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St Pionsiara Ngandwes Senior Secondary School
Kangulamira
Uganda
16th July 2010
Hello all,
Hope you are all keeping good and enjoying the summer. Just a quick note to let you know how I am getting on here in Uganda. We are based in Kangulamira and it's hard to believe we are here five weeks already.
Our work here is varied. During the day we teach in the local secondary school. I am teaching French and English to first years and Fine Arts to third and sixth years. The first years are particularly enjoying the French, as it's the first time it has been taught in the school. Some of your money has been used for buying art material for the third and sixth years, as neither the school nor the students can afford more than a mere pencil. For my senior third class, I bought materials for making necklaces and earrings. Hopefully the skill they learn might some day help them to make some income, as traditional jewellery is very popular with tourists, produced very cheaply, and sold at a good price. It is made by rolling up paper but looks fantastic. Pupils here range from 12 years to 23 years and we have no discipline problems as they are lucky to get a chance of being educated.
Most of the money you raised will be used towards building a new dormitory for the boys of our school. Presently they sleep in an old science lab completely overcrowded with triple bunk beds. Construction has begun but will be quite expensive to complete. Your money will go towards paying for the roof. This building will accommodate 300 boys.
We have started a rounders club for the girls in the school. Before we came only boys played sport and the girls washed all the students' clothes and cleaned the campus. The rounders equipment was cheap to buy and the girls love playing it.
While the bulk of your money will be put into the dormitory some will also go to the local orphanage and also the streets kids' shelter where we also help out. As you can see money goes a long way over here. The people here know all about
i.The fund raiser run by the West Waterford Pony Club
ii.St. Ailbe's Secondary School No Uniform Day
iii.Carrauntoohil Sponsored Climb
We are so appreciative of your generosity.
A bit about what life is like for me here. I stay in a little village called Kangulamira with two other students from University of Limerick. Life over here is simpler on some levels and harsher on more levels. The whole community are so delighted to have us and we are treated like royalty but it still means potatoes and cabbage three times a day. Life is very basic and a cold shower is a luxury. There is very little to do and the evenings can be quite long after a day's work. However, we couldn't be enjoying the experience more. We have been to African weddings and African funerals.
One of those funerals was one of our own students. I was taken aback by the students' reaction. The school routine continued as normal, while one of its pupils had died of liver disease. No such thing as counselling over here. The life expectancy here is only 50 years. Can you imagine their disbelief when I told them that my grandmother was 91 years?
However, the good times make up for the harsh times. No matter how little the Africans have, they enjoy life to the full and I can't count all the celebrations we have been part of since arriving here – and can they dance.
Although I miss home a lot, I would not have missed out on this experience. I will keep you updated on how we are getting on.
Kind regards,
Paula Collins