S4S Update: New Textbooks!
Science books for our partner schools!
The money you all raise is split over the six basic areas of implementation at our partner schools. One of these areas involves supplying our partners with scholastic material. S4S is committed to providing the schools with the supplies they need to give their students the best possible education. One of our biggest goals is to fill the classrooms and libraries with all the textbooks the schools require to teach the Ugandan curriculum. Last week, S4S sent an order to several publishing houses in Kampala for literally thousands of science books! When delivered, all of our 11 partners will have every chemistry and physics textbook they need, meaning that S4S has hit another one of its exit targets. Using funds from Round 4, S4S hopes to be able to purchase enough books for the remaining five core subjects. As of now, our partner schools lack the books needed to teach these five subjects well. Thanks to all of you who have donated books or dollars, your support is translating into real opportunity for your Ugandan peers.
S4S Update: New Building for Atanga’s Teachers
The changing face of Atanga features the foundations of a new administrative building (foreground) and two IC-built classroom blocks (background).
Atanga is a relatively small school, and until two years ago it consisted of no more than one dilapidated shack surrounded by a few trees. Students now attend class in new classrooms and study in well-equipped laboratories. The IC impact at Atanga has been huge: S4S has invested over $370,000 in new classrooms, latrines, a power system, and teacher capacity development workshops. With that said, the students at Atanga still have basic educational needs that have not yet been met; even after all that IC has done at the school, more projects await.
The top of this year’s School Project Priority List for Atanga was a request for a new Administration Block. In our struggle to raise Atanga’s performance to a nationally competitive level, catering for the teachers and administration is equally as important as supporting the students . Only good teaching spawns effective learning. The new administrative building will be two stories high, with new offices for the Head Teacher and his support staff, as well as a huge staff room for all the teachers. The foundations are done, and soon construction on the walls will begin. Before we know it, Atanga will be yet another step closer to achieving the nurturing educational climate it is striving to create. This transformation is taking place because thousands of students around the world are banding together for Atanga!
The American Homeless: Invisible in the Land of Milk and Honey
This article about American homelessness was featured in the UK paper The Guardian. (If you’ve never heard of The Guardian before, check it out: it’s a great source of international and American news. Yes, I know, it’s odd that we need to check out British newspapers to learn about America. CNN, with its visibly partisan slant and endless flow of articles about water skiing dogs and love-affairs-turned-deadly, can only inform an educated person for so long.) The article outlines the criticisms recently hurled at the US government by UN housing investigator Raquel Rolnik. “The housing crisis is invisible for many in the US,” Rolnik said. How, she asks, is the US government able to spend billions of dollars bailing out banks and big business while its own citizens are living home-less, smothered by feelings of hopelessness and despair?
Good question.
On the Ground: VSLA Group Profile
Members of Oberabic’s VSLA group wait for their weekly meeting to start
The village, Oberabic, meaning Five Mosquitos in Luo, is not unlike the hundreds of other small villages carpeting the countryside of northern Ugandan. Subsistence farmers separated from one another by vast swaths of farmland are its residents. Its roads are mottled paths tunneled by head high grasses. Its nights—electricity and light bulb-free—are cloaked in deep, penetrating shadows when clouds float thick. There’s no bustling town center. No large restaurants or modern internet cafes. Because they pull their livelihoods from the earth beneath their feet, season by season, many people in Oberabic exist on the fringes of a money-based economy, relying on bartering and infrequent money-based purchases to survive. Which is why, on this day, the meeting taking place is more remarkable: farmers who have never done so before are pooling their cash, balancing financial ledgers, and taking loans.
Invisible Children presents: The Legacy Fund
We are launching our new program that invites you to join the cause in specific ways. The Legacy Fund. We have a series of videos that explain the ways you can help. Today is our second: sponsor a Mentor in Uganda. Watch the video, and check us out tomorrow for the next release.
S4S Update: Three Down, Three to Go!
