Dear Friends

News from Innocent after the first week back at school for the children at Good Luck Junior School. Three teachers have returned and 42 children which is very pleasing as he told me that many schools have not opened at all as the teachers didn’t return, so comparatively speaking GLJS is really doing well so far. It’s so good, that because of your donations the teachers will get paid at the end of this month and for another five, giving the school a chance to attract another two teachers and therefore more children.

I has been very impressed with Ibrahim, the head teacher, when I spent time there at the beginning on 2020. Innocent also told me, ‘One of the biggest challenges the school is having is water, the nearest water source (borehole) is about 1.5 kms from the school and this serves the villages around as well. Coz of the few staff Ibra, who is the school director, headteacher and classroom teacher, puts all those honors aside, gets on bicycle and cycles to borehole to fetch some few jerricans of water before the children arrive in the morning.

There is also one cook in the kitchen outside, am sure Ibra also goes to help the lady too.’

He is certainly very dedicated!

Let’s hope more parents find they are able to send their children back over the next few weeks and two more teachers will decide that GLJS is for them too. Innocent said the wonderful improvements to the classrooms and latrines have made the school more attractive which helps a great deal. He also said, ‘Hello mum G, the children at GLJS now don’t go back home dusty like it used to be coz the class rooms have cemented floor’. They also won’t cough so much either and neither will I when I next go to Uganda!

So friends, so far so good for Good Luck Junior School, and much of it is down to you again. Thanks again for all the support you give to the many people I talk about in Uganda.

Love and hugs 🤗

Dear Friends, a belated Happy New Year to you all!For once I don’t have any bad news for you, only good!

Firstly the schools in Uganda DID open on Monday! Good Luck Junior School, the school many of you have helped to rebuild recently, since I used the school as a base for delivering mosquito nets and sanitary wear at the beginning of 2020 and found the buildings in a really desperate condition, is back, though registration has been slow as parents are finding it difficult to find the money to pay the small fees necessary to run the school, such as to pay the teachers.

I’m really happy though, that your response to my appeal to help with the salaries for the teachers for the first six months (only £23 pm!) has been wonderful as usual! Ibrahim, the headteacher, needed to encourage the teachers back as they’ve not had any pay for two years and some were doing other jobs to prevent their own families going hungry. It’s been a real struggle for the majority of people in Uganda during the pandemic. It’s early days yet but hopefully over the next few weeks more children will be able to come to school as I know for certain they will want to, especially with the wonderful improvements we’ve been able to do to the classrooms and latrines!

Alex and Emma, two of the young people a few of you and my husband and I support, went back to school after two years with no education, certainly no online teaching and only the few books I’ve managed to take out over the years and I’m sure their enthusiasm for those must have waned pretty quickly when their village friends will have been busy playing footy with whatever spare time they had between working on the land and fetching water from the borehole!

They’ve gone up into the correct classes but having missed so much work they have lots to catch up on as well as this years’ lessons! They’ve both got a big challenge ahead of them especially Emma who is due to take the National Leavers Exams in November which he has to pass to be able to go onto secondary school this time next year.

The Ugandan government has lengthened all the school terms this year to accommodate the extra work needed but that is still going to be a very big challenge for teachers and the children! And no half-term or Easter breaks for them this year either!

The other student we are sponsoring, Emma’s big brother Paul, has returned to uni for his final year studying Clinical Medicine & Community Health. His ‘requirement’ list for this year included medical equipment such as stethoscope and BP machine reminded me of the good work he will be doing in the villages of Uganda once he qualifies! With help, we’ve been sponsoring Paul since 2008 and it’s been so rewarding seeing him grow from a shy scared boy who could hardly read, into a hardworking, caring young man who is so keen to help his community.

I’m still hoping to go to Uganda at the end of this year but of course it all depends on the pandemic. More adults out there are get their vaccinations now but of course no one knows which way this virus will turn! So I will just have to be patient and carry on funds raising for what I can organise from here. The most important at the moment is to raise money for the teachers salaries so the bills for Good Luck Junior School are reduced and more children can get back to where they love to be, at school! If you would like to help with the salaries it costs just £23 a month per teacher.

Thanks for all your support last year, you’re amazing! 🤗

‘Thanks be to God for he has given us a baby girl’ – I received this happy message on Monday 20th December from my friend who is also the wonderful man who helps me with my projects in Uganda. Congratulations to Innocent and Betty!

And then today –

‘Hello mum G, I have named my daughter. GERALDINE ANN NANTALE I will always remember the love you have shown me. Thank you for that love.’

When I received this message this morning I felt a mixture of love and pride, and was quite emotional. Only wish I was in Uganda!

Happy Christmas to you all!

(Nantale is the clan surname for all girls)

Don’t they look great? The desks and blackboards are complete and have been delivered to the school awaiting the opening of the new school year at the beginning of February. I bet the children can’t wait to come back, they love school and will have had no education in two years because of Covid. Thanks for providing them with six new classrooms, 8 new latrines and all the lovely desks and blackboards. You’re amazing! I hope you enjoy all the photos and videos. I’ll be sending photos of the individual desks to those of you who sponsored them.

Innocent will return to the school next year to bring us an update when the school reopens and the school becomes a busy happy place once again. Wish I could be there!! X

https://youtu.be/o7nMtcCtTag

https://youtube.com/shorts/FGYCyH4hNe8?feature=share

https://youtube.com/shorts/9lzlJMYgAPU?feature=share

Video of Nico saying thank you for the gift of food