UK Friends of Nyakasura
Mzee and his assistant looking unusually serious as the big ram pumps again in the background.
The garden in front of Joan Perrens dormitory.
Girls enjoying a swimming session! The pool level is rather unpredictable. We are short of swimming costumes though. If you have any spare please contact Ipswich.
Click here to see the container arival and unloading.
Left: A proud plumber demonstrates a new shower head in a cubicle yet to be painted.
Right: The other Apollo wing now painted.
Click here to see the container being loaded at TWAM.
Andrea (top right) with Everard, her husband Don and friends with the items they collected.
Click here to see scenes from the reunion.
Click here to see the dormitory and scenes from the colourful opening ceremony
Click here to see the maize mill
Click here to view Sandy's report and here to read about Craig's visit.
The headmaster with Pat Heathcote and a member of staff opening the new books.
2006 News. (Click here for 2005 news)
September 2006
Pat returned to UK in July at the end of the second term, having accomplished as much as she could in the circumstances.
In October, Andrew White and Julia Guy went out for the term. Andrew taught Physics and helped with Computing while Julia organised the library. Both of them contributed greatly to music in the school.
June 2006
Pat Heathcote is now in her second term teaching Maths and Computing. Some 20 of the 45 computers sent out are now connected in a network and have a lot of useful software loaded. Both maths and computing students are using them in class - or as far as is possible when the power is off every other day!
The big ram pump, out of action for a very long time, now thumps away contentedly with new parts brought from Somerset. This means there is now enough water for students and staff houses and the school tank even overflows sometimes - an almost unknown event!
Mathew Musinguzi the Physics teacher has been tireless in supervising renovations or doing them himself. Each dormitory now sports a solar panel running 6 bulbs so they have light when there is neither power nor generator. Septic tanks have been dug out and rubbish pits dug, and UKFON have bought lawn mowers to ease the job of the slashers. Joan Perrens dormitory is now open and Clare Aujo the housemistress has planted flowers and shrubs in front.
The girls also now have their own prep room with solar lights. Girls are also having evening swimming sessions in the pool, which are very popular!
The school has now hired an Estates Manager, paid for at first by UKFON, who will supervise the maintenance programme and take the strain off Mathew.
The container has arrived! (April 6th 2006)
At last it reached the school at 11.30pm to a rapturous greeting from those students still up! After much urgent negotiation and intervention from the Minister of Ethics and Integrity, an Old Boy of the school, it had been agreed that it could be brought here unopened and checked by local customs officials rather than unpacking it in Kampala first which would have been a disaster.
Next day, the container was opened and Pat Heathcote directed the unloading into the school hall. Nothing had moved in transit and everything arrived exactly as sent, even wine glasses, a tribute to the expertise of TWAM who packed it! No-one - including the customs - could believe how much came out of one container! The students are highly delighted with the contents, especially the sports equipment!
UKFON have bought the container to use as secure storage, and shortly after the unloading a shattering crash indicated it had been removed from the lorry in the traditional way using rope and gum tree!
School renovations (March 10th 2006)
UKFON is paying for the refurbishment of the 14 dormitory shower areas, none of which have had any running water for several years. The students go down to the river every day to collect water or to wash. The shower areas have not been painted or the shower doors repaired or replaced since the1960s. The refurbishment of the first two shower areas in Apollo House is almost complete and for the first time in years, students can wash and shower inside in freshly painted surroundings!
The container has left! (December 14th 2005)
The container has now been loaded by Ipswich-based charity Tools with a Mission (TWAM) which regularly sends containers to Uganda and other parts of Africa, and departed for Felixstowe loaded to the brim with all the items collected for the school. This included several hundred Maths, Physics and English books (including many class sets), large quantities of lab equipment including Chemistry glassware, microscopes and Physics lab equipment, musical instruments (including about 20 recorders), sports clothes and equipment, as well as a consignment of computers and other equipment for University of the Mountains of the Moon. There was even room for some sewing machines!
Dormitory fire (November 2005)
It was with some shock that we received the news that the new Joan Perrens dormitory has been badly damaged in a fire. However, upsetting though this is, nobody was hurt and the basic structure of the building is intact. The Headmaster and Board of Governors have managed to budget for the cost of rebuilding from the school's finances and the rebuilding work, which will be completed by the same contractors, starts mid-December. We have helped them with a loan from some of the funds put aside for the new computer block.
Collecting books and equipment (November 2005)
An impressive amount of books and equipment was collected by a number of members. A lot of it was stored in Pat and Oliver's garage in Ipswich, then gradually filling the house as the damp season started. Sandy and Liz Riddell sent a further 35 boxes to Ipswich at the beginning of November and we have fetched boxes from Oxford, Birmingham and St Bees. In addition, Thurston Community College near Bury St Edmunds donated 45 computers which have been checked over.
Andrea Driver in Coventry has been tremendously energetic and successful in acquiring £1,000 worth of brand new cricket equipment as well books, games, guitars and other items. We have also collected class sets of maths and physics books, a huge amount of physics, chemistry and biology lab equipment, two dozen recorders, badminton and tennis racquets, football and other sports gear.
A huge thanks to all concerned!
We now have as much as we can cope with! So no more is needed for the time being but money for transport and buying specific items not readily available secondhand is of course always useful..
Charitable status (July 2005)
The UK Friends of Nyakasura has now been granted charitable status, with all the advantages this gives. You can see details by clicking the link at the foot of the page.
Reunion (June 2005)
A reunion of ex-staff members, as well as several from Kyebambe School, was attended by some forty people in Coventry on June 25th. Chris Robson, the Chairman, welcomed everyone and Everard Perrens gave an account of the opening of the dormitory in October 2004. Pat Heathcote, who had just visited Fort Portal, showed slides and a movie of the school and described its recent progress and current needs.
A large amount of money has already been collected by the Friends and used for the first two of a series of projects requested by David Ocan the headmaster.
Girls' Dormitory (July 2005)
With rising pupil numbers and only one dormitory for girls, (against seven for the boys), the greatest need was for a new girls' dormitory. This was begun in early 2004 and completed by October. The Joan Perrens dormitory houses 80 girls in 40 double bunks, with a separate wash block. The work was carried out to a high standard by a local contractor. You can see the dormitory and scenes from the splendid opening ceremony by clicking the link on the right.
However, in July 2005 there was still a problem with the water supply, which is not reliable and dries up in the dry season. This is something that urgently needs to be addressed, and Adolf Kahuma is looking into the repair and renovation of the ram water pump near the swimming pool.
Maize Mill (July 2005)
Mr Ocan felt that a maize mill would enable him to make substantial savings in the cost of food for the students, enabling him to buy maize as grain rather than meal. The Friends bought the mill and the school paid for a building to house it. The maize mill was 'inaugurated' at the same time as the dormitory opening.
Visits to the school (July 2005)
There have been two recent visits to the school: by Sandy Inglis, architect for the library and computer block, and by Craig Hampton, former teacher.
Books for the library (June 2005)
Payne-Gallway Publishers have already shipped a large quantity of Computing and IT books to the school and Harcourt Education in Oxford have sent some general books for the library. These arrived and were opened in June 2005 - yet to be catalogued.
The Headmaster wrote in his report for the Jubilee celebrations: "There is a small main library with a maximum seating capacity of 50 students. There are few relevant books and reading materials which is a constraint to effective learning, doing preps and assignments. Some books are kept in the bookstore making it difficult to run a book bank system".
The school will need to get a proper lending library system going - at present students are generally not allowed to take books out of the library. Even the cataloguing of the substantial quantity of new books about to be sent will be difficult without extra help. If any librarian would like to volunteer their services please contact us!