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.