Christian Upliftment Primary&Nursery School

Important Update

2011-10-25T09:22:00.001-07:00

CUS supporters,

You may have noticed a lack of updates on the blog recently, and for those of you who sponsor, no invoices for you to make your monthly donation. We have been facing an issue with our bank account. CUS is not a registered charity- we were simply a group of people wishing to help a friend and a school in need. The process to become a registered charity is very lengthy and costly. It has come to our attention lately that legally we are not allowed to be accepting funds in this manner (child sponsorship) unless we are registered. Paypal froze our account and thus made it impossible to send out invoices or collect donations.

Please note that the majority of donated funds have been sent to Uganda, as we had been making monthly donations. A small amount of the most recent month's donations are frozen in the account, but will be sent as soon as we can work it out with paypal.

We took so long to make this update because we were in discussion with Hellen about how to best go about this and get around this issue. For the meantime, the sponsorship program is going to be cancelled. We apologize for this and thank you for your past commitment to CUS. At this point we are determining the best way to move forward with our relationship with CUS.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Kate at cuschool@live.ca

Thank you,
the CUS team

Discrimination and Hardship

2011-08-07T08:36:00.001-07:00

I want to take this post to share with you the struggles of 2 children living near the school. One of these kids attends CUS and the other does not. Both live great struggles that are far too common in Uganda.

The Housegirl: Namatovu Sarah is a student at CUS. She is 12 years old and in Primary 2. Most of her friends are in P5, but Sarah is several years behind with the 8 and 9 year olds. You see, Sarah is a housegirl; a child labourer. Families in Uganda show their status by hiring on a housegirl; a young girl usually aged 10-15 who is paid to mind the children and do the cooking and cleaning. Sarah makes 10,000 shillings per month as a housegirl, which all gets sent back to her mother who lives in the village. Sarah cares for three children aged 3,5, and 7. Sarah wakes around 6am to wash clothes, wash dishes, and prepare breakfast. She then takes the 5 and 7 year old to school, and finally then will go to school herself, always arriving slightly late by 8:30. For many years she was unable to go to school consistently, and would have to drop out. We are committed to supporting Sarah to finish her studies this year, but there are so many kids like her who aren't in school at all. Sarah is the lucky one, in their eyes. Sarah is a beautiful singer and a lead in the church choir. She has a gorgeous smile that lights up the room, and she is always laughing.

The Disabled: Immaculate, or "baby Immaculate" as she is often referred to, has Down Syndrome. She is 3 years old and should be in baby class, but is kept home because her "mental sickness" leads many to believe she is incapable of learning. Immaculate is bright and has a sense of humour. Her mother sells fruits in a roadside stand, but her father is an alcoholic and if her mother doesn't carefully guard the money and fruits, he will use it for his drinking. Immaculate is friends with everyone she meets. She loves to sing and dance at the CUS church, and is capable of so much more than the life many expect of her. She lives only a short walk (less than a minute) from the school. As her mother works, she roams free and will toddle over to the school to play, or will wander the neighbourhood alone. We just heard news from Hellen (see picture 2) that she was in the hospital with heart problems. We worry a lot about Immaculate, and are trying to decide the best way to support her; whether that be to help pay medical fees, or to pay a teacher to be her aide, as Hellen has agreed to let her come to school (something most schools would not allow) but only if she has a one-on-one aide helping, as teacher-child ratios are already very high. Immaculate is back home now and on a liquid diet, although when she and her mother were gone, her father sold all the fruits and used the money for alcohol, leaving them with very little.

Rates of discrimination in Uganda are very high against certain groups such as the disabled, the Karamojong, women, and village children (hired as housegirls). We are doing our best to support those affected, especially the children, to provide them equal opportunities.

Our Teachers

2011-07-26T06:51:00.000-07:00

Now that you have been introduced to Hellen, here are some more of our teachers! These are brand new pictures just received today from Hellen. At the top is Innocent, Hellen's brother. He is the headmaster and you can read more about him HERE. Underneath him are our baby, middle, top, P1, and P2 teachers. Two of these teachers, Econi Neema (P2) and Atayi Christine (top) have been included in the group going to seek healthcare, as they are both going to be tested for TB. Both are very sickly, and Neema missed most of last week due to illness. The health of our teachers is very important, as when they are sick and do not show up, the kids have to combine classes and do not get the instruction they need.

Funds for healthcare will be sent the first week of August, with our August donation, and so soon these teachers (and the 5 students) will get the care they need. We are hoping that this will lead to higher attendance rates in both teachers and students. Thank you for making this possible!

Meet Hellen!

2011-07-21T06:20:00.000-07:00

We write so much about Hellen, but realized that some of you may not even know what she looks like! Hellen is an incredible woman. She is the Director of CUS and has never received payment for her work. She does make a small salary through church contributions so that they are able to get by, but despite her hours upon hours of tireless work, she was not paid for being Director of the school. We are changing that, and have committed to paying her a monthly salary of 120,000 shillings, which is approximately $45 Canadian. We are looking for one, or a few, people to sponsor Hellen so that we are able to maintain sending this salary. If you are interested in supporting an amazing woman, please let us know by emailing us at cuschool@live.ca We would either like one sponsor at $45/month, or several sponsors adding up to this amount.

Hellen is 39 years old; she is the heart of CUS. She is the founder, director, pastor and mother to those who attend Christian Upliftment Nursery and Primary School. Hellen and her late husband were inspired to start CUS because in their community they have witnessed the most vulnerable are the ones who are always caught in the midst of confusion, and conflicts within a marriage, and lack of economic means. For Hellen, she is a mother to all children in the community. She did not like that in her community, the children are the ones that suffer the most because their parents are uneducated and unemployed. She wanted to find a way to break this desperate cycle, and for Hellen and her husband, they saw the need through education. Hellen’s father was a school teacher and always reinforced to his children the importance of an education. Hellen received a diploma in Business Administration after her studies. Education at CUS is not complete if the minds of the children are not able to learn, that is why Hellen sees priority in the food program and is the rock of the community. Parents rely on her and the school to help raise their children and this is a role she takes great pride in.

Hellen has two sons, Emmanuel (Emma, age 15) and Jacob (age 12). Both boys are in Primary 6, since, due to lack of funds, Emmanuel started school late. However, Emma goes to a boarding school and Jacob goes to CUS. Hellen lives in the house attached to the office on school grounds. Aside from her sons, several other children live with her. She has taken in many nieces and nephews who lived in the village, to ensure that they get good education. Winnie is in P6, Ivan is in P2, and Meshack is in baby class. Hellen's partner, Pastor Francis, has a daughter named Melissa who is in P7 and lives with Hellen when she is not at boarding school, so it is a full house!

Fun Fact about Hellen:

If she could travel anywhere in the world, she would go to Canada!

Wonder World

2011-07-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

Two years ago students went on a field trip to Didi's World, an amusement park with rides, a pool, dance floor, playground, etc. Now renamed Wonder World, this experience is something those students still talk about today. We must never underestimate the value of FUN in a child's life.

We have many current focuses at the school; teacher salaries, nutritious food, rebuilding classrooms, providing doctor visits, buying textbooks, doing outreach to families, etc. But for one day, with all the worries that these kids have, we wanted to put smiles on their face and allow them to forget their problems. A few weeks ago, every single student at CUS took part in a field trip to Wonder World, and let me assure you, this is a day that they won't ever forget.

Two huge buses pulled up to the school, and the kids were jumping up and down with excitement. We piled in and made our way to Wonder World, killing the time by singing songs loudly so all of Kampala could hear our excitement! We arrived and (in typical Uganda fashion) the power was out and the rides wouldn't turn on. No worries! The kids sprinted to the playground and spent the next hour playing hard. So many huge smiles, so much laughter. There are no playgrounds in Kireka, and so this was a rare treat for our students.

As the power came back on, the rest of the day was spent riding rides, swimming in the pool, running, and screaming! Tears were shed on the scary pirate boat, where the most dramatic of kids screamed out "MAMAAAA!" with clenched fists and wide eyes, heads buried in our laps. Once it was finished, they raced around and got in line to ride it again! Our oldest students were given the chance to swim in the pool, which was the highlight for these kids who don't know how to swim. With two kids wrapped around our necks and one hanging off our backs, us volunteers acted as lifeguards and attempted to teach them (the ones brave enough to let go of us) how to swim. They cheered as teacher Innocent went down the water slide!

After a huge lunch, a de-worming pill, and a long day under the hot sun, we rode back home, exhausted. Parents came to us the next day, telling us how the kids talked about the field trip all night. They thanked us over and over again, for they struggle to feed their families, and fun is not at the top of their priority list.

Thank you to everyone who donated to make this trip possible. It was much more expensive than we had budgetted for, so unfortunately this trip, and the Nile River trip, were the only field trips we were able to do, but it was so worth every shilling to see 150 kids with HUGE smiles on their faces.

Meeting Rebecca

2011-07-10T13:34:00.000-07:00

Guest post by Nikki Cochrane, longtime CUS sponsor

I began sponsoring with CUS three years ago, when I picked Adongo Kate's laughing face out of a group photo. A few months later, my parents sponsored Rebecca Atuheire for me as a Christmas gift. Having travelled extensively, I knew what a difference sponsorship could make in a child's life, and for many years I excitedly received updates on how my 2 girls were doing. Unfortunately, Adongo Kate has moved to Tororo, several hours from Kampala and CUS, so she is no longer attending the school, but I knew I needed to meet Rebecca. Hearing her stories and reading her letters evoked such emotion for me. This young girl was forced to grow up so early when her parents died of AIDS and she and her brothers (one of whom is also HIV positive) were left orphaned. Nothing in life is easy for Rebecca, but she cares for everyone she meets.

I knew that Kate was planning on a trip to Uganda, and I worked my schedule around so that I could join her. I never thought I would meet Rebecca in real life, so that prospect of that happening was beyond exciting for me. Last year Rebecca took and passed her primary school leaving exams. She is no longer at CUS, but is studying in a secondary school nearby. Rebecca is now a part of our Escape Scholarships program, where I am able to continuing sponsoring her through a secondary school sponsorship.

Two days into my trip Rebecca showed up at CUS after a day at school. It was getting dark and we were just about to leave, and her visit was a surprise. I hugged her close and she began tearing up. We were both completely overwhelmed and emotional.

Over the next two weeks I got to know her. Behind her shyness was a confident spunk that I didn't expect. She showed me her workbooks, and man... this girl is way smarter than I will ever be! I told her how proud of her I was for seeing how hard she works, and I reminded her again and again that one day she can be the doctor she strives to be, and that I will sponsor her through until she is there.

Meeting Rebecca is something I will never forget. After years of sponsorship, I felt like I already knew her, but to hug her, listen to her laugh, and meet her family took my respect for her to a different level.

Now, more than ever, I am committed to CUS. Along with Sarah, who was also on our trip, we will help Kate as Sponsorship Coordinators to ensure that the sponsorship program continues to improve and that CUS thrives in the coming weeks, months, and years. I want to ensure that every sponsor has an experience as positive and memorable as I have had sponsoring Rebecca. Hopefully, every child currently at CUS will one day be part of Escape Scholarships and you, their sponsors, will help them get there and beyond. Thank you!

The Grand Plan

2011-07-05T01:55:00.000-07:00

I want to take this time to tell you a bit more about our plan moving forward with CUS. With the new sponsorship program, we plan on offering higher transperancy and more frequent updates for sponsors. We also hope to offer a more holistic program at the school; providing frequent donations of the same amount each month, so that Hellen can rely on our support to cover certain costs.

These initial costs that we want to cover are teacher salaries and food. Teacher salaries includes salaries for 9 teachers, one head teacher (Innocent), one director (Hellen), and 2 cooks. Food includes both breakfast and lunch for all the students, and with the funds we send they are able to buy beans, posho, sugar, cooking oil, tomatoes, onions, firewood, and fruit (not as much as we would like). Food prices are very high right now, and most things are double what they cost a year ago. We are finding it very difficult to provide food, and even more difficult to add more nutritious foods to the menu.

Our plan is that within the next year, we will have enough sponsors to cover all fees so that we don't need to continually fundraise for projects separately. There are still many, many children waiting on sponsors, and so we are not at that point yet. We just sent off all the money need to cover teacher salaries, food, and healthcare (7 kids seeing the specialists) for the month of July. We are very short on funds for the month of August and are worried we won't have enough. Thankfully, there is a term break in September so we will be able to catch up, but August is looking worrisome.

Eventually, the goal is that this blog will not have any asks; it will only have stories and the sponsorship fees will cover all the funds needed. But for now, unless we ask, these kids won't be fed. We have 2 areas in which we need support:

1) We need help finding new sponsors. Many kids are waiting for sponsors, including Nankya Mary, Acham Susan, Bukenya Mathias, and Opio Charles. We need a few volunteer CUS Advocates to help us find sponsors for these children, and the many others still waiting! Please email us at cuschool@live.ca if you are interested in helping.

2) As mentioned earlier, we are quite worried about the costs for the month of August. We will be able to make the payments for teacher salaries, but unless we get several new sponsors, paying the full amount for the food program will be tough. It costs $418/month right now with the high food costs to pay for the items I listed earlier. Even that is not enough and we would ideally like to have more fruit (right now they only eat fruit once a week), and enough money to pay for fish and other more nutritious foods. But for now, we are requesting donations to help cover the $418 needed for food for the month of August. Please support if you are able to!

Please spread this post within your networks. Thank you for your continued support to these children, and to the CUS Sponsorship program which is continuing to expand and improve.

The Gift of Giving

2011-07-04T10:17:00.000-07:00

In the beginning of June, we (Kate, Sarah, and Hellen) travelled to Apac. Apac is a district located in Northern Uganda, almost 7 hours away from Kampala. Hellen wanted to put a school there, but because of the ongoing needs at CUS it was a project we could not get off the ground due to lack of funding. However, Hellen has erected a simple church in the village of Akere. Despite the long journey, she will often go up on weekends and holidays to pray with the community and help them create project outlines which can benefit the community.

There we met Pastor Billy, an older man with a kind smile. We were introduced to his family which consists of his two sons, one daughter, and an orphan niece he is taking care of. His niece, Patricia, is disabled and desperately needs a wheelchair. They live a simple life on their own land where they have fruit trees, animals, and grow vegetables. Despite this, life is not always easy and they lack many basic necessities.

Pastor Billy can not provide his niece with a wheelchair, or provide his own children with the school supplies they need to have for school. But, he never once asked for himself or for his family while we visited, he continually asked us how our work with the children in Kampala was going and how they were progressing.

As we were getting ready to leave, a huge bag of over 300 mangoes and two chickens was presented to us, to take to the children in Kampala. Pastor Billy smiled when we told him we would deliver the mangoes and that each child would get some. He never met any of the students and has never been to Kampala. All he knew what that the students rarely eat mangoes as in Kampala they are very expensive. Knowing that his gift would provide the students with a real treat, was enough to bring a huge smile to Pastor Billy’s face.

Pastor Billy's kindness and free giving reminded me so much of our sponsors and donors. Your compassion for the students is what keeps the students in school. We appreciate you all, and want to take this opportunity to say a big Thank you!!

Happy Kids!

Click HERE to see a video the students getting their mangoes!

A Visit from the Nurse

2011-06-29T01:24:00.000-07:00

Recently we were able to hire a nurse, Esther, to visit CUS. All of the students, as well as some of their younger siblings and mothers, received checkups.

Almost all of the children needed de-worming medication and to be treated for fungus. We purchased these medications shortly after, and each child was given medication for de-worming and those who needed it were treated for fungus. Many needed blood or urine tests, but the children below were listed as most urgent:

Econi Neema- Tonsils + TB: 30,000 shillings (teacher)
Atoyi Christine-Further testing for TB: 15,000 shillings (teacher)
Semuju Steven- Needs dressing for wound, and antibiotics: 20,000 shillings
Adongo Mary Gloria- See dentist, rotting swollen gums: 40,000 shillings
Awongo Jacob- Needs to see ENT specialist: 87,000 shillings
Mugabi Nelson- See dentist, rotting swollen gum: 40,000 shillings
Watiman Felix- dermatologist for eczema: 67,000 shillings

Doctor's consultation fee: 50,000 shillings
Transportation (private car): 50,000 shillings

Total: 399, 000 shillings = $152 Canadian

We recognize that in Uganda, health is one of the main barriers preventing children from going to school. We want to ensure that all our children are healthy and being seen by the specialists that they need. Not only will this ensure their good health, it will also ensure their school attendance as they are more likely to attend regularly when they are feeling well and receiving health benefits.

This need is quite urgent, and so we are fundraising to cover the costs for these students to see the specialists. Please donate to the Chip In to help us cover these costs. We are hoping to raise this money within a week so that we can send it over with the next payment. Thank you so much!

School Supplies

2011-06-28T08:31:00.000-07:00

Up until recently, most of the teachers didn't have text books to work off. Not a single student actually owned a text book, and there weren't even enough to go around for them to share. The teachers had some old books that they worked off, but they were from the old curriculum that is not what the government is recommending to be used now. There is no opportunity to photocopy or print off hand outs, so most of the students' work consisted of memorization and copying text off the blackboard into their notebooks.

Recently we have spent $120 to purchase the most needed textbooks that the government is mandating to be used, as well as educational posters to put up in the classrooms. Having looked through these text books, they are of very high quality. We are pinching pennies to manage to cover the monthly costs for teacher salaries and food for the school (we currently have only half the funds we need to send on July 1st). Until recently, students were charged the equivilant of $10/term to attend school. Those that weren't able to pay didn't have to, but many families struggled to pay it. We have increased sponsorship fees to $10/month to be able to cancel this tuition and make it free to students, while still being able to cover teacher salaries and food. In the transition, tuition for the students has been lowered to $5/term, and hopefully within a year it will be nothing. While these text books are something we really can't afford right now, it was a priority for us and the students will have a much better quality of learning with it. In the future, we hope to buy multiple copies of the books for students to have copies to look off, but as it is we do not have enough sponsors to cover monthly teacher salaries and food, so that is our first priority. We are thrilled to have taken this first step though, and hope that as the sponsorship program improves, so will the quality of education that the students are receiving!

Our Channel

2011-06-21T08:53:00.000-07:00

We now have a Youtube channel! You can find our videos by clicking here.

Above, baby class students Prisca and Mesach want you to watch the school's channel to see more of them and their friends!

