As you can see from the big smiles of Dinah, Ketty, and Darphine, they are loving their new school! Scovia is going to finish out the year at her current school and switch in the new year, and Rebecca and Betty will register at St. Mary's to begin in term 3, once their term 2 exams are finished next week. The headmaster was so pleased that we paid their fees early, and shared the good news that Dinah is headgirl at the school! Congratulations Dinah! The girls are writing their term 2 exams, and then will be on break until mid-September when Term 3 (final term) begins.
Friday 5 August 2011
Big Smiles
As you can see from the big smiles of Dinah, Ketty, and Darphine, they are loving their new school! Scovia is going to finish out the year at her current school and switch in the new year, and Rebecca and Betty will register at St. Mary's to begin in term 3, once their term 2 exams are finished next week. The headmaster was so pleased that we paid their fees early, and shared the good news that Dinah is headgirl at the school! Congratulations Dinah! The girls are writing their term 2 exams, and then will be on break until mid-September when Term 3 (final term) begins.
Tuesday 26 July 2011
Term Three
We want to provide the highest quality of education to our students, and the highest level of accountability to our sponsors. Term 2 is ending on August 23, and after a short break, Term 3 will begin. We have already sent funds for the kids' Term 3 tuition of 192,500 shillings each. At the new school, St. Mary's, we are being issued a receipt with each payment made. These receipts are being scanned and sent to us, so we can keep them on file for sponsors.
Tuition for Dinah, Ketty, and Darphine for Term 3 has been paid, as you can see from the receipts below. Scovia's is on its way (she is still at her other school, and won't switch to St. Mary's until Term 1 of next year). Rebecca and Betty will be meeting with Hellen in the coming week, and they will go to register at St. Mary's and their tuitions will be paid at that time (as well as registration fee and uniform). The girls are all thriving in school!
Tuition for Dinah, Ketty, and Darphine for Term 3 has been paid, as you can see from the receipts below. Scovia's is on its way (she is still at her other school, and won't switch to St. Mary's until Term 1 of next year). Rebecca and Betty will be meeting with Hellen in the coming week, and they will go to register at St. Mary's and their tuitions will be paid at that time (as well as registration fee and uniform). The girls are all thriving in school!
Wednesday 8 June 2011
The New School
Darphine and the twins, Dinah and Ketty, at St. Mary's. Rebecca and Betty will switch for Term 3 (the final term of the year) and Scovia will switch for Term 1 of next year, so that all 6 girls will be attending.
Wednesday 1 June 2011
St. Mary's Secondary School
After meeting and talking to the girls, we realized that we need to make some changes in order to provide them with the best possible quality education. There are many barriers to education in Uganda, so I will give you some specific examples. One is distance. Betty and Rebecca attend the school we originally were going to have all 6 attend, and it takes them an hour to walk to school. Some of the girls now attend other, closer schools, but the quality isn’t nearly as good. So Betty and Rebecca are getting a good education, but at the cost of having 2 hours of their day spent commuting, and having the risk of part of their after-school commute be in the dark (not safe when walking through the plantain fields that they cross through). Another is boarding vs. day school. As you know, we are going to be opening Hope Home, a home for girls, but this will not be open until July or August once we receive the paperwork from the government giving us the okay. Many of the parents didn’t want the kids going to school unless it was boarding school, and yet they couldn’t afford even the day school fees, so needed to rely on us. Some had spotty attendance as their parents would pull them out to work or to do chores at home. They said they would be happy when Hope Home opened, as it would be like a boarding school, but because that hasn’t yet happened due to government delays, this has caused problems.
Thankfully, a new school has opened! St. Mary’s Secondary School in Kireka is close, and is conveniently located directly behind CUS, the girls’ primary school. Its location means 2 things; 1) the girls who didn’t go to Luzira because of distance will now be able to attend, and 2) with it being so close to CUS, Hellen (director of CUS) will be able to keep daily tabs on the girls.
St. Mary’s has big, spacious, clean classrooms with about 30 kids per class. The Headmaster tells us that he is very strict about attendance, and kids who don’t attend regularly will be kicked out; they do not keep students simply to get their school fees. Classes the girls will take are: math, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, agriculture, history, CRE (Christian Religious Studies), fine art, commerce, entrepreneurship, literature, and English. The school is science-oriented with the purpose of producing “job creators” rather than “job seekers”.
