Springs Alive Uganda, In God we trust to ''keep the fire'' burning.

MBS ROTARACT CLUB FUNDRAISES FOR SPRINGS ALIVE COMMUNITY SCHOOL

2011-11-16T19:52:00.001+03:00

Oh what a wonder that as Chief Administrator of Springs Alive Community School(SPACS) I happened to be invited for the fundraising event that was organized by Multitech Business School Rotaractors.

While here I was mesmerized at the way the rotaractors had organized this event that brought together many Rotarians,interactors and rotaractors from various clubs around Kampala including Mulago,Kasangati,Mengo,Kasubi,Nansana to mention but a few.

There were several items that had been set for auction in order to raise funds for SPACS including a Rotaractors sculpture, buying money etc etc.

This did not all end there, on 4th November 2011 MBS rotaractors headed a group of about 20 other people to Springs Alive Community School in order to have time together!

At SPACS we shared a lot of eats, drinks, working in the kitchen together, played football, skipped ropes and so many other activities. We need your comments on the pictures we posted; click the link; http://on.fb.me/tNMapl

It was wonderful to see the rotaractors giving pencils and exercise books to each of the pupils; they were about 120 pupils present. They also carried with themselves clothes, bags, shoes, Text books and a huge box of chalk all for the children at SPACS.

We ran short of words and failed to express our gratitude!! Multitech Business School Rotaract club is indeed a seed that germinates and bring forth good fruit and many eat on it. Its shade a resting place for the small children as those at SPACS.

It all started as a very big scary project; given the fact that the rotaractors had made a needs assessment and the needs were enormous. Several meetings were sat to check the feasibility of the project. It was really a great joy seeing the fundraising drive happen.

But the greatest thing of all was when we went to the forementioned children’s centre (now community school). This was epitome of joy. The children were happy to see us and the Rotaractors were also reciprocating the happiness. Save for the journey back, where the rotaractors bought all the sugarcane that were being sold at all spots on the road. INDEED IT WAS SERVICE THROUGH FELLOWSHIP AND FUN! We are going back soon because we left our hearts at Springs Alive Children Centre,said the rotaractors.

Springs Alive Community School is a school that has continued to thrive as a result of such interventions, thus Multitech Business School Rotaract club goes into the records of SPACS as our partner in development toward the issue of ensuring that the needy children of SPACS do attain some education.

Here is the link of the video that was taken that day;http://bit.ly/vx0ZDL

We await your comments

OUR PRIMARY SEVEN CANDIDATES FOR THE YEAR 2011 AT SPRINGS ALIVE COMMUNITY SCHOOL

2011-11-16T19:09:00.000+03:00

Our candidates of 2011 were twelve (12) in number, seven boys and five girls.

This was the second year running when at Springs Alive community school (SPACS) we are having Primary seven candidates complete their Primary leaving Examinations (PLE) at SPACS.

All the candidates were successfully registered as members of st.pius mixed primary school Naddangira.

Given that at Spacs we do not yet have a centre number registered with the ministry of education so our primary seven pupils do not sit their final Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) from Spacs.

The pupils have been very cooperative and working very hard in order to succeed in their academics, there has been concentration on serious work and we are of high hope that they will all pass with flying colours, said Mr.Kakaire one of their dedicated teachers.

The pupil’s examinations were done in three days as per the instructions from the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB).On the 1st of November they had their briefing at the coordinating centre of St.Pius Mixed Primary School Naddangira,then the following day was the 2nd of November 2011,early in the morning at around 9am,they sat for their first paper, that was, social studies then in the afternoon they did English and they concluded with Mathematics early in the morning followed by science that was on 3rd November 2011

We take this opportunity to thank God who has enabled us get to these achievements; now whereas there have been cases of reported incidents where pupils have failed to do their final examinations, not any of our pupils failed to do their final examinations this time.

We have heard of cases where roads have been a road block to pupil’s doing of their final examinations as a result of heavy rains, bad roads thus tricky transport systems to maneuver through.

There was also a case that was heard where a 15 year old candidate gave birth to a baby boy just before writing her first paper, there have also been reported cases where pupils sitting their final examinations were found to be pregnant.

In this picture, pupils balance on a makeshift bridge to school, such instances usually put the pupils’ lives at risk. This is mainly as a result of disastrous floods that usually wreak havoc after heavy rains, some schools sometimes do close for some time as the waters submerge and this usually causes sharp drops in pupil enrolment and buildings with cracked walls, damp classroom floors and mangled iron sheets are a sight to behold.

Surprisingly, some pupils have mastered the exact location of the rails. So they carefully wade through the waters making sure they step on the rails. This is risky because a miscalculation in step could spell disaster. Other pupils climb on to the mango trees on one side of the river and connect across through the intertwining branches.

Some of these and more are examples of cases Primary seven pupils do encounter here in Uganda

If you are interested in anything relating to this topics, please let us know, hit the comment button below and leave us your comments and input ,we would like to hear from you

Springs Alive Community School (SPACS) teachers complain about small pay

2011-10-20T20:11:00.003+03:00

Do teachers get a fair fraction of the tuition in salary and/or allowances?
“We are paid Shs. 80,000, that is about $ 30 as a mandatory basic salary &/or allowance, this is besides the electricity, accommodation, water, and health bills that we usually have to meet on our own! It is, definitely, not enough considering that most teachers have families to feed,” one teacher complained.

Some teachers have dreamt of teaching in more than one school to boost their meager salary, but the school policy does not provide for this.It’s been very difficult to increase this money for the teachers given that we hardly have means yet to sustain the school. In many schools the longer one stays there, the more money they get. Pupils here pay a non-mandatory fee of about $10 per term. It’s not mandatory because you find that some pupils have contributed may be maize, beans or cassava to supplement for the teacher’s lunch.

We have had challenges of having to do with ineffective teachers/volunteers because with this kind of insufficient payment you cannot argue one for instance to be hardworking, keep time to mention but a few.

What seems so discouraging to the teachers is that after working hard, any mistake will not go unpunished. For the past three years, we have seen teachers get fired for misconduct, after consensus meeting with parents and school management committees.

At SPACS we have three terms and final examinations done at the end of each term, we also have Primary seven candidates that will be sitting their Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) and will be joining senior secondary schools next year come 2012, this will be our second class of Primary Seven Leavers since SPACS existed.

Schools with Primary seven leavers usually have a centre number that enables the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) work together to facilitate the examinations process but at SPACS we don’t have such centre number and we have requested one school in our neighborhood that has a UNEB centre number to allow out pupils sit their final examinations from there and they have agreed.

