THE NEW SECONDARY SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND

The first phase of our new school is near completion! We are waiting to hear when it will be open for its first group of students.

It is hard to describe just how important this school will be to blind children, particularly those from the poorest families. Recently, Ugandan team leader, Kevin, visited Ikwera Primary School about an hour's drive from Lira. It has a unit for the visually impaired. Like the children of Ngetta Primary School, Lira, its students will be able to join the new school for their secondary education. When Kevin told them about it they leapt out of their seats and jumped and clapped for joy with one young lad beating on a drum!

My vision for the new school and for visually impaired students goes well beyond bricks and mortar. The school will need more rooms and it will also need quite expensive equipment; it will need committed teachers and they will need to build up an ethos of love and support that will enable its students to thrive and reach their potential. Most of this will cost money but, as the saying goes, "A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step." We have already taken many steps and I have witnessed God at work through some amazing encouragers and supporters. One of the biggest sources of encouragement has been from blind people themselves, blind people who have had the opportunity to receive an education. The teacher who set up the unit for the visually impaired at Ikwera Primary School is totally blind.

A few days ago, I learned that another blind teacher has founded a new community based organisation that is teaching visually impaired young people how to make bags decorated with beads, liquid soap and bars of soap, to give them a means of earning a living and some independence. They are using the primary school rooms next to our new secondary school at Ngetta.

For some years we have been made increasingly aware of the challenges faced by blind children in northern Uganda. The need for the secondary school was clear but there are also many children who have already dropped out of school or whose disability is such that they would benefit most from short vocational courses. Many such courses are available for sighted students but not for the blind. When I heard of this new initiative, I felt quite emotional with joy. One of the young people we have supported for many years is Linda (not her real name). Linda is blind in one eye and one arm is too weak to be of much use. She walks with a limp and has learning difficulties and little self esteem.  She has joined one of the short courses and will be taught a craft using her strong hand, foot, and mouth. She is so happy.

I was in Lira in late November and I had the opportunity to see how the secondary school building was progressing. I visited both Ngetta Primary School and Ikwera Primary School and was welcomed with song in both schools. I visited some of the scholars in their schools and others, past and present, came to the office to spend time with me. I have known some of them for many years and our earliest scholars have started out on their career paths with opportunities ahead of them that they could hardly have dreamed of a while back. Other students, still in school, have big hopes for the future. What a difference the opportunity of an education can make in bringing hope to young people otherwise destined to a life of extreme poverty and hardship.

 It was good to spend time with the Ugandan team, our partner ICEF,  who manage the day to day work of the charity under Kevin's leadership and do an amazing job.

 

A couple of weeks after my visit, the scholars met at the office again for what has become an annual Get Together. It is a day of fun, song, prayer, and food. The highlight this year was a game of goal ball (like football for the blind) between the sighted and the blind children, the sighted wearing a blindfold. The ball has bells in it and the goalies shout loudly.

The present and former scholars have been made to feel that they are a family with the love, support and encouragement that a family can give. They have formed a WhatsApp group and are in regular contact with each other.

All our scholars are preparing to return to their schools for the new school year after the long Christmas break. The Primary Leaving Exam (PLE) results are out and we are very proud of our only candidate. She achieved a Division One pass. 

One of our disappointments is that, for the second year running, we have been unable to afford to offer new scholarships. The scholarships are paid for through the regular monthly donations and other donations and fundraising events for the purpose, but the cost of school fees and other school requirements is rapidly rising. I know that times have been hard for all of us and I can't tell you how much your continued support has been appreciated and what a difference it is making to the lives of these deserving children. Thank you for supporting the scholars and thank you to those of you who have bought bricks on the website donor wall  and have supported the building of the new school. You can see the progress we are making by visiting the "New Campaign" page of the website. It is our plan to continue with the building by adding a hall, a library, a Braille library and 2 computer rooms this year.

Please pray for the scholarship programme and for the new school.

God bless you.

