Let the Little Children Come to Me

During our journey in Uganda, God continued to open our eyes to the needs of the people.  As we were having tea and bread with Fr. Augustine, he mentioned that the church also has a school called St. Theresa Elementary School (after St. Theresa of Lisieux).  Some of you may still remember that we  lost a daughter 13 year ago and her name is Theresa, who was named after St. Theresa of Lisieux, the Little Flower.  Therefore, we asked to have a visit to the school. 

When we arrived, we could hardly believe what we saw.  The school is housed in a partially collapsed building.  As you see in the picture on the right, part of the building has collapsed due to old age.

The children politely greeted us when we entered the classroom. Approximately 80-90 elementary students were sitting on the floor and writing on a thin note book. There were no tables or chairs in the classroom. No shelves or books. The wall is in need of repair and new coat of paint. 

The students were delighted to have visitors and were happy to have their pictures taken.

Looking at the class roster, there is about 30% drop-off rate from first grade to fourth grade.  The rate continues to go up for secondary school.  According to Honorable Jacob Oboth, only about 25% of the population here is literate.   In order to change the future of this community, it is important to invest on the education of these children because they are the future leaders of the community.

 It is a challenge for many families in the villages to send their children to secondary schools.  Most of them are substance farmers.  The cost of tuition is a big factor as the cost of tuition significantly increased to US$100 per term (about 3 months).  Many families in the villages cannot afford to send their children to school.  The salary for an experienced high school teacher is only $100 per month.  Many families live on a budget of less than $3 per day.  Just to give you some idea of the cost of living and prices of goods, a rooster costs about $10, and 2 pounds of flour costs about $0.80.