Uganda

Background:

We are proud to announce the significant expansion of support to the Mama Kevina School through the generous funding of World Children's Fund starting in the Second Quarter of 2012!

Photo: Students at Mama Kevina celebrating their new World Children's Fund Sponsorship

The Mama Kevina School is both an orphanage and a boarding school that provides education and care for orphans in Eastern Uganda.   The boarding school caters to both orphans and some local paying students and is located just a few kilometers outside of the town of Tororo in Eastern Uganda, about 200 kilometers from the capital, Kampala.   

Mama Kevina Comprehensive Secondary School was opened in 2006 with international financial support, and with the goal of providing both secondary education and vocational training. The student population is mostly from Northern Uganda where many children have been affected by ongoing wars, floods and HIV/AIDS. Many of the students' parents were killed by rebels or AIDS which left many of the children as orphans; some boys had been forced to be child soldiers. Enrolled at the school are students ranging in age from 11 to 24, who attend secondary grades 1 to secondary 4.

Project Goals:

• Starting at the beginning of the Second Quarter, the World Children’s Fund started significant financial support of the school with $7,000 per month in operational funding.  This funding is being used to cover the school’s various operational expenses, enabling it to significantly raise the level of academics and support for the students and orphans.  This will also enable the school to attract more paying students and work towards becoming self-sufficient. 
• Support the school administration in payment of staff salaries and the daily running of school programs
• Supply of school text books, laboratory and chemistry equipment for science practices

Photo: Students checking out their new textbooks

• Supply of computers to equip students and staff with computer skills and knowledge
• Equip the students with extra-curricular activities to participate in the regional games and sports to enhance the performance of the students and school in the region.
• Supply the students of World Children’s Fund / Mama Kevina Comprehensive Secondary School with food supplies and support the local youths in the surrounding slums.
• Support the school with medicine so that the school nurse can treat the children within school premises.
• Decrease cases of malaria among school staff and students.

Photo: Students using the new books and notebooks purchased

Project Objectives:

Support World Children’s Fund / Mama Kevina School with the following:

• Food supply for the students and staff
• Anti-malarial medication and mosquito net supplies for the students and staff
• Payment of staff salaries
• Support computer purchases to teach IT skills
• Purchase of text books and other school teaching supplies
• Purchase of office equipment supplies like photocopier, printer, and office furniture
• Facilitate participating in community outreach and inter-house competitions with music, dance, drama, regional games and sports held in partnership with the Tororo District.
• Support John Ochwo with medicines, medical supplies and medical consultation at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala for heart disease before taken to India for heart surgery and after return to Uganda.

Summary of RMF/WCF-sponsored activities carried out during the reporting period under each project objective:

World Children’s Fund / Mama Kevina Comprehensive Secondary School began this quarter with the significant expansion of all support projects with the new funding from World Children’s Fund.  This was a great surprise for Sister Clare the administrator of the school and has given much hope to the longer term success of the program.  Funds are being used to cover both immediate supply needs as well as strategizing the best items to purchase and invest in that will contribute to the long term financial stability of the school and its ability to host orphans as well as attract paying students.

Photos: Students line up to recieve mosquito nets

The first two months of fund disbursals sent during the second quarter, have been used to purchase many vital items and cover urgent needs of the school such as: food, teachers’ salaries, text books, biology/chemistry laboratory equipment, computers, photocopiers, printers, head teacher’s desk, medicine for school nurse clinic and mosquito nets. 

Photo: Students celebrating the new mosquito nets

These funds also facilitated the school in hosting an inter-house competition where the school was finally able to participate in regional games, music and sports events organized by the Tororo District. 

Photos below: Students from Mama Kevina and other surrounding schools participate in regional competition

John Ochwo, the heart patient we sponsor is also continuing to be facilitated with medication funds, school fees and scholastic materials every term.

Results and/or accomplishments achieved during this reporting period:

Mama Kevina School had been known mostly locally as a home for students with difficult life histories, as the majority of the students who attended the school were orphans whose parents died in wars or from AIDS, students forced to be child soldiers, students living with HIV/AIDS, and/or living in extreme poverty.

Most local parents were wary to send their children to a school that was not well funded and had a reputation for only hosting children with such problematic lives. This had created a daunting challenge for Sister Clare to try and convince more local parents to pay to send their children to the school in order to support the rest of the costs for above mentioned students that were not able to pay the school fees and not covered by church donations. Frequently, the children had gone with only one meal a day and staff with little to no payment.

When the new funding from World Children’s Fund began in April, Sister Clare started strategizing with the help of Naku Charles Lwanga on how to improve the school and change its local reputation and long term prospects.

Food, Supplies and Salaries:

The new funding has significantly improved the food supply situation, with students now receiving 3 meals a day.  Previously, the students would often only receive one meal in a day.  Students are also now able to receive books for their literature lessons, as well as computer and other lessons that were previously unattainable for them, receive medical treatment within school premises. Since teachers can now be paid their full salaries, they are much more motivated and positive in their classes, teaching students that feel safe and content.  The laboratory could be equipped and students are able to have science lab classes and practicals within the school premises.  Malaria cases have also been greatly reduced due to mosquito net supply and the encouragement of proper use of them.

Photo: Regular meals can now be served!

Athletics and Community Outreach:

Sister Clare first sponsored the students to participate in a regional athletics event that was organized in Tororo, and over 20 other schools participated.  An additional community outreach event was organized with an inter-house competition of Music Dance and Drama, showcasing only the Mama Kevina students.  The purpose of this event was to invite all the parents, students from neighboring schools, teachers, and community members, to exhibit what their students are capable of and to create new positive awareness of the school’s abilities and resources.

Photo: Poetry and song peformed at the "Inter-House" Competition

John Ochwo:

John Ochwo, our rheumatic heart disease patient, continues to receive medication and attends his monthly examination at the National Referral Hospital Mulago, Kampala, both services of which are provided by RMF/WCF.  John Ochwo’s school fees are also supported by RMF/WCF.

Number served/number of direct project beneficiaries:

During the last reporting period:

• About 152 students at World Children’s Fund / Mama Kevina School were fed by RMF/WCF.
• Computers, text books, laboratory equipments, medicine, photocopiers, printers, head teacher’s desk, and mosquito nets were bought.
• Staff salary is being cleared every 25^th day of the month.
• John Ochwo also benefited as his school fees and medical bills were being paid by RMF/WCF.