So you may have read our recent blog post about the EAD Education Project? If not, it was about how we plan to generate a sustainable income to better the facilities and education provided by a remote primary school. In this post I want to talk a little more about the school and how the money would be spent.
The primary school is located just outside Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (which is
home to around half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas), an extremely rural and beautiful part of Uganda, with the next nearest school being 8km away. It has 226 pupils of age range 3-11 years old. The school was originally created just for orphans and the marginalised Batwa tribe (the local indigenous tribe) but is now a school for others as well.
It offers free education to orphans and members of the Batwa with others being asked to contribute what they can afford, usually around $4USD per term. Lunch is also provided free of charge to the pupils to ensure the children get at least one good meal a day. Funds are also raised to pay for the children’s health insurance largely through donation. The school opens the possibility of an education to children that previously would have had to go and work in the tea plantations to help support their families.
Only children from extremely poor families are accepted into the school, meaning we can directly help those who need it most. It truly is an amazing school because it combats child labour and gives the children a chance of getting an education; thus, enhancing their prospects and helping to end the cycle of poverty.
So what will the money raised from the project be spent on?
I have spoken with the head teacher, George, and his priority is building better classrooms to try to create a better learning environment for the students. Currently, 40+ students are crammed into a tiny classroom with nothing more than simple benches to sit on. The classrooms are built from off-cuts donated from local tree-fellers. But there are also other running costs that the school needs to spend money on.
Below is a list of what the money raised could be sent on and their rough costs:
One new Classroom: $6000
Students medical insurance per year per student: $85
Feeding all the students for one week: $80
Teachers salary for one month: $100
The school is currently reliant on donations by passing by tourists which can be sparse and unpredictable. That's why we hope to generate a more sustainable income for these students.
If you have any questions about the school, ask them in the comments section below or head to our 'Contact Us' page.
Thanks for reading!
