TUSP Newsletter November 2022
Dear reader,
Hello again! We must apologise for our delay in sending out this newsletter, it has been a case of so much going on that it’s been difficult to find the time to actually write about it. We have some absolutely joyous news about the impact your support is having on this community, at Bumakenya Primary School and beyond!
Bumakenya Primary School
First and foremost, we’re delighted to say the final two classrooms at Bumakenya Primary School are now complete! A huge amount of love and gratitude goes to all those who have helped this project become a reality: from donating, to running extremely long distances, to simple words of support and encouragement, all of your support really means the world to us, and most importantly, the communities of Namisindwa District, Uganda.
The school is now equipped with 8 fully-functioning classrooms, a staff room, a store room, latrines, desks, textbooks, access to clean drinking water and a daily lunch programme. To think back to how the school started out, the difference is incredible, and the impact is really beginning to tell – the children have a safe, supportive and effective learning environment, and exam results and literacy rates have improved massively as a result.
Teacher Training
All teaching staff at Bumakenya recently got together for a series of 5 'Continuous Professional Development' (or teacher training) workshops, spread over 6 weekends, to l improve learning outcomes and empower the children.
The workshops revolved around student-centred teaching methods such as group work, that helps teachers effectively educate large groups of children of mixed abilities, and promotes collaboration and confidence amongst the students.
In between workshops, teachers would implement the learnings in live classroom scenarios, with other teachers observing the lessons, before returning to reflect on their experiences on what went they found useful as well as any challenges they faced in using the new methods.
This element of self-reflection is crucial to creating lasting behavioural changes, and it was something the staff really bought into, so we’re excited about the improvements to education that will come about from this!
More to come on this in our upcoming blog. Watch this space!
Soono Primary School
Believe it or not, the above is a photo of three classrooms, plus a staff room, that's supposed to house over 100 children and 10 teaching staff. Conditions are cramped, dusty and vulnerable to heavy rains.
That is why we're delighted to let you know we've broken ground on a BRAND NEW SCHOOL!
Well, technically it's not brand new, but as you can see from above, it is not fit for purpose.
After a long process of assessing schools across different districts in the area, and in consultation with the local community and government officials, we'll be supporting Soono Primary School (pronounced ‘Sonno’), located approx. 5km from Bumakenya in Namisindwa District.
It’s a really great project, with an enthusiastic and engaged community, and we’re incredibly excited to get the project started. Construction will take place using engineers and contractors from the local district, so they can gain vital employment and skills, and we’ll also be planting trees at the school to offset the carbon footprint of construction.
We’re hoping to have some of the new facilities up and running in time for the start of the new school year (and the start of the rainy season!) in February, so watch this space for more details!
Finally, a massive shout out to Sherif Khalifa and Conor McIndoe, who ran the Royal Parks Half Marathon on behalf of TUSP. An amazing effort by these two heroes, who had a great day out and raised over £900 in the process. We are forever grateful, and if anyone would like to take part in upcoming challenge events and raise much-needed funds please let us know!
For now though, we want to thank you all again so much for your continued support and remember to sign up for our mailing list here
Wanyala Navi!