Happening in NovemberBukhayaki · School building
A secondary school for Bukhayaki
Until now, the young people have learned in a shed made of old iron sheets. Now their own school is being built.
Bukhayaki lies in the foothills of Mount Elgon in eastern Uganda: densely populated, hard to reach and without mains electricity. In this rough terrain the nearest secondary schools are too far for the young people to walk to every day, and most families cannot afford expensive boarding schools further away.
So the church, together with the village elders and teachers from Butiru, has already made a start. Among the teachers are former orphans from our programme who come from the area. The first two classes are taught in a shed made of old iron sheets – already almost 80 young people.
Progress in November
The walls are up and the roof frame is going on now. Soon the young people will move out of the tin shed into proper classrooms.
What is being built now
- Four classrooms for classes S.1 to S.4
- A laboratory for physics, chemistry and biology, and a library
- A computer room with laptops and a small solar system
- A staffroom and offices
- A hall for exams, assemblies and meals, with a kitchen with wood-saving stoves
- A block of latrines for girls and boys
Why it matters so much
Without a school nearby, many young people drop out early. Some marry very young; others try their luck in the towns or in Kenya and often end up in great hardship.
With the O-level certificate – comparable to a school-leaving certificate at 16 – they can train for a job, for example in nursing, in a kindergarten or in business.
A school that can stand on its own feet
The parents cover the running costs with small school fees. The church provides the land and the community fires the bricks. So the school can keep going on its own after it has been built.
Photos
The roof frame over the classrooms Work on the roof is moving ahead. Lessons in the tin shed The church and parents put up this shed as a makeshift classroom. The first two classes with their teachers An energy-saving stove like this needs far less firewood, and the smoke goes outside (photo from another school).
