Help educate 650 vulnerable children in Uganda

Greetings, 

We are happy to share the latest news from Bwetyaaba Primary School. Below please find an excerpt of the 2015 Quarterly Report from Butakoola Village Association for Development (BUVAD): 

Enrollment continues to increase with current enrollment of 699 children. Of these 345 are girls and 354 are boys. The enrollment is anticipated to rise at the beginning of the year 2016 as annually the school gets 80 and above new children entrants to the P.1 class (Primary One) as they graduate from neighboring kindergartens. Hence the annual enrollment at this school is anticipated to oscillate between 650 and 780 children by 2016.

Challenges arise with increased number of children looking to enroll in school in anticipation of support by BUVAD and GBP.  However the headmistress and the teachers’ representative have appraised GBP support and affirm that this support has helped improve child performance at this school.  School performance in comparison to the years before partnership support has continuously improved. Primary Leaving Exams results show that there was only one failure at the school. In order to improve on their entrepreneurial skills, the children are being trained in crafts such as local mats making, baskets, jewelry, etc. 

The school management committee chairman also appreciates GBP’s support to the school and remains enthusiastic of our continued support to improve the performance of children at this community school.

At this time, the children are about to go for their second term holidays and have started to sit for their end of term examinations.

Challenges remain for many of the children due to lack of school supplies, school uniforms and food for lunch. Many boys take up odd jobs to help supplement their family incomes and acquire necessities like school supplies and household needs and have to be out of school.  Also, because of the poverty at their homes, some of the girls find themselves resorting to self instigated early marriages and prostitution. This leads to several of them dropping out of school. BUVAD continues to work closely with the school, children and families to provide support to children so that they may stay in school. 

As stated by Stephen Ssemutumba, Executive Director at BUVAD,  "I wish to extend our sincere thanks for all the support extended to the dear children of Kayunga at Bwetyaaba Primary School, helping BUVAD and GBP our funding partners to realize the dream of promoting human values for our children towards helping them realize their full potential to educational development for a sustainable living in future."

Many thanks for your continued support to the Bwetyaaba Primary School. 

In health, 

The Global Backpack Project Team 

Greetings,

The school year for 600 children started out with great excitement as backpacks, school supplies and uniforms were provided to the girls and boys attending the Bwetyaaba Primary School. 

In the words of Stephen Ssemutumba, Executive Director of the Butakoola Village Association for Development (BUVAD), the day was a big success:

Many many thanks for the donation. That transfer was well received and the donations were delivered on 10th Feb 2015. It was great excitement all over and that day was donations day until dawn. The parents and guardians, the parents school management committee of Bwetyaaba Primary School, BUVAD staff, the teachers and well-wishers were present.

600 children received backpacks and supplies, 2 thunder arrestor systems were set up; one on another classroom block and the other at the school chapel as advised by the school management committee, and 80 girls and boys received school uniforms.

I wish to extend to you the many thanks from the children, the school teachers at Bwetyaaba Primary School, their parents and guardians for this support. Everybody said thank you very much to GBP and all of those that made this donation.

Many many thanks Always!

Stephen

With gratitude, 

The GBP Team