With a Primary leaver’s certificate, a student can join any secondary school or vocational institute.
For a teacher to survive here, he or she needs to be committed and does not have to teach anywhere.

On many occasions the Town council (a local authority) has thought we are a profit venture and want us to pay tax for the services being offered at SPACS, we have continually had to write and re-write to them that we are a non-profit making organization doing charity work.

SPACS operates as a community school and is recognized with the District Education Department. We have promised the Town Council that we will be able to supplement to their meager resources when we have means to sustain SPACS but not now.

We hope that if we will get the support needed to make the necessary upgrade for SPACS, then we will be in position to get support for the needy children in our care, be in position to sustain the school, increase the teachers’ salaries and also have the best teachers!

We need your comments, hit the comment button below and leave your comments; thank you very much

STUDENTS WHO FAIL TO PAY FEES ARE A SOURCE OF DISTRUST

2011-10-19T18:26:00.002+03:00

One Wanyana Sarah has four children, all in primary school and were recently sent home for outstanding school fees.
“Business is bad; most people are unable to pay in full and we have nothing left to do!
Wanyana is not alone. Just last week, several schools in the country sent thousands of students home in a bid to force students to pay outstanding tuition. Many parents send their students to school each term after paying only part of the tuition in the hope that they would settle the outstanding balance by mid-term. But as the weeks go by, most find they can’t meet the deadlines.

To make the situation more complex, the schools do not reimburse the students for time lost. It’s only in exceptional cases that remedial lessons are offered. Some students miss anywhere from a week to a month and sometimes a whole term. In the end, both parents and students lose. And this being the third term, students in candidate classes, like Primary Seven (7) who fail to meet their tuition and exam fees on time risk missing out on the exams.
There’s no government policy that could redress such issue, the general understanding however, is that schools would keep the students in class until the end of the term and withhold their reports until the fees is cleared.
In the past schools used to encourage students to keep up to the end of the term but this cannot work given that each school has its own unique realities.
Some teachers opposed to this idea say they have genuine fears. They cite extreme cases in which students move to a different school each term when they fail to settle their tuition.
It is very common among private schools that are just starting. Some students start off by paying for only the first term, default on the subsequent terms until they are sent away.
There is therefore a need to make a radical change in the policy to address several issues. What happens if a student pays fees and chooses to leave before the end of the term? Are they entitled to a refund? Should the head teacher sue the parents who default on tuition?
Indeed the final decision should not disadvantage the student, who is supposed to obtain an education, whenever the tuition is finally paid. There needs to be a framework for school fees, involving the school management committee or board of governors.
“The terms of reference should be clear to students and parents when they start the term for avoidance of grief, to avoid arbitrary decisions.
At Springs Alive community school (SPACS), however, we maintain a more tolerant policy; we don’t send home students for defaulting on fees.
We always remind them [defaulting students] throughout the term and withhold their reports at the end of the term. We do this for the students’ good since we don’t want them to miss class. Sometimes, however, you find that its even useless to withhold the student’s report, observed SPACS Headteacher!

Besides, in a bid to support the needy children at SPACS, we will be looking for means and ways of sustaining SPACS and one of the ways is through collecting fees from the students that can afford.
We are seeking the reader’s opinions and advise as to how we can do this, kindly hit to comment button and leave us your remarks, will be very grateful.

UGANDA TEACHERS STRIKE OVER SALARIES

2011-08-30T12:01:00.000+03:00

Teachers are expected to mould the young society into a better tomorrow yet they rank low when it comes to their salaries.
It has been noted that in some affluent homes, a housemaid, who looks after less than three children earns more than a teacher here in Uganda and despite Uganda being a role model in education and a preferred destination for students in the region, its teachers are among the worst paid in the region.

In 2009, Kenyan teachers organised a strike, which saw most of the schools close down. The government promised to increase the teachers’ salaries gradually.

Rwanda has put in place measures to motivate teachers, including building teachers’ quarters for respective schools. There have been cases of teachers moving to Rwanda because their counterparts there are paid better and besides teaching in other countries, some teachers have abandoned the profession in search of greener pastures. For instance there are teachers that have left teaching to go and work as security guards in Iraq because they were unable to sustain their families.

Good remuneration checks teacher absenteeism in schools plus the quality of education being delivered. Teacher absenteeism remains a big challenge, especially in the rural areas. The main cause of absenteeism is the urge by teachers to engage in private work and farming during school time.

In many cases the salaries given to the teachers is not enough given the fact that they have a high number of dependants, forcing teachers to run businesses to supplement their income. Another major cause is sickness and the long distances teachers walk to get to their working stations.

You find that teachers will always be kept in the same position given the current economic trends; the teachers will be still faced with high transportation costs, escalating food prices and expensive accommodation. Teachers can hardly invest in things like houses and businesses, which are supposed to improve their standards of living.

Alternatives:
There has always been need to focus on long-term strategies that would ensure teachers have sustainable income, and make them less dependant only on their meager salaries. For instance invest in entrepreneurship projects that can better the lives of these teachers.
Some teachers have skills and can get involved in activities like writing books, making uniforms for the school and planting crops, which they can sell.

There is need to focus on the issues that are making the teachers demand for more pay. Initiatives like investing in accommodation for teachers, given that the teachers are complaining of high transport and rent, need be sought out. Also if opportunity allows, teacher’s lives could be made better by providing bursaries and scholarships for their children in higher education institutions.

When the teachers are within our schools, they are like our children; we have to devise ways of not failing to look after them.
The school’s budget needs to have provisions for caring for these issues,although in many cases it doesnot

.

We would like to hear your feedback our Dear readers.
Hit the comment button now

THE MOST INTERESTING EVENT IN THE HISTORY OF SPRINGS ALIVE CHILDREN’S CENTRE (SPACC)

2011-08-04T10:17:00.009+03:00

This has been the most interesting event in the history of Springs Alive children’s centre(SPACC),when the chief Administrator of SPACC visited the “first world” for an exchange visit, this was so great!!

We very much extend our gratitude to the government of United Kingdom, whitkirk Primary school staff, parents and guardians for enabling us come to this great achievement.

It was a great pleasure to see how our dear fellow pupils answered the questions we set for them and we were so challenged to see their answers, given the geography of different countries.
When Mr. Martin returned from the trip, he told us a lot about Europe and what he saw there and is making a lot of effort to see that somethings apply here at SPACC and Uganda at large.
For example the treatment of children, he said, the way he saw pupils being handled there is so different from the way we handle children here in Uganda. There is a lot that has been done to encourage pupils to learn. Sometimes a parent is in class helping supervise some pupils while they are having a lesson. It’s very hard for a teacher to be absent without giving a reason! Children are persuaded to come to school regardless of the challenges. We have promised our partners that we will be sending them online lessons since their classes are connected to the internet.

