Dear Friends,
Happy Spring in the Northern Hemisphere – from the girls and young women of St. Andrews Senior Secondary School, Matale Uganda.
ZoomUganda and the Harambee Centre with the girls of Matale wish you a Happy Spring. As we celebrate the start of Spring this year, we are filled with gratitude for your help in helping us to serve the community of Matale in their quest to give opportunity to young women. As the school year started in February, the school started off with a new principal – Mr. Andrew Ssajjabbi. Mr. Ssajjabi replaced Mr. George William Ssozi, who retired to start and run his own primary (elementary) school.
Start of Advanced Levels (A-Levels) Matale!!
Mr. Ssajjabi came in and hit the ground running by starting an Advanced Level at the school. This means now the students of St. Andrews can be able to finish all levels of high school at Matale. In the past, after the students passed O-Level National Exams (Senior 4) they had to go to other schools for the last two years of High School (Senior 5 and 6) or A-Levels before joining university or other higher education options.
Because you helped us to build a new science laboratory in 2010, Matale is now able to have the A-Level courses, especially in sciences, because they have the facilities. The start of A-Levels is especially important to the girls of Matale. That way, now they the option to stay at the school where they have built friendships and forged ties that can help them to focus on academics and succeed.
2012 Ordinary Level Results.
In the 2011 results, Matale had the best student in Rakai district. This was a feat! This student is currently being sponsored by one of ZoomUganda’s good friends for his A-level education at one of Uganda’s leading high schools in Kampala. He will be sitting for his A-Level National Exams this year with a dream of going to university to study computer science. We know for this this dream was not possible for a kid from St. Andrews Matale 10 years ago.
The results of 2012 came in incredibly good as well. Matale had six students pass with a First Grade with many of them concentrating in sciences which shows that the laboratory is paying off. Twenty students passed with a Second Grade, while another twenty five were in the Third Division. Please see details in the attached results summary document.
Although this is still a work in progress, the school has made tremendous improvements and strides in academic performance at the Uganda National Certificate of Education Exams.
We kindly request that you include the Girls’ Dorm Project in your 2013 giving, so that together we can change lives and make an impact that lasts for generations!
DONATE TODAY by clicking on the Give Now button!
Thank you for your support. Wishing you and your loved ones continued prosperity in 2013!
With gratitude,
The ZoomUganda Team,
Thomas Lwebuga, Julie Resnick, Noela Nalujjuna
Dear Friends,
Happy New Year from ZoomUganda, and the girls and young women of Matale Uganda that you've helped over the years!
As we celebrate the start of a new year, we are filled with gratitude; for the opportunity to serve, to connect two communities, to make a difference in young girls’ lives, and most importantly, gratitude for you, our donors and supporters. You have contributed your time and resources to ZoomUganda and to the Harambee Centre. Even though we are small and volunteer driven, it is the strength in our collective numbers and desire to make a difference in the lives of young girls that has sustained this work. THANK YOU for being a part of this journey.
Walking to school every day seems like an easy thing to do. And, graduating from secondary school seems like it's not that difficult. But in many rural areas in Africa including Matale, girls often fall victim to abuse by men on their way to and from school. And, domestic chores like fetching water and tending after the family's livestock or fields are often the responsibility of girls and given higher priority than doing homework or attending school.
That's why the Harambee Centre is helping St. Andrews Matale Senior Secondary School in Matale, Uganda build a girls dormitory. The Harambee Centre believes that supporting education for girls will improve the lives of children and families for generations to come. And, that's because mothers with a secondary school education are more likely to have healthier families, higher incomes, and send their children to school.
You can make it easier for girls to attend school. You can change the lives of children and families for generations to come. Your gift today will help give girls, in Matale an opportunity to have a better future.
In our last update, we shared photos from the ground breaking of the Girls’ Dorm construction. We are still fundraising to start the next phase of construction and will be sharing updates in our reports as we make progress. We kindly request that you include the Girls’ Dorm Project in your 2013 giving, so that together we can change lives and make an impact that lasts for generations!
DONATE TODAY by clicking on the Give Now button!
Thank you for your support. Wishing you and your loved ones a happy and prosperous New Year, 2013!
With gratitude,
The ZoomUganda Team,
Thomas Lwebuga Julie Resnick Noela Nalujjuna
After the original work that focused on remodeling the classrooms, constructing a science lab and equipping it (2002-2009), Matale Senior Secondary School is in better shape. Some key highlights are;
With that, we still have a long way to go. However, we believe that the same hardwork that is starting to produce results at Matale since the construction of the Science Lab will translate into results with the Girls' Dorm.
THANK YOU our donors for continuing to believe in this work with us. With your help, together we are making a difference in the lives of young girls and boys, and changing the trajectory of a whole community. That is big!
