Building a School in Uganda
From the 22nd July to the 7th August a team of mainly adults will be going to the remote hilltop community of Kigazi in South West Uganda to build new school rooms. This is the place where a team from St Michael’s Church constructed two 100,000 litre storage tanks for the safe collection of rainwater in 2007 (as seen in the photograph). The provision of water made it possible for the children to attend school more regularly instead of walking for water every day. This provision has made a huge difference to the lives of many and the children are now able to attend school more regularly because they no longer have to spend up to two hours twice a day to fetch water from the bottom of a very steep hill. The existing school rooms are inadequate for the increased numbers of children attending and although the roof of a new building was constructed to catch the rain, (to fill the water tank) 2 years on the walls still remain un-built. We are looking to raise sufficient funds to facilitate its construction. Lindy and Dilwyn Morgan are taking a small team of volunteers from Aberystwyth to assist the local builders who will also be paid out of the funds raised.
You may wonder why it’s necessary for teams from the UK to go and build, and you may be asking why they do not build a school for themselves. The answer to this question is two-fold. The community survives on subsistence farming and when there is surplus crops produced to the needs of the families the excess is sold at market to cover the cost of sending the children to school or in the worst cases the man of the house will squander the proceeds on alcohol. So there is no financial provision to facilitate the building costs. Also, there is a culture in many areas such as this where the women work the land and care for the children and the home whilst the men meet together to make decisions and often drink. The only way that these customs will ever change is through educating the children. Many of the men aren’t interested in change but the children have a desire to be educated. Our going to build the school for them will bring lasting change to this remote community that would otherwise probably not happen.
It will be fantastic to return to this village where we have already formed relationships and see how their lives have been changed through the provision of water and to offer these further opportunities through building the school. It’ll be hard work but well worth it to know that we have been the agents for change and blessing to these wonderful people.
If you would like to contribute financially to this project please contact me by email. (windylindy24-7@hotmail.co.uk)
From the 22nd July to the 7th August a team of mainly adults will be going to the remote hilltop community of Kigazi in South West Uganda to build new school rooms. This is the place where a team from St Michael’s Church constructed two 100,000 litre storage tanks for the safe collection of rainwater in 2007 (as seen in the photograph). The provision of water made it possible for the children to attend school more regularly instead of walking for water every day. This provision has made a huge difference to the lives of many and the children are now able to attend school more regularly because they no longer have to spend up to two hours twice a day to fetch water from the bottom of a very steep hill. The existing school rooms are inadequate for the increased numbers of children attending and although the roof of a new building was constructed to catch the rain, (to fill the water tank) 2 years on the walls still remain un-built. We are looking to raise sufficient funds to facilitate its construction. Lindy and Dilwyn Morgan are taking a small team of volunteers from Aberystwyth to assist the local builders who will also be paid out of the funds raised.
You may wonder why it’s necessary for teams from the UK to go and build, and you may be asking why they do not build a school for themselves. The answer to this question is two-fold. The community survives on subsistence farming and when there is surplus crops produced to the needs of the families the excess is sold at market to cover the cost of sending the children to school or in the worst cases the man of the house will squander the proceeds on alcohol. So there is no financial provision to facilitate the building costs. Also, there is a culture in many areas such as this where the women work the land and care for the children and the home whilst the men meet together to make decisions and often drink. The only way that these customs will ever change is through educating the children. Many of the men aren’t interested in change but the children have a desire to be educated. Our going to build the school for them will bring lasting change to this remote community that would otherwise probably not happen.
It will be fantastic to return to this village where we have already formed relationships and see how their lives have been changed through the provision of water and to offer these further opportunities through building the school. It’ll be hard work but well worth it to know that we have been the agents for change and blessing to these wonderful people.
If you would like to contribute financially to this project please contact me by email. (windylindy24-7@hotmail.co.uk)