Nursery Class Reconstruction

2011-06-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

One of the school’s most pressing needs right now is to complete the construction of the nursery classrooms. The current classrooms provide little protection from bad weather, which disturb the students, especially during the rainy season. The classrooms are both extremely crowded, with all of the students squeezing together and sitting on each others laps.

The new classrooms will provide a much better learning environment to what the students are currently learning in. By having a larger and safer space, the children will be able to learn more comfortably and school supplies will be able to be stored directly in the classrooms. We even have plans to add book shelves full of colorful children’s book!

Baby class students crowded together eating lunch.

To complete the classrooms we need to cement the walls, put in a proper foundation, and then a good solid roof!

One of the other major risks right now, is that the bricks are not protected from the rain which is slowly causing them to crack. When the first $1,500 comes in, it will be sent right away to start cementing the walls.

The beginning of a dream!

Please consider making a donation towards the construction of these classrooms. Your donation will go towards making a dream come true for some very deserving students. Donations can be made by using the chip in link to the right.

A Big Thank You From The Nursery Class Students!!

Promotional Video

2011-06-13T17:45:00.000-07:00

CUS has a new promotional video! Video footage and photos all taken during the trip in May. Watch the video below and please share it with your networks and let us know what you think! The more views it get, the more potential sponsors, and there are LOTS of kids waiting for sponsors!

As a reminder, sponsorship is $10/month. One of those kids waiting for a sponsor is the handsome Omedere Joshua. Joshua is 7 years old and wants to be a doctor when he grows up. He loves to play soccer and his favourite food is rice. He is of the Teso ethnic group. This month Joshua was given medication for de-worming and was able to take part in the fun field trip to Wonder World, an amusement park!

Fruity Fridays

2011-06-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

We have posted before about the rising food cost in Uganda. Riots have continued in the city, and it is now almost triple the cost it once was for most food items. This has caused the students at CUS to suffer as the school was no longer able to meet the costs of even the most basic food items, such as posho (cornmeal) and beans.

While Nikki, the sponsorship coordinator for p.4, p.5 and p.6 was here she bought the students a special treat- two bananas for each child! The cost of this was 30,000UGX, which is roughly $12 Canadian.

Our hope is that in the future we will be able to provide the students with a diet consisting of more fruits and meat. Many of the students, especially our younger students are suffering from malnutrition. Providing them with a healthier and more balanced diet would be a great benefit to them by helping them grow up to be healthy individuals!

Thank you for the bananas Nikki!

Our trip to the Nile!

2011-06-01T07:16:00.000-07:00

On May 19th we took the P.4, P.5, and P.6, and some of our former graduate students to the source of the Nile in Jinja! The internet here in Uganda is slow and unpredictable, so we apologize that this post could not come sooner.

After an hour bus ride from Kampala to Jinja ,we arrived at the source of the Nile. The children received a lunch of posho, beans, groundnut sauce, and cabbage salad. They enjoyed their lunch with their friends under large trees which provided a nice source of shade. After eating, playing, and washing up they made their way down to the Nile to learn more about it from a guide. Some students brought small notepads to use to take notes. One of the reasons we decided to make this excursion an activity for the older students is that they are learning about water and geography in their classes. They also will have related questions about the Nile on their final exam, so the students truly appreciated having a hands on learning experience.

After learning more about the Nile and Lake Victoria from the guide, the students were able to ask any questions they had. Next up was the event everyone was looking forward to, the boat ride!

The trip to the Nile was a first for every student, and for the majority of them it was also the first time on a boat. Despite a few initial fears, everyone got on and enjoyed the ride. It was also the director, Hellen's, first time on a boat!

Thank you to everyone who made this day possible. It was an amazing first time learning field trip for the students. They learned so many valuable things and everyone had a great time!

Home Visits and the Stone Quarry

2011-05-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

The area where the school is located is called Kireka. It is known as an urban IDP for people who have fled the northern part of the country due to war.

Our day started off by doing home visit to the homes of our most desperate students. We took a boda-boda(motorcycle) to our first home. This home was the furthest and in an area which is a wetland. It was the home of two students, Rita and Kapata. They have a newborn sister, a 3 year old sister, and a brother who is now living with his grandmother in another village.

Our purpose of doing home visits is to get to know the families, especially those who are considered to be the most vulnerable. By better understanding their cicumstances, we can work hand in hand to help the attendance rate among the students go up. It takes Rita and Kapata almost 45 minutes to walk to school from their home. Their home is also in a wetland area, and their simple mudhome floods inside and around it when it rains. This causes both the children to miss school. We visited with two more families, who all welcomed us into their homes with open arms. They continually expressed their gratitude to sponsors and donors for helping their children succedd in school.

After the home visits the woman and children lead us to their place of work, the stone quarry. The main source of income for the families who live in Kireka, comes from the stone quarry. At the stone quarry, men, woman, and children spend the day breaking rocks into smaller pieces. Once a jerrycan is filled, it will earn them 200 schillings which is the equivalent of 0.10 cents. From sunrise to sunset,they work in the quarry to be able to obtain a meal for the day. It was clear to see the direct link to why the breakfast and lunch program is so important at CUS. By providing the children with these meals, it reduces the need for them to work for food. There are other reasons why children would still work in the quarry, such as to help pay rent and buy other basic needs like soap or medicine. We would eventually like to expand the school's family outreach program to help provide the students and their families with their basic needs which are being unmet. By providing these items, children would also be able to attend school on a more regular basis as they would not have to work and worry about buying basic necesseties.

The families we visited were so gratfeful for their children's sponsors. Without the suppport, the ywould be unable to provide them with the scholastic materials they need to have for school. The mama's and children themselves want to send to you all their blessings and thank yous!

Tommorow our nile excursion for our P.5 and P.6 students will take place bright and early!

We are here!

2011-05-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

Nikki, Sarah and I are finally all together at CUS in Uganda! The school is currently on midterm holidays but will be back up next week. Many of the children from the area, students and non-students alike, came to the school to play for the afternoon.

Tomorrow we will be headed back to the school to bring donations we all collected from home(thanks to all our amazing sponsors and donors) such as school supplies, toys and basic first aid supplies. We will also be doing house visits, visiting the stone quarry where many of the students and their families work, and playing more games with the kids. If we still have time, we plan on going to town to buying some much needed text books for the students.

Thank you to everyone who supported and is continuing to support the many programs at CUS. It is because of you children will be able to attend field trips, have new text books, uniforms, and hopefully a nurse visit! I will post more details on these events as I can.

Easter Plans

2011-04-24T11:12:00.000-07:00

We have been blogging quite frequently lately requesting donations for our food program. The situation in Uganda remains critical. Riots over food prices have been frequent and the situation was published in The New York Times yesterday, which can be read here.

While food riots continue and children go hungry, many of us will be sitting down to eat a heavy Easter meal tonight. Our main concern will be to make sure that everything is cooked to perfection.

The children's main concern remains what will happen when the food supply runs out next month.

While I am in Uganda, I will be looking intensively into setting up income generating projects which will bring the school food security and sustainability. This will allow us to focus our fundraising efforts into other areas of need, such as teachers salaries and school supplies.

While this happens and the IGP takes time to blossom, the children still need to eat. We would like to be able to provide much needed breakfast and lunch funds to the school for 6 months until we can help them provide more of their own food supply. This comes out to $250/month, or $1.50 to feed one student for an entire month.

Please commit to feeding just one child for one month. It will probably be the best $1.50 you ever spend!

Chip in'

2011-04-23T07:39:00.000-07:00

We want to say a big thank you to everyone who has already donated towards our student's field trips and towards Didi's World!

We are still in need of donations to make these trips possible for all of the students.To learn more about these trips and why they are important, read this blog post.

The Nile:

Amount left needed: $49.20

Cost per student: $11.80

4 students left needing funding.

Rhino Sanctuary:

Amount left needed:$87.50

Cost per student: $8.50

10 students left needing funding.

Entebbe Zoo:

* This trip will only happen if the above two trips are completely funded and we can get full funding for all the nursery students to attend.

Amount left needed: $150.00

Cost per student: $2.75

75 students left needing funding.

Please helps us make these field trips a reality by using our chip ' in link to the right. Once the educational field trips are covered, remaining funds will go towards Didi's World for children who do not have a sponsor paying for them.

Lunch Program Pictorial!

2011-04-09T05:50:00.001-07:00

We are so happy to let everybody know, that a donor has covered the cost of food for the entire month of April! She has truly rescued the school from a food crisis this month. The current food supply is so low, that we feared we could not provide the children with anything to eat in the coming weeks. Thanks to our donor, this will no longer be the case!

We are still desperately seeking donations to cover the cost of food for May, June, July, August, September and October. During these months, we will be working diligently at improving the current income generating feeding projects at the school. This will create more sustainability and food security, which will ensure that even if the country experie
nces a food crisis, the school will not be affected.

However, right now we are asking everyone who can help meet this need, to please donate what you can. Even helping just one child for one month, will cost you only $1.50!

$18 will feed one student for an entire year.
$250 will feed all of the students for an entire month.

While I believe that food should be essential for all children, and no child should have to worry when the next time they will be able to eat, this is the case at CUS. Our students are truly grateful for the food they receive at school. While I was in Uganda in June 2009, I was lucky enough to be able to purchase food for the school for the month with donations from sponsors and donors. The excitement the kids portrayed as we drove up to the school with a truck full of food, was amazing. The kids jumped up and down, clapping, and some of the older children kissed my cheeks. All of this because they knew they could eat for another day, thanks to our donors.

All of the children participate in making the feeding program successful. The older students cook and help the little ones wash their hands, while the younger children help collect plates and wash them when they are finished eating. All of the kids willingly share their food when supply is low.

The Lunch Program Pictorial

From purchasing the food to serving it, the lunch program is an important program serving many children their only meal of the day.

It involves donors, teachers, and the children themselves to make it run effectively. As many as 200 children are served a hot lunch every day when donations allow this to happen.

STEP ONE

Once donations are sent to Hellen, she makes a trip to the market with a rented pick up truck. Hellen haggles at the market with different vendors to be able to get the best price on food supplies. Every cent donated is valued, and Hellen works hard to make sure it can go as far as it can for the students and the school.

STEP TWO

Once the food arrives at the school, children are not left hungry for long! Our older students take turns cooking the food from day to day. In the top picture, boys can be seen mingling posho and the girls are boiling beans.

STEP 3

While half of the older students are cooking, the other half are lining up the nursery children to wash their hands. This helps keep the kids healthy and safe from bad bacteria as the students eat lunch with their hands.

STEP 4

Once the food is ready, a student will help separate equal portions into bowls. Because there are not enough bowls for each child to have their own, some bowls will have a double portion of food put in them and 2 to 3 students will share the same bowl.

STEP 5

Lunch is now served! Children receive their meal and then return to their classroom to eat amongst their friends.

STEP 6

Bon Appetit!

Food Crisis and Long Term Solution

2011-04-05T16:32:00.000-07:00

The food prices have sky-rocketed in Uganda, leaving schools across the country unable to feed their students. At Christian Upliftment School, students are

Many children who were able to attend school instead of working, are now forced back into working dangerous jobs, such as in the stone quarry. Because the breakfast and lunch program, parents and guardians felt that if the child was receiving a meal at school it was worth it to send them. Now, many children are being forced back into working to be able to have a little money to buy a small meal for themselves, which is always shared with up to 6 other family members. Some students resort to stealing from neighbours gardens and if caught are faced with severe punishments. There has been extreme cases of children's hands being burned in hot oil.

Urgent Need

The school needs $250 to be able to feed all of the students this month. While this amount previously provided the students with a breakfast and a lunch, this now is only able to provide them with a lunch because of the inflation. We are also forced to cut many of the foods which were once provided such as fruits, vegetables, and meat. The items which will be purchased are:

Posho: A cornflour substance cooked with water to the consistency of mashed potatoes. Provides very little nutritional value. It is very filling.

Beans:High in protein, fibre, and iron. Cooked in a sauce and served on top of posho.Peanut

Sauce(G'nut Sauce): Peanuts are full of minerals, vitamins, and protein packed. They are made into a thick sauce which goes over posho alone or with beans.

Cost Breakdown

$160- Two bags of posho

$80-One bag of beans

$10-Peanut Sauce.

How you can help

While feeding a student at CUS twice a day(meals which include milk, meat, fruits and vegetables) is around $7.00/month, with the above meal plan it comes out to be $1.50/month per student.

For $1.50, you cannot even purchase a small Starbucks coffee!

What it can do though, is provide Brian and other students like him, with a hot meal-everyday for one month. (Not to mention, the beautiful free smiles that it comes with it!)

We are now launching a fundraising challenge to feed the students for six consecutive months, and we need your help!

You can take part in this challenge by committing to feed two students for six months, by providing a monthly donation of only $4(a price which still can't buy you most coffees at Starbucks!). If you do not want to take part in this challenge, but still want to help, we are truly grateful for any donation that comes in towards feeding the students.

$3.00 will go directly towards purchasing food. This will feed two students for an entire month.

$1.00 will go towards the cost of maintaining and improving existing income generating projects( such as the chickens at the school) as well as towards developing new projects which will feed the students.

In June, you will receive a brief update and photo of the child who is able to eat everyday, thanks to your commitment and donation. We need to stress that this is not a child/food sponsorship program, where we can update you on the individual child more frequently. Your donation will go directly towards what it is intended to do;feed two students and into food related income generating projects(more on this below).

We will also provide you with continued reports and group photos of the program(i.e classrooms at lunch time, videos of the kids planting gardens, etc). If you are interested in sending us a photo and small write up about your favourite meal, or the national dish of your city or country, we are encouraging you to do so! We are always aiming at making our programs educational, and hope they can always teach the students something. Even in a lunch program!

Long Term Solution

This May, while we are in Uganda, we will be looking at starting many new income generating projects at the school. We believe that the best way to be able to continue to help the students is by providing them with the stability and empowerment that comes with well thought of, income generating project.

The project we are looking into starting first, is to grow vegetables. While the school currently has a few crops, there are not nearly enough to feed all the students. Expanding these crops would require more space, which the school does not have.

A new way of growing vegetables in areas where little farming space is available, such as in slums, is by "farming in a sack". This consists of growing vegetables in a large sack. The success from these ventures has has extremely positive results. In Kenyan slums, it has truly provided families with the means of feeding their families and selling surplus to be able to purchase other needs the family may have.

Please join the challenge today, and commit to feeding two student for the next 6 months! Donations can be made on the right hand side of this page.

Hands on Learning

2011-02-26T07:10:00.000-08:00

It's official! On May 14th, I will be visiting CUS along with my friend Nikki, with the possibility of a few more volunteers tagging along! We have big plans for the school and students, but we need your help to make some of them possible.

In June 2009, thanks to sponsors and donors we managed to bring all of the CUS students for a day at the local amusement park, called Didi's World. They had a wonderful time and still talk about it today.

The purpose of the day was to just have fun! The children worked hard all year in school despite the many obstacles they face at home and in their community. This day was all about them just being kids, and they did exactly that. Running around, going on rides(to the point of not being able to walk), dancing, and enjoying a meal and sweets.

When the school was off for the weekend, I took a trip to Jinja to see the nile river. Jinja is about 1 hour away and is home to some beautiful vegetation, and of course the famous nile. Hellen accompanied us on this trip and we were surprised to know that it was her first time ever seeing the nile! She mentioned that some of the older students were learning about the nile and other water conservation and uses, and she would love to bring them one day.

When the kids went over our pictures, all of them were so excited to see the nile on my tiny digital camera's screen. They too, had never been to the nile despite it's close location.

The sad reality that these children are only accustomed to their community, a slum. This is a place where violence and extreme poverty are high. This is the world they know. We want to focus on providing more outside learning opportunities to the students, as we believe it will help them learn in a much more meaningful way and make the lessons they learned much more valuable.

I think this quote rings true with what we want to accomplish by providing more learning opportunities to our students-

"Only if we understand can we care, only if we care we will help, only if we help they will be saved." Dr.Jane Goodall.

Our first educational excursion will be following up with what the children are learning in class, and what they wished to see in person one day- the nile! Water conservation is a big problem in Uganda, but water also brings in money to the country via tourists.The nile will be a good example of this in Jinja and they have the renowned white water rafting, boat rides on the nile, and other water activities. For locals the nile is an important body of water for fishing and farming. Areas around the nile are also rich in wildlife and lush vegetation.

The cost of visiting the nile for a day includes the entrance fee, boat ride on the nile, lunch, and transportation to and from Jinja. $11.80/student. For Primary 5,6, and 7 students.

If funds allow, we would also like to add on two more educational excursions. The first is a visit to the Rhino Sanctuary! This will be for students in Primary 6 and 7, and if funding allows Primary 5 as well. They will have a class at the sanctuary on " the urgent need to conserve the rhino, the value of biodiversity in Uganda, the rhino’s place in local and global ecosystems, the impact of conservation on the community, and the importance of conservation efforts worldwide." Emphasis will be placed on the students thoughts and questions during this class. After this, they will be able to tour the rhino sanctuary and see real rhinos- a first for all the kids!

The cost of visiting the rhino sanctuary includes the program fee(educational program and viewing rhinos up close), transportation to and from the sanctuary(2hrs away), and lunch.

$8.50/student. For primary 6, and 7 students. If funds allow, primary 4 and 5 will be added.

Uganda Wildlife Educational Center: This trip will be for our nursery students to primary 3. The zoo is located 30 minutes from Kampala in Entebbe. Some of the animals the students will be able to see include different species of monkeys, crocodiles, leopard, lions, bush pig, ostriches, and much more! During the week before we go, we will be doing some educational lessons on the biodiversity in Uganda, the importance of animals/their purpose, and the different Ugandan ecosystems. All of these lessons will be tailored to the specific grade.

The cost of this excursion will be available shortly. For nursery to primary 3 students.

If you would like to help make these educational outings a reality, please consider making a donation. While we realize "Didi's World" is not considered educational, we feel it is equally important for the kids to have one day of pure fun and just be kids. We also let the children know ahead of time that this is a celebratory outing because of the hard work they put in at school throughout the year, and encourage them to continue on the same path!

The cost of attending Didi's World includes the entrance fee, lunch and snacks, and transportation to and from the school. $9.50/student. For all of the students.