As the school is new, it is not completely finished. It will be finished in 1-2 years, and boarding dorms and a huge science lab are in the works. Right now they only have S1 (first year of secondary, there are 6 years) classes, but one grade will be added each year.
So, what does this mean? We are re-thinking a lot of things, and we are hoping that next year when school starts (February 2012) Rebecca, Darphine, Betty, and Scovia will join Dinah and Ketty at St. Mary’s. (Dinah and Ketty had problems at their other school, so have begun Term 2 at St. Mary’s, and are loving it). If the boarding part of the school is ready, we will likely sign them up to board at the school. This will mean that they will live there, rather than at Hope Home, and that their parents will be happier as that is what most of the parents want. We think that some of the girls may need the support of Hope Home (those that come from more difficult pasts) so we will have that discussion when the time comes about what option is best.
The costs for day school at St. Mary’s is nearly identical to those at Luzira, the estimates we had provided the sponsors with earlier this year, so there will be no cost difference in sponsorship. If we decide to send the girls to boarding school here, we will do fundraisers to collect those extra funds, or will seek out individual donations (but you will still be the only sponsor for your child, as the primary donor).
Below is the list of fees for day school at St. Mary’s:
COST IN SHILLINGS: (ESTIMATED COST IN CANADIAN)
Admission fee = 5,000/once: ($2.02)
School Fees = 150,000/term: ($ 60.00)
Identity Card = 5,000/once: ($2.02)
Lunch = 30,000/term: ($12.12 )
Uniform Set = 55,000/once: ($22.22)
1 ream of photocopying paper = 12,500/term: ($5.05)
4 toilet papers/term*
3 brooms/term*
This means that it will be $80/term. The first term (when we also need to buy uniform, admissions, etc.) will be $107. The last 2 items (toilet paper and brooms) will be taken care of by the family. This is a total of $267, which is only $10 more total than what we had been paying for Luzira, so it will be very little cost difference to switch schools. **Note, 1) Sponsors: you will not have to pay this extra $10 next year if you are not able to, we will fundraise for it separately, and 2) These prices are for this school year, so in February when they start, costs may change.
For this year, all 6 girls are in secondary school and enjoying it. We are working with Hellen, the girls, and their families, to create a plan for next year, and so we will be posting soon as more details about this plan are confirmed.
Term Three (the final term of the year) begins in August, so we will have payment of $65 for Term Three due on July 1st, to give us enough time to collect payment from sponsors and send it to Uganda. After Term Three, the girls will have exams and go on break, and will start up again in February. We will collect sponsorship payment for the first term of next year around the end of 2011, to give you a brief idea of when to expect payments due.
Thank you again for your continued commitment to Rebecca, Darphine, Dinah, Ketty, Scovia, and Betty!
Update: Darphine is also registered and will be starting Term 2 at St. Mary's
(photos of Ketty and Dinah at St. Mary's)
Thankfully, a new school has opened! St. Mary’s Secondary School in Kireka is close, and is conveniently located directly behind CUS, the girls’ primary school. Its location means 2 things; 1) the girls who didn’t go to Luzira because of distance will now be able to attend, and 2) with it being so close to CUS, Hellen (director of CUS) will be able to keep daily tabs on the girls.
St. Mary’s has big, spacious, clean classrooms with about 30 kids per class. The Headmaster tells us that he is very strict about attendance, and kids who don’t attend regularly will be kicked out; they do not keep students simply to get their school fees. Classes the girls will take are: math, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, agriculture, history, CRE (Christian Religious Studies), fine art, commerce, entrepreneurship, literature, and English. The school is science-oriented with the purpose of producing “job creators” rather than “job seekers”.
As the school is new, it is not completely finished. It will be finished in 1-2 years, and boarding dorms and a huge science lab are in the works. Right now they only have S1 (first year of secondary, there are 6 years) classes, but one grade will be added each year.
So, what does this mean? We are re-thinking a lot of things, and we are hoping that next year when school starts (February 2012) Rebecca, Darphine, Betty, and Scovia will join Dinah and Ketty at St. Mary’s. (Dinah and Ketty had problems at their other school, so have begun Term 2 at St. Mary’s, and are loving it). If the boarding part of the school is ready, we will likely sign them up to board at the school. This will mean that they will live there, rather than at Hope Home, and that their parents will be happier as that is what most of the parents want. We think that some of the girls may need the support of Hope Home (those that come from more difficult pasts) so we will have that discussion when the time comes about what option is best.
