A Frenzy of Activity

A frenzy of Activity

Just South of Busunjju, something special is happening.  A team of construction workers and staff from CEFOVID (an NGO working in a Kampala Slum) are getting ready for the opening of a new school.  Thanks to the generosity of our HUGS donors, especially the Mulchand Foundation, this school is going to raise the life chances of 300 children each year, who would otherwise face years of poverty, hunger, disease and violence in the slum. 

 

This is the school now.  It is the largest in the local area, and has attached so much positive attention. It is ready for a lick of paint, inside and outside. The classrooms are large and cool, the kitchen (seen below) comes with a dining room, where the children will be able to super-power their brains and grow their bodies with locally sourced nutritious food. 

There is a frenzy of activity, to get the school ready for the big opening in February.  The land has been planted with cassava, beans and maize, Because of the superb planning of the local teams, the first harvest will be in January. Just ready to fill the kitchen storage ready for the new intake of hungry children.  The fields were initially ploughed by tractor, and then cleared and planted by hand. Cassava plants are already standing a foot tall and the maize is flowering.

  

A part of the preparation work is to make a home for the teachers. HUGS had been able to fund the construction of flats for them.  Now they will not have to travel long distances to get to the school, and will be able to participate in the social life and sporting teams at the school.  Children learn better, when they are around literate, educated adults, something which is unfortunately in short supply in the slum. 

The children are excited that they will have dedicated sports facilities.  We have funded the construction of a new sports pitch, which is safe (it is free of rubbish and dung) and flat.  Many children will only have seen these sorts of facilities on the TV, never in real life.  Let's not forget the importance of sanitation. We were lucky to have found a safe underground water supply from a borehole-well. The latrines are being dug at the moment, by hand (see picture below).

The most important preparatory work is talking to the children's families. The children will be resident at the school, during term time, and it is essential parents have the trust that their children will be looked after.  CEFOVID has been holding regular question and answer sessions with the families of prospective students. They know that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, to help educate their children, so they have the skills and confidence to leave the life of the slum behind.  They are so grateful to each and every one of our supporters for helping make this happen. 

Small Beginnings. Never Give Up.

From small beginnings grows great change. One of the wonderful parts of being involved in a charity that helps children to learn is being able to share the stories of amazing people and how they have used their education to create a better life for themselves and their communities.

Recently Ronald, from the Slum Education Project (CEFOVID), shared photos of the women who we sponsored to gain a qualification in tailoring.  A year after gaining, not only a certificate of competence, but also a renewed sense of self-worth and pride, all are now running new businesses. As most of the women are single parents, their new incomes empower them to take charge of their own lives.  The extra cash they create is spent mainly on… you guessed it.. sending their children to school.

We have looked back through our records and found other HUGS students who have made the most of the generous gift of education which the HUGS Donors have given then.

Michael and Ronald came to our attention when they were studying their O levels. They were both bright ‘top of the class’ students, driven through their own personal tragedies, to work in health care.  We supported them through University.  Michael is a junior doctor who has just started his first job working in a community hospital.  Ronald has his own Optician business, specialising in paediatric care, and offers his skills for free to our special needs school, St Francis de Sales, to diagnose and treat the children’s eye conditions.

These students knew where they were going.  Two students who had less of a direction are Danny and Doreen.  HUGS helped pay for Danny’s education right from primary school. He attended St Zoe’s, the first HUGS built school.  He is a designer for construction companies, but his heart lies in making and producing music.  Look him up on Youtube under the name Danny Nats https://youtu.be/A4LPeJiP1ds?si=jKdD4S9Lnw-5poBo

Doreen has just started her own Media and Branding business, an important growth industry in a developing country.  This week, a HUGS donor supported her with a small grant to purchase her first colour printer. We wish her all the best.

One of the first students, HUGS ever sponsored, was Peter. Aged just 6 he was orphaned by the AIDS crisis in Uganda and his extended family helped him stay in school, by asking HUGS to help.  We lost touch with him until last year when, though networks and mutual friends, he tracked the HUGS Trustees down during our last visit in February and joined us for dinner.  He is now an ordained Catholic Priest, a keen community worker and embedded in a poor community. He is giving back so much.