* If you would like to pay the fees for an excursion for a specific child, please e-mail cuschool@live.ca with the child's name.

To make a donation for the didi's world, the nile trip, rhino sanctuary, or the wildlife center please use the appropriate donation button. Please note that if we receive majority funding for one outing and only a few donors for another, we will allocate the funds to go towards the outing which has the most funding, in order to ensure all the students are able to participate.

We are also looking to collect the following book related to the outings:

Animals (wild and domesticated) ,the nile, water conservation/water uses, rhinoceros' .

Here are some books on our amazon wish list!

Rhino Rescue

Beatrices Goat

Uganda Enchantment

Thank you for helping our students have a positive learning experience!

Congratulations to our graduates!

2011-01-26T15:27:00.000-08:00

Back in November, the primary seven students sat for their primary school leaving exams. These exams determine whether they are able to continue onto secondary school. Out of nine students, we have six who passed their exams! All six of them are girls who will be

living in Hope Home once it opens. While all of our students come from poverty, these girls face daily abuse in their homes. To say we are proud of them, is an understatement!

The school has not had the budget to send any graduates into secondary school, as the tuition was much higher than that of primary school. Unfortunately, that means that their road to a better future stops as they leave primary school. While primary school has taught them many valuable lessons, we believe it is the first place children should receive an education, not the last. Going to secondary school will make such a huge and lasting impact on the girls. Through their own hard work and determination, they can make a life for themselves free from poverty. But they need your help!

The students have so many great ambitions. Some dream of becoming lawyers, nurses, doctors, and teachers to name a few. For many, this always remains just a dream. As they age through the school system, many students drop out and start working odd jobs to be able to live hand to mouth, day by day. This often happens around primary 3 to 5, as they realize that they will not be able to pay for secondary school.

For a few students like Darphine, Rebecca, Scovia, Betty, Dinah and Ketty, they have education as their number one priority. They have suffered and endured so much, but have not let their grades slip. If anyone deserve a scholarship and the chance to better themselves, it is these six girls.

Nakinyingi Scovia needs someone to support her secondary school fees.

Can you make her dream of becoming a lawyer come true?

While the cost of tuition is more expensive at secondary school, it is well worth it. With this opportunity, in a few years time the girls could be choosing which university programs to apply to! However, if we fail at putting them into secondary school, their futures will look much different.

Please consider lifting a girl out of poverty by sponsoring her secondary school fees.

Visit the ESCAPE Scholarship blog, to learn more about the girls and how you can help!

Facebook

2011-01-16T20:11:00.000-08:00

On the left hand side of this page, you can now link to the school directly on Facebook! You do not have to be a member to view our page and frequent updates and photos are provided there.

Fundraising through Igive

2010-12-08T19:57:00.001-08:00

If you have not already joined iGive in support of CUS, now is the perfect time!
Please take a look at their recent update and fundraising opportunity.

"iGive.com is going to attempt to donate $5,000 in just 27 hours to Christian Upliftment Primary School and other causes.

For each person who joins iGive using the special link below and does just one qualified web search on our site between Thursday at 9.a.m. CST and 12:00 Noon CST Friday, we'll give Christian Upliftment Primary School a dollar. 5,000 new members, $5,000 donated. No purchase necessary.

Of course, if they search more (or buy something) they'll earn even more money for Christian Upliftment Primary School. Right now, we're donating $.02 per search and a bonus $5 for a new member's first purchase (plus the usual percentage)

Here's where you come in. The only way Christian Upliftment Primary School will get new supporters and that free $1 (or more) is if they're invited. Send your supporters, friends, family, and colleagues the following link in an e-mail, tweet it, chirp it, do a Facebook posting, put up posters, shout from mountain tops (you know the drill) and let the world know you think

Christian Upliftment Primary School is pretty cool and deserves their support, especially since it's free!

This is the link:

http://www.igive.com/welcome/warm_reg_promo.cfm?c=56409

The details:
- Offer active between 9 a.m. Thursday, December 9, 2010 and 11:59 a.m., Friday,
December 10, 2010 (Chicago time).
- New members only (never have been an iGive member previously). All the normal
rules of membership, searching, and
purchasing apply, our site has the details. Real people only, who sign themselves
up. (It's not fair to hire a room full of elves who sign people up, the new member has to sign him or herself up.)
- Once we've given away $5,000, the offer ends. That's $5,000 to all causes, not
just yours, so it's a bit of a race.
- The special link is important. No link, no $1.
- A web search is a search from the WEB tab on our site. Qualified searches are
explained on our site, but basically
means NOT a search for a store or a site name. "

Home for the Holidays

2010-12-07T18:42:00.000-08:00

Every year the school hosts a Christmas party for all of the students, their parents and guardians, and other desperate community members who have no one to be with on Christmas.

Last year was a great success bringing children and families together, and for one day everyone was able to forget their everyday struggles and enjoy Christmas. It gave the school an opportunity to recognize and congratulate the children who have worked so hard through out the year to stay in school and do well. With the highest drop out rate in East Africa(UNESO), it truly is a great accomplishment for each of our students who are able to make it through one full year in school.

We have continually debated before Christmas if the school should have a party. As a grassroots school and with so many projects going on, it is always a tough decision. Donors and sponsors have been the ones to make the Christmas party a reality through separate donations intended specifically for Christmas. From last years results, it turned out to be a great decision not only for the children to be able to celebrate but for the families. It gave the parents great incentive to continue to support their children's education, as they were able to meet with their teachers and Hellen, and realize how much dedication they put into the school and how much they believe in each student.

As the children are now on holidays, it is a time of mixed emotions for everyone. Every child loves a break from school, but for many school is their only support system. At school the children not only receive an education and meals, but also emotional support and guidance.

The holidays are also a time when our "red flags" go up for child trafficking. The reason for this is that many families go back to their ancestral villages in Northern Uganda during this time. Often times, they will leave any child they have been caring for that is not theirs(nieces, nephews, unrelated orphans) with other family members to work on their fields or in return for a payment by another unrelated person. Very frequently, girls will be married off for as little as a few bags of produce, such as sweet potatoes.

Hope Home is being set up to be able to accommodate up to thirteen girls who are considered at risk of being trafficked into slavery or prostitution. All the girls are currently living in abusive households where their basic needs are not being met. You can read more about the vision behind Hope Home by clicking here.

The desperation of these girls, and the immense need for a safe house was highlighted this week. One of the girls on the list to be moved into Hope Home, has been sent to Northern Uganda. At this point her exact location is not known but there strong reason to believe her aunt left her with a man in Northern Uganda.

Although all our projects at the school are very important, the urgency for a safe home has been heightened with the holidays now here. We simply cannot wait for anymore girls to 'disappear' before action is taken on their behalf.

Instead of holding a Christmas party, the school has collectively decided that all our focus should be put into opening Hope Home and providing some truly amazing girls with a safe house to live in, not only during the holidays but a permanent place that they can call home.

If you would like to help make this a reality, please considering making a donation today. I know the holiday season is hectic for everyone, but if everyone just takes a few minutes and donates what they can, the home will be able to open and a brighter future will be able to begin for twelve(fingers crossed thirteen) girls. This will happen immediately once the money is raised.

A remaining amount of exactly $2,412.99 is needed. This can be reached so easily if everyone chips in what they can!!

Here are some things your donation can purchase:

For...

$10= A new blanket can be purchased for one girl.

$15 = Every girl will receive a new pair of sandals.

$60 =Provide each girl with a new outfit.

$105= Rescues one girl by providing her with everything she will need in the home. This includes clothing, shoes, a mattress, hygiene supplies , and more.

$152=Purchase all the hygiene items needed for all the girls to have their own individual supplies. This includes, bathing soap, sanitary napkins, towels, smearing jelly, toothbrushes, and toothpastes.

$490= Pay off half a years worth of rent.

If you would like to see more specific costs of the home, visit the cost analysis post here. To make a donation, please use the Paypal button titled Hope Home and Recue Center.

Thank you so much, and Happy Holidays from the girls to you!

Dedication

2010-11-13T11:56:00.000-08:00

For those of you who follow this blog and the school's news, you are then well aware of our trials and triumphs. As a grassroots school with an extremely tight budget, serving a community suffering from extreme poverty; we are continually faced with uphill battles.

Currently, the nursery classrooms(baby class) are in the process of being rebuilt. This is extremely exciting for the students who are currently learning in a corrugated metal shack with little protection from any weather conditions, such as extreme heat or rain. With the frequent storms during the rainy season, the classrooms continually flood with water and mud. This does not only affect the children's studies, but is also a health hazard.

Our donors and sponsors have continually responded to the needs of the school and the students, and words can never express the gratitude the children have for all of you. With everyone providing what they can, we are able to accomplish great things.. and it seems these efforts have rubbed off on the local community!

The community collectively came together to provide assitance to restructuring the school and providing the school with a new roof! This was an initiative started by the parents of students in school after they realized that the school needed repairs, and a new roof.

The community's gift was not only desperately needed, but their actions sent a great message to the children and throughout the community. The message was, that education is worth investing in.

This might seem like a clear message to those of us who had the priveledge of living out of poverty and attending school. For our students it was important, and it highlights a positive shift in mentality. Many times grassroots schools open up and close within the first few months or years of opening. This happens for a number of reasons. Many lack funds and can no longer continue to run. Sometimes when help is provided, corruption among the teachers begins to develop. Parents then feel that their children are just being used for financial gain, and that the education they are receiving is inadequant. Therefore, working would provide more immediate benefits to the child and their family.

Former CUS family, with 2 of the 4 children forced to work.

Christian Upliftment School has taken on a different approach. We continue to advocate for our children and provide them with the best educational opportunities that we can give them. Even though the children's families live in poverty, they came together to provide a new roof for the school to show that they are in partnership with the school and it's mission. If we are in it for the long run, and truly see each child as an individual with potential- they will support their children as best as they can. This first step started with a new roof.

The new roof is very much appreciated in times like these!

Vaccination Update

2010-10-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

A big thank you to everyone who has donated towards our vaccination campaign! We currently have raised $145, and need to raise only another $35 to be able to vaccinate 100 children and treat all of the sick children. Please help us reach this goal by Saturday!

The sooner we can reach our goal, the sooner the children will be able to be vaccinated. It is so important to do this now because of the outbreak, and the vaccinations will then protect the children for life.

$1 will vaccinate one child!

These are the children who currently have measles.

Amollo Yolanda

Awor Emily

Masambo Isaiah

Asinde Bena

Kimberly Kevin

Omara Brian

If you would like to provide treatment for one of the above children, please consider donating $15. All donations are gratefully appreciated!

URGENT:Measles Outbreak

2010-10-27T17:07:00.000-07:00

Five students have confirmed cases of measles at CUS. All of the students have been asked to leave school until next Monday, because of the seriousness of the problem and how contagiousness they are. However, most children have no less that 3 siblings at home and they all live in the same community. Therefore, they continually interact out of school through play, washing clothing, collecting water, and working.

About Measles

What can measles cause if left untreated?

Measles are extremely contagious and spread very quickly.

Measles often kills those who catch it, with the majority of those who suffer from it being in developing countries. It can also cause blindness, deafness,body defects, and/or pneumonia.

Measles in Uganda

Uganda has a fairly high rate of vaccination against measles compared to other countries in the area such as Sudan and Ethiopia. However, most of the vaccination programs have been largely focused on the Southern and Central parts of the country. Although the school is located in Kampala(where large vaccination campaigns have taken place) our students are all from Northern regions of the country where measles and polio are still epidemic. Some of the students recently came to Kampala and started begging through the streets, while others travel back and fourth during the holidays.

Measles on Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measles

Plan of Action

We would like to have all of the children vaccinated against measles, and those already with it to receive treatment by Saturday, October 29.

I understand that two days is not a lot of time to fundraise, but every minute wasted could be another child catching the virus.

A child dies of measles every minute in Africa,

Measles kills more children than HIV/AIDs, TB or Malnutrition

Measles is the leading vaccine-preventable cause of death in Africa.

www.measlesinitiative.org

Cost Breakdown

$1 will immunize one child against measles. We would like to immunize all the youngest children who are most at risk first, and if funds allow, we will continue with the older grades. However, the outbreak is in Nursery(4 children, and one in P.1).

Total: $100

$15 will treat one child with measles. This cost includes treatment, hospital and doctor fees, transport costs, and a proper diet while receiving treatment. (Five children so far need to be treated).

Total:$75

Grand Total: $175

How to Help

Consider making a donation of any amount to help immunize the students. Keep in mind, it is only $1 to immunize one child, and only $15 to treat one child with measles!

With a minimum donation of $10.00, you will receive a small thank you gift from CUS.

Construction has started!

2010-10-10T13:52:00.000-07:00

Christian Upliftment School, several years ago.

Since the school first started, it has changed locations once, but both locations shared one common problem. The corrugated metal school let in rain, mud, dirt, wind, and you can not even imagine how hot it can get in a metal shack until you've been in one!

Despite the rough conditions, the school continues to educate eager students every single day. Even more impressive, is the attitude each child displays towards their school grounds. They willingly help sweep and tend gardens alongside their teachers.They keep their classrooms tidy and help with small repairs when necessary. They are so proud to be a student, to be receiving an education, that rain or shine they can be found in class.

Running a school anywhere is no easy task, but it becomes much more difficult when every child in the school requires 100% support from the school. Families are often too poor to even be able to provide even basic school supplies, like pencils and pens for their children. But, the school was started for these children. To advocate and educate children who are shunned by other schools because of where they were born. To love and respect children who have never experienced compassion. To encourage children to dream, and push them to one day seeing those dreams come true.

Our biggest dream for the students is to be able to give them a quality education which will allow them to go to highschool, and then onto university(dreams are meant to be big, right!?) We believe that education is the best way to fight poverty and we are incredibly thankful for each and every donor who has stood by the school and believed in the potential of our students.

Please take a look at what is happening because of YOU! Here are some photos from the nursery classroom construction, just one more big step closer to providing a high quality education to our students!

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful commited people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead.

Thank you!

2010-09-29T11:24:00.000-07:00

What is better than the desks being made?....

... the desks being used!

A big thank you to everyone who donated for the school to make more desks to provide more seats to the students. As you can see from the photo, they are very happy about the new seating arrangement!

Winny and the Rescue Home

2010-09-28T10:01:00.000-07:00

Winnny and her nine-month old son, Shadrack.

There are currently twenty four girls at CUS who are being sexually and physically abused and/or are at risk of being trafficked into slavery, just like Winny was. Thirteen of these girls are on an urgent list, with the youngest girl being nine years old.

The school's mission statement is the following: " To contribute to the well being and strength of vulnerable children and families through education, advocacy, and promotion of income generating activities".

These twenty four girls in our school desperately need someone to advocate for them, and continue to educate and train them so that they can have a brighter future free of abuse and poverty. We can no longer continue to watch our girls disappear into slavery or watch their futures slip through their hands as they are physically and mentally crushed by abuse.

Out of this urgent need we are creating the Hope Home & Rescue Center for Girls!

Our mission is to provide a safe living space to abused girls to enable them to continue their academic pursuit. We beleive each girl has the opportunity to accomplish her dreams only if she is nutured, loved, and free from any and all forms of abuse.

Five Critical Start Up Needs

This project is being set up immedietly because of its urgency. However, we must meet these five critical needs to be able to start up the project and ensure that it can run for one year.

1.) Provide each girl with the essential items she will need to live in the home. This includes her own personal bed, hygiene supplies, clothing, and other basic essentials.

2.) Furnish the house to make it a functioning home! This includes purchasing everything from cooking utensils to curtains.

3.)Raise enough funds to cover six months worth of rent, to ensure that no stress is put on our girls concerning possible eviction.

4.) Raise enough funds to be able to feed the girls for six month, to ensure none of the girls suffer from hunger.

5.) Provide tailoring training to Winnifred Akech (Winny). Once she is trained, she will then be able teach the girls this trade. This will enable them to learn a usefull skill to help provide for their ongoing costs at the home and at school. (As a 'bonus' Winny will also be able to then sew all of the students uniforms, providing her with an income and keeping our uniform costs down!) To make a donation towards Winny's tailoring training, please

I have personally met 8 out of the 10 girls who will be part of "Hope Home." Above are just three of those special girls. Betty(left) and Rebecca(right)! I can describe to you their living conditions- some of the worst I have ever seen. They live with people more evil than a villain out of any story book you could inf. I can tell you the physical scars their bodies carried from years of abuse and extreme poverty. But this is not what defines these girls, at all. They are the most loving and caring individuals I have ever met. I will never forget how Betty could calm any crying child down, when even many of the teachers would scold them for crying for no 'good' reason. I tell this story often because I think it one of the moments in life that impacted me the most. As we were giving out little gifts to the children, we were running short once the primary seven students came. Rebecca was the last to be given a gift, a little book made for a toddler. I told her I would bring her something more age appropriate tommorow, but was shocked when she gave me a hug. She told me that this was the first gift she has ever received in her life! I hate crying and feel uncomfortable doing so, but I couldn't stop myself. My tears made her cry and we hugged as if we had been friends forever.

If anyone deserves a hand up, a safe place to live, and a shoulder to cry on- it is these girls. Please help us provide them with hope and a new life! You can learn more about the project and costs involved by going to Restoration of Hope blog. **The link wil be posted September 30th**

Donations can also be made directly on this page under Hope Home and Rescue Centre. If you would like to donate specifically to help pay for Winny's tailoring training, please make a donation under Winny's Tailoring. Once $160 is raised, Winny will be enrolled in tailoring classes!

Thank you so much for caring about the well being of thirteen very special girls!

The desks are here!

2010-09-24T19:52:00.001-07:00

A big thank you to all of you who donated to purchase a desk for the school! A carpenter was hired, timber was bought, and finally the desks are here. They have been stained burgundy to match the children's uniforms and everyone at the school agrees that they are much better than sitting on the floor or squeezing into a broken, termite-infested desk.

We still need more desks to be able to seat all the children. If you have not yet donated for a desk and would like to, or would like to donate for another one, you can still do so by purchasing one on this blog. We need another 5 desks which will seat a total of 15 children.

Thank you so much to everyone who is making it possible for our students to have a proper desk to learn in!!

One week.

2010-09-13T19:30:00.000-07:00

The students have been slowly trickling back into school since the term opened up on September the 6th. There is an estimated fifteen to twenty more who should be returning this week and next.

