Incredible progress at Kahara Primary School
The Big Festive Fry in Dollingstown in December raised the money to drill the borehole at Kahara Primary School in western Uganda. I am delighted to report that:
“A borehole was drilled at Kahara in February. The borehole drilling company is yet to certify the quality of the water, a process that may take two weeks. Once the water quality is certified, the borehole will be cast in concrete and shall be operational at the end of March. The new water source is expected to meet the water demands of the school and neighbouring school community.”
Your support has made this possible.
Borehole being Drilled
Work continues on the school building as school numbers increase dramatically
The 2013 school term started in Uganda in February. In Kahara, in February alone, the school registered 220 girls and 190 boys (410). The school administration attribute this dramatic increase in enrolment to the new infrastructure in the school and the good performance of the P7 candidates last year.
The four classroom block is at roofing level with construction expected to complete in April. After the roofing phase, the internal/external walls will be plastered, windows and doors fixed, and the new block painted.
With the increase in enrolment from 319 pupils in 2012 to 410 pupils in 2013, the new block comes at the right time to accommodate these numbers. The completion of the classroom block will scale down the pupil to classroom ratio from 106:1 in 2012 to 58:1 in 2013.”
Classroom Block at Roofing Level
25 children (13 girls and 12 boys) in Kahara sat for their national primary school leaving exams (PLE) at the end of 2012. All 25 children scored passes to enable them to transfer to secondary school.
Pre-season gardening meetings were also held with the Kahara school garden caretakers. The meetings were held to plan for the opening of school gardens in March. Kahara will plant maize, beans and choice vegetables to complement the dietary needs of the children as parents learn basic organic farming practices from the school gardens.
The school garden for the new planting season will be opened as soon as the first rains come. The school is planning to garden an acre of maize, an acre for beans and ¼ of an acre of different varieties of vegetables. These will all be ready for harvesting in July.
Community hygiene and sanitation meetings will be held in early March. These meetings are aimed at promoting hygiene and water safety in the community and preventing the spread of water borne diseases like typhoid. Children and school community members will be taken through hand washing regimes and given helpful tips on how to keep their school and homesteads clean.