One of Peter’s school friends was Patrick.  When Patrick was aged 12 he started school for the first time. Initially, in a class of 5-6 year olds he was generous, kind and learned quickly.  Now he runs a successful farming business producing honey and eggs. He offers help and support to HUGS Schools on how to use their land productively to maximise profit to improve the education of children, who like him, would never have had opportunity if it wasn’t for the support of others.

All of these activities are only possible because of the generous contributions of the HUGS donors. Thank you for supporting our new students. What will these children achieve in the future with your help? Isn’t the young boy’s tee-shirt appropriate? Never give up. 

Sustainable SCHOOLS

HUGS has drawn up a long shopping list to kit out the New Hope School, which will open its doors in February and care for 300 children from the KosOvo Kampala slum. The children will need books, pencils, pens and paper of course; school uniforms, shoes and a sports kit.  Teaching equipment; a blackboard, chalk, desks and chairs. Then there are items to help maintain health; soap, cleaning fluids, mosquito nets and cooking utensils, pots and bowls.  And don’t forget the need for beds, mattresses and a place to store belongings.  Over a year 300 children will eat 150,000 meals. Schools are resource hungry. They become a place where local businesses provide services and trade. We observe how local farmers alter their crops and micro-industries are created.  

Ugandans are acutely aware of how much they rely on their natural environment.  80% of the population are farmers, and with a growing population, now topping 50 million, living on a land mass of 250,000 sq km (the same as the UK) a growing challenge is how to make development sustainable. 

We see this being played out in our schools.  With wise and intelligent leadership, all of our schools own land and use it to provide goods. They grow a variety of crops in ways which value diversity. They collect rainwater, generate solar electricity and use high efficient stoves for cooking and move as far to self-sustainability as possible. HUGS encourages and funds these initiatives.  We have also sponsored gifted students to study Agriculture and Public health at University. 

These activities work because of education.  Ugandans are acutely aware of climate change and can observe how ‘developed countries’ have worked the land too hard destroying nature’s ability to regenerate. The children at Good Shepherd School, Little Shepherd School and Asili Girls School learn sustainable farming techniques. They help plant, harvest and store crops and feed livestock and breed fish.  The New Hope School has 9 acres of farmland and intends to copy these initiatives so much of their ongoing ‘shopping list’ is provided in a locally sustainable way, safeguarding their future. 

We will tell you more about the New Hope Farm project over the next few years.  If you’d like to be involved, we are looking for interested partners. Please contact us at hugs.chair@gmail.com

A Good Nights Sleep in Uganda

How important is a good nights sleep for learning? According to research from all over the world, sleep increases a child’s ability to create short term memory and more importantly move it into permanent storage. Sleep boosts creative thinking and improves problem solving.

Therefore it is no surprise that HUGS has used donor funds to build dormitories, purchase beds, mattresses and importantly mosquito nets. In Uganda, a school with a dormitory means children don’t have to to walk long distances and arrive tired and girls can avoid being hassled or worse assaulted whilst they innocently make their way to receive an education.

Above is a photo of the dormitory at Little Shepherd School, Rutunguru.  It was constructed particularly for girls, allowing 120 to sleep in peace. It has solar lighting, so that students can read into the evening. Since it opened 4 years ago, academic performance at the school has improved.  It's been a day for 'spring cleaning' and washed mattresses and bedding are drying in the sun.

This is the largest dormitory which HUGS has funded at the Asili Girls school, Lira. Here, 200 secondary students can sleep safely. They have communal washrooms, laundry and bathrooms making a self contained living community. The head, Sr Veronika is so proud of the girls focus on education as they enter the school, and know that these facilities help them avoid external distractions and hardships.

And here is St Francis de Sales, where our latest dormitory has been built. It is designed with wheelchair users in mind and has a sick bay. This building is ‘home’ to 40 children with special educational needs. Recently HUGS supporters have bought new beds, mattresses, and mosquito nets, as most of the children come from families too poor to provide them with these essentials. 



These are the foundations for a second dormitory at Dokolo Girls School. Currently 50 girl students sleep on the floor of a classroom. They have poor access to water, washing facilities and privacy. To complete this building is one of the HUGS priorities for this year (at a cost of £13,000).  We are looking for a corporate sponsor to help us realise the school dreams of having a bed for every one of their students. Can you help?