There very small children are taught to do things themselves like washing uniforms, making their beds, not wetting the bed, children there are taught to become responsible citizens at a very early age. Morals are inbuilt in their curriculum, in otherwords one grows up knowing that corruption is bad, lying is immoral, and there is need for fairness to enable peaceful living. While in Denmark he was taken to various places and the most notable one was where the last witch of Denmark was hacked!

Government’s involvement there have been tremendous toward support to their citizens to learn about what goes on in the world, for instance in Uganda you can hardly find a free internet café, there are very many accidents that are as a result of walking along high ways but in Britain and Europe generally, people don’t walk on highways but have other roads they use.
Parents are well educated to help their children get the necessary support they may require; in addition most parents have an income and ensure that their children get extra help at home or during holidays in order to compensate for the poor quality of education at school. The type of infrastructure that is available for the pupils there enables them to discover things themselves, let alone the child-centred learning. The time he was there he neither saw a home without electricity nor a black-out. Tap water is well treated and a healthy drink! He saw more vehicles on the roads than the people walking but no traffic jam!

Much attention is put on the way mothers and wives are treated, the local governments there know their jobs. The chief administrator has made attempts to approach some local governments while in Europe so that we can borrow a leaf or two while here in Uganda.

We found out that if you have a project you are pursuing with a partner in Europe, it can easily be supported since it is facilitating learning exchange. We have also noted that given the recession, there are many programmes that are now tailored toward giving support locally and not internationally.

We will be conducting sensitization seminars if time and other necessary resources allow in order to educate our communities and most especially Parents and teachers, some of these finding, so that we can adapt them.

See related links to this story(copy and paste the links in new browser):

http://bit.ly/ltYaiS
http://on.fb.me/khhmEz

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The Benefit of School exchange programmes

2011-06-21T19:42:00.000+03:00

There are several challenges, the current eduction system in Uganda is facing. It is important to know that we are living in revolutionary times that demand new and different abilities.

These times need critical thinking and problem solving abilities, which have been components of human progress throughout history.

Therefore, for schools in Uganda to cope with these new challenges, they should embrace exchange programmes where schools in developing countries are linked with their counterparts in developed countries for purposes of exchanging and transferring knowledge and skills.

Usually these are funded programmes and they seek to link up schools in Uganda with their counterparts abroad for a symbiotic relationship of exchanging knowledge and skills.

Springs Alive children’s centre (SPACC) has reaped huge benefits from this programme.
This programme has seen the chief administrator SPACC visit their partner school, Whitkirk Primary School in Britain-(Leeds) UK.
This has helped SPACC gain a wealth of exposure in terms of skills, attitudes and values.

On the part of Whitkirk Primary School in Britain-(Leeds) UK , a teacher at the school, says the programme has changed the attitudes, perceptions and stereotypes their students had towards other people from different cultures, race and colour.

“I used to think that all Africans stayed in a jungle. I thought of poverty and disease. After meeting with them, I realized that I was wrong to judge them based on what I had seen on television. I realised that while they may not have as much material resources as we do, they make the most of the little they have,” remarked a pupil

No or less food is being served by schools

2011-03-29T17:58:00.001+03:00

In the Picture Pupils being served lunch

. Schools across the country are choking under the weight of increased commodity prices.

A survey has been carried out and indicates that many schools, including Springs Alive Children’s Centre (SPACC) are choking under the weight of the increased commodity prices; with some rationing food, others on the brink of closing early this term while others no longer at all serve their children any food at school.

The high cost of living has made it very expensive for some schools administrators to effectively remain in operation.

In some schools, the number of meals and amount of food has been reduced, while in others, co-curricular activities have been scrapped to save money for food. Others have removed some items from the menu.

This has caused mal-nutrition and children being absent-minded many-times while in class

The Government and the Education Ministry are aware of the hike in commodity prices but haven’t yet done a thing toward this.

This is what was found out from some schools during the survey;

1) One school had budgeted to spend sh266m on food for the entire year but the actual expenditure will be above this. All allowances have been suspended due to hiked prices for essential commodities. The school used to give students meat once a week but this has been stopped.

2) In another school,their menu has not changed,they expected commodity prices to increase and budgeted accordingly. They are also getting a lot of supplies on credit and will pay later.
3) In yet another school,they have 3,000 students and 180 staff members to feed. The expenditure has increased yet they have not increased school fees. But are lucky to have a school farm where they get some food to supplement.
4) We used to spend sh2m on providing lunch to 520 A’ level students for a fortnight; but now our expenditure on food has shot up to sh3.2m. We have reduced on the meat and matooke we prepare for teachers from twice to once a week.

5) We have reduced on the food rations. The education ministry requires that every UPE child in P3-P7 pays sh10,000 for lunch and sh5,500 for pupils in nursery. If the situation continues like this, we might begin serving the kids porridge for lunch
6) We used to buy a kilo of maize flour at sh800 but the price has doubled. We spent sh1.3m on posho and beans for the first half of this term but we are going to pay sh2.6m in the second half.
7) We stocked our food supplies last July. We have rice, beans and maize flour in stock. So we are still relying on the old stock. We have not
started experiencing the pinch.
8) We are finding it a little bit hard to feed students. Judging from last year’s expenditure, we had estimated to spend sh34.5m on food this term but already sh28m has been spent yet we still have another month to go. We used to give them soya peas twice a week but we have failed, due to the high prices.
9) l have failed to get the type of beans my students like.The School has 884 students and they eat 140 kg of posho everyday. Next term, we shall stock beans and posho in large quantities
10) A sack of maize flour that used to cost sh100,000 is twice the amount. We have had to ration food for our pupils to avoid wastage. As a result of higher prices, there might be a slight increment in fees.

