The children were sent home to bring their parent’s, usually the mothers, to the meeting. Few know the time, (except by the sun!), so this is necessary. Many would have been busy doing the daily chores of digging, collecting water, washing clothes or preparing the posho (ground maize) and beans for the evening meal. They were informed about the meeting a week ago but only by their children’s spoken word, as letters from the school are unheard of in village schools as few can read, and paper is a rare resource. When if they did have paper the teachers would have to write every message by hand!

Some of the children are very young but they all know their way home, even walking quite a distance! It used to scare me when 4-5 year olds just arrived at school unaccompanied but that’s how it is in Uganda and I expect many other countries.

You hear Ibrahim shouting at them to go home and fetch their mothers. Teachers in Uganda do tend to shout a lot and demand rather than ask. Again just the way it is! You’ll notice also the speak in a mixture of English and Basoga their local language. This is because English has to become the first language once the children have been at school beyond the nursery class, as all teaching is done in English, exams are in English and if they had books they would be in English.

I’m the video Innocent points out the staff room under the mango tree and scans round to show us the classrooms and latrine block that you helped to build during the two years of Covid!

My voice message to the parents and other members of the community apparently went down well! Innocent saying ‘it was just wonderful Madam’ and that the parents kept cheering and shouting Asante sana as it was played to them!! Ibrahim translated my words, and I had sent a written copy just in case it was needed as sometimes they don’t understand my form of English though I try to be careful!

I love the sound of the excited voices of the parents after the meeting.

Innocent passed on the thanks that the parents sent to me and I pass this most definitely on to you as without your donations there would be no school!

The man in the yellow cap is the village leader and Innocent tells me:
The chairperson of the village ,who you met last time told the parents how kind you are , he told them about the shirt you gave him the last time you came to deliver mosquito nets.
This was one of my husbands shirts! I can remember how happy he and other men were with their gifts!

Children continued their lessons after the meeting and while Innocent was still there he took this video of them having a PE lesson! Teaching English comes into every lesson and here the teacher is getting them to repeat what she says while jumping! We were still very much on their minds as I can just about make out that they are saying ‘thank you Madam Gerry’ and that ‘we love you we love you we love you Madam!’ Please take it that this message is for you all, I’m just the one they know!

That’s all the news for now from Good Luck Junior School in Uganda 🇺🇬. Thank you once again for making all this possible! X