By Thomas Lwebuga, Julie Resnick and Noela Nalujjuna | Project Leaders
Dear Friends,
Greetings from the girls and community of St. Andrews Senior Secondary School, Matale Uganda.
Term 3: The beginning of fall here in North America kicked off the beginning of school year third team for the students at St. Andrews Matale. The students are working hard to prepare for the end of the school year, which includes year-end exams. These exams determine whether a student is advanced into the next level or not. In December, they will kick-off their Christmas holiday, which is the equivalent of summer break in the American schooling system.
2013 A-Level Final Exams: 2011’s best student in Rakai district was Robert from Matale. In the last update, we mentioned his stellar performance at the A-Level mock exams, at one of Uganda’s best college prep schools. Robert’s performance in these mock exams which are preparation for the national A-Level exams is a big fit given that he came from Matale, a small back ward rural school. As we write this, Robert and his classmates are sitting for their final national exams that will mark the end of their high school education career and will mark the beginning of a new one: entering university! We wish Robert the best of wishes in these exams; he is well on his way of achieving his dream of going to university to study computer science. We ask that you keep Robert and his classmates in your thoughts during this critical time in their development. Without the work that you and many others have done to enable us to support Matale, Robert would not be where he is.
Sister School Matale Students Fall Visit to USA: As mentioned in our last update, our partners at Southridge High School in Beaverton, Oregon were planning to bring student and staff representatives from Matale, to Oregon for their 3rd cultural exchange. While the trip has been delayed due to visa application process, we continue to be thankful to Southridge students and teachers who tirelessly work on this sister school relationship, regardless of what obstacles come their way! And by the way, Robert Kasumba mentioned above was one of the students who was on the first culture exchange visit to Southridge from Matale. On that trip, Robert’s view of the world was challenged and his place and contribution and what he wants to do were reshaped and he vowed to work towards his dream. This was a trip of a life time for Robert but also an eye opener that continues to influence how this young man makes choices. It goes to show how powerful the work you help us do is.
Student Enrollment: As of summer 2013, St. Andrews had the following 306 students enrolled, with girls accounting for 55% of total enrollment, which is incredible. Please see the figure in the photo above for the breakdown of numbers.
Fundraising for the Girls’ Dorm Project: We are working to raise funds and build a girls dormitory to give more girls an opportunity to attend Matale but also to increase their ability to do well in school and go on to have careers and fulfilled lives and families. Currently 55% of the Matale students are girls. When we started this work this number was a lot lower. This is tremendous progress, but getting this girls dorm built will mean the school can aim for 100% of girls in the school staying at school; have a safe facility with a female counselor on the grounds, and focusing on their education. We are continuing fundraising efforts to start the next phase of construction. As of now, we have about $6,000, but still need another $9,000 in order to begin the next phase of the construction.
We kindly request that you not only continue to include the Girls’ Dorm Project in your 2013 giving, but also help us spread the word about this work; together we can change lives and make an impact that lasts for generations! DONATE TODAY! by clicking on the Give Now button below.
With gratitude from The ZoomUganda Team,
Thomas Lwebuga Julie Resnick Noela Nalujjuna
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
