A new medical house will be opened at Isaac Newton High School, Katera in time for the 2014 school year. The picture shows workmen glazing the internal windows of one of the two wards.

The house contains treatment and dispensing rooms and two twin-bedded wards to cater for students who need to be cared for in isolation.

A newly qualified nurse will work full-time to provide care and treatment and to coordinate health education in the school and local community.

No longer will sick students have to be sent home to be cared for when they have malaria or upper respiratory infections. The nurse will work under the supervision of doctors in a local health centre. It will mean that simple wounds and infections will be able to be treated within the school.

The medical house has been adopted by the Local Health Department and the Ministry of Health and will be used as an immunisation centre for the school and local community. It will also be used as a centre for health education in the school and local area. So education initiatives on T.B., HIV/AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and parasitic diseases will be run from the new facility.

World Bank workers have provided drums and costumes to a student health group, which is being trained up to perform health campaign songs and dances within school and in local villages.

A full account of developments at the school can be read in the November 2013 Report on Isaac Newton High School, Katera.

The latest report on Isaac Newton High School’s Mbute Campus at Mpigi gives a largely upbeat account of the progress the school is making under its new management headed by its Director, Peter Kisirinya. UHST is working closely with IHEU, the school’s founders with the Uganda Humanist Association, to bring the school towards a sustainable future.

Since the start of the year the site has been transformed. IHEU has funded the construction of new toilets for boys, girls and staff. UHST supporters have funded a new kitchen with efficient wood-burning stoves. The main buildings have also been refurbished and repainted. These new developments have lifted spirits in the school and there is a growing pride in the site, which is being kept neat and tidy. The students are also proud of their new Isaac Newton School uniforms.

In order to help the school to cover its running costs UHST allocated 32 scholarships to the school in 2013. However, scholarship and local fee income together still fail to cover the costs of staff salaries and day-to-day consumables. On a full year basis the school has required an additional £4000 to it to cover its running costs. Infrastructure improvements have been funded independently of this.

The pictures show the newly painted buildings, students relaxing near the Jack Fruit tree, and laboratory stools under construction for science.

For more information download the full November 2013 Report on Isaac Newton High School’s Mbute Campus, Mpigi.

Lylah is a little girl of 7. She lives in Montgomery, Illinois in the United States. Recently she accepted a challenge from her father to devote some of her time to helping less privileged children by raising funds for Uganda Humanist Schools Trust. Her targets are: $1,600 to provide 4-year scholarships to enable two bright but needy children to attend Humanist schools in Uganda and $1,000 for classroom materials, so that all children in the school may benefit by having a fuller learning experience.

Her father Marion writes: “Lylah saves money all year to buy toys for kids for Christmas even though we are a Secular Humanist family.  This year we have asked her if she would like to sponsor kids for school in Uganda. She typically will save $400 dollars on her own, but this year she will go out to get sponsors.”

Lylah has set up her own website www.kidsheartkids.com

The website explains her aims, why she chose to support children in Africa through Uganda Humanist Schools Trust and it says a little about Lylah herself. She has a blog where well-wishers can express their support and good wishes and there is a link for donations.

At UHST we are delighted and grateful to Lylah for her initiative. We wish her well in her quest and feel certain that she will gain many friends and supporters from the work she is doing.

Thank you also Lylah from the many children in Uganda who will be helped by your efforts.