Support Sky Is The Limit school in Uganda

Top of the list of good things happening for Sky Is The Limit this year is the news that we have almost reached our target to build 3 Classrooms to replace those eaten by termites! Thanks to the generous gifts from Henrietta Rose's friends and family from her Memorial Fund topped up by £30,000 from the Toy Trust they are breaking ground in May. We have raised £37,000 in total and only £3,000 remains to reach our target to complete the building, furnish the classrooms and plant trees to shade the school. This will make a huge difference to the quality of education at Sky Is The Limit. The children will have enough space to study in a cool building and the teachers look forward to fresh, clean, well-equipped classrooms.

We hope to complete the Classroom block by the end of July. If you feel moved to help top up the fund, we would be most grateful.

My Book Buddy made an unexpected entrance to the stage - introduced to us by Peter Orpen, a friend of the Rose family, My Book Buddy is the exceptional brainchild of Cathy Spierenberg whose dedication to books and reading has led her to sponsor projects all over the world to ‘stimulate and facilitate the reading process of vulnerable children in developing countries’. The involvement of children, parents and teachers in the community in the My Book Buddy programme is essential to the process. My Book Buddy sent detailed instructions and the funds to build 10 bookcases and fill them with enough books to provide a choice for each child to read a new book each week for the whole school year. Each child in the school also received a My Book Buddy backpack to make sure the books are kept clean and safe. Rose Mugenyi, Director, described the launch of Book Buddy: “The community around sky's limit school headed to the school to attend the launch of My Book Buddy library. Among those who attended was the inspector of schools Fort Portal Municipality, community leaders, teachers of the nearby schools, news reporters and other influential people from the community. We are very grateful to My Book Buddy donors as this was the first of its kind in western Uganda”. 

Rose wrote to us about nine bright, intelligent 13-year old girls who have completed Primary School and hope to go to Secondary School. Their parents are too poor to pay for the fees and Rose is hoping to find sponsors who will help to put them through 4 years of school. It costs approximately £450 per year for each one, that includes boarding and tuition at a local Secondary School. We were lucky to find a sponsor for Andrew, a medical student who needed support to complete the last 3 years to qualify as a doctor. He plans to become a paediatrician and return to work at Sky Is The Limit.  If sponsoring one of these young people appeals to you, please get in touch!  

Finally, Rose asked me to extend a warm invitation to each and every one of you to visit her and the children at Sky Is The Limit. They will give you a welcome you will never forget! Carolyn Barstow visited Sky Is The Limit in February 2017. She tells us: “It was truly memorable, and I am longing to return.” I plan to visit in June to see what your donations have achieved and to bring warm greeting for you and the Rose family to all at Sky Is The Limit.

Autumn has been busy for Sky is the Limit and exciting new projects are getting underway thanks to the encouragement we are receiving from our supporters. Plans have been drawn up for the new classroom blocks that are desperately needed to replace the older bamboo structures that have been munched by termites. A grant for part of this building work has been awarded and work is expected to begin in the summer. Elsewhere, funds have been acquired to complete the kitchen building as well. We will continue to raise funds to supply the children with daily school meals, however!

With your help, 2019 is looking to be an exciting year of development at Sky!

Rose, the Director of the school also tells us that the children are developing well too. She told us about a girl called Monicah*, whose family were separated during the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She fled with her Father to Uganda. When she arrived in the area she was tired, malnourished and hadn’t been to school in some time. Sky is the Limit welcomed her with open arms, she received free school meals and quickly gained weight. Monicah also received some counselling provided by the school, to help her deal with the experiences that she had gone through. Having been at Sky a few months, she is now doing very well in her classes, she is a bright, organised, and happy girl. Once she has completed her education at ‘Sky’, she is hoping to be able to go to secondary school and become a doctor when she grows up.

As part of our year-end programme, Ecologia asked the children and staff at Sky is the Limit to tell us what they wished for Christmas. We hoped that the answers would enable us to focus on providing the school with what they need over the next few months. The responses were brilliant!! Whilst the teachers asked for practical equipment like computers, books, and vehicles to transport children from nearby villages, the children had other ideas! One wished for a pen pal, another for sports equipment. Many of the children wished to grow up and become dancers, singers and actresses. It is wonderful for us to see the aspirations that these children have and how Sky is the Limit gives them the opportunity to achieve their dreams. Without you, our brilliant supporters, none of this would be possible.

Thank you for all your support in 2018 and we look forward to updating you on the developments at Sky is the Limit in 2019!

We are most grateful for your support and ask you to continue to help us by spreading the word about our campaign, using the ‘Share’ links to the right of this page, and by giving whatever you can afford using the orange ‘Donate Now’ button. Every penny goes a long way in Uganda and all donations – large or small, are always gratefully received! Thank you!

P.S. Global Giving are matching funds for new monthly donors in December 2018. By commiting to a monthly donation, Global Giving will match it 100% in the first month. Please consider becoming a monthly donor and help us achieve even more in 2019!

 *Names changed in line with Ecologia’s child protection policy