Bwindi News

New Term and lots Happening

2011-06-08T16:58:00.000-07:00

The second term has begun for our primary and secondary students. We now number 55 sponsored students. It has been a good year. Thank you to all our wonderful sponsors!

We have a new sponsor liaison in the village of Bwindi who will oversee the communications between our sponsored students and their sponsors. Welcome Evelyne Habasa!

We also had a representative of Bwindi Community Program visit Watoto School and the secondary school to 14 of our students. We will be posting photos as we receive them.

All Students at Bishop Comboni now Sponsored!

2011-04-29T15:26:00.000-07:00

We have successfully found sponsors for all twelve recent graduates of Watoto School. The very generous donors who have stepped in to help us educate these worthy kids are truly appreciated.

We continue to look for support for our younger students. The primary students are posting good grades and working hard. We have 37 students at Watoto school and they need support. Contributions of any size will enable Bwindi Community Program to continue to educate children who have no other means of financial support.

National Visiting Day

2011-03-20T13:26:00.000-07:00

Next Saturday, March 26th, will be a special day for boarding school children in Uganda. Parents, relatives, friends and caretakers will visit their children for a tour of the school, a visit to the garden and conversations with teachers. The Director of Watoto School, Byamugisha Ignatius, will take care to make it a special day for our sponsored students. Not all have relatives or caregivers to bring sweets, cakes, chapati, etc., so he will show them a little extra love. His day will be long, since he will attend to the primary children early in the day and spend the evening at Bishop Comboni with our secondary students. How lucky we are to have this devoted man caring for the children!!!

Watoto's Beautiful Vegetable Garden

2011-02-27T13:46:00.000-08:00

A very generous donor has provided funds for a vegetable garden at the school. There is spinach, beans, etc. now for the chldren's meals and the opportunity to work together on a wonderful learning experience. This sustainable donation will enhance the childrens' lives with more nourishing meals and a chance to take gardening skills into their future lives.

Secondary School Begins!

2011-02-09T14:31:00.000-08:00

We are excited to have our exceptional students enter a new stage of their education. The first graduating-Level 7 class at Watoto School produced some stellar National Exam scores and is taking the next step. We have eight of the twelve graduates sponsored to enter Bishop Comboni Secondary School. We need sponsors for four hard-working kids who deserve to be there too. The cost to sponsor one child for a three-term year is only $500US. Help us keep them in school!

Ampeire Simon is the Best Student in the District

2011-01-23T10:34:00.000-08:00

The national test scores are in! One of Watoto's first graduating class posted the highest score in Kanunga District. The District has a population of 204,732. To say that we are proud of him is an understatement!!!

Watoto School has proven to be the best school in the District with all of the graduates of Level 7 this year achieving Firsts. It has become a model school that Uganda seeks to emulate around the country. Simon is already sponsored, but we still have five students from this class to place with sponsors. Contact us for information.

A Poultry Farm at Watoto School

2011-01-14T15:47:00.000-08:00

We have just wired the funding for a poultry farm to Watoto School. A very generous donor who desired to provide something sustainable for the school has contributed enough to establish a poultry farm. We are blessed with the opportunity to provide better nutrition for the children while also having a wonderful teaching tool. The possibility of the farm producing revenue for the school just adds one more benefit. We want to thank Joyce Nott for her kind and generous gift.

A New Year for our Primary Students

2011-01-06T15:35:00.001-08:00

We now have 32 primary students that are sponsored by Bwindi Community Program. It has been a wonderful year of joining forces with a group of sponsors from Chicago. All the children will be at Watoto School. This facility offers superior academics (best in the region last year) and is working to become the best in the country. We are excited about the prospects. The first term will commence the first of February.

More Sponsorships Have Come In!

2010-12-29T14:57:00.000-08:00

We are blessed with many generous donors. We have managed to secure a few more sponsorships for the students moving on to secondary level at Bishop Comboni. We have funding for Akampurira Rhoda and Ekyakuzire Edwin (pictured here) and committments for two other students. That leaves only five of the graduates of primary level 7 from Watoto without help to continue in 2011.

Our New Director

2010-11-17T14:07:00.000-08:00

We are delighted to announce the addition of Akankwasah Barirega to our Board of Directors. He lectures on wildlife at Makerere University in Kampala and works with the Dept. of Wildlife which oversees the operation of the national parks in Uganda. He has just finished a proposal to educate the children near national parks on conservation and wildlife appreciation.

Akankwasah was born in Bwindi and his heart is in helping the village to emerge from illiteracy and extreme poverty. He will be an enormous asset as we work to educate the vulnerable children of Bwindi

Osiriah is Sponsored!

