Thursday, 26 November 2009
The school opening is the culmination of a year long intensive fund raising campaign by the UFU to mark the organisations 90th Anniversary.
UFU President Graham Furey, who travelled to Uganda for the school opening said the new facilities would transform the lives of the children in this remote part of East Africa.
Graham said; "This was a joyous and humbling occasion for the UFU team who travelled to Uganda. The gratitude shown to us by the people of Kyendgando was overwhelming. The construction of the 'Ulster Farmers Primary School' has given hope and joy to hundreds of young children, many of whom are orphaned. The school building is very impressive and a professional staff of 9 teachers has been put in place. Already 257 children are enrolled and their singing and dancing at the opening ceremony will live long in the memory".
As part of the UFU Africa project, a borehole supplying clean water to the village of Kyengando has also been constructed.
They can take great pride from contributing to this project".
UFU Communications Director Joe McDonald was the third member of the UFU team who visited Uganda. He acknowledged the role played by local charity Fields of Life. The school will leave a lasting legacy for the UFU in Kyengando".
SOME DETAILS ABOUT THE SCHOOL:
Travelling by car from the capital city of Kampala, on the northern shore of Lake Victoria, it is a bumpy and precarious 5 hour drive to the main Southern town of Mbarara. Another 1 hour drive will take you onwards to the small regional town of Ibanda in the Kiruhura District. The UFU team stayed in Ibanda before travelling by dirt track roads another hour to Kyenkando, which is in a region of rolling hillsides where banana plantations and coffee are the main crops.
Farming seems to be on a small, subsistence scale and housing is very primitive, mainly very small mud walled structures with banana bark roofing. Access to electricty and clean water for the families in these remote areas would be very rare.
EXCHANGING GIFTS
One of the most humbling experiences for the UFU team who visited Kyengando was an exchange of gifts during the opening ceremony.
The villagers also presenetd the UFU with a beautiful carved wall plaque which will be displayed in UFU Headquarters.
The UFU had brought gifts of pencils and books, sweets and footballs for the children. The appearance of the footballs generated great excitement among the children and we hope they will get a lot of enjoyment from this in the months ahead.
The children really got excited about their gifts and we were very moved by the gifts we received from the villagers".
SCHOOL LIFE
UFU Appeal Chairman Gary McHenry and Senior Policy Officer Aileen Lawson visited Kyengando in February 2008 and agreed that this should be the site for the UFU 90th Anniversary Appeal Fund School. Later that year, with funds secured, construction work started and the number of learners increased from 98 to 189 pupils in the first term of the 2008 / 2009 school year.
9 teachers have been employed at the school, led by Principal Taremwa Edson. Edson previously taught in the Ugandan capital Kampala, but has now moved, along with his young family to the remote region of Kyengando.
When the UFU team visited Kyengando last weekend there were 257 children enrolled as follows:
71 in nursery; 32 in P1; 29 in P2; 42 in P3; 33 in P4; 22 in P5; 29 in P6. The schools motto is 'In God we excel'.
As well as children from Kyengando, the school is also attracting children from other Districts such as Kyenjojo, Kyenshebashebe and Rutooma.
The Pincipal also reported that the children were already improving aspects of reading, writing and speech. Those families that can afford it have purchased school uniforms.
The new school structure is very well built with brick walls, a sturdy roof and painted walls and ceilings, new desks and black boards.