaching has continued on Zoom video, but there has been a substantial fall in students and income. He had no alternative but to cut his standing order to UHST by 90%. However, he is strongly committed to supporting the Humanist Schools in Uganda and hopes to restore the cut once his income picks up again. We find it very moving that someone who has suffered from the economic impact of Covid still prioritises the liberal-Humanist education of needy children in Uganda.
We wrote to supporters explaining the immense negative impact of Covid on the schools we support. After months of closure, they are reopening in 2021 for exam classes only (other students will not be allowed to return until after Easter). It was looking as if they would need to lay off some staff and reduce the pay of those remaining in order to survive.
We are very grateful to all UHST supporters for sticking with our charity and the schools in Uganda during this difficult time. The work we are doing together is giving hope for a better life to so many needy children. We are determined that the efforts we have made together over the past 10 years will not be frustrated by the pandemic and we intend to restore the momentum the schools had before it started. A big thank you to all!