Next, Emma (Emmanuel) Paul’s younger brother who has had no schooling since his primary school closed in March. He’s been back home living with his mum in the village and is finding it difficult to keep an interest in his studies when most of the other children in his village don’t go to school. Emma’s favourite pastime is playing football! I took two footballs out for him in January, a gift from a sponsor, (thank you Helen and Joshua!). He has already worn one ball out on the rough stony ground he plays on! His mum says he isn’t allowed to play with his friends though, until he finishes his chores such as collecting water from the borehole, taking the goats to pasture, digging, playing and other work in the garden! Earlier in the pandemic Emma and Paul made a hand washing facility called a tip-tap, basically a small jerrycan hung on a rough wood frame which is worked by a foot ‘pedal’. They made a tip-tap so that they could wash their hands easier and more safely.
Primary schools are due to be opened again in early February, the beginning on the Uganda school year so let’s hope that the pandemic allows this to happen as Emma and his classmates have already missed a whole year of education.