THE HUNT FOR SCHOOL FEES IS ON

2011-02-09T11:52:00.000+03:00

The beginning of any school term is the time when students have to return to school. You have to sympathize with parents, guardians and benefactors for the task they have in finding school fees. Some have no jobs and those with jobs hardly earn enough to pay the fees.
Out of desperation, many parents turn to banks and loan sharks to borrow money to pay the school fees. Its a noble cause, but quite risky, because it makes them vulnerable to extortion. I have seen parents that have been borrowing money in order to meet their needs and when it comes time to pay the debt, they have to borrow from somewhere else. Its the classic 'borrowing from Peter to pay Paul' scenario. It is important to seek advise either legally or from friends and family about the choice of the lender.
A parent may opt for a cheap education as an alternative, but you will find that it’s not actually that cheap or free and in any case it may end up spoiling your child.
There is usually a need for the parent to support the school through providing scholastic materials for their children, school uniform and lunch plus getting involved in the school’s development programs like fund-raising, supporting sustainable projects and even the actual monitoring of whether one’s child is really studying.
Parents have proven that they can go the distance to see their children through school; in turn, the children ought to do their best in school.
Pay attention in all your classes and remember to forge friendships and engage in sport and drama. Most importantly, be mindful of the sacrifices your parents are making to ensure you have a good education.
Please work hard at school because your future is literally in your hands.
Have a good term and please share with us your experiences!

Teacher productivity

2011-02-09T11:40:00.000+03:00

There’s intense pressure on our schools to present good examination results and rightly so.
The expansion of our schools has not always been followed by plans for expansion of teacher training institutions or by changes in the way new teachers are prepared to deal with the new reality in schools.
Some factors that affect teacher productivity are directly linked to student productivity.
It is important to consider how we judge teachers in today's environment. Many see a good teacher as being someone who contributes positively to a students’ achievement. The value of this teacher contribution adds to a student’s school experience and allows them to achieve much more. Several studies have attributed this teacher ‘added value’ to an endowment in teacher intelligence, subject knowledge and teaching skills.
The relative importance of intelligence, subject knowledge, and teaching skills in determining teacher productivity has important implications for recruiting and preparing future teachers.
The role of intelligence seems to suggest that policies designed to reduce entry barriers and encourage the brightest into teaching could boost student achievement.
Many people don’t want to become teachers due to the ever increasing demands placed on teachers beyond the initial task of teaching. For example, teachers are increasingly involved with parents and non-teacher related issues. Something must be done to remove some of these barriers, and attract some of our best students into teaching.
Educational authorities keep track of teacher productivity through the head teacher evaluations. Retention and tenure decisions are often heavily influenced by what the head teacher thinks about a particular teacher.
It is interesting to note that even with a glowing report from the head teacher, some teachers do not do well in certain environments. Deploying a good teacher to a new school in a different region of the country to help boost student achievement may have disappointing results. There is an expectation that a good teacher will remain productive when moved to a new school. This is not always true as many teachers benefit from high student achievement due to socio-economic conditions in the school and other reasons. Teachers in schools which recruit some of the most successful candidates after primary school will obviously face less of a challenge than teachers in remote rural areas.

So what makes a good teacher? What do you think? Hit the comment button and contribute!

FAILING TO JOIN A TOP O’LEVEL SCHOOL IS NOT THE END

2011-02-09T08:59:00.003+03:00

ENROLMENT: All parents dream of sending their children to the best schools, but there are other alternatives.

It is the ambition of every parent and student to attend the best schools and universities available. This is usually a guarantee of future success in this competitive world.
The problem is that with all the pressure to achieve good marks, superior - star schools are forgetting about the importance of holistic education and concentrating only on their students achieving high marks.
This competition begins when the students have to take their Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE). Educationists are concerned about this growing trend amongst parents competing for slots in star schools. This trend has also been cited as the cause of the competition among schools to work entirely towards passing national examinations. It is true that star schools instill discipline, hard work and perseverance in their students, but is the competition threatening the intellectual health of the students.

Good O’level education provides a foundation for both A’level and university education. When a child excels at O’levels, they are assured of being able to join a good A’level school and their future chances of joining university and receiving government sponsorship are high. It is the accepted way of progressing through the education system, but what about all those who do not make it? Does it mean the end of one’s child’s educational future?
Parents must remember that even students in so-called 'rural' schools can still pass and make it to university. It is simply a matter of discipline and determination. Even children in star schools can fail.

Many parents want their children to join top performing schools and pass with flying colours, but is that a good, wholesome education?

There are many secondary schools in rural areas with adequate facilities to provide a good education to enable children to perform well academically and in all other aspects of life. Good buildings and equipment are important, but the most basic requirement in the school is the teacher. If the teacher is incompetent, then you cannot achieve good results. It is not the school that passes the examinations, but the ability and willingness of the child to learn coupled with the efforts of the teachers. This can be achieved in any secondary school with basic standards.

People should not be frustrated because they cannot get a vacancy for their children in a top school. They must do research and identify other options and other good schools that will meet the educational needs of their children. They must accept that star schools are not the only way for their children to make a future for themselves.
What needs to be done to reduce the fuss about top schools?

It is obvious that all our schools need to be improved and transformed into learning centers of excellence. To enable schools to meet the required standards, they need to be rehabilitated and equipped with sports facilities as well as libraries and laboratories, good dormitories and good staff houses. Especially important is the building and improving of schools in remote areas.
Most importantly, we must not forget that the students are the most important thing. Their educational health and preparedness for the future, is more important than the marks they get now.

Your comments are welcome - we’d love to hear your thoughts! Please hit the comment link and let us know what you think.

LACK OF READING SKILLS HAMPERS PLE PERFORMANCE

2011-02-08T16:33:00.003+03:00

Last November, eight of our students sat for Primary Leaving Examinations at Nadangila Primary School. Our students sit their final exams there. Few of us had any hopes that any of our students would pass. Of the 8 pupils who sat for the exams, the best three passed in second division and the rest in third division. There were no failures! (in the picture is there Headteacher,Teddy at the farewell party organized for them-SPACC PLE LEAVERS)
Research shows that poor PLE results is strongly linked to poor reading skills. In most parts of central and northern Uganda, thousands of pupils are helpless when faced with exams, as they neither understand the questions nor do they have the ability to write the correct answers.
There is what is called “thematic curriculum” that started five years ago. This curriculum is aimed at teaching pupils in their local language from primary one to four, and then they switch to English. It has been found that pupils who start their primary education in their mother tongue have a better chance of improving their reading skills if they get good teachers to help them with the transition to English in primary four. However, there is always the challenge of funding for training teachers to manage the transition because most teachers admit they did not receive any training. The first pupils studying under the thematic curriculum will be starting their primary five classes this year.
Most critically, it has been revealed that reading skills are so low, with children remaining virtually illiterate even after three years in school. When asked to read a simple passage at P2 level, nearly 70% of children could not do so successfully. When it comes to reading comprehension, scores are extremely low, with nearly 90% of children scoring zero on the comprehension task.
It’s been noted that the lack of reading materials is a major hindrance to reading development. One can barely find textbooks for literacy class, in either P2 or P3. It shows that children are learning to read without materials to refer to or learn from which is far from ideal.
We recommend that we get support to include new initiatives in encouraging reading in class, as well as teaching formal comprehension techniques and setting literacy benchmarks. We also recommend that mother tongue assessments should be included at the end of primary examinations and a new focus on teacher professional development.
A child who goes to school everyday and ends up illiterate or semi-literate will not only experience self-esteem problems, but will also develop a negative attitude towards school. As a result, some of them drop out of school. Reading is not being taught properly as a subject and as a result, pupils in middle primary are finding it hard to understand what they are taught.
We are requesting all sorts of support from our contacts and collaborators to remain committed to this reading initiative and also to carry out a follow-up until the pupils complete their primary school learning.