The costs for day school at St. Mary’s is nearly identical to those at Luzira, the estimates we had provided the sponsors with earlier this year, so there will be no cost difference in sponsorship. If we decide to send the girls to boarding school here, we will do fundraisers to collect those extra funds, or will seek out individual donations (but you will still be the only sponsor for your child, as the primary donor).
Below is the list of fees for day school at St. Mary’s:
COST IN SHILLINGS: (ESTIMATED COST IN CANADIAN)
Admission fee = 5,000/once: ($2.02)
School Fees = 150,000/term: ($ 60.00)
Identity Card = 5,000/once: ($2.02)
Lunch = 30,000/term: ($12.12 )
Uniform Set = 55,000/once: ($22.22)
1 ream of photocopying paper = 12,500/term: ($5.05)
4 toilet papers/term*
3 brooms/term*
This means that it will be $80/term. The first term (when we also need to buy uniform, admissions, etc.) will be $107. The last 2 items (toilet paper and brooms) will be taken care of by the family. This is a total of $267, which is only $10 more total than what we had been paying for Luzira, so it will be very little cost difference to switch schools. **Note, 1) Sponsors: you will not have to pay this extra $10 next year if you are not able to, we will fundraise for it separately, and 2) These prices are for this school year, so in February when they start, costs may change.
For this year, all 6 girls are in secondary school and enjoying it. We are working with Hellen, the girls, and their families, to create a plan for next year, and so we will be posting soon as more details about this plan are confirmed.
Term Three (the final term of the year) begins in August, so we will have payment of $65 for Term Three due on July 1st, to give us enough time to collect payment from sponsors and send it to Uganda. After Term Three, the girls will have exams and go on break, and will start up again in February. We will collect sponsorship payment for the first term of next year around the end of 2011, to give you a brief idea of when to expect payments due.
Thank you again for your continued commitment to Rebecca, Darphine, Dinah, Ketty, Scovia, and Betty!
Update: Darphine is also registered and will be starting Term 2 at St. Mary's
(photos of Ketty and Dinah at St. Mary's)
Wonder World
Lots has been happening for our 6 Escape girls. Several of them were able to take part in a field trip to Wonder World, an amusement park. Darphine, Dinah, and Ketty came along with the CUS kids and they had a blast. Darphine, in particular, had a smile that never left her face, and this is wonderful to see from such a shy girl.
We met with the family of Dinah and Ketty, and enrolled them in a new school, as they weren't doing well in their other one. This new school is much better, closer, and is right behind CUS so that it will be easy for Hellen, the director, to monitor them. It is called St. Mary's, and it is a brand new school. I will write about this school in a separate post, as it is looking likely that we will send all 6 girls here next year. We are meeting with Darphine's family soon.
Rebecca and Betty have just finished exams at their school; Luzira Secondary School. They had exams on a wide variety of subjects including geography (Betty's favourite), fine arts, mathematics, and history. They studied hard.
The girls are all very bright, and have bright futures. During our trip to Uganda it was a priority to meet with them, get to know them, and talk about how we can best plan for their futures. After lots of discussion, we have a great plan, and some changes (including the school they go to) will be made. But more on that in a future post!
We met with the family of Dinah and Ketty, and enrolled them in a new school, as they weren't doing well in their other one. This new school is much better, closer, and is right behind CUS so that it will be easy for Hellen, the director, to monitor them. It is called St. Mary's, and it is a brand new school. I will write about this school in a separate post, as it is looking likely that we will send all 6 girls here next year. We are meeting with Darphine's family soon.
Rebecca and Betty have just finished exams at their school; Luzira Secondary School. They had exams on a wide variety of subjects including geography (Betty's favourite), fine arts, mathematics, and history. They studied hard.
The girls are all very bright, and have bright futures. During our trip to Uganda it was a priority to meet with them, get to know them, and talk about how we can best plan for their futures. After lots of discussion, we have a great plan, and some changes (including the school they go to) will be made. But more on that in a future post!
Friday 20 May 2011
We Are Here!
