Our involvement:

In 2011 volunteers made Kahengye Primary School in Rukungiri ‘fit for purpose’ again. The school buildings – many simply made of mud and thatch – had been badly battered and in some cases flattened by flooding and high winds. Volunteers assisted in the building of five new classrooms and toilets for the teachers, constructed a well and our teaching team gave the harassed teachers extra training. Like the wise man’s house that was built on the rock, Kahengye School is ready to withstand the next onslaught from the elements.

Outcome:

Since adding the five new classrooms, students have transferred to Kahengye Primary School from surrounding schools, impressed with the new facilities. Basic scholastic supplies have been provided and our specialist teachers team worked at the school to offer the teachers support and encouragement. The school also now enjoys continuing links with and support from some of the volunteers who visited in 2011.

The Mothers Union Vocational Training Centre (MU) caters for teenage girls who either cannot afford to progress to secondary school or who do not have the academic qualifications to do so. The MU offers them courses in vocational subjects such as tailoring, homemaking, secretarial skills and salon so that the girls can learn a skill in order to support themselves and their families in the future.

Our involvement:

In 2010, dormitory style accommodation was in very short supply at the MU. With limited dormitory spaces, a limited number of girls could attend the school despite the long waiting list. Mission Direct teams worked to renovate a crumbling building - one that was started many years ago but lack of finance led to it being left to ruin in an incomplete state. Our teams completed the building and decorated it adding two new dormitories, two bathrooms and two extra classrooms for the girls.

Outcome:

The new dormitories have enabled many extra girls to study at the MU and have also enabled classrooms which were being used as dormitories to be used as classrooms once again.

In addition to the buildings, volunteers raised the funds to buy new beds and mattresses for the new dormitories.

The Modern Primary school in Rukungiri houses 900 children. Many of them are orphans - often due to the epidemic of AIDS in this region and are fully looked after by the school. None of the children who attend Modern School would have any hope of an education otherwise.

Our involvement:

Mission Direct began supporting the project in 2006. In that time we have worked to transform an already successful project further, by

- building 14 new classrooms (including 4 making a hall) in the junior school
- building new accommodation blocks for children and staff
- building another 8 classrooms such that the pre-primary children can be re-housed complying with local law.
- Constructing a low-cost well that provides fresh water and sanitation.
Mission Direct continues to work with Modern Primary School.

Outcome:

- Class sizes have fallen from around 120 to around 60, making teaching easier and more successful.
- The nursery facilities mean that children as young as two can be prepared for learning, including, crucially a grasp of English.
- New dormitory facilities have meant many more children who live too far away could join the school.
- The school has been equipped with many bring educational supplies
- Teachers have provided input for local teachers and classes.

Children are able to use fresh running water without a journey to the nearby river.