Three Ugandan teachers—Ketty, Robert, and John—have been awarded two-year visas to the US
If you’ve been following this website, you know that six Ugandan teachers will head to the US for one month of team teaching in December under the S4S Reciprocal Teacher Exchange. We’re ecstatic about this upcoming trip because we’ve never brought Ugandan teachers to the US in this capacity before.
Yesterday three of the selected teachers were called for interviews at the US Embassy in Kampala. It can often be difficult to obtain an appointment for the visa interview, and the interview itself can be very challenging. In order to grant a visa, the US Embassy has to be assured that the people intending to travel, in this case our Ugandan teachers, have every intention of returning home. The three candidates traveled to Kampala overnight and sat for interviews in the early morning. After an almost disastrous start (one candidate forgot her passport!) all three got the opportunity to sit before an immigration officer and tell their story. After an agonizing couple of hours, the S4S team learned that all three candidates had been successful and were awarded two-year visas!
Invisible Children Uganda has good ties with the US Embassy, thanks in part to the great work our teams do on the ground in Gulu, but primarily from the efforts of everyone involved in the global IC movement. Without the continued publicity from your support, our teachers might not been so successful. Plans are underway for the remaining three selected teachers to sit for interviews. Keep your fingers crossed!
The Legacy Fund: What will be your legacy?
We are launching our new program that invites you to join the cause in specific ways. The Legacy Fund. We have a series of videos that explain the ways you can help. Today is our first: the Visible Child Scholarship Program. Watch the video, and check us out tomorrow for the next release.
What will be your legacy?
S4S Update: Girl’s Dorm Rising at St. Mary’s
Last year St. Mary’s Lacor School asked for a girl’s dormitory. S4S, with the help of thousands of students across the world, has combined forces and raised enough funds for a new two-story girl’s dormitory. Work is well underway on site: the walls of the first floor are done, and the huge task of casting the second floor’s concrete slab has started. Within two weeks, S4S expects the walls of the second floor to have taken shape. Before we know it, the S4S engineers will be capping off the roof. Seeing the building grow day by day is incredibly exciting!
Security of the female students and their access to education are concerns for the entire school community at St. Mary’s. In years past in Uganda, young girls have been pressured into leaving school at an early age to help at the home and start families of their own. Historically, African communities have regarded the women in their ranks as second class citizens; however, after huge efforts to sensitize communities, girls and women are becoming empowered through local and national programs. This hard-earned empowerment and the shift in the way society sees women is playing out in northern Uganda. The new girl’s dormitory at St. Mary’s Lacor was requested by the entire school community, and as such, is a prime example of how the community has shifted their traditional ways of thinking toward a more equality-based mentality.
Thanks to all those who are continuing to raise funds for St. Mary’s Lacor. Your efforts are making a huge impact!
S4S Update: New Lab at Pabo SS
The new three-block lab at Pabo SS rises, with IC-built classroom blocks standing in the background
Progress on the construction of a new three-block laboratory at Pabo SS is going smoothly. The new block is the most ambitious project S4S has ever undertaken at Pabo SS. When finished, it will come with a price tag of just over $130,000 US! The new laboratory will include fully furnished individual physics, chemistry, and biology classrooms, as well as two storage rooms and a preparation room.
The Ugandan Ministry of Education puts a huge emphasis on students’ ability to perform well in the traditional sciences; the new laboratory in Pabo SS will provide the tools for the students of Pabo to compete on an equal playing field with their peers in other parts of Uganda. Although seemingly expensive, S4S sees this investment as a comparative bargain: the new facilities are priceless in terms of the opportunity they will provide those students who wish to excel .
A huge thanks to all of those who have made this project possible. Keep it up the good work!
S4S Update: 2nd Girls Dorm at Gulu High
The walls of Gulu High School's second IC-built girls dormitory are getting higher and higher with each passing day
Last month S4S signed the contract for the second phase of construction of a new girls dormitory at Gulu High School. The winning contractor is now on site and making rapid progress; walls are rising from the recently finished foundations. This project will utilize most of the funds raised for Gulu High from last year’s S4S tour.