If you sponsored a child in baby class before the term break, and have not yet received their individual photo, it will be coming in this week!

The school is still in need of more desks, currently four are being made, which means twelve children now have a seat! They will be delivered to the school this week. We would still like to purchase another six desks to seat another 18 children!

Blog Design!

2010-09-04T16:52:00.000-07:00

I am very happy to announce that Blogs For A Cause(BFAC) has chosen CUS as their charity of the month!

BFAC was started by Nikki Cochrane as a way of fundraising for her humanitarian trips, as well as to donate a portion of every purchase to a different charity each month. BFAC has allowed Nikki to volunteer in numerous countries and since it's creation, thousands of dollars has been donated to different worthy causes.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

If you are a blogger who wants a fresh new design, or maybe you're thinking of starting a new blog please go to http://madebynikki.blogspot.com to have Nikki design your blog. She does an amazing job quickly, and once again this month CUS will benefit!

* $5 off autumn themed designs before September 15th! *

Winny and the Rescue Home

2010-08-31T18:29:00.000-07:00

Hellen recently travelled to Northern Uganda where she received a call from a villager explaining to her that one of her former students was sick and in danger. The girl was Winifred, affectionately known as "Winny". Winny is an 18 year old orphan who is from the district of Apac in Northern Uganda. She travelled to Kampala a few years ago, in search of a better life. After living on the streets and suffering frequently from illnesses and lack of proper care, she found CUS. She was a bright student despite not having studied in school before, and was slowly coming out of her shell. After the exam period, the school went on holidays for the term break. As the majority of the students do, she went back to her home village for the holidays. Unfortunately, Winny failed to ever return to school.

For the majority of the students who do not return, it is because their families have decided to permanently return to their ancestral villages in Northern Uganda. The area no longer suffers from rebel attacks, but extreme poverty is still wide spread and life is difficult. The children lucky enough to go to school must go to village schools where there is one teacher for up to three hundred students! Many of them end up dropping out to work on their family's gardens or find other dangerous and ill paying jobs.

Many of the girls face a far worse situation. Bride price is still common in Uganda where the husbands family must pay the girls family to marry her. This is often done in livestock or property, and the family will negotiate until they decide how many cows or how much land the girl is worth. Because of this, orphan girls are seen as assets. They can work as servants in the home taking care of babies, cleaning, and cooking. When they then become old enough, they can be sold for marriage or into prostitution, and forced to give all their earnings to their host family.

Winny is just one of the many girls who had to live through this. She was forced to marry a much older man and work for him in his garden. Everyday she would wake up before sunrise and worked long after the sun had set. The vegetables she grew provided little money for the family, and usually the money that was earned would be spent on alcohol by her husband. She was regularly beaten by her husband and had no say in anything concerning her. In 2010, Winny was a slave.
Winnny and her nine-month old son, Shadrack.

There are currently twenty four girls at CUS who are being sexually and physically abused and/or are at risk of being trafficked into slavery, just like Winny was. Thirteen of these girls are on an urgent list, with the youngest girl being nine years old.

The school's mission statement is the following: " To contribute to the well being and strength of vulnerable children and families through education, advocacy, and promotion of income generating activities".

These twenty four girls in our school desperately need someone to advocate for them, and continue to educate and train them so that they can have a brighter future free of abuse and poverty. We can no longer continue to watch our girls disappear into slavery or watch their futures slip through their hands as they are physically and mentally crushed by abuse.

Out of this urgent need we are creating the Hope Home & Rescue Center for Girls!

Our mission is to provide a safe living space to abused girls to enable them to continue their academic pursuit. We beleive each girl has the opportunity to accomplish her dreams only if she is nutured, loved, and free from any and all forms of abuse.

Five Critical Start Up Needs

Betty and Rebecca, at Didi's World June 2009.

7 Day Countdown!

2010-08-30T17:27:00.000-07:00

There are only seven days left until all the students are back in school. Wouldn't it be great if all the students had a place to sit and learn off of the dirt floor, and that we could accept even more children?

This could be a reality, but only with your help! The school needs 7 more desks (3 have already been purchased) which will accommodate another 21 children! Each desk seats three children and will give them the opportunity to concentrate on their school work and keep them off the ground. This will not only keep them clean, but also give them the dignitiy of learning on the same level as their classmates.

Please consider purchasing a new desk for the school for only $16! Your gift will help ensure that each child at CUS has a proper seat from which they can learn their daily lessons.

**Pictures of the desks and the students return to school will be posted the following days after September 6th.**

Back To School!

2010-08-25T17:02:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again when everyone is getting ready to go back to school. The school year in Uganda starts in January, but the kids are now on their term holiday until September 6th. This means another 11 days until their back in school! (The primary 7 students start on Monday)

The nursery, P.1, P.2, and P.3 are lacking adequate desks. The number of children attending school is always on the rise, however the ministry of education has warned that there has to be seating for each child or they will not be allowed to attend. We need another 30 seats to accommodate the children already in school and for the new students who will be joining school on September 6th for the first time.

Each desk costs $16 and can seat three children, so a total of 10 desks are needed.

Please consider buying a desk for the school. Your gift will allow three children to stay in school and provide them with a seat instead of sitting on the dirt floor!

Please use the donate link on the right hand side of the page for the amount you would like to contribute for desks.

$16= 1 desk=3 children

$32=2 desks=6 children

$48=3 desks=9 children

Only 5 desks left needed!

Baby Class Update: Only 6 boys left!

2010-08-16T21:01:00.001-07:00

We have six little boys still waiting for a sponsor. The school is now on holidays until September 6th. Let's try and be able to give these adorable boys some good news when they return to school! If you are interested in sponsoring one of them, please send an e-mail to cuschool@live.ca with the child you choose. It is only $35/year and

will go towards helping an amazing child and their school!

Wandega Benjamin

Seruga Ivan

Semuju Steven

Okello Patrick

Ochepa Augustine

Nsuguga Christopher

Social Justice in Uganda

2010-08-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

I encourage you all to head over to Blogs for a Cause where CUS is featured for it's Social Justice Saturdays. Education should be available and mandatory for all children, but unfortunately this isn't the case for many children in Uganda and around the world. Often times, it is not only poverty that keeps children out of school, but an aspect about them such as their tribe, ethnic background, religion, gender, or if they have any disabilities.

http://madebynikki.blogspot.com/2007/08/regardless-of-your-tribe.html

iGive

2010-08-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

iGive is a fantastic fundraising website for charities, which Christian Upliftment School is now a part of!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with iGive, it is a network of people and online stores who have partnered to support more than 30,000 different causes.

To become part of iGive, you first must set up an account and download their tool bar. Every time you search the web, 0.01 cent will be donated to CUS. It's great because you can still use google and your searches will be accounted for. They are also affiliated with a wide range of stores such as Amazon and Ebay(along with 700+ others) and everytime you purchase something through them, a small percentage will again be donated to the school. To make things even better, if you join and shop within the next 45 days- an automatic $5 will be donated to the school!

Please consider becoming a part of iGive by going to igive.com and singing up. Remember to look for Christian Upliftment Primary school. (We can be found under the sections of Child/Youth and Province of Quebec)

The easiest thing to do is to spread the word wherever you can. With so many people shopping online, and almost everyone using their search engine- it is the easiest fundraiser possible, but it will take everyone to make it a success!

Thank You CJAD!

2010-08-02T08:33:00.001-07:00

Last night I was a guest speaker on the CJAD radio station with Father John Walsh, speaking about CUS and my experiences in Uganda. I was very nervous to be speaking on the radio for the first time, but that quickly dissolved once the conversation began. It was a great opportunity to share information about the school and the goals we have.

Thank you Father John Walsh and anyone who tuned in, to hear about our great school in Uganda!

Baby Class Sponsorship Challenge

2010-07-20T13:24:00.000-07:00

There are 32 children in baby class, and there are 14 children left who are looking for a sponsor! Here are just two cuties who are still in need of a sponsor.

Ochepa Augustine is 5 years old and enjoys singing, football and volleyball.

Nakalema Patricia is 5 years old and enjoys high jump, hide and seek, and swimming.

To sponsor one of these children please send an e-mail to cuschool@live.ca with the child you would like to sponsor. For more baby class children, please visit their page at http://www.cuschool-babyclass.blogspot.com/

Optometrist Wanted

2010-07-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

CUS is looking for an optometrist who is willing to volunteer for one or two days in February checking the eyesight of around 25 children(possibility of more).

If anyone knows or is an optometrist in the Kampala area, or anyone there visiting and would like to donate their talent to check out some of the kids please contact cuschool@live.ca

Thank You!

Emergency Fundraiser: Mobile Clinic

2010-05-18T09:07:00.000-07:00

CUS has received a donation from a sponsor to cover a nurse's salary, the only thing missing is the necessary medicines and equipment!

The school would like to build a permanent clinic in the future, but until then a mobile clinic will suffice and is desperately needed.

As we know in Hellen's case, malaria is not a joke. Despite Hellen's current situation, she was lucky to be tested early on and have access to the public hospital in town. For many of the students, this is not possible. Not only do they lack funds, but going to a clinic outside of their community is not an option. Before Hellen was sick, a P.7 student was sick with malaria and stayed home. Her relatives left her home all day without food and water, and to "sweat it out." Hellen would bring her some juice and food after school and check up on her. This is not a rare case but more of a daily occurrence. Many of the children also have worms, as I found out on my last trip, which is treatable with two doses of antibiotics.

The cost of malaria vaccinations, is around $4.

What can you buy for that amount? I bought a brownie box mix and some icing a few

days ago. It's hard to believe that these two pictures actually go together.

With this emergency fundraiser, $500 will go towards buying medicine and treating sick children. We can only accomplish this goal is we all work together. Please donate what you can, and do not underestimate what a mere $4 can do!

Shop Avon and support CUS!

2010-05-17T20:36:00.000-07:00

Maureen is a sponsor with CUS school and an Avon representative. She has set up an Avon fundraiser and all the proceeds will go to benefit the school! Avon has always been in my home due to the high quality of their products. I can remember being excited from a young age when the Avon lady would come to our door with a closed white bag of goodies for my mom! If your not familiar with Avon they have a wide range of products from makeup, fragrances, skin care, house hold goods, and much more.

This fundraiser is open to American residents only. It will run from May 18th until June 11th, 2010. It is super easy to take part in it.

Go to : http://maureenfrancis.avonrepresentative.com/

Click on Online Events.

Click shop "Shop My Online Event".

When you're finished, check out.

Do NOT forget to add in the promotional code during checkout- LUV4CUS

Please help spread the word to help make this fundraiser a success!

Emergency Fundraiser: $2000

2010-05-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

As you all are aware, Hellen has been suffering from a severe case of malaria for the past few months now. She has been in critical condition, until recently, although she continues to feel dizzy and requires blood tests.

Mandy Stinnett Adkins, who is the executive director for The Alliance of Youth Achievement, has just returned from a two week visit to Uganda where she visited the school. She reported that Hellen has been living in the office, which is not completed as she was evicted from her home. The money sent for Hellen's bills collected from some sponsors, has often been stretched to also continue to feed hungry children, despite the money being raised for her. She truly is an angel.

Unfortunately though, Hellen and her family's situation is critical right now. On Mandy's visit they were evicted from their home and do not have the money to feed themselves, and the school's food supply is running extremely low. The children will be returning to school very soon as they were on their term break, and it is urgent that they be able to eat at school as well as pay the teacher's salaries.

We have decided to set up an emergency fundraiser to raise $2000 asap.

The money will be divided as follows:

$500 will feed the entire school for two and a half months.

$500 will be spent to cement the floor in the office, and start plastering.

$500 will be spent to open a small school clinic **

$250 will be sent to Hellen for her families needs such as food, medicine, and rent.

$250 will be sent for teacher's school salaries.

We can reach this goal quickly if everyone helps. We need 100 people to commit to donating just $20. If you can't do that, please don't hesitate to donate what you can- every little bit helps.

**If you read this yesterday this goal was missing. I had forgotten somehow to type it up. We do have future plans to build a clinic, but until then will hire a nurse(we have the nurse's salary donated from a sponsor) and will use this money to buy medication and equipment needed to run a 'mobile' clinic.

Montreal Council of Woman

2010-04-21T15:57:00.000-07:00

I would like to say a huge thank you to the Montreal Council of Woman for having me and my friend Kayla speak on behalf of CUS today.

We raised $200 in jewellery and apron sales which will be sent to the school this week, and also have many people interested in having us speak at their church or school. This is a great opportunity to let people know the amazing work CUS is doing and how they can help and get more involved.

We have also made a great connection with a woman doing work in Kenya that may be able to help us getting sewing machines for our Primary 7 students. We are working on setting up a youth development centre, where our P.6 and P.7 students will make all of our items for sale (i.e more necklaces, aprons, purses, clothing, baby blankets, etc). The money will then go into a savings funds which will be used to pay their secondary school fees. This project will only be initiated after a few others are finished, but it was great to have people so interested in helping kick start it!

We also have a meeting with a notary this week to finnish up some steps to becoming a registered charity. More on this as soon as I have some news.

Exam time

2010-04-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

Then end of the term will be ending at the end of this month, and it is important for the children to take their exams. The exams are government exams, and are therefore recongnized and useful to the students.

It costs $150 for all the children's exams from nursery-P.6. This comes out to be less than one dollar per child. The majority of the parents however, are unable to afford this and turn to the school to help pay for it.

If you would like help cover your sponsor child's exam fees you can make a donation of any amount using the chip in link on the right.

Black School Shoes

2010-04-10T08:57:00.000-07:00

A little while ago, I wrote a post about collecting black school shoes for the CUS students.

We now have 9 pairs from sizes 5 to 3. I will bring these shoes with me on my trip to Uganda, which you can learn more about here:

http://kate4uganda.chipin.com/volunteering-in-uganda

If you have any shoes you would like to donate please send an e-mail to cuschool@live.ca

We need all sizes for boys and girls!

Side links

2010-03-26T10:42:00.000-07:00

As you can see, the side links on the right will bring you to a classrooms page. Here you can see all the children in the classroom, as well as their sponsorship status. All of their pictures and biographies will be complete this weekend so keep checking back.

We have a bunch of new kids coming to school, and in baby class we have 29 new (adorable) faces!

Nursery Student Video

2010-03-15T20:32:00.000-07:00

I hope you will all take a moment and watch this adorable video of our nursery students. This was the first day we visited, and as you can see, they were SO excited. They truly are beautiful and smart children, and each child has so much potential. Please help us build them the classrooms they deserve.

The kids are really counting on us all to do so little so they can have brighter futures. Remember that everything helps, even $5 goes a long way in Uganda!

www.cuschool.chipin.com/school-reconstruction

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSJ1kwYTULU

Update from Hellen

2010-03-12T09:34:00.000-08:00

I heard from Hellen this morning. She is doing better and has gained more of an appetite and can now keep food down. She is still on bed rest however as she cannot walk without feeling dizzy and falling down.

She thanks everyone for their prayers and donations, she is extremely grateful for all the help she has received.

I will keep everyone updated!

Chipin'

2010-03-06T15:11:00.000-08:00

If you haven't noticed, there is now a "chip in" donation link on the right side of this page, to raise money to build the nursery classrooms. I took off the fundraising thermometer, and with chipin, it has one built in. This way it will be easy for everyone to keep track of donations and see just how close we are to getting the classrooms built!

There are so many reasons that these permanent classrooms are so desperately needed. These are the top five "physical" reasons why reconstruction is so important.

*The structure is not secure, and with heavy rains and winds, or should there ever be a natural disaster, the school would collapse.

*Termite infestation. There are wooden planks in the school which seperate the classrooms. These planks are infested with termites, and the desks are getting eaten too.

*Security. The school is easy to be broken into and has already been robbed of food, books, and desks. With already limited supplies, our students need everything available to them to be at school.

*Flooding. Currently, the school's nursery section continues to be flooded and mudded in. The roof is leaky and the chilly weather makes the children sick. The stagnant water all around the school is a breeding zone for mosquitoes carrying diseases such as malaria and yellow fever.

*Space. It is cramped, and with three levels being taught in one classroom, it isn't working out so well! In the picture below you can see P.1 behinde me, you can see a teacher teaching at the blackboard. There is no 'sound control', which disturbs P.2 students the most as their studies become more intense and they need that silence to help concentrate(P.2 is the last classroom in this building, behinde P.1).

It is easy for us to overlook the importance of nursery and i'm sure many of you have never even went to nursery class. To some it seems a bit pointless and unnecessary, and that may be true in some cases. But for CUS, this is probably the most important grade and it really is the foundation of each child's future educational path.

Nursery is also set up differently in Uganda. I know i've repeated this a lot, but it's confusing if your not familiar with Uganda's education system.

Baby Class is for children 3-4 years old and can be compared to our Nursery

Middle Class if for children 5-6 years old and can be compared to our Kindergarten.

Top Class is for children 7-8 years old and can be compared to our Grade One.

There are numerous problems that come with having these classes merged as one. The biggest challenge is keeping up to date with each child and their progress. It is easy for children to "slip through the cracks" as right now the cracks are huge holes. If a child is shy, falling behind, or has any serious problems at home, it is hard for the teacher to be able to recognize it with so many students in the class. The children who are still weak in a subject, may be pushed to the next grade unprepared. There they may have even more difficulty keeping up, and choose to drop out of school to

I think chip in really defines the school's fundraising efforts. It really is all about people chipping in what they can, that makes a difference! As we have seen in the past, if everyone comes together and does just a little..amazing things happen!

Some fun facts

$100 from 107 people...will get all three classrooms built.

$35 from 50 people...will finnish the foundation for all three classrooms.

$19 from 1 person... will purchase one blackboard for a classroom.

Please help spread the word and feel free to post the chip in link on your facebook, blog, etc.

Landslide and Rain

2010-03-05T12:51:00.000-08:00

If you haven't already heard, there has been a landslide killing 80 people in Eastern Uganda, in the district of Bududa. Another 300 missing persons are presumed dead. Homes have been completely destroyed and they have set up a "tent camp" for the people to live in for now. Please keep them in your thoughts.