Belinda

 

THE NEW SECONDARY SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND

My heart soars when the Imara-Uganda Education Fund scholars rise above the traumas and difficulties they have faced in their lives - the years of fear during the LRA civil war, the death of parents, rejection, poverty, hunger and attitudes towards disability - to achieve more than was expected, and I know many will, in their turn, help others and some are already doing so. Our six blind and partially sighted scholars have extra challenges to face. One of the totally blind girls encourages the others to believe in themselves and to work hard because, she says, they can do anything. I believe she will make a difference to the lives of many blind children as she goes through life. Another blind child excels in singing and another at sport. They need people who believe in them, encourage them and give them opportunities. That is why the new secondary school next to their primary school is so important.

VISIT OUR DONOR WALL

Since I last wrote to you, the new school building has been growing fast. The walls are in place and very soon the roof will be built. This is the first phase of the main school building -8 classrooms, the staffroom and admin block and the toilets. The builders are on track to complete this section of the main building by the end of December ready for it to be opened for Senior One in February 2024. Starting with one year group means that student numbers will be low and spare classrooms will be used to meet all the needs of the school in the first year.

We had hoped to continue to Phase 2, the library, Braille library, computer rooms and hall early next year. However, the rapidly rising costs of both building materials and labour mean that we need to raise more funds to make this possible.

FUNDRAISING - THE DONOR WALL

Why not visit the page "NEW CAMPAIGN" to find out more about the school and to see how we are doing with fundraising?

If you can, please "buy a brick" on the Donor Wall using the donate buttons on that page.

A £10 brick will buy 280 real bricks

A £100 brick will almost pay for 3 door frames.

The donor wall and news about the progress of the school building will be regularly updated.

Donor Wall - paper version

If your church or community organisation can help by filling a Donor Wall, please get in touch. I will send you a paper version. (belinda@imara-ugandaeducationfund.org)

SCHOLARSHIPS
Too many children in northern Uganda drop out of school because their families are too poor to pay the fees. The cost of sending our scholarship students to school or college is rapidly increasing and this year we were unable to award any new scholarships. Our scholarship fund pays school fees to enable some of the poorest children, including orphans and blind children to go to school. Sponsoring a child is very rewarding and it makes a huge difference to the future prospects of that child.

Picture: An Imara scholar writing to his sponsor

These are just a few of the children who are able to go to school or college supported by the charity's sponsors and donors:

*Ben is one of the poorest children. His mother, a widow, earns a little money fetching water for people and some of his siblings beg on the streets. Ben was desperate to go to school because they feed you there and he wouldn't go to bed hungry.

*Freddy is the youngest of 4 orphan boys. His oldest brother dropped out of primary school in order to work and support the rest. They rarely have enough to eat.

*Anna is partially sighted. Her parents have separated and she lives with her father. This talented girl dropped out of school because her father could not afford the fees. Now she is back in school and doing well.

*Harry's father died. His mother is a subsistence farmer and very poor. Harry has just been accepted into university to study for a degree in physics and mathematics. He plans to be a teacher.

*Sam witnessed his father's murder by the LRA rebels. Now Sam is studying to be a nurse.

They all have a story.

(Names have been changed to protect the identity of the students)

COFFEE MORNINGS IN SEPTEMBER

If you live in the area, why not join us for a coffee morning in aid of the scholarship fund.

There will be 2 coffee mornings in September (11th and 25th) in Hapstead Hall, High Street, Ardingly RH17 6TB from 10.15 am - 11.30 am. There will be sales of beautiful handmade cards, books and other items. Please put these dates in your diaries and come along for delicious homemade cakes, coffee or tea.

Please pray for the charity especially for funding for both the new school for the blind and for the scholarship fund.

Our donors and child sponsors deserve a huge thank you. Your generosity is making such a difference to the lives of our scholars, and the new school will give hope and opportunity to blind children and other learners for many years to come.

Thank you and God bless you.