A school in Uganda is a place of safety. A place where teachers and staff are responsible not only for the education of children, but also their nutrition, their health and their well-being. A good night sleep is an essential ingredient to this welfare. Thank you to all our supporters who have helped tuck these young people into a warm, clean and safe bed

Sharing the Joy

The HUGS Trustees trip to Uganda last month has filled us with joy and hope.  We are reminded of the dedication and personal sacrifice of our Trusted representatives and marvel at the tenacity of the organisations they work for, which we support.  We met with so many children who, with a little help from our donors, are surmounting great obstacles in life to learn, grow and have fun.

We’d like to share four highlights of our trip with you in the form of short videos.

The first shows the progress of the New Hope School, which will care for 300 children from the Kosovo Slum, Kampala. When you watch it, remember that most children have never been to the countryside and don’t have space to play.  The building work is going to plan, on time, and within budget.

During our visit, we presented a new football kit to the Girls football team at Dokolo School. Two years ago, the girls won the regional football championships playing barefoot in their school uniforms.  There’s nothing holding them back now so be prepared for more trophies.  The dances they perform are traditional Ugandan and celebrate the strength of woman. Very apt.

We met with 4 University students HUGS has sponsored who graduated in 2023/4. This video shows a short interview with Rita Kenyange, (MSc in Immunology and Clinical Microbiology), Tom Okade (Degree in Environmental Science and Public Health) and two newly qualified doctors, Michael Ssuuna and Paul Nsobani. All destined to become great leaders in their chosen fields. 

Finally, no one is excluded. We never cease to be amazed by the compassionate and inclusive thinking which makes St Francis de Sales such an inspirational school.  Every child has a disability and receives a bespoke, caring education from teachers, who themselves have overcome disabilities to become examples of what ca be achieved when people believe in your potential. 

Thank you for all your support.  None of this would be possible without your trust in our charity.  We hope you can share in the joy we have experienced first-hand.  We visit our projects every 18 months and are happy to take donors with us. 

Richard Bircher

HUGS Chair.    

First Hand

Tomorrow I will arrive in Kampala, to prepare for the HUGS Trustees trip to visit our schools and projects.  These trips are an essential part of the work of HUGS as they provide us with confidence that projects are being completed with honesty and care.  We can in turn give  first hand feedback to you, our donors.  Invariably we see the commitment and personal sacrifice made by our partners in Uganda.  Our school leaders, administrators, teachers, and development workers use the resources you donate, to make long lasting, positive change in the lives of so many children.  They make magic happen.

I am reminded that everything substantial we do, is made up of tiny victories.  Every wall starts with a brick, every well starts with a hole and every child who we sponsor has a first day in at school.  Here is Vivian, who in 2018 was identified as a child in need by Sister Noeline. She has this week completed her primary education with top marks in every subject and is looking for a sponsor to help her continue to learn in secondary school.  Primary school ‘top marks’ was an impossible objective before help was offered. Her single mother was too poor to afford a uniform and illness stopped her attending state school most days.

I found a letter from Vivian. Even at aged 8 she was motivated. ‘How are you? Here I am fine. My name is Nabbaale Vivian.  Live in Wakiso.I am in primary three I am promoted to Primary four. When I grow up in future, I will be a nun… I wish you a nice day, may god bless you Merry Christmas and a Happy New year.’

On this trip we will visit the New Hope School, where construction is ongoing with pace.  We will see the beautiful St Francis de Sales Special Needs School, with its new intake of 100 children, who would never have been able to attend school without the Director, Sebastian’s support.  We will also visit our two Girls secondary Schools, Asili and Dokolo, both in areas where less than 1:10 girls benefit from a secondary education.  These girls are the elite in both academic abilities and personal motivation.

We will update you as our trip unfolds.  Thank you for having faith and trust in the work of HUGS. If any donor would like any specific reassurances or would like to know anything about our projects please email us on hugs.chair@gmail.com

Thank you for your continued support.

Richard Bircher

Christmas Capital

CHRISTMAS CAPITAL

At this time of year, we are encouraged to reflect.  Many of us have good reason to be thankful for the security in our lives and take time out to consider those who have so little that their basic human existence is challenged every day. Here is Ssebowa, a young boy who lives in the Kosovo slum in Kampala, who has the good fortune to be known to a Ugandan community group called CEFOVID that works in partnership with HUGS.

