Improve Lives With Education In BUNAKIJJA, UGANDA

The graduating class and teachers were very excited to learn about the Teach a Man to Fish's project named the School Enterprise Challenge.  Participating in the project guided the senior students, step by step, through an entrepreneurial experience during which they did a market research and decided their fund raising product would be planting mushrooms. A mushroom expert was found, permission was granted to use a small shed on the school grounds, a loan was negotiated to pay for spores and agricultural residuals to serve as substrate were collected by all. Thirty days after planting,mushrooms started to bloom and continued to do so for the following three months. Approximately 150 kgs of mushrooms were produced and the proceeds applied in part to pay the loan and cover the senior class'  travel and fees to participate in the National end of Primary exams.  Students enjoyed eating the nutritious mushrooms at lunch and it was decided that the project would be repeated by the senior class of next year.  We did not win the contest but the certificate of congratulations that came after completion of each step was a great satisfaction and recognition to teachers and students.

Passing the National exam is essential to obtain the diploma allowing them admission to secondary school or as proof they successfully completed primary school. Many children do not take the exam because their parents cannot pay the near $20.00 total costs.  Many will not attend secondary school as they are located at a far distance from Bunakijja and require boarding fees that most villagers cannot afford. However, they will leave school with an acquired skill. 

We found a generous $300.00 per-year sponsor for one of our students, Lillian, who surprised everyone by getting the very top grades. That was quite exceptional for a student of a rural school,  most fail the exam and ours did very well.  their unusual success brought a representative of the ministry of education representative to our school to congratulate the teachers and Lillian received a partial scholarship.