The new dormitory will stand side by side with the existing girls dormitory completed under Round 2, with a third dormitory planned for 2010! When complete, the three new buildings will provide safe and modern living facilities for 576 female students. These dormitories have become S4S signature projects in the region, raising the bar for secondary school development in the North.
For those of you fundraising on the behalf of Gulu High, keep up the efforts—the girls are eager to move in!
Spread a smile with MJ style
Meet Davis. He is a little boy from Uganda who loves Michael Jackson. His dance moves made us miss Michael so bad, we had to make a little tribute video. Send this video to your friends and spread smiles today.
Meet Laker Irene: today’s featured MEND seamstress
As promised, meet today’s MEND seamstress. Something tells us you’re really going to get along with her.
This week, we’re premiering a new MEND video every day, as we lead up to the release of the new MEND bags on November 2. Tune in as we introduce you to these inspiring women, and give you an idea of what their lives are like.
MEND is seaming a personal connection between products, their creators, and you. It’s proof that what we wear can – and will – make a difference.
Another S4S Project Completed!!
Two new Ecological Sanitation Latrine Blocks at Atanga SS
Today the S4S engineers visited Atanga SS for the final inspection of two new Ecological Sanitation Latrine Blocks. Latrines may not sound all that exciting to you guys, but the smiles on the faces of the students who get to use them indicate that these projects mean the world to them! The completion of this project means that Atanga SS are even closer to their optimum latrine ratio and that S4S are closer to yet another one of their exit targets. These blocks were completed using funds from your efforts last year, and will have a huge impact on the water and sanitation needs of the Atanga SS community. By utilising a relatively new and wholly environmentally friendly technology, S4S have built a facility that will last for decades not years,
While one contractor was finishing up with work on the latrines, another contractor has moved onto site for the construction of a new Administration Block. This new building will be two stories high, with new offices for the Head & Deputy Head Teachers, Bursar, Director of Studies and a huge staffroom on the first floor. This project is so big the contract for it’s construction has been phased into two parts to make the project manageable for the S4S engineers who are responsible for ensuring the quality of the work is the best possible. Phase one is due to be completed in Jan 2010; keep an eye on the S4S Blog for future updates on this epic project!
The women of MEND: Premiere
This is Lamunu Irene. She’s one of the faces behind MEND, Invisible Children’s newest initiative. This bold, new handbag line was designed to seam a personal and emotional connection between products, their creators, and their customers.
Every day throughout this week, we will be premiering a new video on Facebook and YouTube. Watch, as we introduce you to several of the women that make MEND possible. Trust us, you’ll want to meet them. They’re great.
Irene’s video is up now, check it out. Now. Click. …click it now.
Making headlines: Teacher Exchange program shared with all of Uganda
Our six lucky teachers pose with Country Director Jolly Okot and the S4S team
The New Vision, One of Uganda’s leading daily newspapers has caught wind of our intention to send six teachers from Gulu to the US! The headline wrote “US Schools invite Gulu Teachers” while the article announced the six lucky candidates to the rest of their nation. Invisible Children Uganda rarely makes it into the national press – other than in the classifieds for our ever growing team – but today recognition was given to not only our teachers who are gearing up to travel in December, but also all those in the US who are making our programs on the ground possible. As our programs gain more and more supporters in the west, it is imperative we start sharing our progress and news with the greater Ugandan community, after all, over 90% of our staff are Ugandan working on behalf of their compatriots – todays article was certainly a step in the right direction!
The S4S team arrives at the Awere SS original site to begin construction of the new Girls Dormitory!
