Dear charity members, friends and family, I hope this newsletter finds you well.
My last newsletter was June 2022 and a lot has happened since.
I began to write this newsletter in December but sadly my brother died.
I’d planned to invite you all to our first birthday celebration on 12th January 2023 as we’d gained Registered Charity status on 21st December 2021. I’ve postponed it until another time. Invites will go out when I’ve decided on a suitable date. I also cancelled another two fundraising events planned for January.
We have much to celebrate!
Our first year as a Registered Charity has been very successful. We’ve been able to see the school through its first full year because of your generosity after almost 2 years of closure following Covid.
Uganda’s schools were ordered to reopen on Monday 10 January 2022 after nearly two years of closure – the longest school shutdown in the world – but not all were able to welcome pupils back.
Many schools never reopened in the aftermath of covid and the raised level of educational requirements/costs has meant that hundreds of schools in Uganda have had to close.
Unlike other schools that have rents to pay and depend on pupils fees, with your help we have been able to give children from the poorest backgrounds an education. We have been able to, not only survive, but to thrive during this crisis thanks to many of you who’ve donated to the charity.
The school year in Uganda runs from the end of January to beginning of December and we’ve completed our first full year in school since covid.
From the very beginning when I first set foot in Namataba in 2014 I began to buy land and have since built a Church/Primary school (originally one shared building but now separate buildings), a Nurseryschool and enough houses for the teachers to live there rent free.
I also bought farming land to grow food for the school.
I had a vision for what could be in this place and for many years was the sole provider.
Gradually people have come alongside and helped support this vision/mission. As a small charity (formed in 2019) we began to grow.
We began 2022 as a registered charity with 8 monthly supporters. That has increased to 22 supporters.
Our fundraising events comprising four coffee mornings, two afternoon teas and a curry evening raised £4,582.
Various other donations have helped us build a new classroom block, manage teachers’ salaries, buy food etc. to support the children in their education.
Every Child Deserves a Better Future!
The Helen Margaret Owen Foundation Sort code 40-08-22 Account 91827731
Cheques payable to The Helen Margaret Owen Foundation
30 Huntsfield Close, Lymm, Cheshire, WA13 0SS.
We have 12 Teachers with University degrees (a new Education Authority directive resulting in higher wages) and our Headmaster Pastor Geoffrey Kamya (who I’ve worked with since 2014) is doing a three year Bachelor’s degree in Primary Head Teaching.
We also have 6 support staff, working the farming land, cooking, cleaning and a security guard. We have 188 children from very poor backgrounds that wouldn’t have access to an education if we didn’t help them.
122 children in Primary, 66 in Nursery. One third are orphans.
We have a huge funding gap so please consider sponsoring a child.
We have calculated that £20/month will cover the education costs, food, etc. for one child.
Please read the attached financial report for Kirinya Children’s Centre for 2022 where you can see how all the money given through donations to the charity is used.
Last summer three UK students (Helena and Isabel Griffiths and cousin Emily Murdoch) went to the school for a month for work experience with another student Georgie Farrar joining them later.
Their University subjects were Psychology/Teaching, Medical, English, and Physiotherapy therefore very well placed to assist in teaching classes amongst other activities.
They did an outstanding job and were extremely helpful. Everyone had so much fun. The children really miss them.
They plan to return in 2023!
A group of four from Lymm (Dave Eadon, Sarah Cross, Lindsay Webb and myself plus my son James (who remains until February) went to Uganda in November for two weeks where we enjoyed speech day celebrating the pupils who had just finished their Primary 7 Leaving Exams and children who’d graduated from Nursery to Primary 1 after doing their exams.
An oral healthcare programme and taking the Nursery children swimming were some of the school activities.
We also had the pleasure of attending the Wedding of our youth leader, leading three conferences and a leadership training day.
Finally we celebrated Christmas before Christmas before we flew home. We’re all looking forward to going back in 2023.
What about the container that left the UK last March?
It’s a long story but we able to distribute the things in November that were sent by CareUK to help equip the school and also help many, many people in various communities.
These are just a small sample of pictures such as a paralysed man with wheelchair, sewing machines for a woman who works with refugees from other parts of Africa and baby baskets and clothes.
What are our plans for 2023?
We can only do so much and the boy’s boarding house was clearly unsuitable and finally collapsed under the extremely heavy rains (a result of climate change).
A new boarding house for 30 boys is currently being built with donations from the church family there. It’s a big sacrifice for those with so little.
Your donations to help put a roof on would be really appreciated.
We return to Uganda in May to lead ‘Catch Fire’ conferences at the school during the holiday and in Eastern Uganda.
We continue to stimulate transformational change, the evidence of which we see whenever we visit. The conference held at the school will include practical workshops to skill people to provide for their children and themselves.
The girls who went out last year are planning to return in the summer providing valuable support to the school and charity.
In September there will be a 3 day visit to the school by Dentaid – a charity which has worked in more than 70 countries providing safe, sustainable dental treatment in poor and remote communities.
They support dentists around the world by providing equipment, running oral health programmes and sending teams of volunteer dental professionals to help them reach more patients.
We are delighted that they have agreed to come to the school for three days and help establish a long term oral health programme. Lindsay, who has previously been to Uganda with Dentaid, plans to go as part of this team.
We will return as a team again in November as the school year comes to an end so that we can participate in school activities, celebrate the successes and plan ahead. Contact me if you’d like to come.
We have many achievements to celebrate – more than I could possibly write in a newsletter.
Please let me know if you have any fundraising ideas and can help/host events to help us achieve even greater success.
The future of these children depends on it.