Belinda

 

WE ARE GOING TO BUILD A SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND!

This is a huge undertaking for a little charity like ours, but so exciting!

PLEASE HELP US TO GIVE HOPE AND A FUTURE TO SOME AMAZING CHILDREN WHO NEED US NOW.

VISIT OUR DONOR WALL

As my spirits are lifted by the beauty of the English countryside in spring, I can only imagine what it is like not to be able to see, and if circumstances also mean that you cannot go to school, how limited your prospects will be!  
We have six amazing visually impaired students amongst our scholars at the present time - youngsters with so much potential. We know we must do everything in our power to make sure opportunities are open to them and that their futures are as bright as it is possible for them to be. Too often the potential of these young people is not recognised, but things are changing and opportunities are opening up.

In achieving our goal, we will be working in partnership with the Catholic Diocese in Lira who own the primary school attended by the blind. They have made land available adjacent to the primary school and the secondary school will be an extension of the primary school. The school will be built in three phases and it is hoped that the first part will be ready by January 2024 for the Senior One intake. When it is complete, the school will take up to 300 students. It will cater for the education of other learners as well as the visually impaired.

At present too many blind children drop out of school after their primary education because the nearest school for the blind is too far away. They return to their homes with insufficient education to lead reasonably independent and fulfilled lives. This is so sad.

Thanks to a legacy left to us by a wonderful supporter, we are in a position to contribute very substantially to the cost of the buildings over a period of three years, but we do need more help.

WE HAVE TWO APPEALS. THE FIRST IS FOR DONATIONS TOWARDS THE COST OF BUILDING AND EQUIPPING THE SCHOOL AND THE SECOND IS FOR REGULAR DONATIONS TOWARDS THE COST OF SCHOLARSHIPS. NO DONATION IS TOO SMALL. 

The funds we raise through regular monthly donations and most occasional donations and annual fundraising activities go to the scholarships to enable orphaned, visually impaired and other disadvantaged children to attend school or college. Your generosity over the years has made a huge difference to the lives of many Imara scholars. However, cost have increased dramatically and we have been unable to offer any new scholarships this year. We are not raising sufficient annually to cover the cost of the scholarships. I know we live in uncertain times and it may not be possible for many of you to increase your giving, but if you are in a position to do so it will make such a difference. Regular giving helps us to plan the number of children we can support. If you are not giving regularly but you feel that you could and would like to, we would love to hear from you. There are so many children who need our help. 

NEW DONORS GIVING JUST £10 PER MONTH WOULD MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE.

THE NEW SCHOOL

The total cost of the school building for the blind will be around £400,000 and we are over half way there. We will also need equipment and teacher accommodation. It is very important that the school should be well equipped and should attract the best teachers.  

We will start with the main block - eight classrooms, offices and staffroom, and toilets. Some of the classrooms can be used temporarily as dormitories to begin with.

The libraries, computer rooms and hall will be added on to the main block as soon as possible. This will leave the science block, boys and girls dormitories with toilets, and the kitchen to be added on and staff accommodation to be built. We have asked the Catholic Diocese to look for other donors to help with or take responsibility for the outer buildings while we concentrate on the main block.

A GET TOGETHER

Our Ugandan team organised a Get Together of past and present scholars in January this year. Thank you, Norman and St. Symphorian's Church, Durrington, for fundraising for this event. It was a wonderful day with songs, dance, speeches, a meal and cake. The six blind students sang a lovely song which you can find on our Facebook page imara-uganda-EF or through the Facebook link on the website. I found it very moving. One line in particular is so positive, "All I see today are possibilities." One of the blind students gave a speech of encouragement on behalf of the others. She spoke so well.

As always our thank to you all for your wonderful support. God bless you.

Belinda

 

 

At long last we have been able to return to Uganda. Sylvia and I spent two busy weeks there in June and it was so lovely to see our Ugandan team and all the scholars after more than two years. The children have grown so much.