TAKE YOUR CHILD'S EARLY LEARNING SERIOUSLY!

2010-12-21T17:11:00.007+03:00

FROM my experience, early childcare is one of the biggest expenses any family has faced. As a parent and teacher, I have resolved that I owe it to myself to ensure my children get a true educational advantage from this investment.

Research reveals that early childhood experiences have powerful effects on the development of children’s physical and emotional abilities. It also influences their achievements in math, logic, language and music.

According to studies carried out in different countries across the world, children from poor families were found to be a year or more behind in language skills due to limited exposure and poor care.

The findings also reveal that children who grow up in an organised and calm home are more likely to have good early reading skills by the age of five and six.

Children who get the poorest support often face multiple challenges since most of them are less likely to have been born to well educated parents or living with their biological parents.

Unfortunately, it is undeniable that educational inequality exists and starts early in the lives of children. It leaves children from disadvantaged homes struggling to keep up throughout their school life.

Despite the economic challenges leading to poverty, all hope should not be lost. Good parental involvement in the early education of a child can lead to great triumph.

Parents need to continually encourage their children to aim at excelling by insisting on success through hard work. This reduces the levels of school dropouts and adult unemployment.

Children will be keen to learn honesty, respect, love and hard work at an early age if well provided for at home and school. The teaching of critical thinking skills that help children to solve problems in a constructive way should also start at an early age. These skills become useful in the child’s life as they grow up being more confident to find solutions to problems instead of complaining or being complacent.

Reading to children and taking them to libraries (not a common practice in this country) is found to be helpful in limiting poverty. As children read too often, they form healthy relationships with others as they develop their listening and communication skills.

They are eager to learn as they get sufficient knowledge necessary to help them finish school and build a productive life. The social skills children need to succeed in school and work are developed at an early age. It is therefore important that children get a good educational background because it reduces links with anti-social behaviour, detrimental to their success.

If a parent or guardian, chooses to educate a child, they should give it their best by investing in good years education programmes that provide a foundation for the child’s success.

In the picture Rune Gustavsen from Norway( http://www.facebook.com/rune.gustavsen1) driving a point to SPACC kids.

Wondering what our readers out there think about this?

WHAT IS A GOOD SCHOOL?

2010-12-21T17:02:00.001+03:00

WHEN exam results are released, adverts about how students performed dominate the media. In my view, the performance of a school should not be measured by the number of first grades it gets.

One educational researcher warns that those wishing to exercise leadership in education must go beyond accepting the inadequate criteria used to determine that schools are doing well.

Good results cannot be used as the standard of performance. The performance of a learner studying with limited resources, with another studying in an enabling environment should be viewed differently.

Schools have different curricula and can emphasise some aspects over others. For instance, making comparisons between students’ performance in math in one district with those in another, without taking into consideration cultural differences, allocation of time for instruction or teaching approaches and exposure, makes it hard to account for the differences in performance.
Nowadays, many schools are business-minded, and bad results mean going out of business.

The reward system that pays school heads based on the performance of their students in standardised tests has consequences for a school’s priorities.

There is a danger of narrowing the curriculum to what is to be tested and dividing subjects into core subjects while marginalising others. This violates the function of schooling which is to enable students do better in life — what students learn in school should exceed in relevance to the limits of the schools programme.

We need to emphasise individuality in our assessments. Educational achievement should be assessed by the way learners use what they have studied to do what they want to do.
We’d love to hear your thoughts! Please hit the comment link and let us know what you think

A good teacher is never forgotten

2010-12-21T16:58:00.000+03:00

A few years ago, for the older folks at least, there was that one teacher who would make your heart skip.
Not because they were big and carried a menacing cane that would give you the creeps throughout their lesson. No. Actually they were that rare breed of teacher who made your heart skip in excitement at the prospect of the next lesson.
You would not miss the lesson for the world, because you knew it would be interesting, filled with humour, and the experience would entirely blow your mind.
It is no wonder you passed the subject your favourite teacher taught almost effortlessly. Now years later, you still remember them, hoping they remember you too. Indeed every road you take along the path of success is a tribute to them.
But what made these teachers tick?
•“They are very practical and like involving students in teaching.
They crack jokes without going off topic and keep the whole class on their toes because you never know if the next thing she says is a very important point or a joke, and you would want to catch both. She encourages us to ask questions and you feel a part of the class.”
•They can help children achieve their full potential, through creative teaching methods and the use of positive discipline; one who genuinely cares about the students, and understands their learning process, treating them like the special individuals they are.
•They go beyond just giving students information, to helping them understand and absorb this information and equipping them to apply it to everyday situations and “Much as they want the children to pass, they do not encourage cramming.”

•FOUR-STEP LEARNING
Learning is basically a four-step process which starts with the children grasping the information, analyzing it, exploring it and, finally, applying it. Grasping the information involves getting to know the basic facts. Analyzing involves comparing what has just been grasped to what the student already knows. Analyzing is deep. A student’s mind churns out what is useful, and tries to make sense of it. The step of exploring is where the student finds out what the information means to them before applying it in their daily lives. At each stage of the learning process, a good teacher equips the students with the relevant skills, and the rewards to the teacher are immense, in form of excellent performance.

•Some students value a teacher who gives them freedom and encouragement.
“The first thing is that a good teacher should not cane the students. The teacher should encourage the students to follow our dreams even though they may be outside the strict academic arena. I personally liked football and I respected teachers who encouraged me to play. I ended up passing their subjects.”
Many times teachers use intimidation and threats of punishment to get students to comply with their orders but one of the characteristics of a not-so-good teacher.
“I absolutely detest teachers who use the cane. Another thing is that a good teacher should not involve himself or herself in love relationships with students. They should be friendly without crossing the line,”
Well, such is the pedigree of a successful teacher, managing to be an educator who commands respect from students while maintaining a warm approachable demeanor.
Yes, such is the status of a wonderful teacher: being remembered with reverence and fondness that border on idolatry. And when the time comes, they shall sit back and bask in the glow of flawless legacy.