The soiled piece of foam, he stands in front of, is his bed. His house, and his neighbour’s houses, are frequently flooded by polluted water, and everyone’s beds are soaked. Rather than being a place of comfort and safety his bed is a health hazard.

Through your generosity, HUGS is going to change his future. Capitalising on his family’s ingenuity and drive we are going to invest in his Human Capital.  Human Capital is defined as the knowledge, skills, and health that people accumulate throughout their lives, enabling them to realise there potential.  HUGS is investing in a clean water supply for his family, an income for his mother and a quality education at a school outside the city, where he will receive two nutritious meals a day and have a safe place to learn and play. (below is the new school with construction paused for Christmas)

The effect of Human Capital is obvious. It is expressed in many ways.  The most powerful is the ability to refuse to be dominated.  One day Ssebowa will be able to stand tall and say, ‘That’s not good enough, I am worth more than that’,  ‘I have a right to be respected’,  ‘I have choice and I will do what is best for me and my loved ones’.

For now, Ssebowa is delighted with the new mattress which the Mulchand Foundation kindly donated, through HUGS, to him and 100 other families.  It came with a pillow and a waterproof cover. He’s also lucky enough to have an older brother to help him carry it home.

Thank you for your kindness and generosity. Here are a few smiles to warm your heart during this reflective time of year.

Merry Christmas. 

Richard Bircher

HUGS Chair

Helping a Community from every angle

I'd like to introduce you to the students on the Two Tone Garment Making Course. 15 single mothers who live in the Kosovo slum in Kampala.  They have children and they have a drive to improve their lives. They commonly experience violence, extreme poverty and loss of incomes as their homes are flooded every time it rains. They face illness, from drinking contaminated water and their children struggle to attend school. And here they are, about to sit their examinations, to be awarded a nationally recognised qualification which will springboard them to a life of improved security, income and opportunity.  Thanks to the HUGS donors who have supported their education.

I'd like to introduce you to their children. When families, who live in the slum, receive an improved income their number one priority is to invest their children's education. Most families struggle to pay for books pens and school uniform. Many children do not own a pair of shoes. Through the dedicated work of a local Ugandan NGO (CEFOVID) and working with an exceptional, caring UK organisation called Jamies legacy 100 children now receive a bursary to attend school and they love it. Thanks to the HUGS donors who have supported this initiative.

Children from the slum, miss about a month of school a year due to illness, mostly caught fro drinking filthy water. HUGS has been working with generous individuals and Rotary International to supply clean water points to the poorest households.  We are progressing a project to fit 200 new public standpipes which will be used by 10,000 people, 6,500 are school aged children.

Finally I'd like to introduce you to the builders who are constructing the next HUGS school. They have completed the foundations and now are building the classroom walls.  300 of the Kosovo slum children will attend this school. It is north of Kampala in the countryside, boarded by woods, farmland and valleys. It is a place where children will have space to play, peace to learn and security to flourish.  It has 8 acres of land to grow food, to feed hungry minds and growing bodies.

HUGS is able to help improve this community from every angle, only because of the generous support of our donors. If anyone would like to help any of these projects further please donate here or contact me on hugs.chair@gmail.com

Thank you
Richard Bircher. HUGS Chair

Ground Breaking

Building work has started on our new school. Situated in Busunju, an hour’s drive north of Kampala, the New Kosovo Hope School will dramatically and irreversibly improve the lives of the 300 primary school children who will be cared for there.

The children currently dwell in one of Kampala’s slums, where living is blighted by disease, violence, and poverty.  Most children have never seen the countryside and have never felt the joy of running freely in fresh air or drinking water which is safe.  Many have never been to school and aspirations are often as low as their opportunities.  We are about to change this.  Other HUGS schools have witnessed miraculous things that happen when children, with a lust for life, are given three square meals a day, books to read and safe places to play.  We look forward to sharing these stories with you.

