2024. Development of Mama Elisabeth
We are delighted to support the extension of Mama Elisabeth Nursery and Primary School as they outgrow their current site. The school is so popular there is no room for expansion or improvement of facilities so land nearby has been acquired, which will become the junior section from P4 upwards. The nursery and primary classes will remain on the current site. This ambitious project will take time but has been kickstarted with a generous donation from Wilmslow Wells for Africa. In partnership with this charity, we have facilitated the drilling of a bore hole at the green field site, ready for building to begin later in the year.
Trustees Visit October 2023
Barry and Sandy visited all our schools during a busy but rewarding week. At Mama Elisabeth they were given a characteristically warm welcome by Patrick and Grace Lumumba, David the current head teacher, and pupils who performed entertaining dance. Last year (2022) was the first that pupils at Mama Elisbeth sat the PLE (primary leaving exam) and their results were extremely impressive given the local demographics and that it was a new experience for the school. At the time of this trustees’ visit the current P7 students were preparing diligently for the 2023 exam, and resources at the school were focussing strongly on enabling the students to achieve their potential. These exams are an important gateway to secondary schooling.
The current challenge at Mama Elisabeth is the lack of space to expand. It is a popular school but the current site is now at capacity and, to develop, new land and new buildings are needed. The Bujagali trustees are impressed by the project proposal provided by Patrick and Grace and plan to support this exciting project.
At Kumi, Barry and Sandy met up with Martin and Grace Adakum and their daughter Susan, who manage projects at the three schools on behalf of the UK based trustees. The programme of providing libraries at all three has just been completed, and Barry and Sandy had the privilege of officially handing over the final one, at Kalengo, to the school management. All three schools face the challenge of overcrowded classrooms and lack of resources but they were appreciative of the investment by the Bujagali Trust. Pupils and teachers spoke of the benefits of extra classrooms, toilets, teacher accommodation, and the libraries.
July 2023: Coffee Morning
On a beautiful summer morning we held a successful event in Congresbury, where the Bujagali Trust made many new friends. The trustees answered lots of questions about the work of the Trust, while enjoying delicious cakes and coffee.
September 2022: Marking 20 years of the Bujagali Trust
Our Chairman, Kevin Riley, accompanied by Huw (trustee) and Ash ran the Bristol 10k to celebrate 20 years of the Bujagali Trust. It was a glorious day and Kevin completed the course in 72 minutes. He raised £3000 to buy books for the school libraries in Kumi; many thanks to all those who generously supported him.
February 2022: Libraries for Kumi schools
The Bujagali Trust has embarked on an ambitious programme of work, building and equipping a library in each of the three Kumi schools we support. We are pleased to report that the first of these, at Agolitom is now complete and ready for use.
New Year Update 2021
Last year was very difficult for everyone but we are pleased to share some of the terrific and uplifting work our ambassadors have been continuing to oversee. Despite lockdowns and schools being shut, Martin and Grace in Kumi and Patrick and Grace in Gulu have carried on doing their very best to enable the Trust to support children’s education.
In Kumi the third of the teachers’ houses has been completed and that has provided much needed work for local builders - no furlough scheme in Uganda. Each house has accommodation for 4 teachers and we have also supplied beds and mosquito nets for the teachers.
Read more here
Here is our 2020 Newsletter.; we hope you enjoy reading it.
Trustees’ Visit
Two of our trustees, John and Barry, visited Uganda in March 2020. They were warmly welcomed by the teachers, children, parents and local representatives from the four schools we support.
Much progress has been made at Mama Elisabeth nursery and primary school in Gulu, which is a great credit to our local ambassador Patrick Lumumba and his wife Grace. The school is now essentially complete with new classrooms built for all the school years. Our future role will be to help in ensuring that the current high standard of education in the school is sustainable.
Our three schools in the Kumi area are improving but there is still much to be done. At a joint meeting with three headteachers and the District Education Officer (DEO) a priority list of projects was established. The trustees were much encouraged that the DEO has made one of our three primary schools, Agolitom, a Model School, with a new headteacher and better qualified teachers having been recently recruited. By prioritising and working together with the DEO, through our local ambassador Martin Adakun, we hope to make significant progress in the next few years.
November 2018: Trustee visit to Uganda
Grace and Martin Adakun hosted Sandy in Kumi, where she visited all three supported schools. She was shown the recent projects funded by the Trust: new latrines, solar panels that provide light in the evening, and a new classroom block at Okorom Primary School, under construction. She met new headteachers at two of the schools and discussed the importance of monitoring attendance and academic results. Sandy discussed future needs at all three schools with the head teacher and school management team; priorities are teacher accommodation, library facilities and security improvements.
Grace Adakun accompanied Sandy to Gulu where they visited Mama Elisabeth Nursery and Primary School. The newly funded library is well equipped and well-used by pupils and staff, and the recently dug bore hole provides piped water to other buildings on site. Priorities at Mama Elisabeth are to build a new classroom block to accommodate P6 and P7 pupils, required as the school matures.
At both locations Sandy was impressed with the attitudes of staff, management, and pupils in response to the support given by the Bujagali Trust. Stewardship and oversight by our local ambassadors is impressive, they are diligent and proactive in all they do in their roles as liaison between the Trust and the schools.
October 2017: Kevin visits Gulu and Kumi
Kevin visited the schools we support in Gulu and Kumi and was very impressed with the quality of the education he experienced in each of the schools. He spent time observing lessons, talking with teachers and meeting members of the local community. The children in the schools were enthusiastic and keen to learn and their teachers were working hard in demanding circumstances to enable them to make progress. The resources the Trust has provided were much appreciated and being used to very good effect.
August 2017: Raising funds and making new friends
A successful tea garden and book sale was held in Swanage, Dorset, which introduced many new people to the Bujagali Trust. On two successive beautiful sunny afternoons visitors to the seaside town enjoyed the tranquility and fabulous view from the garden overlooking the bay. Tea was drunk, many cakes were consumed, and the book shelves browsed for holiday reading or a bargain to take home. The event was enjoyed by all and we thank everyone who contributed to support the work of the trust.
January 2017: Tom and Tina visit Gulu
Tom and Tina Riley visited Mama Elisabeth as part of their honeymoon early in the new year. They were welcomed by Patrick and Grace Lumumba along with all the staff and children of the school. The new Hall was put to good use for a celebration of singing and dancing.
December 2016 Opening of the new Hall at Mama Elisabeth
We are delighted to report that our latest project has been completed at Mama Elisabeth School in Gulu. The Bujagali Trust has financed a new multipurpose Hall, which will enable the whole school to come together for assemblies and meetings, allow children to eat lunch under cover in the rainy season, provide accommodation for exams, and will double up as extra classroom space. The construction was well managed by the team at Mama Elisabeth, who were helped enormously by the contributions of many in the local community.
The opening ceremony was a great day. About 600 people attended: parents, children, and staff were joined by members of the local community including political and religious leaders, and representatives from the other institutions including the army and police. Great fun was had by all and there was much singing and dancing.
March 2016 Running for the Bujagali Trust
We are hugely grateful to Leander Woodbridge, who ran the Bath Half Marathon, raising money for the Bujagali Trust. She trained hard in preparation - and it paid off on the day. The whole family turned out to cheer her on and she was able to run a great time, beating her personal best for the event. This was a great achievement in terms of the running, the fundraising and the friend-raising. Everyone we support in Uganda will be extremely grateful for the generosity of those who sponsored Leander. Much can be done with even small amounts of money. Thanks to Leander and all her supporters!