Trauma students face when fees are no...

2010-10-19T13:56:00.000+03:00

Many times we find that we have to spend lots of money; for instance during big days like chrismas, regular visits to pubs and come January, you will have exhausted both your account and month’s advance. Your pockets will be virtually empty and guess what? Children have to report to school.

As a student, I felt secure going to school when my fees was fully paid. I felt a deep-seated right to walk straight with my head held high.

However, whenever my fees was not completed, I thought my name would at any moment be read among the fees defaulters, consequently humiliating me before fellow students.

A friend at a college went through a similar predicament. His father told him that tuition would be paid later that semester. Full of hope, he waited until the last quarter of the semester when the bad news was broken to him that Dad could not get the fees. This was after three months of preparation for exams, which he did not sit for. He did not report for the next semester fearing the same fate would befall him.

Ironically, dad got the money but his son had not bothered to attended lectures.
Research shows that in the examination rooms, students who have defaulted on school fees payment get anxious when an invigilator walks in. Whereas those, who have cleared tuition fees, will not be bothered, their counterparts are affected and lose concentration. In the end, their academic performance declines.

“Students are overcome by uncertainty and so the motivation to read for exams lessens,” students do not relax when their school fees are not paid. “They are pessimistic doubting their fees will be paid at all. Why should I bother reading yet I am not going to sit for papers anyway?” if a student is not well prepared, he or she likely to perform poorly especially if they are compelled to run up and down trying to find the tuition fees. Students also feel out of place when others have cleared tuition fees while they have not. Sometimes at the school assemblies, names of fees defaulters are read out loud. “It feels quite humiliating when the selection is done openly and the list of defaulters made public,” and being dismissed from school exposes the financial woes of the student’s family. This indirectly affects the student’s self-esteem and self-image.
It can cause psychological torture that a student collapses when faced with the possibility of missing exams. It is a great challenge for a student to understand such a situation. It seems as if their world has been shattered.

Dear reader out there what do you think we should do to counter such instances? What is your experience like elsewhere? How have you managed to maneuver?

Are you a parent? Do you work with kids? Are you concerned about their safety?

2010-10-13T18:16:00.000+03:00

Here is a sampling of the types of questions KidSafe can help you answer:
Do you know what to say when your child comes to you with a personal safety question?

Do you know what your preteen/teen does on line?

When should I start talking with my child about their private parts? How do I do it?

Do you know if your child's teacher has had a background check? Would it matter?

Do you know how to best be an approachable parent? Active listener?

What should your child do if they are being bullied?

What should your child do if they are home alone and there is a knock on the door?

What would you want your child to do if they were touched on their private parts by their babysitter? Family member?

New VIDEOS POSTED BY DR.KATHIE NUNLEY

2010-09-22T12:23:00.002+03:00

Also I've posted a video outlining our Uganda project for those interested in helping this year:
http://www.youtube.com/brainsorg#p/u/0/fz-qmNTTn0M

Bomb blasts: how safe are rural schools?

2010-07-26T14:01:00.002+03:00

Uganda is on high security alert following the recent bomb attack. The survey carried out in schools around the city,found a security lapse in most of them. How about rural schools?

How possible is it to enforce security in a school where children study under trees, without desks and the schools lack fences? Does it mean that the bomb attackers only target the affluent? I request that the authorities think of the security of all children in Uganda, not just those based in urban areas. Teachers in rural schools need to be sensitised over security consciousness. I do not buy the assumption that urban-based schools are more insecure.

OUR UGANDA PROJECT

2010-07-16T13:03:00.000+03:00

Watch the online video from our Uganda visit and see how you and your students can get involved in this global project next year. Have your students help teach a variety of concepts to the children in Kakiri, Uganda. Start by watching the video http://Brains.org/uganda

====OUR UGANDA PROJECT=====

2010-05-25T16:06:00.000+03:00

After visiting the Springs Alive school in remote Kakiri, Uganda, we have
designed a plan of action. Because of the inconsistencies in student attendance, the variability and shortage of trained teachers and the poverty level, we want to help set-up a student-centered learning center for them. We desperately need teachers to volunteer their class of students (either this year or next year) to design learning sheets, in a variety of subjects. These will then be taken to the school in Uganda hopefully in December. Can you help? If so, please reply to this newsletter and I'll gladly send you an information sheet with what we need.
The following teachers have already volunteered to help:
**Ann Otwell at Chestnut Log Middle School in Douglasville, GA has volunteered her students to make middle grade life science and earth science learning sheets.
**Jayne Perkins, a 6th grade teacher in Berwick, Maine has volunteered to help assemble materials.
**Denise De Felice, in Brazil, an ELL teacher has volunteered to help train adults in the use of materials via Skype teacher volunteers to help design lesson sheets.
I have some new pictures posted from our Uganda trip on the website. The
disparity between the US and Uganda is hard to describe in words. But, I
did write a bit on it. If you'd like a copy of my article, "The Baby in Red" and
a photo of some of the beautiful Ugandan children I met at the school, reply
to this, or send me an email with "The Baby in Red" in the subject line.
THE ABOVE ARTICLE WAS OBTAINED FROM DR.KATHIE NUNLEY'S EDUCATOR’S Newsletter mid-May '10 Edition
We are also glad to mention the intentions of two volunteers, Summer Montacute and the father(of ages 26 and 63), interested in volunteering for Springs Alive this summer around August 2010. Both have several years of teaching experience, especially teaching English as a Second Language and are UK/US citizens. They will be volunteering with us, for a period of several weeks (probably not more than 3 weeks)
This addition was posted by Martin