Currently, the new school is all but large holes in the ground. To build a three-storey school, we need resilient foundations.  Not only in terms of steel and concrete but also in terms of partnership and respect.  We are blessed to have so many people we can call friends to help develop the new school. The Ugandan NGO (which will run the school) is headed by a warm-hearted man, with boundless energy called Ronald Kamoga. He is supported by a trustworthy and high-quality building company and our thoughtful and kind architect, Elly Wamala.  We give thanks to our funders, Sanjay and Venika, who are generous and caring and a long list of other supporters: Julie and Alec from Jamie's Legacy, Suky from Two-Tone and Lydia from REACH. Together we form a strong foundation which will ensure the new school will stand tall, be strong and always successful.

HUGS is a vibrant charity because of the input from so many people.  This year we are holding our Annual General meeting (AGM) in public. If anyone would like to attend it is starting at 19:30 tomorrow, 3rd of May, in Stockport.  Please message us if you’d like to attend.  You can also join us remotely.  We are only able to do our work because of the support given by so many people.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/6979922609

Meeting ID: 697 992 2609

Passcode: HUGS

Thank You

Richard Bircher (Chair HUGS)

Peter Mount. Small conversations to Big Actions

I have sad news. On Sunday 5th of March, the Founder of HUGS, a good friend to many of us and an inspirational leader Peter Mount died unexpectedly at home.  His departure leaves us with heavy hearts, reflecting on the how one man managed to change the lives of so many people. He championed the welfare of the vulnerable and leaves a profound legacy.

May his loving soul rest in peace.

Peter was an expert at turning small conversations into big action. This is how HUGS started. When Father John Kyazze was a visiting priest at Peter’s parish, in Stockport, they struck up a friendship and a powerful partnership.  One evening the conversation turned to the village where Father John was born and the plight of 9 children who were unable to go attend school because their families were too poor.  Peter organised a fund raiser, and within weeks the children’s education was secured.  In true ‘Peter style’, he didn’t stop there, and within two years Father John’s family had donated land and Peter raised funds for the first HUGS school to be constructed. St Zoes, (named after Father Johns mother) is now a beautiful, loving, safe school for 350 primary and secondary students. Its exam results are outstanding; its pupils lives improved by Peter’s passion and commitment. 

20 years later HUGS has built 7 schools, sponsored 100s of students and improved the education of 1000s.

The last school project, Peter championed was a special needs school, St Francis de Sales, in Jinja. The school has been open for 14 months and cares for some of the most vulnerable children in Ugandan society.  Where previously many of the children with disability were hidden away, receiving no education, they are now bright, loud, and carefree with a hunger to learn.  St Francis de Sales is still to be completed and Peter’s vision was for it to become a centre of excellence in Eastern Uganda in how to educate children who are unable to attend mainstream school.  Peter’s family have asked for this school to be the beneficiary of the Peter Mount Memorial fund. If you would like to contribute, please do so here.

https://gofund.me/8facb0ae

Thank you for everyone who has offered their condolences. Thank you for your kind words. 

Turning silent withdrawal into confidence and opportunity

This year just under a million children in Uganda sat the Primary Leaving Examination to mark the end of their studies at Primary School. This chart shows the performance of students with disabilities who took the exam in the Jinja locality. Children who are deaf score the lowest grades.

Jinja is where our special needs school, St Francis de Sales (SFDS) is situated, where half the pupils have marked hearing loss.  These results do not come as a surprise to the teachers who work there.  Hearing loss inevitably leads to profound communication difficulties, withdrawal, loss of confidence and social marginalisation unless special services are put in place from a pre-school age.  With the support our donors provide, HUGS is helping the teachers at St Francis de Sales stop the process of silent withdrawal and turn it into confidence and opportunity. If you are ever lucky enough to visit the school, you will see immediately how the children are far from marginalised; they brim with enthusiasm and demand attention.  

However, we have a problem. SFDS was designed to educate ‘differently abled’ children to year 4, where after we hoped they would be able to enter mainstream primary school. Disappointingly, not a single child has been accepted into a local primary school. A mixture of prejudice and poor resources has created an insurmountable barrier to bright, capable deaf children continuing their education.  Our solution is to double the side of the school and offer all 7 years of primary education.  We believe, it will not be long until these children are scoring the ‘Division 1’ passed they deserve. 

HUGS is proud to have Dr Emma Stapleton as a Trustee. She is a consultant ENT surgeon at Central Manchester Hospital, and an expert at restoring hearing.  She is leading a project to provide audiology and basic ear care at the school in order to screen for and treat hearing loss. In partnership with experts from Greater Manchester we hope this service will grow in time.