In Kampala, it has been raining everyday for the past three weeks. The nursery class, P.1 and P.2, has been badly flooded as the building is on a slope and the roof is leaking. The children come to school and are being divided into different areas- the half completed office, and in the other buiding(where P.3-P.7 is). This is another reminder of why the permanent classrooms are so deperetely needed. One of the immediate needs the teachers are requesting for the students, are sweaters. Many of the children are sick due to the cold weather and because of all the water, malaria is on the rise. Mosquitos breed in stagnant water, and with all the rain there is plenty of that around.

The sweaters are hand made by the mothers and are the school colors. For a child in Nursery to Primary 3 they are $7.50, and for a child in Primary 4-Primary7 they are $9. You can purchase one by using the link on the right. Please specify your sponsor child's name. If you would like to purchase more than one(and possibly for children without a sponsor) please contact me at apacschool@hotmail.com

One item that would be great to send your sponsor child is a rain poncho. These are usually packed tighly and do not take a lot of space and can fit into a small padded envelope. I think you can purchase them at the dollarstore too. For such a cheap price consider picking up two, that way your sponsor child and his or her buddy without one can have one too have one!

$75 has now been raised towards Hellen's hospital fund! She still needs $65 to completely clear her bills, so if anyone would still like to make a donation, please do so. When she is well enough she will update everyone on how she's doing.

Blog renovations

2010-03-03T12:34:00.000-08:00

First of all, $60 was raised to go towards Hellen's hospital expenses yesterday. A big thank you from Hellen to those two sponsors, and if anyone is still willing to donate please do so! $140 is still needed to cover her bills. She is still very weak and her family is caring for her. Continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Hopefully some news of complete recovery will be coming soon!

Her brother Innocent, who is a teacher at CUS, has been working extra hard to help Hellen as well as manage the school. He's done a fantastic job so far I must say, and we now have an official class list for each class and have implemented the attendance sheets at the school.

I will be making some updates to this blog this week, which will include a link to each class(p.1,p.2, etc) For each class you can learn more about their curriculum, class needs, and all the children in the class plus their sponsorship status!

Help Hellen

2010-02-28T18:23:00.000-08:00

As you are all aware, Hellen is in the hospital recovering from malaria. She was suppose to be released earlier, but her condition did not improve much so they decided to keep her there. She is now eating on her own which is really great.

Because of her emergency condition her family rushed her to a private hospital, expecting to pay for one days stay. In Uganda, you have to pay for everything. This includes accommodation, all your medical needs and treatments, doctors fees, and food.

She owed the hospital $280 and is being put on bed rest for one month at home. If anyone would like to help cover the cost of her hospital bills Hellen would be extremely grateful, as would I. I sent a doantion of $80 yesterday, which leaves $200 needed. We all know how much she does for the school and her community and we can now be a huge help to Hellen in her time of need. She also has to cover the cost of rent and food for her family this month and next, and with the hospital fees this is not possible.

To make a donation please use the Donate link on the right. All money will be transfered to Uganda the moment we get the amount needed, and I will let everyone know.

Quality Education in Uganda

2010-02-27T17:56:00.001-08:00

I'm posting an interesting article that I just stumbled upon, which I hope everyone will read. The need for quality education for poor children is really the only way their futures will look brighter. By reconstructing the school, we hope these CUS kids will lead the way for generations to come! A lot of work has to be done, but we have already started to pave the road.

I have been communicating with Hellen who is feeling much better, but will be put on bed rest at home for 2-4 weeks. She is still weak and her condition is not fully stable so please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers. She appreciates everyone and sends you all her love.

www.allafrica.com

Kampala — THE theme of this year's Liberation Day, "A lot done, a lot still to do," is very true for the education sector. A fundamental achievement of the NRM Government was the introduction of free Universal Primary Education in 1996.

Consequently, the number of children going to primary school went up dramatically, from about three million in 1996, to 7.7 million in 2008. Later in 2007, the Government introduced Universal Secondary Education, with similar benefits. On tertiary education, the number of universities went up from one in 1986, to 23 at the end of 2008. Consequently, university enrolment went up from a few thousand in 1986, to 96,000 in 2008.

However, all indications are that quality education in Uganda is now a preserve of the rich. According to a New Vision survey, most of the secondary schools, where more than half the students pass in Division One at O' level, charge in excess of sh500,000 in tuition fees per term. This is out of reach for the majority of Ugandans.

The implication is that the poor will either not proceed with secondary education, or will go to poor schools where they are unlikely to pass in Division One. Most of the 143 schools that have not passed any students in Division One are upcountry and in rural areas, where they are attended by low-income earners.

This is unfortunate because education is vital for improving living standards. When the poor cannot access good education, they remain trapped in poverty. At the same time, the rich, who get better education, are able to get better employment and improved standards of living. This results in a growing disparity between the rich and the poor. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

While a lot has been done in terms of numbers, a lot still needs to be done to provide quality education for the poor.

The Alliance for Youth Achievement is a registered USA non profit which has been helping CUS when they can, for a number of years. They have accepted to act as the "umbrella organization" to accept donations for the reconstruction of the school! This means for all American residents you will be able to get a tax receipt for your donation.

To make a donation you can do so online by going to:

www.allforyouth.org/HowtoHelp.html

Or by sending a cheque to:

AYA

P.O. Box 6634

Maryville, TN

37802

**Please specify that it is for Christian Uplifment School Reconstruction

Please e-mail me at apacschool@hotmail.com so we can keep track of your donation, and keep updating our fundraising thermometer!

Hellen

2010-02-25T06:55:00.001-08:00

I am very happy to let you all know, I spoke with Hellen this morning and she is still in the hospital but has woken up! She will be staying there again today as doctors fear she could slip into a coma. She reports feeling better and is on the IV drip and medication. She thanks everyone for their prayers and asks you to continue praying for her until she is released from the hospital.

What's been going on?

2010-02-24T09:19:00.000-08:00

Hellen has been suffering from malaria for the last month, and was on medication to treat her illness. Yesterday, she fainted in town and is now in the hospital unconscious. Please keep Hellen in your thoughts, and allow her plenty of recuperation time.

Other news affecting the school:

It has been raining non stop in Kampala. Two communities have been completely flooded in and everyone was forced to move out. Rain and mud are everywhere, and the forecast is showing for another week of heavy rain. This is just another reminder of why it is so imporant to rebuild the school. The children would be able to attend class despite the rain, and this would allow them to not fall behind in their studies.

We have also been working on getting a program running for our secondary students. This is very exciting and will be such an important program for the kids who graduate. The purpose of this program will be to award scholorships to CUS graduates who pass their P.7 leaving exam. Without the program, these children will be forced to quite their studies and be put to work ill paying and dangerous jobs.

I will keep everyone updated on Hellen's condition.

The start of a new beginning

2010-02-12T08:38:00.000-08:00

This photo was taken of the school a few years ago. Since then, there have been some small changes to the condition of the school. The lower grades, nursery-p.3 , are in one building and p.4-p.7 in another. The problem that remains is that there are no real classrooms. They now have some wood pieces that seperates the classrooms, but this dosn't stop the noise from travelling.
If you haven't already watched this, I filmed this video last June in Uganda. You will be be able to get a glimpse of what the classrooms are like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTGdwnB-JAo

Here are some of our older students in class. The classrooms here are once again seperated just by planks of food, offering no real barier. The roof on this building is also a lot less sturdy and when it rains or is very windy, children do not attend class.

It's time to build some real classrooms! We have a jump start in the form of a donation of $500! Here is what it costs to build 3 classrooms.

The foundation- $1,786
The walls and body-$5,086.66
Plastering, ceiling work, and windows-$3,635.27
Labor and transportation of materials-$700.

Total:11,207.93 Now:$10,707. 93

(or ~$3,569 for one permanent classroom!)

We will start by building the nursery classrooms- 1 baby classes, 1 middle classes, and 1 top classes. Each class will hold 25-30 students maximum. Because of this, we would like to build two classrooms for each grade. By having the teachers be responsible for teaching 25-30 students, compared to 45+, this will benefit not only the teacher but the students. We will also be implementing an attendace sheet. The teachers will take attendance each day, and this will really help Hellen account for all the children. If any child frequently misses school, we will be able to investigate more into the reason behinde this. Right now, especially with the influx of new students, it's very easy for children to slip through the cracks, hopefully this will all soon change.

With the classrooms providing much more organization and less chaos than the school has now, this will also help our sponsorship program. Currently, Hellen is in charge of the sponsorship program in Uganda. The teachers will help the children write their letters, but she does all the updating and giving out letters. With the new classrooms, we will have the teacher in charge of their 30 student's sponsorship, and they will also be able to give an educational progress report.

Our goal is to be able to complete these 6 classrooms in the next 4 months! Please help us reach this goal by visiting www.christianupliftmentschool.com/rebuilding

It's not about a few people giving plenty, it's about plenty of people giving what they can!

School shoes

2010-02-08T13:50:00.000-08:00

When CUS first started as a school, it could be described more as a drop in education center. There were a few teachers and many children who came and went. Many children would come one day a week, and work the rest of the week. The school also had no policy on clothing and the children were able to were their "house"clothes and flip-flops, or no shoes at all, to school. In other schools this is a strict requirement, no uniform or shoes means no school. Hellen realised that the parents and guardians were unable to afford even the most basic school supplies, like pencils and erasers, uniforms and shoes would be out of the question.

As the years went by and the school gained more support, small changes soon started making a big impact. For one, the land the school was renting was purchased which gave a little extra cash flow to the school. The children soon started receiving a small meal of breakfast or lunch. Another teacher was hired, and grades were formed. Uniforms remained a big topic because of the high level of respect a student is given when wearing one. The community members did not beleive their children were receiving a good education because they didn't have uniforms, and therefore it was a waste of time. We decided to raise money for uniforms and include it in the sponsorship fee. It was definitely a great choice! When I visited Uganda in June, the children were so proud in their uniforms. And the children without one, well that's all they wanted. With bags full of treats, they would instead ask for a uniform with a huge grin on their face.

Uniforms are made by local woman and at a great price. They do a great job with them, and they fit the children beautifully. It's the shoe situation that's not so great. The quality of shoes in Uganda is rather poor. $1 flip flops will last a life time , yet school shoes will fall apart quickly. There are two types of school shoes, the cheap ones($4-$10) and the expensive ones ($15-20). Although if you pay a bit more the quality is better, they are still not all that great.

I have decided to start a "shoe drive for school shoes!" I will bring all the shoes collected with me this summer when I visit Uganda, and we plan on taking a day to match each child with a pair of shoes.

Shoes do not have to be new, as long as they do not have any holes or rips, gently used is fine. The color must be black, or close to it, and no high heels. The children benefitting are between 3-16 years old, with a focus on children 6-10 years old(I think thats around size 5-12?)

If you include your name in the shoe with your e-mail address, I will do my best to e-mail you a photo of the child who received your shoes. This will probably not be your sponsor child as they may not correspond with the size you sent, but i'm sure it will be neat to see who's wearing the shoe's you donated:) A donation of $2 would be appreciated to cover the cost of shipping them to Uganda. I'm estimating we will need 2-3 extra suitcases just for the shoes, and each extra luggage is usally $25-$50.

Please spread the word in your church, school, work, etc! My friend has made a flyer for me to collect locally, but if you are interested in having your own collection we would be more than happy to make your own flyers. Please just leave a comment.

Current needs and new children

2010-02-04T15:58:00.000-08:00

Since the term opened on February 1^st, the number of children returning and wanting to join school has grown significantly each day. It has been hard to meet all of their needs, and food has been drastically low. The school has been warned on taking in too many children, but once these children are turned away it is highly unlikely they will go to another school (all others require students to buy a uniform), and they will end up working.

These are the following things Hellen and the staff is requesting help on to finnish up asap.

The ministry of education and sports is requesting that we update our registration and license to run as an educational facility. They will give the school a number, and by having all documents up to date it will keep us from being threatened with closure. This will also allow us to continue with other projects without having to get approved by the ministry, such as when we start constructing a permanent building or do any medical related programs. Cost: $275.00

We have two extra classrooms that are not in use. One is a temporary classroom for the street children, and the other is the office. Because of the high turn up of children this term, we would like to accommodate as many as we can. We are now in the process of identifying the children most in need, which includes children who have never been in school and orphans. To complete the classrooms we need to purchase more desks and school supplies. One desks fits three students at the cost of $19.20.

Completing the office would be a huge blessing. Although we hope one day the school will be in it's own permanent building and we can use the office as an office, until then we will be using it as another classroom. There are so many children in need of an education, making space for them rather than turning them away seems like a better plan. The remainding costs to complete the office which includes plastering, painting, cementing, and putting on doors where there are none is $880.00

Schools supplies is as follows:

24 Pens-$2.73

80 Pencils-$5.46

Math Set(P.4-P.7 Students)-$1.64/each

3 reams(1,500 sheets) of duplicating paper for tests, homework, and awnser sheets:$11.47

*Toilet paper-$1.97/ for 7

*Children are required to bring their own, however considering they are unable to, it would help them out tremendously if the school provide it.

You may remember this picture I posted a while back telling the stories of some of the street children and those who were not in school.

We have had almost all of these children(plus in the other photos) return to school. We are working on extra classrooms as mentioned above and for now the most desperate ones come to receive a meal and basic lessons. One boy in particular has stood out and he is now registered as a full time student! He is the second boy on the bottom row, in the orange striped shirt.

His name is Muwanguzi Samuel and he was unsure of his DOB or age. He has parents who work odd jobs and do not care for him, so he is often wandering the streets until late at night. He is thrilled to be in school, and he spends most of his free time on the school's merry-go-round!

I had promised to put up the new(and old) children who were in need of a sponsor on the website. I put them up on facebook first, and i'm thrilled to say they all found sponsors! There were some children from last year who are still in need and we have many new children, so there will continue to be children in need of a sponsor! Here is one of our girls on the urgent list..

Name: Kisakye Joan
DOB:the 4/4/2007
Ambition:Teacher
Hobbies:Dancing, eating, running.

History: Joan lives with her humble parents who are very poor because they don't have any source of income and life is very hard for them. They have just been evicted out of their small one room home, because they could not manage to pay their rental bills. They are now homeless and their situation is very desperate. Joan will go to baby class which she is very happy about.

Dedication

2010-02-03T10:33:00.000-08:00

Over the holidays, the teachers and Hellen all put a bit of money together to paint the school! They show so much dedication to our students, and felt that painting the school would give the children pride in attending.

Dosn't it look great!?

How far does education take one?

2010-01-30T21:22:00.000-08:00

I have had some e-mails asking if CUS is affiliated with the new group aiding the woman of Kireka and if/how their sponsor child's mother can take part.

We are not affiliated and the school remains focused on educating the children. We did however, have the intentions of starting a program for IGPs. It did not work for several reasons.

The same problems arose as to why we had to close the online shop at one point.
Jealousy is a big concern. It's one thing for children to be jealous and hurt that they are not receiving anything- it's another when the whole community becomes involved. Every child in our school is "needy" but some are much needier than others. For example, one girl received numerous gifts each month-many that she simply did not need. At the same time, families
who were in much more desperate situations received nothing. Some people said God cursed them and blessed the ones who received plenty. Others said the school was favoring children. It's not that the community is not kind and happy for others, you have to put yourself in their shoes. It must be hard when you see someone's child receiving a new toothbrush and mouthwash every month, while your own daughter's teeth are falling out at age 12.

The "Happy But Poor African Village" that is helpful for any support, couldn't be further from the truth. While I visited Uganda this June, I met many appreciative parents and community members. I also saw a much darker world than I could ever imagine. The community is made up of IDPs from Northern Uganda, who have all suffered from the war. When I say suffer, I mean so much more than suffer. I mean cutting family members limbs off, being rapped, etc. I can't begin to imagine, and I am not even equipped to imagine. I can understand why some community members did not 'rejoice' that I was there, I certainly wasn't there when they had to go through their nightmare-why show up now? Alcoholism is an epidemic. I saw one of our own nursery children with a bottle of Ugandan rhum, just walking around with no place to go. Alcohol, angry people, and children do.not.mix.

We planned on starting a few families with IGPs. We identified 3 families, had no funding yet but wanted to meet the families. We first visited the home of a sponsored child, who's family would receive an IGP. What wonderful family they were. The aunt was raising all of her late brothers children as her own. The children were all HIV+. This was definetly our first family to help! As I spoke with the sponsored child in private and told her that her sponsor was paying for her family to raise chickens, she did not seemed pleased. She opened up about the abuse-every kind imaginable, that goes on in her home. She told me that her younger brother, was sent back to the bush because he continually wet his bed at night, and was told if he wanted to be an animal to go and live with them. Her remaining brother, is not given his HIV medication anymore. The 30 minute walk to the free clinic was too much for the family to waste on him. She asked for the money that was to be used on the IGP, to be used on her school fees for high school (in 3 years). With the promise from her sponsor, she has since been doing much better in school although she still has room for improvement in math! She knows it is not over after primary school, and that her future is bright. There is possibilities outside the slums. I think this run off of the origional quote rings so true to the vision we have for the students.

"Give a man a fish he eats for a day.Teach a man to fish he eats for a lifetime. Educate a man, he opens a seafood restaurant."

After our children graduate, we can get them IGP with their familes. Selling chickens, like the 20 neighbours already do. Sewing uniforms, which will make less work for the already trained woman we have and provide them with less income.

I once asked Hellen why the ladies do not sell the beautiful tablecloths they make in their market. She laughed, Ugandan girls learn to sew in school and that there was no market for it there. They already have it and do not need it.

Do I think IGPs are great- I think they are fantastic. I think that they work, when there is someone on the ground continually checking up and working with the families.Especially in this community, where it is very rough. Someone who knows what works, and what dosn't. Hellen is not equipped to deal with every problem. She is not an alcoholic councelor or mental health specialist. She is a teacher. When she teaches the children listen. They have so much respect for her, I felt like I was in the presence of one of history's great people when she worked with the children. That is what she does, and she does it well.

In conclusion, I think that if there is a group working with identifying, following up, a social worker(because as I learned there are some great sob stories and the children are the ones to suffer in the end) and all the other procedures for opening an IGP, certain members of this community will benefit. If not, it will be repeated stories of money for alcohol, sewing machines traded in,children pulled out of school to help work, and people suddently moving.

