Building a Library and a Playground at Yellow Max Primary School - June 2024
After more than a year of planning, months of construction/building, and the last couple weeks of being on the ground finishing it up, the library officially opened on June 20th! The school planned a beautiful celebration, with speeches and cultural songs and dances. Local dignitaries, community leaders, the local school district board, members of the town council, and students’ parents were in attendance. They all expressed gratitude for the contributions of the many people who made the project possible and promised to use it to its full extent. The kids were equally grateful and excited to get their hands on books and sit down to read.
This library will change the lives of these kids, providing them access to knowledge, dreams, adventures, imagination, discovery, and possibilities, that have not been available to them before. They are the future thinkers, innovators, and leaders - in their families, their schools, their communities, and their country. Their future has become brighter.
This library will change the lives of these kids, providing them access to knowledge, dreams, adventures, imagination, discovery, and possibilities, that have not been available to them before. They are the future thinkers, innovators, and leaders - in their families, their schools, their communities, and their country. Their future has become brighter.
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While we were in Uganda, we also constructed a playground at the school - because we believe that play is an integral part of a child’s learning journey. It’s not just about the fun and the games - it’s about fostering creativity, social skills, and cognitive development too. When children have a safe and stimulating environment for play, beyond unlocking smiles, it unlocks doors to endless learning opportunities.
When we cut the ribbon on the playground to signal to the kids that they could go in, squeals of joy filled the air, as hundreds of little feet ran into the area. It was complete chaos of the very best kind. Total pandemonium. Yelling, cheering, hugging, laughing, climbing, swinging, sliding, playing. With this new addition, we didn’t just build structures - we contributed to building futures - as the impact of this playground will extend far beyond its physical presence.
When we cut the ribbon on the playground to signal to the kids that they could go in, squeals of joy filled the air, as hundreds of little feet ran into the area. It was complete chaos of the very best kind. Total pandemonium. Yelling, cheering, hugging, laughing, climbing, swinging, sliding, playing. With this new addition, we didn’t just build structures - we contributed to building futures - as the impact of this playground will extend far beyond its physical presence.
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To everyone who has contributed to these projects in any way, saying “thank you” doesn’t seem sufficient. But it’s all we have. Just know that there are children and parents and teachers in a small village in Uganda who thank and praise God for you and what you have given them.
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.
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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.
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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!
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Updates from Ntumwa Primary School
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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. |
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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
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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.
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