LINKS WITH NYABYEYA PRIMARY SCHOOL, UGANDA
Uganda Update July 2023 @Bugthorpe @Sutton
Professor Katie visited Nyabyeya Primary School in May and is delighted to report the positive impact that all the money and sponsorship that has come from children, parents and staff at Sutton and Bugthorpe is having. This is her report:
First, I was delighted to see the library, with donated books from Sutton families looking very well organised (see photos) and to meet the librarian, Phiner, who has been paid since January from the money raised at Harvest Festival across Sutton and Bugthorpe last year. The teachers are being assisted by Phiner to use the books in the library in class time, but Phiner is also running reading clubs for Years 4-7 every lunch time and children can access the library in break times as well. We are hoping that more money can be raised next year to keep this fantastic library open and encouraging a love to reading in the students.
Second, the money donated by Bugthorpe parents for teacher Christmas gifts last year has paid for the copying of practice exam papers – we have now created a complete set of practice exams (Maths, Science, English and Social Studies) for Years 4,5,6 and 7 and we are creating the second set for Year 7 at the moment. We also bought plastic boxes to store the exam papers in to stop the cockroaches and termites eating them, to ensure this is a learning resource that should last many years! In addition, we have bought staplers and the lined paper for students to use when doing their practice exams (this is an ongoing need we need to try and meet!). Please see the video from Mr Edward the headteacher explaining the difference the practice exams have made to student performance.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11mEJyVNhJBn0EXVIE86Ep5mV5zTvowfs/view?usp=sharing
The money also supported Happy, a young girl to start boarding at Secondary School – and I was lucky enough to catch up with her and the other children who gained top marks in their primary leaving exams and are being sponsored to attend secondary school. The scholars all looked so smart in their uniforms and they performed a poem entitled ‘Love’ they had written to show their appreciation of their sponsors, demonstrating what talented young individuals they are!
Love
How you loved us!
The poor and the helpless
Studying without hope of joining secondary
Having no dreams for a better future
Due to low income in our parents
How you loved us!
Due to love and good friendly hearts
Heard our cry and came for our rescue
You put back a smile on our faces
By providing school fees and other necessities
For us to continue with education
How you loved us!
Thankful we are to you
Our lovely sponsors
For having good, loving and caring hearts
We love you so much,
Our sponsors, Katie and Yorkshire Schools
For those who sponsor individual children I have videos and photos still to sort out and send you - I promise I’ll get them to you soon!
I am very lucky to have been able to visit and see first-hand, the amazing impact your support is having on the school and on individual children – on behalf of everyone at Nyabyeya Primary a big massive thank you for all your support in the last year and I really hope we can continue to work together to find new, exciting ways to support the them in the future.
Best wishes, Katie
Update from Uganda – March 2023
The part time librarian, that we put in place, following our Harvest collections in 2022, is doing a great job. Phiner, has had the library open during breaks and lunch, Monday to Friday. Year 3, 4 and 6 have a day access each per week; Year 5 have two days. Some of the Year 6 girls have formed a reading group called the Lion Club and have already earned their badges for excellent attendance at the lunch time reading clubs!
Our Staff Team used our present from parents at Christmas to buy Happy her equipment for secondary school - Feb 2022
Some of the children who our families across the Federation have sponsored to attend secondary school in Uganda!
Blown away by our Parents collecting £540 this Christmas 2022 for Nyabyeya!
Nyabyeya School Library update! 29.11.22
We have just furnished the library at Nyabyeya Primary School with new shelves and my research team spent a whole day sorting out the existing books and arranging the books kindly donated by families at Sutton. The library looks transformed and Phiner, the new part-time librarian is eager to start her new role. Phiner completed her primary education at Nyabyeya and has just finished her A-levels. We arranged for Phiner to receive training from experienced librarians from the local college this month, so she is feeling prepared to start the role when the new school year starts in late January 2023. All the funding for her post in 2023 will come from the Harvest festival donations you made. So a HUGE thank you for all the donations.
Headmaster Mr Musinguzi, said “Thanks a lot for the love exhibited to the school. I don't have the best words to express my happiness but as the head of the school, I have to say that your impact is going to be great as far as the smooth learning of students is concerned”.
We have printed library cards for the students for the new school year, and we are finalising plans for lunchtime reading clubs, incentivised by stickers and badges. I will send another update when the new school year begins in 2023 and the students can start using the library in earnest and get excited about reading! Thank you again for all the donations of books and money to this project – it is going to make a real difference to the children at Nyabyeya Primary in Uganda!
Best wishes
Professor Katie
We have been really fortunate to make links with Nyabyeya Primary School in Uganda, making friends across the world. Early contact was made by Professor Katie Slocombe, of York University, who has been visiting the village to study chimpanzees, for the past 20 years. We found out that the school didn’t have the resources we are so fortunate to have (and often take for granted) and that, through the Christian Value of Service, we could help support them. The children discussed ways we can raise money in the month of May, for the school, after hearing that there are over 120 pupils in each classroom, with one teacher, and no technology.
Our first task was to make a video of ‘life at Bugthorpe and Sutton upon Derwent’. The children really enjoyed generating questions to send over with Professor Katie, to ask the children in Nyabyeya, including: Do you learn gardening? Do you walk a long way to get to school? If you do something wrong, what are the consequences? What is your favourite thing to do at home? What struggles do you experience?
Both of our schools held a Bring and Buy Sale, raising £330. Professor Katie, flew out in June 2022 and used the money to buy resources locally in Kampala. With our funds, she managed to provide the school with 576 exercise books, 288 pencils, 200 pens, 144 colouring pencils, 24 pencil sharpeners, a printer for the teachers to print assessments for the children, ink cartridges and 2000 sheets of paper for printing. We also secured 8 footballs (1 for each class and a high quality tournament ball), ball pumps and cones for goals! It is safe to say that these were really appreciated and will be well used.
Mr Bracken Holtby is very proud of the difference our school communities have made to the lives of others and looks forward to continuing this relationship over the coming years. Bugthorpe and Sutton upon Derwent are eagerly awaiting the return video of ‘a day in the life of a Nyabyeya child’ and the return questions for us to answer.
