Work has been completed on a much needed new cook house for the Mbute Campus (formerly Fair View School) of Isaac Newton High School.
The old makeshift and ramshackle wooden building has been demolished. The open fire with a single cooking pot supported on three stones has gone.
No longer will the cook need to breathe in fumes from cooking on an open fire, as in the picture. Research has revealed that open-fire cooking, especially in confined spaces, is responsible for lung infections in many cooks, mostly women, throughout Africa.
The new brick building has two rooms. There is a well ventilated room where the cooking takes place. This contains a state of the art, efficient and externally-vented wood-burning stove that can heat two pots at the same time. A similar stove at Mustard Seed School has reduced firewood consumption by over three-quarters.
The other room is a large rodent-proof store, where cassava flour, rice and other dry grains can be kept. Having dry storage will enable the school to buy staple carbohydrate grains at a time when they are plentiful and low priced.
The school cook is delighted with the new facility. It improves her working conditions and will make it easier to prepare dinners on time.
Posted: August 10, 2013 by Steve Hurd
New cook house for Mbute Campus
Work has been completed on a much needed new cook house for the Mbute Campus (formerly Fair View School) of Isaac Newton High School.
The old makeshift and ramshackle wooden building has been demolished. The open fire with a single cooking pot supported on three stones has gone.
No longer will the cook need to breathe in fumes from cooking on an open fire, as in the picture. Research has revealed that open-fire cooking, especially in confined spaces, is responsible for lung infections in many cooks, mostly women, throughout Africa.
The other room is a large rodent-proof store, where cassava flour, rice and other dry grains can be kept. Having dry storage will enable the school to buy staple carbohydrate grains at a time when they are plentiful and low priced.
The school cook is delighted with the new facility. It improves her working conditions and will make it easier to prepare dinners on time.
Posted: June 12, 2013 by Steve Hurd
Launch of Boys’ Hostel Appeal for Isaac Newton
At t
he British Humanist Association Conference, held at the Hilton Hotel Leeds UHST took the opportunity to launch an appeal for a boys’ hostel at Isaac Newton High School.
Our display stand is illustrated. Thanks to the intervention of a Humanist from Oxford, Jean Davies, a cash collection was organised on the last morning of the conference. This raised £404 immediately and additional sums have been arriving by post since the conference.
Within the first three days we had raised over £1,700 towards the £27,000 cost of the project.
We have added a counter showing our progress towards the target on the front page of our website: www.ugandahumanistschoolstrust.org, and details of how to donate can be found here..
Posted: May 3, 2013 by Steve Hurd
Mbute Campus Rescue Plan Gathers Pace
Peter Kisirinya has worked hard to mobilise staff. Annet Kysakye, the former Headteacher, has been reappointed along with some of the other former teachers. Several Isaac Newton teachers are teaching on both school sites and three of the best A-level students from Isaac Newton are teaching lower school classes there before they go to university. Efforts have been made to attract back former students and recruit new ones. Peter is working with local leaders to harness the support of the local community. The parent-teacher association has been reformed and parents and guardians have been helping to improve footpaths to the site. A large public meeting has been held to present the new school to the community. Teachers, as well as students, have been given a new uniform. Families were shown around the newly finished library and science lab and they heard of plans to develop the school.
UHST has bought more books for the school and equipment and chemicals for the new science lab. We have also covered the shortfall in the staffing budget and ensured that all staff have been paid fully.
Toilets are the biggest current problem. The existing ones were built on the side of the hill and, due to land slippage, the boys toilets are breaking up. However, the good news is that International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) and the Norwegian Humanists (HAMU) are working together to fund new Blair-VIP toilet blocks for boys and girls. The work on these will begin within days.
Staff, students and parents are delighted that the school is showing such rapid improvement.