Our Plan of Action for Springs Alive School

2010-05-10T12:59:00.002+03:00

To: Martin Sebuliba, Director, Springs Alive School
Dear Martin,
I want to thank you again for the opportunity to visit your school and meet your teachers and the students and the families in your village. The music, dancing singing and pageantry was outstanding and we were honored to be a part of your graduation ceremony.
As promised, I have returned to the United States with a better understanding of your situation and the needs of the children in your village.
From my perspective, I would summarize the situation as follows:
You have several obstacles to a thriving and effective school including a lack of electricity, a lack of textbooks and other teaching materials, underpaid and underprepared faculty, Inconsistency in student attendance, inconsistency in teacher attendance, variation in teacher's use of English, and an inability to consistently and predictably get materials and money to the site.
Therefore, I believe the most effective way to improve student learning and increase effectiveness is to move your school system to what we in the United States call, “student - centered”.
This has become an increasingly popular methodology here in the US to overcome many of the same issues you are dealing with there (lack of attendance, dropout rates, inconsistent teacher supply). The educational research done here in the last 2 decades has shown that student-centered schools have in fact improved student learning, student engagement, and student outcomes.
The basic principle here is to put the emphasis on the student for driving his or her own learning. The teachers (or trained adult) in the room act more as a facilitator or coach and works one-on-one with students as needed. Because the emphasis is on student directed learning rather than teacher - centered delivery, the instruction is not affected by inconsistent attendance or lack of trained teachers.
I would propose that we begin by setting up a list of basic competencies for each of your grade levels (or preferably, a multi-age grouping). Then we would begin to assemble a variety of student hands-on activities to teach each of the competencies.
These activities would come with a small test and answer key for the teacher. The teacher then would mark off when a child passed on the competencies and they would move on to another. Once a satisfactory number of competencies has been passed, the student would graduate to the next grade level.
If this is something that is of interest to you and your teachers, I will spearhead the development of the program here in the US. We may have to concentrate on one grade level at a time. Once the activities are put together, we would need to return to your school and provide a day or two of training with your teachers so that they would be familiar with how to help the students engage. We could start right away in this next term using many of the materials and activities that we left there at the school last week.
I believe this would be the most effective way to advance your school and would eliminate the pressure for monetary funds and / or the pressure to find and pay for registered teachers. The only obstacle might be securing the learning materials on a day-to-day basis.
You might be interested in knowing too, that as a result of our visit last week, we have 2 side organizations running - one to bring dresses to the girls in your village on our next visit and one to purchase and bring student tables your upper grade classrooms on our next visit.
I look forward to hearing from you and look forward to continued cooperation between us.

Best,

Kathie
Dr Kathie F Nunley,
Brains.org

-----SECTION FIVE: WORKSHOPS / SCHEDULE / MISC CHAT------

2010-05-04T09:37:00.001+03:00

OBTAINED FROM DR.KATHIE NUNLEY'S EDUCATOR'S Newsletter May '10 Edition
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello - I've returned from my great adventure in Uganda and am so excited to share what we did, what we saw and what plans we have to continue to help the Springs Alive school. We ended up with over 200 pounds of school supplies which we took packed in our luggage. I've updated the website page with some photos from our day: http://help4teachers.com/uganda.htm

And also a plea to teachers out there to help us keep this school moving. Due to irregular attendance (If you saw the village area, you would understand why many children are unable to come some days) and the instability of a trained teacher supply, we need to help them set-up a student-centered learning environment. I need help from all of you - curriculum planners and teachers to help us get a list of basic skills and activities that can be used by the students to learn those skills. Email me (or reply to this newsletter) if you and your students can get involved with this
project.

In other news, I'll be heading back to Canada a couple of times this month to continue Layered Curriculum® training with the Toronto District. June will be New York City month, with 3 trips down there starting with a keynote at the city-wide parents conference and continued work with ELL teachers. I also have a trip to Chicago in June.

I still have some openings in my August workshop calendar as well as one in September and one opening in December. If you are looking to schedule a workshop for the next school year, please send me an email or visit: http://help4teachers.com/workshops.htm

As always, my best to yours,
Kathie

Thank you Dr.Kathie

2010-04-30T11:49:00.000+03:00

Dear Dr.kathie
Thank you
This was more than a giving hand that you stretched out to all of us at SPACC.
It was an event that can never be forgotten, a debt we cannot pay back. You really humbled us.
Surely SPACC can never be same again because of the learning materials you offered us, the sweet and polite speech you gave, lots of encouraging words you aired out to the community let alone the orientation we are yet to achieve of becoming Springs Alive children’s “learning” centre!
Thank you for accepting to be part of SPACC, besides affirming your endorsement with us. It is such a big commitment and also a wonderful achievement to us, we still have much to give back!
Also special thanks to Mr. Philip and Kelley for all they have done for us. We are sorry for any inconveniences you experienced. May the good lord give you long life, may you live to see many good days! God always be merciful to you for the mercy you have shown to SPACC!
Best regards;
Nalwebuga Teddy
Head teacher SPACC

-SECTION FIVE: WORKSHOPS / SCHEDULE / MISC CHAT-

2010-04-01T20:30:00.002+03:00

Welcome to April and spring! After our floods this week here in New England, today's sunshine is very welcome.I have a favor to ask of you who teach lower elementary. As you may remember, I'm making my first trip to Uganda later this month to bring materials and teaching strategies to a poor rural village school. The teachers are primarily untrained members of their community who teach
children aged 4 - 12 basic reading, writing, math and health. They need teaching strategies and lessons. I'm hoping some elementary teachers may have or be able to put together some simple (1 page) lessons as far as how to teach alphabet (perhaps a sheet explaining how to teach each letter, or cursive), math, hygiene, etc. I'm not looking for "handout masters" as the school has no electricity nor paper, so lessons are done verbally using a chalk board. I just need ways that the adults can learn HOW to teach elementary concepts. I can also take electronic "power point"
presentations for teachers as they do have a laptop that they charge in town and then can bring out for the teachers to view. Email me if you need more information or are interested in helping in other ways utilizing your own students to construct lessons. Before my trip to Uganda, I'll be returning next week to Toronto for a day of Layered Curriculum® training at North Albion Collegiate and then to
Oklahoma City for a day at Heritage Hall. New workshops are in the planning for New York and Oklahoma. My calendar is posted on the website. If you are looking to schedule a workshop for the next school year, please send me and email or visit:http://help4teachers.com/workshops.htm
As always, my best to yours,Kathie
OBTAINED FROM DR.KATHIE NUNLEY'S EDUCATOR'S NEWSLETTER

URBAN SCHOOLS EXCEL BECAUSE OF EXPOSURE

2010-02-16T10:06:00.002+03:00

THE reason why there is a wide gap in performance between rural and urban schools is because of exposure. Students in urban schools are exposed to many learning materials and experiences which help them recall real concepts during examinations.

They visit zoos, national parks and sanctuaries, among others, which make them remember certain concepts.
(in the picture Pupils look at chimpanzees at Wildlife Education Centre. Such visits help them grasp concepts better)
Teachers in urban schools are given allowances to have extra hours of teaching which makes the learners grasp concepts at their own pace.

