Update on St James and an introduction to the Schools Management Committee.
Sorry I have not been in touch since arriving home. I’ve been busy catching up with family and also recovering as I had not been too well in Uganda. I am pleased to say I am much improved now.

One of the reasons I went out to Uganda during the Uganda school holidays was to spend time with James and his family discussing the business side of St James. His family of three daughters and three sons, who I have known almost as long as I have James, are prepared to take over some of the administrative work involved in the running of the school which James was finding too much to handle with being the head teacher, teacher and carer of the children. I found this particularly difficult as I haven’t got a business bone in my body but with the help of my wonderful husband who gave me lessons before I went and guided me through every stage I am pleased to tell you that we now have a working Schools Management Committee who are prepared to work with James and myself to move the school forward. We also wanted to make sure the school would have a secure future as James and I aren’t getting any younger! I believe that with this good team St James will go on providing a good all round education for the children of Nakakabala and the surrounding area.

St James School Management Committee – James and five of his six children with Gem who went to meet them before heading off to Kenya

My last update was an appeal for funds to build a block of latrines to replace the ones that got destroyed in a storm when a big tree fell on them. I am pleased to report that donations have started to come in and at the moment we have £275 which is a good start but we still have a way to go before we reach the target on £5000. If you haven’t already done so please read my letter of appeal and if possible make a donation. Thank you to those of you who have already contributed, it is much appreciated. I have heard from Lower Park School here in Poynton that the Year Six children were doing a fund raising event for the latrines so I look forward to hearing from them soon. Thanks to those of you who have bought items I brought back from Uganda in exchange for a donation, bags, mobiles, soft toys, baskets, mats etc. This money will be going towards the latrines too. Pound by pound, brick by brick we will get there!

We were hoping to start building before the children come back to school on Monday but for two reasons we have had to postpone for a little while. Firstly so that I can raise the funds and secondly we have to wait until the ground dries out a bit more. My first three weeks in Uganda were unseasonably wet which I was very grateful for as it brought the temperature down, but the ground was waterlogged which is not good for digging deep foundations for the new latrines. The country has now entered the ‘dry season’ for real so the ground should dry off fairly quickly. I will keep you updated. In the mean time the children are going to have to use my ‘bathroom’ which is a bit impractical but needs must!

I have a few newsletters still to add that I wrote in Uganda along with photos so I will be adding them all soon. Thanks for your interest and support for St James.