We have partnered with a new team in Uganda. We asked former Imara-Uganda Education Fund scholar, Kevin, to register and lead a new NGO through which we would work. The new team welcomed us and it was lovely to meet them. They are young and enthusiastic and have lots of good ideas.

We spent a day in Abia where, with a small ceremony, we handed over the resource centre to the school management. The resource centre is now called Jean Ashwin Resource Centre in memory of Jean who took such a keen interest in its construction and donated so generously to make it possible. There are four rooms - a library, an IT room, a small group room and a hall. We chose to support Abia Primary school back in 2011 because it was the site of such suffering during the civil war when the LRA rebels attacked homes, villages and refugee camps and abducted thousands of children, forcing them to become child soldiers. Our older scholars still talk of those times.

 Perhaps the most moving experience of this visit was a journey to Kotido in Karamoja, a four hour journey from Lira. The land is semi desert during much of the year and it is difficult to grow crops. The people keep cattle and many live a nomadic life. We set out early and after a few hours driving along rough roads, we passed through a beautiful low mountain range and beyond it were flat plains stretching towards the Kenyan border. Because crops do not grow well and the cattle suffer in these times of climate change, this is a region where there is much poverty. Our purpose was to visit two of our scholarship children in their schools and the home of the youngest one, a bright eight year old. It was hard to hold back the tears as we entered his tiny dark home. Grandmother is blind and rarely ventures out. She sits all day on a mattress on the floor. At night the children sleep on mats around her. The mother, a widow earns a little money by fetching water for people. When we were there her youngest children were with her and the older ones were out getting food (begging). Food has rocketed in price and they were unlikely to make enough for an adequate meal. This family often goes to bed hungry. Only the one we are supporting is in school.

After leaving this home, we went to the two schools our scholars attend and were met with the biggest smiles. At least for them there is hope for a brighter future. Paul is physically disabled. One of his legs is very weak and he is unable to walk. Sometimes he is in pain but he is in secondary school now and that is what matters to him. Brian loves his primary school and is making good progress.

We now have seven visually impaired children in our scholarship program. We visited the home of one of them, Priscilla. Her parents earn a meagre living farming tobacco about a one hour journey from Lira. They have seven children, four of whom are totally blind. It is hard to imagine how difficult life must be for them, but this as a loving family and even the two-year-old sighted child has learned to guide his blind siblings.

One of the main purposes of this visit was to see how best we can support the education of visually impaired children at secondary level. Too many of those who complete primary school drop out of school, but without a secondary school education and further education, their future is bleak. These are children with so much potential. We had some useful meetings and we will let you know how things progress. At the time of writing, the options are to add a secondary school department to the primary school or to add extra facilities to an existing secondary school. Both options have their challenges and we are waiting for answers to questions and the result of further meetings with the authorities involved. This can take time. At present those families who can afford it send their children out of the area, but the nearest secondary schools to cater for the blind are a two hour journey away. We spent a very interesting day in one of them as we are supporting two children there. We were struck by how these children, growing up where there is such stigma attached to disability, were achieving so much, not just academically but in the fields of sport and music, and they were whizzes on the computer! They had brought home several trophies for goalball and athletics. They are encouraged to believe in themselves and their future is bright. We would love to see opportunities like these in the Lira area. Among the sticking points is the need for the school to be government aided. This would make the government responsible for paying the teachers and providing curriculum materials. The other is financial. Please pray that the challenges will be overcome and that doors will open.

Our AGM will be held on Saturday 17th September at St. Laurence's Church Hall, Goring-by-Sea, starting at 2.30 pm. Please join us if you can.

My very best wishes and may God bless you,

Belinda

 

 

There is good news from Uganda at last! After nearly two years of disrupted education, we are delighted to be able to write to you that the Ugandan schools are now open for all their pupils. The children will move into a class above the one they were in when the schools first closed in March 2020. Please pray that the schools will remain open and that the children and their teachers will keep well.