The S4S team and contractors stake out the location for the new Girls Dormitory at Awere SS
Today the S4S team travelled to the Awere SS original site to stake out the exact location of where the new girls’ dormitory should be built. Unlike our other partner schools, the Awere SS original site is yet to be occupied; the students and teachers are currently operating in their displaced school in Gulu town. Because the site is not in use, most of the land within the campus has turned to “African bush” making today’s siting of the new girls dormitory more than tricky! However, with help from local labour and the S4S engineers, the site has been identified, cleared, and work has commenced.
The beginning of the 2010 academic year will see the students of Awere SS return home to their original site. Currently on site are three new classroom blocks, a new laboratory block, water and electricity supply and two new blocks of latrines – next is the girls’ dormitory! Watch this space for progress reports as the new dorm rises from the bush!
Ground-breaking ceremony for the new library block at Anaka. Woot WOOT!
Students from Pope Paul VI Anaka celebrate at the ground-breaking ceremony for their new library block
Today S4S introduced the students of Pope Paul VI Anaka to the construction firm who have begun building their new library block. The school held a ground-breaking ceremony as construction work began. The ceremony was hosted by the schools Head Teacher along with staff from the S4S team. Over a thousand students attended, all of which were eager to take a look at the plans for their new library block. The Head Boy and Head Girl gave short speeches thanking their friends in the US who raised the money to make this project possible, and praised Invisible Children for our continued efforts to rebuild Pope Paul VI Anaka.
The library is due to be completed by the end of January 2010, by which time books will have arrived in Gulu from last years S4S book-drive along with other text books purchased by S4S. For more information on this years book drive, check out http://www.invisiblechildren.com/bookdrive
MEND Update: Marie Visits the MEND Center in Uganda
Richard, Marie, and Raphael pose for a picture at MEND
Marie Havens, MEND’s Director of Design and Product Development, is currently out in Uganda for 10 days, overseeing handbag production and helping to plan MEND’s future. Tattooed and with wit sharper than even the needles in the MEND sewing machines, Marie fuses professionalism, authenticity, and humor in a way few people can. We carved out a twenty minute block of time from her busy schedule during her Uganda trip to sit down and talk. MEND, I learned, is about to undergo a massive transformation.
Mentoring Update: IC Mentors Inspire Students Before Exams
IC mentors address a group of students at Pope Paul VI Anaka School before their exams
Two thick mvule trees loomed overhead, casting webs of shadow and light across the two hundred students gathered beneath them. Sitting in a row before the students, a half dozen guest speakers waited their turn to speak. The students, all in grades S4 and S6, and all about to take the most important exams of their lives, sat wide-eyed and still. The open-air meeting was a crucial one. The guest speakers—IC mentors, the school’s Head Teacher, and the man who mentors the IC mentors, Mzee Lakwiya—were there to mentally prepare the students for their upcoming UACE and UCE exams, tests that would help determine the paths their lives would take. “On Monday,” one speaker said, “you all will jump into hot soup. We’re here to help you get ready.”
S4S Update: New Classroom Block at Keyo SS!
The students at Keyo SS received their new IC-built two-classroom block
Today was a great day: our Country Director, Jolly Okot, and the S4S team traveled to the Keyo SS original site to hand over their first completed project—a brand new two-classroom block! As our newest partner school, Keyo SS had yet to benefit from the funds raised in Rounds 1 and 2. However, with funds from Round 3, the S4S team has managed to construct a much needed facility. These two new classrooms are only the beginning of the many structures S4S intends to build at Keyo SS.
In her welcome speech, Jolly noted that the buildings S4S is putting on the ground are the tools to take Keyo’s students out of poverty; but tools are only useful in the hands of those who work hard. “Your brain is your brawn. Use it every day,” Jolly remarked. The students committed to care for and maintain their new classrooms, pledging a huge thank you to all supporters of Keyo SS.
Donations from Round 4 are going towards a second (and hopefully third) classroom block. For more information on Keyo SS and the work that remains, please check out the S4S website.