2010-11-13T18:38:00.000-08:00

We have found a sponsor for another graduating Level 7 student at Watoto School. She is a very good student who scored a first on the national exam and would like to study engineering. She will be attending Bishop Comboni School in 2011. This facility will provide a good foundation for Osiriah's university ambition. We are excited for her!

Ampeire Simon is Sponsored!

2010-11-09T19:06:00.000-08:00

The Rotary Club of Sedona has decided to sponsor Simon's secondary education. It is a pleasure to see one of our local service groups take on this responsibility. Simon will go to Bishop Comboni School to prepare for a future in engineering. With lab facilities available, he will be able to start on the long road to fulfilling his dream. Thank you, Rotarians!

Opportunities and Successes

2010-10-30T14:28:00.000-07:00

We often look to our star students (1st in their class, etc.) and neglect the stories of those who struggle. Osiria, picture on right, was ill during the first term and left school for a time. We added Milicent, on the left, who had to adjust to coming in late in the term. Both of these girls are now doing extremely well. We are proud of their efforts.

Introducing a Secondary Student

2010-10-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

Ampeire Simon is graduating from Watoto primary school in December. He is very bright and ambitious, earning a first in the national exam that determines eligibility to advance to secondary school. He has no living parents and wants to pursue engineering. He will be going to Bishop Comboni school where there are lab facilities to ensure a good foundation for his future.

Second Term Standings are Terrific!

2010-10-10T16:21:00.000-07:00

Our students are outstanding in their respective classes for the second term. We have received their student reports for the past term and their hard work has paid off. Miria is first in a class of 71. Milicent is 3rd out of 71. Isaac is 4th out of 72. Chris is 2nd of 71. Doris is 3rd of a group of 72. Gerald ranked 9th out of 66. Peter is 5th out of 71. and Jenipher is 6th out of 72. I could go on to quote the standing for all 21..................

These children are going to school for the first time. They range in age from 5 to 9 years old. This is their first experience in a classroom and they are proving that they should be there!

Secondary Students to be Added for 2011

2010-09-13T13:34:00.000-07:00

We are working with Watoto School's first graduating class. The twelve students who are completing level 7 in December have proven themselves as exemplary students. Nine placed 1st in the national tests and three scored 2nds. They are hard working, motivated students who will need assistance in going on to secondary level. We will soon be able to share their stories and desires with potential sponsors.

Third Term Begins

2010-08-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

On Monday, August 30th, the children will be back at school to begin the final term of 2010. The visits with family and guardians are short and treasured but the urge to be back in school is strong. We wish the children success in the last term of the year.

Second Term is Almost Over

2010-08-09T16:34:00.000-07:00

We near the end of the second term and are grateful for the support of organizations like the Rotary Club of Sedona and the individuals who have helped keep the children in school. Each child has grown and blossomed in this new environment. Thank you for your donations!

Solomon has rejoined his friends at school!

2010-07-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

Solomon, age 5, has recovered from burns to his arm and is back in school. He was injured at home during break and the headmaster came to check on his progress in the photo. We wish him well during his second term.

We are now a Public Charity, 501 (c) (3)!!!

2010-06-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

It is with great pride that we can announce that we have passed the review of the Internal Revenue Service. Now all your donations are tax deductible.

We will be updating the entire website as soon as possible to reflect this change.

January 25, 2010 - First Term Begins

2010-02-03T12:35:00.000-08:00

It is a beautiful day in the lives of twenty Bwindi children. Our tireless counselor and local representative of Bwindi Community Program has managed to assemble the children with all their belongings to begin their first term of school. The children will be boarding and away from their guardians for three terms each year.

The Ugandan school year begins in January and ends in December. The children will participate in school field trips and be home for holidays. For now, all is new and perhaps a little frightening. The school staff will be with them to help in the transition to full time student life.

All the children had to acquire school uniforms and all the necessities for their new role as students. They needed shoes, basic toiletries and are now ready to begin a new part of their lives.

The villagers turned out to see them. Parents and guardians are grateful for their opportunity and thanked Bwindi Community Program for making it possible. It is a life of subsistance farming and work on the tea plantations. Tourism may bring in some extra earnings but life is meager and education is a luxury.

The joy on twenty faces will keep us out there trying to raise funds. Seeing these smiles lights up our lives and provides the drive to seek out more ways to improve the village environment.

We are looking into improving the internet connection to our office in the village. We would love to be able to set up computer classes but that requires a far more reliable internet connection than is currently available. For now, we are investigating possible broadband service and will let you know how that turns out.