Expecting a Visitor from Leeds, UK

"I look forward to hearing from you and to develping an exchange programme which will benefit our children at Springs Alive and Whitkirk." - Leeds, UK

Thank you very much for having got in touch. It has been a long wait though and I think this time you will manage to make it. We are still very excited awaiting your visit to us my Dear! Needless to say , I have to mention here in this still very early introduction that Madam Sue Bishop really would want collaboration with your school to work! I can mention that she has seen our school get a new classroom block and now the exchange visit, to mention but a few!

We therefore have very high expectation as a result of your coming here and also an innovation that will see our one time called impoverished school turn “to be of international renown”! I have shared with you a Google document on some more information of the expectations of visitors coming to Springs Alive and frequently asked questions.

Martin

Great Need has Turned into Big Fun!!

Hallo there, great need has turned into big fun!!

It is unbelievable for a student from SPACC to compete with students of the so called better schools in the community and turns to be the best. What a privilege it was!!

Students at SPACC asked fellow students from other schools to join together for quiz competition, two from each school. The other students were so sure they would win ours, while the pupils of SPACC were half sure! Shockingly when the results came out, two from SPACC were the best.

Why did it happen?

Pupils from SPACC were always challenged by the messages in the letters they got especially from Creek View Primary school pupils. They do comment that the children seem to be younger than them but the things they talk about are big.

Say:

• The clubs they have
• The preparations they do towards Christmas
• The topics they talk about; because most of their topics are studied in secondary school in Uganda e.g. History

Our pupils developed confidence which caused every teacher at SPACC to wonder. The pupils say that since they have international connections, they too must turn international and they are now very serious with their academics in order to be different from the local schools and pupils here.

During the struggle to become international, one student amazed the whole school. She failed to pass to go to Primary five last year,2008.She repeated Primary four in 2009 but said that “how can an international student fail a class? I will never be after the first best three”. Term one, she was the first and term two she was the second! No one believed she could perform that way. Internationalism!!!

Thank you our blog readers because through you SPACC has been put on the map (in the limelight!) in the community and outside. We have been able to put up more classrooms, also a friend from the U.S donated to us scholastic materials, which included learning aids such as charts, text books, writing pads, pencils to mention but a few.

Thank you for being so supportive in turning SPACC into a real school!!!

Have you ever seen or heard of unprofessional teachers challenging those who are the so called “professionals”? It has started happening at SPACC because really our teachers have a heart for the underprivileged children in our school.

Thank you

Hallelujah x 2 Praise the Lord! Say Hallelujah again. God is Good!

The most excellent is Jesus our Father, shout Hallelujah Amen!

Exalt his Name. Oh Hallelujah. There was great joy, shouting, dancing, African war cries and breaking into a lot of praising songs, when the sweet little bare footed disadvantaged children were told that St. George’s Church blessed our Sunday School and SPACC at large with whopping £6500 for putting up a better prayer hall and completion of the classrooms! Oh thank Jesus. God is Good, Brethren!!

As a way of expressing our gratitude, we decided to wave, make joyful shouts to the management and believers of St.Georges Church in Leeds UK.A friend in need is a friend indeed! And we have place a plaque in memory! The Greatest thanks however, go the God the Almighty who has enabled us get to all this.We declared divine happiness, Laughter, victory, long life, God’s Grace and favour over all the believers at St.George’s Church. With this money we surely shall do the purposes for which it has been sent, you just keep watch this blog for updates!

Long live Madam Sue Bishop (the mediator), long live Whitkirk (http://www.whitkirk.leeds.sch.uk/). May the good Lord bless!

Yours abundantly, Amen.

Chairman’s Editorial

Our Dear Esteemed Readers,

Many thanks for visiting our web page and keeping abreast with issues of Springs Alive! We bring you hearty warm greetings from the children in our care and are delighted to hear from you!

2008 was an eventful year and despite the global financial down-turn, we remain resolved and optimistic that we will continue to turn the lives of children around with your continued support.
After counting-down another memorable year of opportunity and challenge, we are happy to record an expanding global ring of friendship including: Whitkirk Primary school in (UK), ripplingpond blog in Alpharetta (USA), Multitech Business Research Centre in Uganda (MBRC), Construction Engineering Management Technology and IUPUI-Purdue School of Engineering & Technology to mention but a few. As we mark our 4th year, we celebrate the fire that has kept burning within us to keep Springs Alive Children’s Centre going strong.

We hope to correspond and bring the little dreams of the children to reality. We have constructed a new classroom block to meet the needs of up to 120 pupils! We are delightful to let you know that our prayers were answered when children from Roathpark extended their generosity in November 2008 with donations for building Springs Alive Children’s Centre (SPACC). Since then, we have been able to build the new class rooms and modify the existing structures to meet the town council requirements.