S4S Update: World Teachers Day
Students and their teacher get down to business in a bright IC-built classroom at Pope Paul VI Anaka School
Today is World Teachers Day, and in Gulu that means school is closed! The Ugandan government rewards teachers for their hard work by giving them a day off on World Teachers Day. In regards to the way their citizens view teachers, Uganda and the US are completely different countries. In the US, teaching is considered a noble profession; in Uganda, however, teaching is not considered a reputable life pursuit. In fact, teachers in Uganda are the lowest paid of all the country’s civil servants. When Ugandan teachers qualify from their training academies, they become property of the Ministry of Education and are posted to a school. Unlike American teachers, Ugandan teachers have little choice in where they get sent to teach and often live apart from their families.
The stresses for our teachers are great, but we at S4S are doing all we can to empower Ugandan teachers, equipping teachers with the tools they desperately need to restore the environments in which they work. Today at S4S we salute our teachers, and encourage you all to say THANK YOU to your teachers. They deserve our praise and respect.
On the Ground: From Bracelets to Savings Groups
Betty, 55, sits in front of the hut she paid for with money earned as an IC bracelet maker in Awer IDP Camp
Invisible Children’s Bracelet Campaign used to employ people living in IDP camps in northern Uganda to make bracelets. When the Bracelet Campaign ended in May, IC dovetailed the program’s phase out with the start of a new microfinance program called the Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA). Because bracelet makers were trained in saving techniques, it seemed only logical to use them as anchors for savings groups in northern Uganda under VSLA.
Ex-bracelet makers are presently helping their fellow villagers save money in 20 different savings groups. With 20 people in each group, VSLA is a powerful program affecting 400 Ugandan households, enabling group members to take loans from communal group savings funds that they themselves generate. I recently sat down to speak with Betty, an ex-bracelet maker and current leader of one VSLA group in Awer, Uganda. Below is a transcript of part of our interview.
S4S Update: BIG Day for S4S!!
Today might have been the most expensive day in Invisible Children’s history! After months of work from the S4S team and lots of meetings with our partner schools, IC Uganda identified seven massive building projects that need to be completed at various schools in the North. Today a committee of Invisible Children Staff awarded these seven projects to construction companies in Uganda. Some of our biggest projects to date, these dorms, labs, libraries, and offices are all being funded by students from around the world. Never before has S4S embarked on so many ambitious building projects at once, but we are confident that our team has the skills to rise to the task.
The projects listed below will utilize the funds S4S clubs collected in Round 3 (and will ensure that the S4S team here in Gulu is very busy for months to come). The projects are:
- Construction of a new girls dorm at Awere Secondary School
- Construction of a second girls dorm at Gulu High School
- Completion of the girls dorm at St. Mary’s College Lacor
- Construction of a new laboratory block at Pabbo Secondary School
- Construction of a new administrative block at Atanga Secondary School
- Construction of a new library block at Anaka Secondary School
- Refurbishment of the library block at Layibi College
The value of these projects totals $622,000 US! This means that the bulk of Round 3 funds are now committed to projects, and that the funds raised in Round 4 are more urgent than ever.
S4S Update: Books and more books!
Schools for Schools is committed to supplying our partners with all the books teachers and students could possibly need. Textbooks are a vital ingredient to improving the quality of the teaching and learning environments at our partner schools, which is why we have undertaken numerous initiatives to stock their libraries and classrooms. Last year, the S4S book-drive collected nearly 2 million books, of which thousands will soon arrive in Gulu to be distributed between our eleven schools. To ensure that these books are utilized, cared for, and readily accessible to students, the S4S Education team conducted a two-day workshop to train librarians and selected staff and students on effective library practices. While you will all may be familiar with the process of checking out books from your school libraries, the libraries at our partner schools have been empty for years and the processes have been forgotten. As we get closer to replenishing the shelves, we are taking strides to ensure the educational potential locked within the books you have sent our way—and will continue to collect—is truly maximized.
Keep your eyes peeled for news on our next delivery of books. If you’re interested in helping collect books for our schools, check out the S4S Book Drive at www.invisiblechildren.com/bookdrive