The school also has it's own IGP, which is part of the feeding program. Corn, sugar cane, chickens, vegetables, are some of the things the school is growing and raising. Some of the matured items are sold for school fees and the rest is consumed by the students. We always need donations for more food however, as the prices rise with the number of mouths to feed. There are times when families have the ability to feed their child, but simply do not as a form of abuse. If this is considered the school's "hand out"-we will continue to hand out and fill those empty bellies!

F.A.Q

2010-01-30T15:36:00.000-08:00

The school is always looking for new ways to improve our sponsorship program for both the sponsor and sponsored child. Our focus remains on providing the children with educational opportunities they wouldn’t have without CUS. As of Feb 1^st 2010 these new regulations will be applied.

1.) Packages will no longer be allowed to be sent to children. We understand that as a sponsor, when you send a gift to your sponsor child you would like to receive a photo and thank you letter in return. This process has proved to be time consuming and costly and takes away from the school’s main mission which is to educate the students.

2.) We will not be taking on any new projects which are not directly related to our students current educational needs or furthering their schooling opportunities.

3.) For the protection of the children, we will no longer be disclosing any background information which is deemed as sensitive

4.) Sponsors will now receive a basic biography of their sponsor child(filled out by the sponsor child) 2-4 weeks after payment is received for their sponsorship. 1-2 letters after that can be guaranteed each year.

Many people have sponsored the same child for a few years, while others find that their child leaves school soon after sponsorship. I can understand that this is frustrating and confusing for a sponsor as you may think that you are providing them with the things they need to stay in school. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. All of the students at CUS come from poor backgrounds, some worse off than others. Drought causing failed crops and inflated food prices is common, while the cost of living and accommodation continues to rise. For a family with no income, sick parents, or a family completely made up of children, these circumstances are a heavy burden. With the school’s food program, we are able to provide the children with a light breakfast and lunch each day, and provide one meal to desperate community members who include pregnant woman, sick people, street children, etc. For the past month however, this has changed as we have not been able to run our weekend feeding center due to lack of donations, and our students are now only receiving one meal. Our students even prior to this, are forced to work at least part time to be able to feed their families, buy household items, and pay for rent. We always encourage them to come to school, but also realise that while their school fees are met- they must provide for the needs of the families.

Why not start a sponsorship program which provides for the child's needs? CUS is commited to educating the children of Kireka, as we beleive this is the long term solution to creating brighter futures for them. While many large organizations do great work by providing aid to families, our goal has never been, and will never be, to get the children into any type of aid program where they receive assitance each month to "just get by." Our goal is to continue working hard to provide quality education to our students, with the intention of having them reach secondary school and from there we hope more opportunities will open and we can see them all the way to university!

This year, we have 5 children(2 girls, 3 boys) who all passed their P.7 leaving exams with flying colors and are ready to go to secondary school!

By providing assistance through the school that the children are in need of, they are more likely to stay in school and do well! These programs are making a world of difference for keeping our kids in school,

The Feeding Program. www.christianupliftmentschool.com/food_sponsorship

Our Completed Washrooms!

Donations to support the school's urgent needs:

Text books, desks, toilet paper, school shoes.

The start of a new school year!

2010-01-29T08:17:00.000-08:00

On February 1st, the school opens up for first term. By tomorrow night, all the children in need of a sponsor will be on the school's website at www.christianupliftmentschool.com

Let me introduce to you two girls who are in need of a sponsor. If you would like to sponsor them before they are up on the website, please contact me at apacschool@hotmail.com

Name: Angella Florence

DOB:5/4/1994

Hobbies:Netball, Singing, and Dancing.

Ambition:Nurse

History: Angella comes from the Karamojong tribe in North-eastern Uganda. Education opportunities for girls are limited and frowned upon. Girls are seen as carrying wealth when they are married off. The potential husband’s family must pay the girl’s family in cows. Angela’s parents died when she was in P.3, and after that she was pulled out of school to live with an aunt. The aunt abused her and Angella decided to run away. She was given the opportunity to be a housemaid in Kampala but soon after she started working, the family did not pay her and continually beat her. Angella then lived on the streets begging, where she was found by CUS director Hellen Owani.

Name:Nehema Kitwi

DOB:6/4/2006

Hobbies:Playing with toys, laughing, eating.

Ambition:Nurse

History: Nehema’s father died of AIDS leaving Nehema in the care of her mother. Over the last few months, her mother’s health has been quickly deteriorating and Nehema now lives with her maternal aunt. Her aunt loves her very much, but with already such a large family already to care for she is unable to support Nehema’s school fees.

Administrative Costs

2010-01-04T16:31:00.000-08:00

All of the donations collected for the school for any and all projects- child and food sponsorships, construction, etc, all go towards their intended program. There is no adminstrative fee so 100% of donations make it right to Uganda. Ofcourse we do have administration costs and this includes:

-Computer access for Hellen
-Paper needs such as loose leaf and envelopes
-Cost of postage from Uganda and then to sponsors
-Salary payment vouchers for teachers

I try and cover most of the administrative costs as a seperate donation to the school and Hellen also pitches in. With the growing number of children(50 more confirmed to attend school as of Jan.25) the adminstrative costs also go up.

If anyone would like to make a donation to help cover some of these costs, it will be gratefully appreciated and will ensure that we can keep our programs running and not take any donations from the projects.

Here is what a donation can do!

-$5.00 will provide one week of internet time for Hellen to send photos, updates, and keep track of students marks.

-$8.20 will make one months worth of salary payment vouchers for all the teachers.

-$35 will send a package of letters(200) and goods from Uganda priority post and also insured.

-Our biggest adminstrative cost is $273. This will register the school with the ministry of education and sports in Uganda and provide them with a license and school number.

To make a donation of any amount for adminstrative costs, please go to our website or use the link on this blog. Please be sure to mark "Admin Cost"! www.christianupliftmentschool.com/donate

A Look Back at 2009

2010-01-02T20:35:00.000-08:00

Around 85% of the students at CUS were sponsored in 2009. This has been the school's most important program and is the backbone of our project. Sponsorship not only helps the running costs of the school and meets the students needs which include teacher's salaries, uniforms, and food- it provides our studnets with a one on one friendship which encourages them and gives them hope.

The school purchased 30 male chicks as an experiment to see if they would be a good income generating project. Chicks need a lot of heat and often need a heating lamp. Seeing as the school does not have any electricity, an experimental coal stove was placed in their pen.

6 months later....

The project was a success! As you can see below, some chickens were enjoyed on Christmas day.

Visit To Uganda : June 2009
200 pounds worth of school supplies and medical donations donated. 3 new good quality soccer balls purchased for the school. 1 Merry-Go-Round purchased and installed(first piece of playground equipment in the entire community). All children were taken to an excursion to the amusement park and swimming. The start of the feeding program for the neediest community members started, including those with AIDS and other illnesses, pregnant woman, and street kids.

The Washrooms

In 2009 the washrooms were completed. This includes 12 deep pit latrins which are much more sanitary than the previouse ones. It also includes a bathing unit as many of the children's hygiene goes neglected at home. Our girl students are now happy to also be able to attend school during their periods!

The Office

The school's office is now more than half way to being completed. The structure, roof, windows and doors are now all in place. The office will be used to store all the books, school supplies, and food that the school has. This is very important as theft is high and the school has been robbed more than once(desks and food). There will also be a room for a daycare for the teacher's babies who come to school. We are now missing $900 to complete the office, which includes plastering, cementing, and painting!

The Land Fund

I'm sure this is the news you are all waiting for. I'm happy to say that on December 31, 2009- We reached our goal, and have now raised $8,000 for the land!! Thank you to every single one of you who helped turn this dream into a reality. This summer on my trip to Uganda we will be meeting with the community and builders to start building the orphanage! What an amazing way to end 2009.

Goals for 2010:

-Update our sponsorship program for both sponsor and sponsor child. Have better communication for both involved.

-Construct atleast 6 new permanent classrooms for the nursery students. Two classrooms for each grade which is baby class, middle class, and top class. www.christianuplifmentschool.com/rebuilding

-Have a school nurse and provide medication to sick students for free. The nurse will also provide basic health classes.

- Improve the school's music program, by hiring a music teacher and getting more instruments. Helping the parents and guardians appreciate their child through this program by providing shows and choir at church.

-Set up an after school tutoring center for our children needing extra academic help. We would also like to set up a saturday club, were the children can play games, receive tutoring, and have a sports team all while being supervised by the staff.

-Begin construction and furnishing the orphanage.

**-Build the school in Apac-** I have put stars around this for a reason. Even though this is not the school in Kampala, it is very much the sister school. Many children leave Kampala to return to Apac, and they return to no education. The situation there is very desperate as the region has suffered from the war. Please vist http://www.apacschool.blogspot.com/

Let me tell you a bit about the fundraiser that is now going on for the Apac school. As i've learned with this amazing group, when we all get together and do what we can we can, we make so many positive things happen!

Everyday I will announce what the goal is. Each goal is to purchase something that The Apac School Project needs to build the school. Things such as bricks, cement, building tools, etc. You can help purchase an item by buying a star. Your star will include your name as well as a picture(your choice) or map of your country/city. The stars will all be hung up once the school is built in the classrooms for all the children to be able to see the amazing people that helped get them a school! At CUS, the children see their sponsors and donors as friends and extended family members. We want to be able to provide that same community feeling in Apac.

The first "star" drive will be for the Wood Preservation. We need 4 people to donate only $6! As explained above, with your donation of $6, a star will be put up in the school to honor your donation! You can choose to have only your name put on, or your photo and map. Please send photos/maps to apacschool@hotmail.com, and visit http://www.apacschool.blogspot.com/ for more information and to donate!

Countdown commences!

2009-12-31T08:52:00.000-08:00

It is 11 hours until the new year and we only have $135 left to raise! That's around, $12.50 for every hour until the new year.

Thank you , thank you, thank you, thank you!!

If you read the newsletter, I introduced you to two little boys who will be living in the orphanage. Let me introduce you to a little girl. Her name is Rehema and she is in baby class.

When I visited the school in June, she was very shy and would not smile. She seemed so sad, and then when we visited her home and mother I could see why. Her mom is very sick and is in her final stages of AIDS. Rehema is doing poorly as well. She often gets colds and skin infections. She had a huge lesion on her back that was not covered and looked like it was very painful.

When we went to Didi's World( the amusement park) I was sure that I would get a smile out of her. I held her hand as we walked up the stairs and onto the "monorail." She got on board and as everyone was screaming and excited, Rehema still looked sad.

I stayed close to her for the day and tried to get a smile, but it just wouldn't come. I was then put on nurse duty, bringing all the kids who got sick to the nurse they had on site. After that was finnished, everyone was on the dance floor(the kids LOVE to dance!)And who came running over with her arms open wide and a smile, Rehema.

In this little girl's life nothing is certain. She has never known her father and everyday she has to watch her mother suffer and listen to people talk about what will happen to her. At only four years old, she was worried and on edge, and I can completely see why. It was so good to see her enjoying herself, even just for that day. When I return to Uganda, i'm going to print the above photo. I want her to be able to remember the fun she had in a time of darkness.

I think one of the shocking things is how the children process a loved ones death. They know that their mum or dad is very sick and will most likely die. I don't know how it feels and I can't speak from any personal experience, but I can imagine it to be the most heart wrenching and sad thing that could happen to a child. On top of dealing with that, they know that once their on their own, they are completely on their own. The oldest child becomes responsible and for a child as young as 8 years old, the responsability of having a home and buying all the other needs is overwhelming. The streets are no place for a child, and with the orphange children will know that they have a home to turn to. There is a place were they can just be children and be loved. I think that knowing this, it will give them great comfort in the final days with a loved one.

$535 away!

2009-12-30T19:44:00.000-08:00

We are less than two days away from the new year, and $535 away from buying the land. Actually, as promised I will donate $300 but I need you all to help me out by contributing to the last $235 needed! That's the equivalent of 18 people giving just $13 dollars or $18 from 13 people.

I get teary thinking about how this dream has transformed over just a few months and is so close to being a reality. I really had no hope and had written it off, but it was really tearing me apart and I tried to think positive.."more land will come up soon, etc etc." Then there was the news from Hellen, I think the phone calls were always the worst because I could just hear the desperation for these abused children in her own voice. Like I mentioned on the last post, my heart and i'm sure all of yours breaks into a million pieces just hearing about the situation of some of the children. But I really can say that now it breaks just as much for the situation the dyeing mothers are in and Hellen. It's one thing to not have money to help or time to volunteer, but it's another when the person in need of help is on your doorstep. Wouldn't you do anything to go out of your way to bring them in, give them a hot meal and shower and get further help? When we were in Uganda, we were speaking with one girl who was being physically abused. My mom just started crying and crying. And then there was another little girl with a story worse than the first child. My mom cried more, and I shed some tears too. After my mom asked Hellen, "how do you do it, how can you not cry everyday and be angry and sad?" Hellen said that if she were to allow herself to break down, she would never be able to get back up. It's not just a few children, it's a sea of children. It's not a 9-5 job and there is no compensation. It could be 2 am in the morning and a woman or child comes to her home so abused there's blood everywere. This is frequent as the alcoholic rate is high, and goes hand in hand with the abuse rate. We may be able to rescue orphan children before they are even lured in by evil people, but there will still be children who will end up on Hellen's front door step in the middle of the night. My hope is that we can give them comfort by being able to tell them their new home is not only for the night, it's for life.

So please, if you are in a position to help please help us. It's not about one person doing everything, it's about everyone doing what they can. That's the great thing about this group, coming together for the children! I am so hopeful that we can close this project right at the start of the new year(maybe even while we're still in 2009?!)

LETTERS: Letters have finally arrived!! A few of them were sent regular mail and arrived today, while the majority were sent priority(after they were sent back to Hellen because of an error on the address) They took 1.5 weeks and arrived right to my front door all in tact. This service was more expensive, $35 but I think it is well worth it.

One of the sponsors sent an info sheet, and Hellen loved it. I would say 90% of the students are doing very poorly in writing and reading. When the letters are finnished, Hellen re-reads them and a lot children are completely below grade level. The teachers have a hard time keeping up, it's not that their teaching method that's wrong(as some children excel amazingly) it's that the classes are packed. For example they will have word tests, memorize and then spell and the kids will all memorize but when it comes to stringing words together they go blank. For kids who miss some days of schools, they try and slip back in without learning what they missed, so their building on broken foundation. There were 3 younger kids who completely burst into tears because they thought their sponsors wouldn't like them because they could not spell. Info sheets will be very handy!

As for the info sheet, It looked similar to this,

Favorite color:

Favorite food:

Height: (Should note there is no way of telling height or weight so it would be approximate)

Favorite animal:

Space for personal message.

I'm going to be making an info sheet and you all will be able to download it. You can print and send it to your child with a letter and/or picture, or anything else you might send and then the info sheet will be sent back to you, filled out by your sponsor child.

In the new year, there is going to be an extra hour of reading time in the morning and an hour of writting time after school. Hopefully this, along with the bigger project of rebuilding the classrooms( 2 classrooms for each grade, less children in each class and a student teacher ration of 1:25-30 kids) will help get the children's writting and reading levels up so they will be prepared for secondary school.

So keep an eye in your mail box for a letter that should be turning up soon!

Christmas Update

2009-12-28T16:41:00.000-08:00

On Christmas day it rained for the entire day and some people who live quite far from the school were not able to make it. Hellen also had malaria, but the party still went on and for those who were there, they had a great time! Chickens were slaughtered, beef was stewed, and sugary drinks were in all the children's hands.

It took Hellen 1 hour to send 4 pictures as the internet is being even slower than usual, so i'll post pictures up as they come. For now, please take a look at these!

A grandmother arrived at the party with 5 children, all who are not in school. Some of these children are mentioned on a previouse post introducing the street kids. They all work in the stone quarry to be able to feed themselves and their grandmother who is well into her 80's. Their parents died of AIDS, the father a few years ago and then more recently the mother. The grandmother wanted to know when an orphanage will be be built so her grandchildren can live there. She ended up in tears because she is so scared of what will happen to her grandchildren after she is gone. There are so many abused and abandoned children in Kireka, it is hard to beleive how anyone could harm a child. One thing that really saddens Hellen though, is the plight of mother and grandmother such as the one above. There are a few woman, mothers of CUS students, who are in their final stages of AIDS. They are so worried about what will happen to their children after they die. Hellen is in a position were she can only do so much and take in so many children(considering she has her own as well as her sisters children and an orphaned boy). It may be hard to imagine yourself as a woman dyeing of AIDS(something that is now rather managable in the developing world) and having no family or social services to take in your children after you die. Your hopes and dreams for your children's futures become non existant. But imagine yourself on the other side of the spectrum, having a dyeing lady come to your doorstep asking for help. Begging you to take in her children, offering to do anything you need- washing, cooking, cleaning, despite her being very weak and sick. She is willing to do anything up until her death for you, so you will take in her children after she dies. She will cry and hold you and plead, but you are unable to. You have little food and your house is packed and the only thing you can do is pray and send her on her way.

This is what it is like for Hellen, every single day.

I can't think of a better way to finnish this year than by buying the land. So I am asking everyone to help, just one last time.

If we can raise...

$13 from 35 people or $35 from 13 people we will be able to not only provide a home for orphaned children, we can give peace to their mothers before they pass away. Maybe you could give up a movie night for $13 or a restaurant night for $35?

If we can reach this goal,

I will donate $300 to finnish purchasing the land. It will then be sealed, stamped, and official ours!

A message from Hellen

2009-12-24T08:05:00.000-08:00

Hellen decided instead of giving the children their Christmas gifts on the 25th(day of the party at school) it would be too hectic and the children would rather arrive at school in their outfits. She has started giving some of the children their outfits and here is part of her last e-mail to me.

Thank you so much to all the sponors who are helping with Christmas. The children have started to receive their outfits, and they are so grateful. There was too much excitment especially when I bought their gift clothes and called them to make the selection. Brian Kasumba's(a sponsored child) body was just shaking and was suprised at the very exspensive clothes and moreover that they were bright and new and not second hand. The mother was equally suprised, as you know they are a very desperate family. She wanted to thank the sponsor very much for the Christmas gift. One parent commented that she had wished to buy such clothes for her child but could not afford and now started to cry i.e the mother of Adikinyi Sharon. She could not express her joy. Sharon is so happy to have her sponsor and sends her love and says thank you. Everyone in the community is now happy it is Christmas while many are usually saddened as it is a reminder of their poverty. We will have a great celebration on Christmas and I am busy preparing. The rest of the Christmas outfits need to be given as well as food items bought. I will send the rest of the photos of the children and celebration photos after Christmas. I would like to wish all the sponsors a merry christmas and may God Bless them!!"