If you would like to become involved with any part of this project in 2023 please make contact.  Every contribution makes a difference, and your involvement states loudly that these children are important.

Social Capital and Generosity

There is a saying ‘Some people are so poor, all they have is money’.

As we enter the Christmas period it is good to reflect on the importance of the people around us and note the affection, support and care we provide each other.  Development workers and economists call this ‘Social Capital’ and describe it as the wealth we receive from our social interactions: the relationships we trust, the people we co-operate with and the reciprocal favours we provide.

In Uganda, where most families we support have little financial wealth, we observe they belong to extensive networks of family and friends who prioritise community participation in order to be there for each other in times of difficulty.  This was embodied on one of our trips when we asked an old man how many grandchildren he had. The answer was “between 20 and 30”.  No exact figure was given because so many children had been welcomed into his family network as crisis hit their own. There was no formal adoption, no paperwork, just an acceptance that community works best when there is generosity, and that generosity extends to raising someone else’s child.

Families rely on each other and their community

The children who HUGS sponsor benefit from the generosity of our donors. We use money because that’s transferable across 6500 miles but this only happens because HUGS is a charity which is entwined with social networks within Uganda. We respond to the calls of our trusted representatives and facilitate teachers, carers, mothers to help each other.  

Like Albert who is helping parents learn sign language or Molly, a teacher, who has a passion for helping children with disabilities enjoy dance, or Ronald who, owning wellington boots, carries children home when the slum is flooded.

Please take a look at our current fund raiser, the HUGS Christmas Craft and Gift Auction. This year we have included many items made by people in Uganda at a range of prices which acknowledges that many people in the UK currently face financial constraints. Every penny we raise will help primary aged children at the Little Shepherd School.

Thank you for being a vital part of our social network. You offer us your social capital, and we, in turn share this with vulnerable children in Uganda.  

Destined to help shape a better future for Uganda

The HUGS sponsorship scheme has supported 100s of children and young adults to attend school, college and university.  There are many stories of success. 

There are now engineers, doctors, nurses, town planners, teachers (and other professionals) who are contributing to their communities in creative ways because of their HUGS-sponsored education. During our trip to Uganda, in September, we met many of these bright people. It was obvious they are destined to help shape a better future for Uganda.

This photo shows the HUGS Chair with (Left to Right), Sebastian Waiswa, Head teacher of St Frances de Sale School, (about to embark on a Diploma in Special Needs Education), Yayeri Basira (newly qualified Social Worker, and blind herself), Doreen Namujjuzi (in her second year of a degree in Information Technology) and Ronald Kawauki (newly qualified Optometrist who now gives his time for free to assess children with sight loss at our schools). All have been part of our Sponsorship programme.

 

Education ignites passion. This is Rita Kenyange who is just about to sit her 'finals' for a degree in Medical Lab Technology.  She was so inspired by the work of global health experts during the COVID pandemic that she intends to continue to an MSc in Biomedical Technology and Genetic Engineering.

Education helps each and every household.  HUGS has teamed up with CEFOVID, a grassroots development NGO in the Kosovo slum, Kampala, to help train local young single mothers in tailoring.  After a six month fully funded course, they graduate with National Ugandan recognised qualifications which they can use to certify their skills anywhere in the country.  We have helped ensure every one of them, on completion, receive a ‘start up pack’ including material, thread, needles and a pedal driven sewing machine.

It's no surprise that the commonest use of their improved income, is to pay for their children’s education. 

Thank you to each and every one of our donors for supporting our work.  You are helping us change the lives of 1000s of individuals. If you know anyone who would like to contribute to our sponsorship programme, and help pay for the education of a primary school child (£150 a year), secondary school (£300 a year) or university (£500-1000) please invite them to make contact.

Seeing First hand. The importance of visiting projects.

Later this month 4 HUGS trustees will be travelling to Uganda.  This is an important part of our work as it builds trust and respect with our partners in Uganda.  We asked our Ugandan friends, if they wanted us to bring gifts or essential items.  The reply highlights the reality of the lives of children we have committed to support. 