We count the blessings of our friends and partners as we seek to expand our mandate in the coming years. The training opportunity with the Integrated Food Security Classification (IPC) November workshop sponsored by Oxfam GB in Nairobi, all the more reminded us of the development work in our midst. We extend our warmest gratitude to Roathpark friends, may the good Lord bless you abundantly!

In 2009, we like to reach out to the children who have continued to write to us and invite new friends to our expanding tree of love and affection, beneath which children grow!

Promoting Performance Acceleration in School

As our Third term ends, we usually have children get promoted from one class to another. Children who excel are promoted to another class while those who fail in their end of term exams repeat the class.

At Springs Alive Children’s Centre, we usually give particular acknowledgment to children who have excelled. This term, we gave special gratitude to children who have been in Nursery (Top Class Section) and are starting their primary one next year.

Nursery Section here is made up of three sub-sections i.e. Baby Class, Middle Class and Top Class with ages ranging between 3 – 6 years. We dress these Children in Ceremonial outfits as graduates.

We also have other activities coupled with the event which include; presentation of gifts, award of recommendations and/or certificates, much and/or good cooking and eating, music show and/or entertainment, parent’s involvement etc.

All this is done in recognition of the progress these children have made, with a significance that they have moved from an easy or basic/elementary level to a more difficult or important level. In this way we motivate these children to keep their grades high.

Special thanks go to the teachers who help these children to learn and are always with them when they are at school.

A BUSINESS OR A VOLUNTARY COMMUNITY INITIATIVE?

The way Springs Alive Children's Centre (SPACC) started was a result of the need that was in the surrounding community. Many children used and still remain in their homes; some children who are able bodied are taken to do field work. The incapacity of these children's going to school is mainly as a result of the guardians and parents of these children saying they cannot afford the school fees of the nearby schools, let alone the long distances these children travel, the hunger the children have to endure all the day while at school, to mention but a few. SPACC was started with the objective of meeting some of the needs of these children, including, Educating them and where possible avail vocational skills.I have been telling people who think that SPACC is among the several businesses that have come up to compete with other schools, this is, as usual business of all sort tends to be having competitors and economically this is termed as healthy, even in politics, a Nation to be termed democratic has to have Multi disciplines.

I have told people who think we are competitors with them, that even if SPACC was not in existence, that is, if Springs Alive stopped having children at SPACC, still there would be need for this kind of service in our community. We are here to work together, to reach out to those who are incapable and not to be viewed as a threat, who works toward having other schools bring their children to our school, wanting them to close their businesses etc. Within Springs Alive as an Organization, we have come up with several Divisions, these include; Education Division, Peace and Conflict studies Division, Health Division, Research Division, Environment Division and Collaboration Division.It's within the Education Division that Springs Alive has developed links with several Educational Institutions as a way of being supportive to each other. In this way Springs Alive Education Division makes links with willing Educational Institutions in order to enhance learning from each other even with the international linkages SPACC creates.SPACC with its humble setting has continued to thrive, “a day at a time” and this is mainly attributed to the support Wakiso District Administration has given Springs Alive, even as far as recommending Springs Alive management to make links with the Centre Coordinating Tutor (CCT) Office with which we at SPACC intend to set up an exchange learning centre as a way of promoting learning exchange. The roles of the CCT are in the linkThe CCT office is within operating catchment as SPACC and we have together purposed to work hand-in-hand so that Educational levels in our community are uplifted.It isn't surprising that such kind of initiative is often being welcomed in many different localities, given the kind of development Uganda as a Nation is in.

The chairman Springs Alive on many occasions has been approached in order to have such an idea in other localities and has sighted financial constraints, no logistical support yet for Springs Alive to support such initiatives, as some of the barriers. We always keep record of such interactions and given time Springs Alive will be able to reach them.Among the few we have reached out, which we are still developing and working on closely include; starting a business research centre with Multitech Business School(we created multitech blog check it on http://www.multitech-mbs.blogspot.com) we have had an interaction with Kigoogwa Brain Trust Senior Secondary School, we also have high hopes of having an integration with OTA(Outreach to Africa)-on supporting needy students and children.

WATCH THIS SPACE

Our Prayers Have Been Answered

Praise God, On October 27 a generous donation was received from Roath Park School. We are very grateful for the continued efforts of Roath Park to help us improve classroom conditions for our students. We hope they will visit soon and see first hand how carefully and intentionally we have managed their donations improving the quality of life for the children in our community.