In other news, the office has had more work done to it thanks to some donation. Windows and outer doors were put on. The office is going to be a great place to store all the books and food supplies as there is a high rate of theft, and the school has already been robbed(desks and food) in the past. Here is what Hellen says:

The office has become very beautiful and accommodative. We call it a refuge house now because in case of too much rain and storms, we can all retreat inside. The remainding needs are to plaster, cement, and paint and then it will be complete.

Christmas in Uganda

2009-12-23T06:30:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone's generosity, the Christmas party will be happening in Uganda! Hellen sent out invitations and the majority of the students will be showing up with their parents(many more than expected)!

We would like to try and raise an extra $180 in time for the party, which is in two days. We managed to reach our goal of $500 to be able to buy enough food(including meat and rice, luxury items). There are a few other items we are not able to purchase now as the priority is serving everyone a Christmas meal and so many more people will be joining in the celebration than expected. However, if anyone would like to sponsor another item or make a donation towards something, we would be SO grateful!!! To make a donation, use the donate button on the side of this page or go to our website.

Here is the list:

Balloons:$6.68

Hiring a music system:$30.41

Generator-$22.73

Cooking oil-$22

Fish $15.37

Crates of Drinks(Coke/Fanta/Juice) $84.24

I know everyone is very busy with Christmas preparations and getting everything ready for the big day. If you can find a few moments in all the hustle to help us make this Christmas even better for the community and students, we can truly make a Christmas they will always remember.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Prepration for 2010

2009-12-19T18:56:00.000-08:00

Over this past year, the school and the students have gone through amazing transformations. I will have a new years post coming up to talk a bit about that, so stay tuned. Right now though, I am busily preparing for what 2010 has in store, and there is plenty!

One of our main priorities for the new year include building an orphanage, and rebuilding the school starting with the nursery classrooms. Right now they are packed, and it is very hard to keep up with the children and very easy for them to slip through the cracks, as we have unfortunetly seen. The good news is we have a plan! The new classrooms will have 25- 30 children in each of them compared to 45-80. To be able to accomadate all the students however, two classrooms for each grade will be built. For example there will be Baby Class A and Baby Class B. Each in their own classroom with their own teacher. With the much lower student to teacher ratio it will be much easier to keep track of the students progress and for the teachers to see who is doing poorly, and help them get back on track. We really want to be able to provide quality education, one where the children will leave primary school and go to secondary, and be able to study at the same grade level as children coming from private and affluent schools.

I have some very fun fundraisers in the planning stages, and I will also be speaking to my old highschool to gain support after the holidays. One of my ideas is a auction, raffle, team event.. I will be announcing exactely what it is once the land fund is completed, but maybe you can help get us started!

We need prizes for the events to make this fundraisers as successful as can be. Please consider donating one of the following..

Books, Gift Cards, Gaming devices(Wii, Xbox, etc) Ipods, Jewellery, Hand Made Crafts, Sponsor Child gifts, Wine, etc etc.

Send me an e-mail if you can help!
apacschool@hotmail.com

Newletter delay

2009-12-13T18:58:00.001-08:00

The newsletter has been a bit delayed, so if you have not received it yet, do not panic it's on it's way!

2009-12-12T18:56:00.000-08:00

I have been working on the school's first newsletter for the past few days. It's nothing fancy but I hope you will all take some time to read it. It is also a great way to share the school with people and let them know what we're up to!

If I did not send it to you and you are a sponsor who would like to receive it, please let me know and I appologize in advance! It will be sent out most likely tommorow afternoon so if you do not receive it by tommorow night- send me an email/comment!

Land Fund Update

2009-12-11T20:06:00.000-08:00

We have 1,891.75 left to raise for the land fund. You guys are beyond words..

On October 20th we received an anonymous donation of $2,500 to put towards a down payment on the land.

On October 23rd a kind sponsor stepped it up a notch and donated $1,500 towards the land.

With these two donations we managed to purchase half of the land, with a remainding $4,000 to raise. ALL IN 3 DAYS!

From October 24th to now, (48 days later) we have raised an incredible $6,109!!

This comes from people all over the world, sponsors and just friendly people. Every donation counts and I am so grateful for everyone who decided that this project was important to them, and for being so generous. Please do not doubt that even the smallest bit of help will make a difference. It is all the 'small' donations- $5, $10, $20, etc that have managed to raise $2,109. It is all about everyone doing what they can do to help. If that is making a donation or sharing our link(www.christianupliftmentschool.com/land_fund) we appreciate it tremendously.

We are so close now to the finnish line, so please help us cross that line!

In other news:

For 2010 we have some really awesome programs and 'interactive' fundraisers coming up.

I would like some feedback which can be left in the comment section or via e-mail.
We will be having some raffle like events and would like to know if these prizes would motivate you to help...

Ipod, Wii, Gift Card, Camera.

All other suggestions welcome.

The plans are really are exciting.. I will wait until January, or once the land is bought, to share. Stay tuned and Happy Holidays :)

PS. The raffle on The Apac School Blog is still going on. Great prizes to be won and tickets are only $2 each. http://www.apacschool.blogspot.com/

Sponsorship Renewal

2009-12-05T14:54:00.000-08:00

If you sponsored a child last year in the following months, sponsorship is due by January 1st. November, December, January, February, March, April

If you sponsored a child last year in the following months, sponsorship is due by May 1st
May, June, July, August, September, October

The reason for this is because of how the terms and starting of school falls in Uganda. First term starts in January, and we would like to give the children their school supplies on the first day of school as well as be able to purchase the other items sponsorship covers such as food and chalk.
This really encourages them, as well as their parents/guardians. For examle, a child sponsored in March will have to wait two months before receiving their school supplies. This ofcourse does not make much sense, and is discouraging to the child.

I will be sending invoices for sponsorship renewals this week, but if you know that your sponsorship renewal is due you can make the payment by going to www.christianupliftmentschool.com/donate for $37.00!

Sister School in Apac

2009-11-29T19:08:00.000-08:00

If you have not already visited The Apac School Project's blog, you can do so by going to http://www.apacschool.blogspot.com/

The Apac School Project, will be the 'sister school' to CUS. Not only will it have the same programs running, it will also be where many CUS students end up. The children in Kampala live in an area called Kireka. The majority of people living here are refugees(actually internally displaced persons) from the war in Northern Uganda. Now that peace has returned to Northern Uganda, many families are choosing to return. Sometimes orphan children will be sent 'back to the bush' as the cost of caring for a child in Kampala is very high. Because of 21 years of war, there is a need for not only rebuilding, but healing.

We're holding a raffle to get the school built! The cost is only $2 for a ticket or $5 for 3, so I hope you all will atleast buy one ticket! The prizes are great and include a $150 prepaid Visa card, $50 Walmart gift card, $25 Chapters gift card, and as of today two $10 Tim Hortons gift cards(Canadians only). If you would like to donate a prize, please contact me. The winners will be announced on December 25th by video blog.

Fence around the land

2009-11-26T09:01:00.000-08:00

The first payment of the land was made a little bit later than planned. The land was owned by a father who has since passed away and left his children the land. They were not all there on several occasions the first payment was to be made, and to avoid any problems Hellen decided to wait until everyone was available. I am happy to say that the first payment has been made and the local council was present.

Hellen and local community members started to put fencing around the land. This is to stop anyone from illegally going on the land.

Everyone is very excited that this is slowly blossoming from a dream into a reality. The children have been praying that we successfully purchase the land so that we can start building the children's home.

There are still 2 days left for your donation to double. Thank you to everyone who has donated and those who are planning on donating. This land will help us help go above and beyond to help children who are in need of a home!

4 days left!

2009-11-24T09:17:00.000-08:00

There are 4 days left until November 27. Until then all donations for the land fund will double! $5 becomes $10, $50 becomes $100, etc. We are getting SO close to purchasing the land, please help us make it become a reality!

Item Donations

2009-11-20T11:25:00.000-08:00

I received a very generous donation from a sponsor that came in yesterday, a box full of medical and school supplies!

I have already started collecting item donations to donate to CUS next summer. I don't recommend that anyone send large packages of supplies directly to the school for fear that they will be stolen. However if you have supplies you would like to donate please e-mail me at apacschool@hotmail.com for my address. I will bring all donations to the school in June.

Wishlist

School Supplies:

Crayons

Construction paper

Erasers

Lined paper

Pencils

Pencil Sharpeners

Pens

Flash cards

Glue sticks

Scissors
English Dictionairies

Medical Supplies:

Anti-Fungal Cream

Bandaids

Calamine lotion

Children's acentanphetamine/Ibuprofen(i.e tylenol/advil)

Children's vitmains

Polysporin/Neosporin
Moquito repellent

Hand Sanitizer

Toys:

Bingo Game

Deflatted soocer balls & pumps

Skipping ropes

Other:

Sewing Kits

Underwear(size 3-16)

Laptops

Matching donations-$500

2009-11-13T08:04:00.000-08:00

Starting as soon as this post is up, and ending on November 27, 2009 at 12:00 noon, every donation we receive for the land fund will be matched!!

$1 will turn into $2

$25 will turn into $50

$100 will turn into $200

..Up to $500!!

We have managed to raise more than half of the amount needed for the land. We still need to raise $3,500, so please help us get there. Your donation is now able to double, so this is really a great time to contribute! On the same day that we fully purchase the land, Hellen will be holding a community meeting for the children's home!

A new classroom!

2009-11-10T07:11:00.000-08:00

It has been extremely busy at the school in the last few weeks. The washrooms were being completed, the first payment for the land was made, children were writting their exams, and Hellen has been ill. MANY more children have been coming to the school in recent weeks, all eagerly wanting to attend school. Their stories are heartbreaking, yet they remain full of hope. On Christmas day many of them will be hearing some great news. A sponsor named Lauren, has taken the new nursery classroom project under her wing and has donated for the complete construction of the classroom!! We will be naming the classroom in her honor, and it will be were the children who are in baby level or who have never yet attended school(street kids) will be placed. Isn't this awsome!? Here are just some of those children who will be attending Lauren Kane Nursery Class!

Right now, some of these children come to school occasionally to go to class as part time students(only 3), while others come just to receive a meal and play and hope that today is the day they will be allowed to enter. There really is just no room in the classroom for them. I can't emphasize on just how crowded the nursery classroom is. Packed is an understatement. I filmed this on the first day I visited the school, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY9CSs2-kRg and later found out that this was only about half of the class!! Hellen is trying ot explain the classroom order, middle class(5-6yrs) is on the left and top class(7-8yrs) on the right, and baby class(3-4yrs) is on the other side of the room. So it really is three grades in one classroom.

This new halfway classroom will be such a tremedous help in educating the street kids, and other kids who have not had the chance to go to school. One of our big ongoing projects for the year, is to build 3 permanent and large seperate classrooms for baby class, middle class, and top class. If you have not had a chance to check out the page dedicate to this project, you can find it on the school's website http://www.christianupliftmentschool.com/rebuilding

For three permanent nursery classrooms the cost is $11,207.93 (~$3,735 per classroom)

The foundation for the three classrooms
$1,786
The walls and body of the three classrooms
$5,086.66
Plastering, ceiling work, and windows
$3,635.27
Labor and transportation of materials
$700

All donations can be made directly on the website, and we ofcourse welcome any individual/company/church/etc, who may be interested in funding the construction of a classroom or one of the construction costs! For people interested in funding a classroom, you will receive updates, photos/videos of the classroom you funded and progress reports. You can also have the option of writting to the teacher of the class if you choose to do so!

To end this post, I would like to thank Lauren Kane(a million times!) for funding the new classroom, which will put so many desperate kids in school! One is particularly close to Lauren, is her new sponsor child Kato Shem. Imagine how proud he will be when he hears that his sponsor funded a classroom for him and all of his friends!

Street Kids

2009-11-04T09:39:00.000-08:00

I would like you to meet some of the new children at the school. The ministry of education said that the two priorities of the school, in order to stay open, is to finnish the office and create more classrooms. They will be checking back in December so hopefully by then the office can be atleast half way completed and possibly have one more classroom up.

Despite this school's current conditions, more children turn up at the school everyday. Nicknamed "children by the fence" as they just sit by the school's fence all day. They cannot enter the premises during classtime because it will distract the other kids, but they are always welcome for play time and lunch when available. When I was in Uganda, I though they were students but Hellen then explained to me that they were street children. What a heart breaking moment. I think the worst part is that they want to be in school studying. They would say their ABC's and count for me, and be so proud. It really broke my heart, as they wanted to be in school so badly. But I just see a child in need, I do not really know their story. On the other hand Hellen does, and that's why she can't simply say no. She knows that these children are abused and alone, and that turning them away is not an option. This has become a really tricky situation. The ministry of education can close down the school if they find children who are not registered students in the classrooms during class time.

The following children are registered as part-time students(allowed to come 2-3 times a week maximum.)All of these children turn up everyday. Hellen does not want them to be hanging around the community all day with nothing to do.. which often leads to trouble. They should be in school full time! We do have plans to slowly rebuild the school to make the classrooms larger and permanent, but the biggest need rite now is to get more children in school. The children face so many problems being alone all day with no supervision. Many resort to stealing from peoples gardens to eat, and in one case a 6 year old boy was caught and burned with hot cooking oil. It is also very dangerous for girls, and in this year alone we have had many girls from 9 years old to 14 who have reported being sexually abused. Some of the girls were lourd into homes on their way home from school. I remember Hellen saying everyday when school was out, "go straight home, do not stop at your friends houses." She has been trying to work with parents to make sure the children go home after school, but so many of the parents are unable to be at home when their children arrive home and some simply do not care.

These children are the part time students who are street kids. They are all in need of a sponsor, and I hope soon enough they will be able to be full time students. They are not yet on the CUS website, but if you would like to sponsor one of the children please contact me or leave a comment!

The first child on the left in the "25" shirt is Wafula Novet Arthur. He loves school and is very excited every time he goes to school and is allowed in! He loves playing soccer and also singing choir music. His ambition is ot be a police man.

The middle child, is Nabwire Precious (and isn't she?!) She is in baby class and she is 3 years old. She is at the school often and because of her young age is allowed to stay even when classes are going on. She likes playing with dolls and listed her favorite activity as eating. Her ambition is to be a lawyer.

Bwire Eddy is in P.5. He has been in and out of school before because of school fees. In many other schools, although primary school education is free, they require the student to buy all their school supplies, a uniform(you are unable to attend school without one), and other supplies for the school like toilet paper and a broom. He is a complete orphan.

These two girls have had an extremely rough start in life. They are sisters, in blue is Namugwere Esther and in peach is Kayanga Mariam. They have both never attended school before. Esther is 8 and Mariam is 10. At CUS they are now in baby class, and starting to learn the basics of how to read and write. Esther would like to be a nurse. She is showing a huge interest in reading, and likes to look through books. She also loves to sing. Mariam would like to be a doctor, and she enjoys drawing, dancing, and singing. They are complete orphans as their parents both died of AIDS.

First child info N/A currently.

The little girl in the pink dress is Akello Annet. She is 4 years old and is in baby class. She comes from a village North of Kampala, and just recently moved to the community with her mother. The mother fleed from the father and they are extremely desperate.

Olowo Vincent is 9 years old. He comes from a very unstable household, and is at the school everyday. He is very good in math(the level of P.2) but he has never learned how to read or write. He does not know what he wants to be when he gets older.

Mahoro Robinah Mirembe is 9 years old. She works as a day laborer sometimes to help support her family. She loves to sing and her ambition is to become a doctor.

Nampima Diana is 11 years old. At only 11 years old, she has already been through many traumas, that most of use could never imagine. She lists her birthday as August, 8th, 1998. She is a very quick learner and is improving on writting at a great pace. her hobbies are to sing and dance, especially traditional African music. She would like to become a teacher.

All of the street kids, are usually put into nursery. The nursery class is already filled beyond capacity with three levels in one classroom and one teacher. This is the classroom the minsitry of education was stressing has to be changed. By putting more students in it, this will certainly not make them happy!

We would like to put up another nursery classroom asap, a "half way classroom." This will the the classroom which the street children will go into. The ratio of student to teacher will be much less than in the regular classrooms, which will help the children catch up to their appropriate grade level. We have noticed that the street children who go into regular nursery or P1, often fail and do not accomplish basic education milestones they should reach- such as reading and writting. They seem to be very low in confidence which affects their leaning, and with 80 peers it is hard to get attention. It can be very overwhelming and frusturating on a 10 year old to be in a class with 3-6 year olds who are learning faster than you are.

The cost of setting up a halfway classroom!

1. Iron Sheets (60 Pieces) $79.90
2. Timbers 7000 (For covering) $144.00
3.Roofing Nails(70kg) $ 39.61
4. Poles (Strong Poles) 15 Piece $170.76
5.Small Poles, 20 Pieces $56.59
6. Timber for making more desks(30 pieces)$ 128.83
7. Labour$ 125.00
8. 3 Blackboards and chalk for one year $70.93
7. Cement $105.88
8. Murram (for filling and labeling)$226.34
9.Hiring a new teacher+6 month salary=$350

Total: $1,497.84

For every donation made in full(for example a donation $128.83 for desks) your name will be added into the classroom! With Christmas coming, this is a great gift idea to honor that special someone(especially those who have everything). You can request to have a gift certificate to give as well. Your donation will work to make sure we help get the street kids a proper education by preparing them for regular classes. If anyone is interested in funding the entire classroom, you can choose to name the class after yourself, a loved one, company, or church! You will also receive pictures and updates every 3 months on the children in class and information about them, such as their background stories(why they are on the streets), progress they are making in their academics and behaviour, and information on their graduation into the regular classrooms!

We've made it half way!

2009-11-02T13:11:00.000-08:00

We have actually made it more than half way, for the land fund that is. As of today we have $4,500 for the land!! This is the first payment for the land and it will be payed tommorow.

This leaves $3,500 to be raised. I still can't beleive that what seems like a few days ago, I did not think we would be able to get it. It was sad to think about, especially thinking about all the children who really need a new home. This is now so many steps closer to becoming a reality!

