Building Another Library in Uganda
We are building another library at a primary school in rural Uganda and could not be more excited. Books bring light and knowledge, expand imaginations, and take readers on adventures.... allowing them to see, feel, and experience things differently than they ever have before. Books change lives, and we can't wait to bring these opportunities and resources to children in Uganda. We expect to finish up the library in June 2024.
A New Library at Our Lady Primary School - June 2022
After a two year COVID delay, we were able to build a library in Uganda! This project brings books and educational resources to hundreds of students - opening up to them a new world of imagination, exploration, learning, and opportunity. The students and staff are so excited to have this new library and are grateful to everyone who made it possible; their smiles, hugs, and thank you's flowed freely throughout the couple weeks that we were there.
Scholarships
These are some the 27 students who were just awarded a Teach the Children scholarship, which covers their school fees for one year (and will be continued if they work hard and perform well). For those who participated in our #TTCLaceUpForLiteracy fundraiser, this is how many of the proceeds were used. (The rest was used to purchase reading books and textbooks for Our Lady Primary School). We now have 45 students on full tuition scholarships, relieving a heavy burden from the shoulders of their families, ensuring they will remain in school. Our hearts are bursting with gratitude for the kindness and generosity of so many people who have made this possible.
Luwero Community Learning Center Update
We recently received a report from the Luwero mayor, providing updates around the Community Learning Center that we built in 2018 .... The library is fully staffed and operating - open Monday through Saturday, and there are a few hundred students and patrons visiting the library each week. Local leaders and organizations (like Rotary Club) in Luwero and throughout the broader community have worked to expand the selection of books in the library by donating numerous textbooks and other reference books, which we love to see.
The Chief Administrative Officer of the District has been holding meetings at The Center with members of the community to emphasize the importance of education, learning, and literacy, and to encourage them to use the library and take advantage of all the resources it provides. Numerous schools have taken field trips to the library, so the students can enjoy the books and resources available there. There has also been some coordination between The Center and the schools, resulting in the starting of a chess club! We love to see the excitement around the library continue to grow!
The Chief Administrative Officer of the District has been holding meetings at The Center with members of the community to emphasize the importance of education, learning, and literacy, and to encourage them to use the library and take advantage of all the resources it provides. Numerous schools have taken field trips to the library, so the students can enjoy the books and resources available there. There has also been some coordination between The Center and the schools, resulting in the starting of a chess club! We love to see the excitement around the library continue to grow!
Updates from Ntumwa Primary School
We held a writing contest at the two schools we partner with, asking the students to write a story about a talking lion, a mango tree, and a bag of treasure. We loved reading their stories and seeing their creativity! The winners of the contest received a TTC scholarship, covering one year of their school fees. We recently received an email from the headmistress at Ntumwa Primary School that touched our hearts... "The management, staff and students of Ntumwa Primary School wish to thank Teach the Children organization for having paid school fees for the children who won the writing contest. The parents are also thankful for that contribution. You are real friends, may God bless your hands.... I would like to inform you that our candidates were announced the best in the whole district in mocks 2018 by the district inspector of schools. To me this good performance has been a result of the good facilitation, readers books, and other scholastic materials that Teach the Children always provides to our children. We are now looking forward to seeing them excelling in their primary leaving examinations as well."
Our hearts are full of happiness, and overflowing with appreciation for the many people who invest time, energy, and resources to making a difference in the lives of children in Uganda. |
A Community Learning Center in Luwero - 2018
In June 2018, we built a Community Learning Center in Luwero - a rural Ugandan village. It consists of a library and a classroom, where members of the community can gather to learn about anything - reading, nutrition and health, English, agriculture, entrepreneurship, etc. We partnered closely with the local mayor and other community leaders, to ensure the projects adds value to, and meets the needs of, the local people, and that they are invested in its creation, and on-going operations and maintenance.
We are so grateful to all of our volunteers and donors who made this project possible!
The first couple pictures below were taken on our last day in Uganda; at the time, the cement on both the inside and outside of the building was too wet to paint over. Within a few weeks of our coming home, local workers in Uganda gave the building some finishing touches - including adding gutters, framing out the ceiling, and adding a fresh coat of paint. We love how it turned out and are so excited for the community to start using it!
We are so grateful to all of our volunteers and donors who made this project possible!
The first couple pictures below were taken on our last day in Uganda; at the time, the cement on both the inside and outside of the building was too wet to paint over. Within a few weeks of our coming home, local workers in Uganda gave the building some finishing touches - including adding gutters, framing out the ceiling, and adding a fresh coat of paint. We love how it turned out and are so excited for the community to start using it!
Helping With Tuition & School Fees
July 2017 - Alpha Academy is a primary school (K-7) in Luwero, Uganda, that we have partnered with over the past few years. The last time we visited, we found out that there are many students at the school who are delinquent on their school fees due to their family's inability to pay. The headmistress, Christine, is passionate about education and knows that every child belongs in school. Thus, she welcomes the children to school each day, despite them not being current on the payment of their tuition and fees. We were impressed by the children's desire to learn, and Christine's kindness and compassion, and have provided scholarships for some of these children, to cover their school fees for the year.
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A Library for Ntumwa Primary School - 2016
In June 2016, we built a library at Ntumwa Primary School - a school we have partnered with for the past 7+ years. It was wonderful to see the excitement and enthusiasm of the students, teachers, and communities, as we worked along side each other each day, and watched the project came together.
Words cannot adequately express our gratitude and appreciation for all those who made this project possible. Because of you we were able to cover school fees for four children. Because of you school children have new playground toys, new desks, and new textbooks. And because of you they have a library - 750 square feet, 4,000+ books, and a whole new world of imagination, knowledge, opportunity, and adventure.
Words cannot adequately express our gratitude and appreciation for all those who made this project possible. Because of you we were able to cover school fees for four children. Because of you school children have new playground toys, new desks, and new textbooks. And because of you they have a library - 750 square feet, 4,000+ books, and a whole new world of imagination, knowledge, opportunity, and adventure.