‘Yes, please can you bring pants for girls, flip-flops and tops for them to wear, aged 5-11.’ It pulls at your heart.

We also travel with bags of sports kits, and equipment, kindly donated from many teams and individuals.  We may donate educational equipment, IT hardware or medical supplies, but it’s the sight of a new football which receives the greatest cheers from the children.

Our visits are important to ensure projects have progressed as planned and funds have been spent wisely.  On this trip we will see first-hand, St Francis de Sales School, The Kosovo Slum projects, Good Shepherd, Little Shepherd and St Zoe’s schools.  We do this to give you, our generous donors, confidence that we have used your donations well to help the most vulnerable people.

Its worth reflecting what we have achieved this year so far:

We have sponsored the school and university fees for 83 students, 10 are from a Kampala slum.

St Francis de Sales School

• Completed two buildings for teachers’ accommodation house
• Built a new Kitchen with a fuel-efficient stove
• Purchased 8 acres of land for food cultivation
• Provided sports equipment, a sports field and disability aids for children
• Helped with staff costs, to get the school set up
• Stocked the treatment room and provided an emergency medical fund
• Helped 6 very poor families create a small industry to generate money for school fees

Kosovo Education project

• Purchased 10 acres of land, produced architects plans for a new school and prepared the land for building work
• Worked with Rotary to provide 200 new water connections
• Supported textiles courses for single mothers to get qualifications to generate income to pay school fees families to pay school fees

Asili Girls School

• Provided IT hardware and power supply for a new computer lab

Good Shephard School

• Purchased 3 acre of land to grow additional food

Dokolo Girls Secondary School

• Provided funds to build a new Kitchen with fuel efficient stove and solar lighting

Little Shepherd School

• Purchased 2 acres of land to grow additional food
• Built a new boys latrine

Along the way we have had the privilege to provide humanitarian aid for children who had desperate needs. One has had a new prosthetic leg, another emergency eye treatment to prevent blindness and urgent surgery to repair dreadful birth injuries. 

None of this would have been possible, without the kindness and generosity of our donors.  Thank you for your support. We will review all of these projects and ensure we give you an honest appraisal of what we find.  

Education and Resilience

Education, resilience and tragic life events

There is an undeniable truth: once a child receives an education, it cannot be taken away from them. Education profoundly changes how a child views the world and gives them new ways to interacts it.  It is a key ingredient for future opportunity and lasts a lifetime.  It can be shared with family and passed onto future generations. According to the world bank, people in developing countries have improved chances of recovering from tragic life events if they have been to school. In Uganda, such events are frequent, unexpected and severe, and throw hard working families back into the jaws of poverty time and time again. Last year, HUGS sponsored a new water connection for a poor family in the Kosovo slum, Kampala. They have been able to make a small profit selling clean water to their neighbours, and chose to spend the extra cash on their children's education.

Last week, sadly, they experienced a tragic life event; a house fire destroyed everything they own. Though they are now experiencing levels of destitution most of us can hardly imagine, the fire hasn't changed their children's education.  They are still able to read and write and there is hope their learning will provide them with the ability to find new ways to achieve a better life for all the family. Last month, Sebastian, our trusted representatives from St Francis de Sales School, met a girl aged 12.  Her tragic life event was a near fatal infection which lead to the amputation of her left leg, below the knee, and loss of several of her fingers.  She was doing well at school. She made a simple request: to have help to return to education. We are pleased to tell you she is now enrolled in the HUGS sponsorship programme.  As is a 4 year old boy who recently came to our attention because he has such severe cataracts he can only see objects inches from his face.

Our school heads know the life changing effects of education and the importance of this gift for children from the most precarious backgrounds, but face a constant battle to keep exactly those children in class. They report currently about half of all families are unable to pay the full amount of their child's school fees, because of cost of living rises.  The children are desperate to learn and the teachers passionate to help, so our schools continue to educate with reduced income and shoulder the financial risk.

The teachers at Little Shephard School

This is where you help. With your generous donations we are able to provide substantial support to our schools.  You have funded projects which reduce costs, increase income, grow more food, house more teachers and protect more children.  In return teachers continue to change the future for vulnerable children by giving them an education, a life long resilience and the cognitive skills to bounce back from catastrophic life events. To quote a saying from Malcolm Forbes: Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.