Our private tuition programme, which ended shortly before Christmas, was a big success. The feedback from the children was very positive. We believe they will return to their studies with renewed confidence. We were grateful to the committed team of teachers who journeyed out along the rough dusty roads each week to teach the children individually and in small groups in or close to their homes. It was wonderful that the school attended by the visually impaired children was given permission to have our scholars and a few others in for private tuition too.

We still have a small group of young people waiting to start tertiary education but they are hopeful that they will begin this new stage in early February.

Normally, Sylvia and I would be in Uganda at this time of the year meeting new applicants for scholarships and visiting their homes. Because of the very high number of Covid cases in the UK, the Ugandan team undertook this task without us and sent us their recommendations. As always we were deeply moved  by the children's stories and hopes. These are our six new scholars: (Some names have been changed to protect the identity of the children.)

Priscilla is in her final year of primary education. She and three of her six siblings are totally blind. Her parents are subsistence farmers. Climate change has led to uncertain seasons. Floods and drought have made farmers uncertain about when to sow their crops and whether or not they will reap what they have sown. Paying school fees for seven children, some with special needs, is very hard. It is Priscilla's hope that she will be a lawyer one day.

Joy, who is as joyful as her name would suggest, is also totally blind. Her father, a subsistence farmer, struggled to pay her school fees at the nearest school for the blind, which is some distance from their home, for the first year of secondary education. However, this was no longer going to be possible and he saw no option but to take Joy out of school. We are happy to be able to support her, and perhaps one day she will have her wish to be a lawyer and fight for the rights of disabled children, so that discrimination against them ends.

Anna is blind in one eye. She sat and passed her Primary Leaving Exam two years ago and has been at home ever since because her father could not raise the fees to send her to school. Her parents are separated and she lives with her father. Anna looks forward to being a teacher one day.

Doreen is a bright girl. She is always in position one or two in her class. Her brothers and sisters are equally bright but are dropping out of school because there is not enough money to pay the fees. One of her sisters passed the Primary Leaving Exam with first grade but, after waiting years for the opportunity to join secondary school, she gave up.

Paul is disabled. He became lame when he was five years old and he is unable to walk. He is able to crawl and he has an adapted tricycle that he can ride using his hands. No child in the poor village primary school he attended ever achieves first grade. Paul took his Primary Leaving Exam and achieved a second grade pass. As they were unable to send him to secondary school, his parents kept him at home, until one day his head teacher visited his home and allowed him to return to primary school for an extra year on a bursary. Paul has big dreams for the future. These include the opportunity to have a secondary school education and to become a teacher or an accountant.

The youngest of the new scholarship children is Brian. His father, who was in the army, died when Brian was very small, leaving a widow and five children. A widow has no rights to her husband's property and an uncle claimed the property. The poor widow moved to live with the grandmother who is almost blind. They live in abject poverty. Brian's mother earns a little money collecting water for people. When Brian was little he had an accident and his arm was broken. It has healed and he is not in pain, but he is left with a weakness in the left arm. Brian is 8 years old and it was his wish to be in boarding school because, according to Brian, there is food in boarding school so he would not go to sleep hungry as he does at home sometimes, and at school there is a matron who will help to wash his clothes so he would be smart. He would also study without problems. He would like to be a footballer or a smart policemen when he grows up.

We take so much for granted in the UK and it is a privilege to be able to support these children and to help them to achieve their dreams. We are so grateful to our supporters for the prayers and financial support that makes it all possible. The children have had such a difficult start to their lives and not all of them will end up with the careers they are aiming for, but we hope they will all lead fulfilled lives free from the poverty they have known. One of our girls recently completed a certificate course in business management. Imagine our pride when she received her certificate and a special award for outstanding performance! She is now studying for a diploma.

The scholars loved the Christmas baskets they were given, paid for with money raised through a successful card and craft sale. The photos we were sent showed big smiles on their faces.

We wish you all a happy and healthy 2022.

Belinda