One of the other big projects to complete is the office. The ministry of education had a really big problem with the condition of the school and suggested some temporary fixes until permanent ones can be done. One of these is to complete the office(which now has a roof!) and put some classes in there, making more classes empty and able to take in more children. Once we raise $1000 out of the $2000 needed, we can start taking in more children!

I hope we can still reach our goal of 50 pledgers for the land fund! I will continue with the pledges of $9.30 or feel free to donate a different amount and I will still, if you want, add your name to the pledge!

Pledgers
1.Kate
2.Natalie
3.Maureen
4.Silvia
5.Silvia
6.Dana
7.Dana
8.Dee
9.Cindy
10.Ann
11.Anonymous
12.Anonymous
13.Anonymous
14.Joan
15.Joan
16.Joan
17.Joan
18.Joan
19.Joan
20.Joan
21.Joan
20.Joan
21.Joan
22.Brooke
23.Brooke
24.Marlene
25. Shana
26.Lauren
27.Barbara

Sunday Storm

2009-10-27T18:05:00.001-07:00

It has been a while since I had heard from the director Hellen, and was starting to worry. This morning I got an e-mail in from her, which is below.

Hi Kate, we had very heavy rain here on Sunday which rained with a lot of storms from 11am to 1:00. It got us in the church with the children together with parents, the whole roof of the main hall was threatening to fall down, all the water showered on us because of the wind, we all got wet and cold. I gave my coat to one of the mothers who had twins who are still only two months hold, Francis also gave his coat to sick baby, it was a very bad experience. When it became worse, the men who were in the church had to run with the young children in the newly built office but unfortunately, since it did not have the windows, the while floor was wet and rain got in. After the rains, we were all wet, all classrooms flooded, programs were interrupted but we thank God because none of us were hurt. But in other areas it blew out houses and even killed one child who was sleeping alone in the neighbourhood. That was the worst rain we had ever experienced.

Please keep everyone in your thoughts. Many houses have been completely destroyed, and crops were ruined.

-
The official date the downpayment will be made for the land(more like half the payment!) is November 3rd. If you have been thinking of making a donation or pledge, please consider doing so now! The more we are able to pay off now, leaves less to raise later, which brings us closer to building the children's home!

This is Owari Joseph, Linda's sponsor child showing off some of the land that the children's home will be on. Look at his smile! The kids are also following the progress of the land and are very excited that we have made it to the half way mark!

Pledgers 1.Kate
2.Natalie
3.Maureen
4.Silvia
5.Silvia
6.Dana
7.Dana
8.Dee
9.Cindy
10.Ann
11.Anonymous
12.Anonymous
13.Anonymous
14.Joan
15.Joan
16.Joan
17.Joan
18.Joan
19.Joan
20.Joan
21.Joan
20.Joan
21.Joan
22.Brooke
23.Brooke
24.Marlene
25. Shana
26.Lauren
27.Barbara

Thank You Linda !!

2009-10-23T12:57:00.000-07:00

I know I said in my last post that I was beyond happy, but it seems like the 'happy-ness meter' just keeps going up..

We have received a donation of $1,500 to go towards purchasing the land!

This donation comes from a dear sponsor named Linda. Linda is passionate about helping the children of CUS, and decided to take it upon herself to help bring us one step closer to building a children's home for the precious kids of CUS. She also is a firm beleiver in helping the children and community members become self sufficient. This piece of land will give us plenty of room for farming and gardening activities, and to teach other vocational skills!

The pledge for the land will continue to go on. Please consider making a donation of $9.30 to help us buy the land off! We have been so lucky to have two donors give us the advantage of having a jump start, but the only way we can completely buy off the land is if everyone else helps just a little. We are already at 13 of the wanted 50 pledgers. To make a pledge donation please go to www.christianupliftmentschool.com/donate - and write "land fund" If you would like to be kept anonymous, just write anonymous.

I must admit, I did not think we would get the land just a few days ago, and now we already have half of the funds to pay for it! Please help us continue to climb our way up to paying for the total of the land which is $8,000. Once we have it we can start making plans for building the children's home. I think one of the differences in raising children in Uganda to here(or alteast with the orphans) is that they know everything that has to do with them and their future. What I mean by this, is that here we protect our children from all the evils of the world and even when things are going bad we always try our best to hide it. In Uganda, the children know that we are buying land for a children's home- and they know if they will be living there. They also know that if donors do not pay for the land, there will be no safe home for them to live in. I am so excited for Hellen to be able to tell the children that their sponsors and friends from all over the world love them so much that they came together to help purchase the land for them! Please, please consider making a donation or pledge!

Updated October 25 /09 We are now exactely at the half way mark to 50 pledgers!! 25 more people to go!

Pledgers

1.Kate
2.Natalie
3.Maureen
4.Silvia
5.Silvia
6.Dana
7.Dana
8.Dee
9.Cindy
10.Ann
11.Anonymous
12.Anonymous
13.Anonymous
14.Joan
15.Joan
16.Joan
17.Joan
18.Joan
19.Joan
20.Joan
21.Joan
20.Joan
21.Joan
22.Brooke
23.Brooke
24.Marlene
25. Shana

The Washroom Fund news: We are only $200.00 away from having them completed!

**(I had created one fundraising thermometer for the office and land together, and have decided to seperate them which seems to make a lot more sense.)**

Land for a children's home

2009-10-20T20:21:00.000-07:00

Updates Below Oct/23/09
To say I am happy right now, would be a lie. I am beyond that point- I am overjoyed, amazed, and thankful!!

$2,500 was donated last night to cover the cost of the down payment on the land!

Yes, you read that right.

From seperate donations, there is currently $70 in the land and office fund which will be split 50/50. This means $35 will go to completing the office and $35 to the land fund. If we can raise $465 for that land that will make our first payment at an even $3,000!! This will leave less to raise later and give us much more time to make more payments.

We have received the very generous jump start, and now I am asking for everybody else's help!

If we can get 50 people to donate $9.30 we will reach our goal! Ofcourse, all donations are welcome, lower&higher!

I am going to start a blog pledge right here to help us keep track. I will kick start the pledge and donate with my mom. This leaves 48 people needed to make a pledge! To make a donation, please use the link on the side of this blog or go to www.christianupliftmentschool.com/donate Include your name, which will be added to the pledge and if you would like to be kept anonymous, just write anonymous.

UPDATE OCTOBER 22: We officialy have $2,719 in the land fund! Only $281 away from being able to make a downpayment of $3,000. Please help us by making a donation of $9.30 and pledging your name!

1. Kate
2.Natalie
3.Maureen
4.Silvia
5.Silvia
6.Dana
7.Dana
8.Dee
9.Cindy
10.Ann
11.Anonymous
12.Anonymous
13.Anonymous

The Apron sale is back!

We have 20 children's aprons left for sale. These are perfect for gifts, especially with Christmas around the corner. The sizes available are for toddlers to teens(and even small/medium adults.) They were made in Uganda by the parents and guardians of some of the students, in effort to help support the school's needs(isn't that awsome?!)

The aprons have no fixed cost, all we ask if for a donation of any amount and the cost of shipping($3 for anywhere in Canada, $4 for anywhere in the USA, $6 for Europe&Australia: this can be for 1-3 aprons.)

How to get an apron.
1.) Make a donation of any amount by going to http://www.christianupliftmentschool.com/donate (remember to add in shipping.)
2.)Make sure to include a note which says how many aprons you would like, and the sizes of each(toddler, child, teen)
3) If you buy 3 or more aprons, you will receive one of the school's hand made necklaces of your choice! Many of the necklaces were made by the students using recycled paper. To view www.christianupliftmentschool.com/onlinestore

All the funds of the apron sales this month will be split 50/50 to go towards the land fund and completing the office!

Obwol Benedict

2009-10-20T09:05:00.000-07:00

Today I received updates from Hellen, with some beautiful pictures of the kids! I am so happy with the amount of mail they are receiving. Many of the children who were not sponsored came to school here and there. But the letters and packages they receive make their sponsor not only more real to them, but for their parents and guardians.

I also received some terrible news today on one of the families. They are a family of four children, all who attend CUS. My mom sponsors her son(who has the chubbiest cheeks ever, you just want to pinch them every second!) Before I get into the bad part I want to let you know how much of an amazing mother she is. Her four children where always at school, something which is very rare as families will often need extra help at the quarry or in the garden and have the children help them for the day. This was never the case, despite how poor the family was. While I was in Uganda she let me know how she so proud of her children and cherished their sponsors. A bit rare in this community.

She lives farely close to Hellen and the school (Hellen lives a few steps away actually) and there was commotion in front of her house. When Hellen went to see what was happening, the husband was there extremely drunk, and had beaten her so badly Hellen though she was dead. She is now in the hospital, where the doctors do not expect she will make it. Please keep her in your thoughts. Let's have her prove the doctors wrong.

The children are now left with the father, who is not caring for them. He has another family in another part of Uganda, and he has left to live there as he could be arrested. The oldest girl in this family is 9.

I am not enthusiastic that we will get the land that we want to build the children's home on, because the seller has given us until November to make a down payment. I am asking anyone who has any fundraising ideas, anyone who knows someone who may, please help us get this land! It will be used to build a children's home, for children like the one in this family and for those who have been abandoned long before them. No child deserves to live in fear or raise a family when they are only a child themselves.

If you would like to make a donation on behalf of the land fund, please use the link on the side of the page. I hope we can get that thermometer to go up quickly!!

The office has a roof!

2009-10-17T15:18:00.000-07:00

I am very happy to say, that the office now has a roof! And even the windows are coming along! This was donated by AYA and as I mentioned on my previous post, the office will be used as classrooms for the time being. Then once the proper classrooms are built, the office will finally be able to be used as an office(for registration, storage, book keeping, etc.)

Hellen has just recently returned from Kenya, and on her first day back she was already back at work. A new family has joined the church and they are in a very bad situation. The picture was taken at the place where so many of the community members work, the stone quarry. I will be receiving more info on the family, and the children will be enrolled in school on Monday!

Mail

2009-10-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

One of the school's goals is to improve communication between sponsor and child. We realise that this is important for not only the sponsor, but the child as well. Hellen is now taking pictures of each letter and package that comes to the school. I am thrilled to see the amount of packages that got through! Wow! I sent two packages to Uganda a few years ago, and both never made it. I am almost ready to give it another try, maybe the system has improved over the last two years? I encourage sponsors to write to their sponsor children as much as they can! The kids are SO greatful for their sponsorship and love receiving mail. Post cards are great, as the images can show your sponsor child something interesting from your city or country. For all of you in countries that have winter.. that's a great topic to write about. Pictures of snow would thrill the kids, who are lucky to have all year round sunshine.

We are now trying to have the kids send out a minimum of 3 letters a year. We would love for them to be able to send a reply to each letter and package they receive, but at the time this is not possible. No money for sponsorship is used for postage, so all money for communication comes out of seperate donations specifically for this purpose.

One more thermometer!

2009-10-11T12:06:00.000-07:00

As you may notice, there's another fundraising thermometer on this page! I think it's a great way for everyone to keep track of donations and visually see how close we are to achieving the projects.

Let me explain the goal for the new thermometer. As you can see, it is for the office and land fund. The goal is to raise $5,000. $3,000 will go to completing the office. Once this is completed it will be used as classrooms, until the proper classrooms are built. $2000 will go towards the land fund. It would be a dream come true to be able to buy the land available next to the school. A children's home is so desperately needed, and would be right next to the school. Most of the time, the children doing poorly in school are those who are complete orphans living with relatives and neighbors. They are often times not seen as suffering children who need love, but as 'free labor.'

As of today, we are $549 away from having the washrooms completed! Help us make that thermometer go up and complete this project!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone :)

YUI

2009-10-09T09:57:00.000-07:00

I have some great news to share with everyone! We are officially(government approved!) one step closer to becoming a registered charity! The name chosen is Youth Upliftment Internatinol, and in french it's L’amélioration de la Jeuness Intl.

Lots has been happening in Uganda, keeping Hellen extremely busy. She had the opportunity to go to Kenya for a conference, and will be returning to Uganda on Tuesday. Her brother Innocent(who is a teacher at the school) stayed back to run the school while she's away.

Construction of the washrooms has stopped until more funds can be raised. I'm really happy to say that we raised around $300 since the first money was sent to Uganda. We are now missing $649.oo!! Please help us finnish these washrooms, the kids are ready to use them! Let's make the thermometer explode!

If you've read the last post, you'll know that we have many projects that need to be started. It seems like they all came down at once, but I KNOW we can achieve everything little by little! The most important thing is to complete the office, which will be used as classrooms, and will give us much more time to construct the nursery classrooms. The second would deffinetly be the land. This is a really great opportunity, that came at a busy time! This land will be used to build a children's home and vocational center. There will also be room for gardening and farming! It is RIGHT NEXT to the school too. If we can secure $2,000, we will be able to buy the land and then slowly pay off the remaining cost.

My friend has decided to fundraise at school for CUS, which is great news. Half of the money will go to projects starting up in Apac( I am still working on getting the Apac project's website up) and the other half will go to CUS. I will keep you all updated on how much was raised and what it will be used for(either wahsrooms, office, or land)

School Renovations

2009-10-04T08:34:00.000-07:00

The ministry of education recently visited the school. They rate schools across Uganda to see if they are up to standards, are registered, etc. They visited last week and were very pleased with the progress being made with the washrooms. They noted the fencing as being adequant, but the condition of the school as "worse." The reason for this is how it was poorly built, and how the classrooms do not have proper noise control.

The picture below shows the school. The building on the left has 3 classrooms P.2, P.1, and then nursery. The building on the right hasP.3, P.4, P.5, P.6, P.7 as well as a main hall, which is a Ugandan requirement. The nursery class is in the worst condition as it is literally 3 classes in one. Let me explain, in Uganda nursery is divided into three grades. Baby class is for children 3-4 and is the equivalent of preschool. Middle class is for children 4-5, and is like kindergartden. And top class if for children 5-6, which is like grade 1. There is one teacher and the room is packed! The teacher is doing a lot more babysitting than teaching most of the time, because the younger ones get tired quickly and still need a nap. The ministry of education also didn't like that the older grades are seperated by cardboard, and think the P.6&P.7 need closed classrooms to help them concentrate better, which will help them pass their exams. This ofcourse determines if they will go onto secondary. In the case they don't, most end up working in the quarry breaking stones or making bricks.

The ministry of education has given the school until November 15th to start making changes. The school dosn't have to be rebuilt in this time, but they have to see that we understand and are making all the necessary changes. So the plan is..

To complete the office. The office is already a structure, it just needs to be completed. This will eventually be used as a registration center, storage(all the books and cooking utensils have to be stored in Hellen's home as they will be stolen) daycare for the teacher's infants, library, and even a small room for sleeping. Until then, we would like to put the P.2, P.1 and nursery kids in here. That will leave an empty building which the P.3-P.5 will move into. Then the P.6 and P.7 will stay in the building they are in now. This will satisfy the ministry of education. Ofcourse this would only be temporary while we construct permanent classrooms. To complete the office it is $2,500.

The first classrooms we would start building would be three seperate nursery classrooms! Baby, middle and top. And then continue with P.1 and P.2.

We also had an amazing oppurtunity present itself, but it couldn't of come at a worse timing!! Hellen has always been on the look out for a piece of land in the community to buy. After visiting this June, it was obvious that a children's home is needed. So many of the children are abused and complete orphans, literally raising themselves. One of the main reasons some of the children do not come to school everyday is because they are forced to work to be able to feed their siblings. Land right next to the school, on it's left, has become available to buy! It was $10,000 but the seller is in a rush to sell it and has lowered it for $8,000 taking into consideration what it would be used for.

If we can secure $2,000 we can then pay for it afterwards in installements!!

If you have any fundraising ideas, please do share! There is so much to be done, and it seems like it is all coming in at once.

Plans

2009-10-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

I'm really upset to have to say that I will not be visiting CUS this Christmas. It was a sad decision but a realistic one that I think will only benefit the school in the long run. The reason for this is mostly financial. I can't support myself at this time alone and I don't think it's a good time to fundraise for a plane ticket. There is a lot going on in Uganda now that needs to be completed, which I will be posting up on the next post. I will however deffinetly be returning for 2 months next summer.

Donations for Christmas will still be collected to provide the children with a nice meal as well as a gift. Wouldn't it be nice to get the school another piece of playground equipment!? The option inclused swings, sea saws, and slides. Every piece is around $200. If anyone would like to make a donation towards this please let me know!

The washroom fund update:
$649 is what we're missing to complete the washrooms! Thank you to everyone who has donated, I can't even begin to explain how happy the children and the community are to be able to have proper sanitation facilities right at the school.

Christian Upliftment Primary&Nursery School

Important Update

Discrimination and Hardship

Our Teachers

Meet Hellen!

Wonder World

Meeting Rebecca

The Grand Plan

The Gift of Giving

A Visit from the Nurse

School Supplies

Our Channel

Nursery Class Reconstruction

Promotional Video

Fruity Fridays

Our trip to the Nile!

Home Visits and the Stone Quarry

We are here!

Easter Plans

Chip in'

Lunch Program Pictorial!

Food Crisis and Long Term Solution

Hands on Learning

Congratulations to our graduates!

Facebook

Fundraising through Igive

Home for the Holidays

Dedication

Vaccination Update

URGENT:Measles Outbreak

Construction has started!

Thank you!

Winny and the Rescue Home

The desks are here!

One week.

Blog Design!

Winny and the Rescue Home

7 Day Countdown!

Back To School!

Baby Class Update: Only 6 boys left!

Social Justice in Uganda

iGive

Thank You CJAD!

Baby Class Sponsorship Challenge

Optometrist Wanted

Emergency Fundraiser: Mobile Clinic

Shop Avon and support CUS!

Emergency Fundraiser: $2000

Montreal Council of Woman

Exam time

Black School Shoes

Side links

Nursery Student Video

Update from Hellen

Chipin'

Landslide and Rain

Blog renovations

Help Hellen

Quality Education in Uganda

Hellen

What's been going on?

The start of a new beginning

School shoes

Current needs and new children

Dedication

How far does education take one?

F.A.Q

The start of a new school year!

Administrative Costs

A Look Back at 2009

Countdown commences!

$535 away!

Christmas Update

A message from Hellen

Christmas in Uganda

Prepration for 2010

Newletter delay

Newsletter

Land Fund Update

Sponsorship Renewal