Kate, Sarah, and Nikki have arrived in Uganda! All six Escape girls are so sweet and loving life in secondary school. Four of the six (Betty, Scovia, Dinah, and Ketty) came with us on a field trip to the Nile River. Darphine was not yet back from the village, and Rebecca's aunt needed her to work in the market, so they couldn't come.
Dinah and Ketty are twins, and are both very serious girls. I sat next to Ketty on the bus ride and it was hard to crack a smile out of her, even as the younger kids were going crazy cheering and singing as we approached Jinja, the city of the Nile. Betty is a strong leader and the other kids seem to look to her. Studious Scovia is a teensy little thing and brought her notebook and pen, and was busy scribbling down notes on the Nile throughout the trip. Her three siblings (Jackie, Molly, and Fred) were on the field trip as well. They are all very close in age.
The following day, we took Darphine on a field trip with us to Sseko, a fair trade organization that focuses on higher education for girls through the sale of their shoes. We hope that it was inspiring for her. She tells us she wants to go to University in Canada, that she likes biology, and that she wants to be a doctor.
More updates coming soon. Thank you for supporting these girls!
Left to right: Betty, Ketty, Dinah, and Scovia
Dinah and Ketty are twins, and are both very serious girls. I sat next to Ketty on the bus ride and it was hard to crack a smile out of her, even as the younger kids were going crazy cheering and singing as we approached Jinja, the city of the Nile. Betty is a strong leader and the other kids seem to look to her. Studious Scovia is a teensy little thing and brought her notebook and pen, and was busy scribbling down notes on the Nile throughout the trip. Her three siblings (Jackie, Molly, and Fred) were on the field trip as well. They are all very close in age.
The following day, we took Darphine on a field trip with us to Sseko, a fair trade organization that focuses on higher education for girls through the sale of their shoes. We hope that it was inspiring for her. She tells us she wants to go to University in Canada, that she likes biology, and that she wants to be a doctor.
More updates coming soon. Thank you for supporting these girls!
Left to right: Betty, Ketty, Dinah, and Scovia
Thursday 10 March 2011
The Girls Are In School!
I am pleased to let you know that Scovia, Rebecca, Dinah, Ketty, Betty, and Darphine are now secondary school students! They never imagined that this opportunity would be possible for them, so their dreams are coming true.The girls are attending Luzira Secondary School and their tuition, uniform, shoes, and school bag/supplies were all purchased and covered by our donors. So far we only have a photo of two of the six girls, Betty and Rebecca. The other girls’ photos should be coming soon, but in the meantime this will show you what the girls’ uniform looks like.
When we first told the girls that they would be able to go to secondary school, they were very excited, but we received some resistance from their guardians. Luzira Secondary School is a day school, rather than a boarding school. Their guardians wanted the girls to go to boarding school, or no school at all. The costs involved with caring for the girls for four more years, rather than having them working, deterred them from allowing the girls to go to school. Thankfully, Hellen (the principal of CUS, the girls’ primary school) was able to convince the parents that this is a good idea, and spoke to them about Hope Home, where all 6 girls will be able to live. The guardians, seeing that with the addition of Hope Home, it will be just like a boarding school as their costs of living will all be taken care of through Hope Home, agreed, and the girls were able to start school.
Even though over $1500 is still needed for the full Hope Home start up costs, Hellen agreed to open Hope Home early for these 6 girls, as their guardians wouldn’t allow them to go to school while still living at home. We are just waiting on the license for the Home to be processed, and then the girls will move in.
On top of this complication with the girls’ guardians, Hellen’s young son was diagnosed with malaria and hospitalized. This meant that her time was needed with her son, which delayed us receiving the updates on the girls. In a small grassroots organization, such as this, everything happens a little more slowly, but we are so grateful for the patience and continued support of the donors and everyone who reads this blog to check in on them. Their education will change the future of their community!
If you would like to continue to support the Escape girls, consider making a donation to Hope Home. Our current greatest need is for food. It will cost $16.57 to feed the girls for one week (once all the girls move in). This will include rice, chicken, cornmeal, fruits, vegetables, and beans.
We are also working on programming for the younger CUS kids who may be future Escape students. During our trip in May, we want to take them on educational field trips, learning about water conservation and going to the Nile River, and learning about animal conservation and visiting a zoo and rhino sanctuary. Go to THIS POST to learn more and consider donating. As of now, only donations for Didi's World, the amusement park have come in, but we really want to take the kids on educational field trips too!
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