Uganda

Background:

The World Children's Fund 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.

Started as the Mama Kevina Comprehensive Secondary School, it 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. 

Starting at the beginning of the Second Quarter of 2012, the World Children’s Fund started significant financial support of the school monthly 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, also enabling the school to attract more paying students.

Project Goals:

• Starting at the beginning of the Second Quarter of 2012, 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, high quality teachers and work towards the long term goal of becoming self-sufficient. 
• Continuous improvement of infrastructure and buildings on campus to attract more paying students
• 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
• 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.
• Support school garden to reduce food expenses.
• Support of Nurses Office for student medical needs. Decrease cases of malaria among school staff and students.

Project Objectives:

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

• Food supply for the students and staffs
• Support of the school garden work: planting of the maize, weeding, and now they are soon to harvest.
• Anti-malarial medication and mosquito net supplies for the students and staff
• Support the school clinic with drugs.
• 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 of infrastructure/constructions projects on campus.
• 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 UgandSummary of RMF/WCF-sponsored activities carried out during the reporting period under each project objective (note any changes from original plans):
• Continuation of general food, student, staff, and school supply support.  Morale of all staff and students continues to be very high, with a pride in the school never seen before.

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

Continuation of general food, student, staff, and school supply support.  Morale of all staff and students continues to be very high, with a pride in the school never seen before.

Music, Dance and Drama

Students participated in another Music, Dance, and Drama Event (see photos in Appendix) with parents invited to witness the talents of their children and promote the school’s new programs.  The day was a great display of the children’s eloquence with poetry readings and speeches in English, as well as many different short plays and dances performed. Through the drama performances the students performed plays about HIV and AIDS, and the dangers of peer pressures.

The parents were all very proud as they are generally from very poor rural areas without the resources for the arts, and were very impressed with all their children had learned during the school year. They were also pleasantly surprised to see their children learning traditional cultural dances that they did not know would also be part of the school’s curriculum.

Sports

Our students are not only improving greatly in academic and the arts but also in sports and games. Some of the more athletic students at the World Children’s Fund Mama Kevina are also performing so well that they are becoming known in the eastern region of Uganda.  Some of these students have performed so well recently that some of the area’s bigger schools have approached with an interest in sponsoring them with athletic scholarships to join their schools.  These students have thus far refused to leave as they are so comfortable and happy with the World Children’s Fund Mama Kevina School, and say that they would prefer to stay and promote the name of our school in the region. 

Results and/or accomplishments achieved during this reporting period:

• Participating in Sports and Games has improved the health of our students, and has also promoted the name of our school in the region.
• Participating in Music, Dance and Drama has improved students’ skills and confidence and also resulted in great performance in English and literature (see Appendix for photos).
• Students have also learnt a lot about the realities of HIV and AIDS through drama, and the dangers of peer influence.  Thanks to RMF/WCF these children will be a strong backbone in guiding the future of Uganda.
• Students regularly receive novels for their literature lessons, medical treatment within school premises, and computer lessons. 
• Teachers are highly motivated with salary increase, timely full payment, and the performance of the students in class has been greatly improving.
• RMF/WCF food sponsorship for the World Children’s Fund Mama Kevina School continues, with students receiving all the meals in a day.  Previously, the students would only receive porridge in the morning and one meal per day. 
• The School Clinic is running successfully with far less referrals of sick students to clinics or hospitals.
• A visiting doctor continues to treat the students, and educate students on STDs, and HIV/AIDS.
• John Ochwo, our rheumatic heart disease patient, continues to receive medication and attends his monthly examination at National Referral Hospital Mulago, Kampala, both services of which are provided by RMF/WCF.

Photos:

Music, Dance, and Drama performance at school