Coaching in urban areas is done under cover although the ministry banned teaching during holidays. Children of senior government officials are taught during holidays.

Children in urban schools are exposed to UNEB past papers and monthly revision papers which rural schools don’t have. Boarding schools in urban areas nurture children to become responsible. This makes them concentrate during preps and extra teaching at night. But in rural schools where children are day scholars, concentration is minimal as pupils spend most of their time doing domestic chores.

Lack of role models in rural schools is another factor. Teachers come to school on foot, others on old bicycles and others are drunkards. This makes the children imagine education is all about drinking and leisure.

Many children in rural schools go without lunch. The poor learning environment also causes many to drop out.

THE BRITISH COUNCIL FACILITATES SEMINAR TO EQUIP GLOBAL SCHOOLS PARTNERING

2009-12-20T14:25:00.002+03:00

7th and 8th December 2009 saw some Head teachers and teachers, headed to Namirembe Guest House Conference facilities for a seminar that is yet to rejuvenate our much longed schools partnerships mainly those in the U.K and Uganda.It is true that after such orientation, schools in Uganda will be able to take on their partners in U.K in the right direction given that there are several strategies the facilitators of this workshop brought to the attention of the participants.Among the issues talked about that need to be approached with a global mindset included;1.Controversies encountered during partnerships.2.Joint curricula ideas.3.Equity based relationships.4.Sustainable partnerships.5.The need for the Head teachers from both Uganda and U.K to meet and support the school collaboration.Clips of video presentations of such kind of Head teachers interventions were shown to the participants. The type of projects both schools should take on and their involvement without any being left out were also discussed; much of this will be taken to our discussion forums i.e. http://www.classroom20.com/profile/MARTINSEBULIBA

Many thanks go to the British Council facilitators, DFID Global schools partnerships, the materials they gave out during the seminar, the teachers who offered ideas and suggestions plus the certificates they awarded the participants at the end of the seminar as in the picture.British Council promised more workshops and close support on building effective partnerships. Further reference is also obtainable on the website i.e.; http://www.britishcouncil.org/globalschools

INSIST ON A WRITTEN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING(MOU) BEFORE GETTING DEEP INTO A COLLABORATION:

2009-11-01T19:42:00.005+03:00

Ask your partner to state specifics of areas of collaboration and have an MOU signed!

When Dan graduated as a teacher he was fortunate to get a teaching job in a private school soon after. The terms of the job were verbal. He was simply told to immediately start work. Three months down the road, he had not received any salary. He chose to leave the job without any pay since he had no written agreement with his employer. Like Dan, many people all over the world get into cooperation without any written terms.Usually; there are many reasons why people end up working under such conditions. These include the nature of who you are to relate with, expectations from the collaboration, high need for the cooperation, high levels of un-employment to mention but a few.However, even where there is no written understanding, parties therein should reach a consensus. A written MOU can be replaced by a company or business handbook which lists the terms and conditions of the collaboration let alone the specifics of areas of cooperation. In the absence of such an MOU, you should refer to the company handbook. If such written MOU is not there, parties therein will have to rely on a verbal agreement. Verbal agreements are difficult to verify especially in cases where there is a clash between the parties. For instance, if one party wants to get rid of the cooperation, you may recall that when it was started, the notice period would be two weeks. On the other hand, the other party seems to remember that the notice was one month. Who is right? Unless there is a witness who was a party to the conversation to verify your allegations, you would have to negotiate for a compromise. Unfortunately, this is the scenario that many people let alone co operations with only verbal understandings find themselves in. Verbal contracts do not reflect professionalism on either side of the parties in cooperation. If there are no agreed upon principles, it is your word against his. Indeed there should be respect between both parties in form of a written agreement. An agreement does not have to be 10 or more pages; it can be as small as one page and still serve the purpose.Because you have nothing in writing, you will have to hope that the other party is an honest one, has a good memory and remembers that you are owed a week’s holiday and maybe a generous commission. In many cases if there is only a verbal agreement, but the cooperation has been functional for over two months, one party can insist on a written record of the most important terms of the collaboration. This will ensure that there are agreed regulations and procedures one party has to follow in the event that they decide to Quit. Such Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) can be in form of a traditional written agreement that is signed and agreed upon by both parties. More frequently, such MOU’s are “implied”— from verbal statements or actions taken by either parties, through company memoranda or the parties handbooks, or via policies that are adopted during such making of MOU.Most co operations offer written agreements and handbooks stating all the terms and conditions of each other’s work. If one says they will do something for another and in return they agree, then the parties therein have made an agreement. If one agrees to work for someone and that person agrees, then you and that person have a contract of employment. The type of work that you do, hours of work, wages and other allowances can all be part of your agreement. These are called conditions of employment. They are express terms of the agreement. Even if either party did not talk about some conditions of the collaboration, for example, when the collaboration will be having a holiday and it is the custom that all toil takes some sort of holiday. These are implied terms of any agreement. The law says an agreement does not have to be in writing. If two people speak and they agree about something, then that is called a verbal agreement. A verbal agreement is also legal. However, legal experts advise that a written agreement is better, if all its conditions are written on a piece of paper, and each party signs the paper, then its proof of what was agreed upon.

Expecting a Visitor from Leeds, UK

2009-09-13T15:00:00.008+03:00

"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!

(a picture of Chloe Hogdson with some of the Kids and Guardians at SPACC)

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!!

2009-09-13T05:44:00.000+03:00

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!

2009-07-14T03:38:00.010+03:00

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

2009-03-02T14:47:00.002+03:00

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

2008-12-10T13:32:00.006+03:00

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?

2008-10-28T06:14:00.005+03:00

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

2008-10-28T06:04:00.004+03:00

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.

Community Initiative

2008-10-28T05:54:00.003+03:00

Efforts to sustain Springs Alive require the hard work and dedication of even the smallest members. Shown here, building with brick and a papyrus classroom.

THE LATEST FROM SPRINGS ALIVE CHILDREN’S CENTRE(SPACC)

2008-10-28T05:46:00.002+03:00

In a struggle to construct a classroom at Springs Alive Children’s centre (SPACC), after Roath Park visitors gave some gifts to SPACC which included scholastic materials eg.pens, pencils, rulers, sharperners, colour pencils, text books, a laptop computer, balls for soccer and rugby, clothes, dolls and some money to embark on a few renovations, many people have been wondering how we are progressing with such breakthrough SPACC achieved.

SPACC has continued to support Education in this area given all hurdles we pass through.Parents, guardians and the children look at this school with good hope of thriving.
Some of the money has been used as follows:

There was a garage which had been built long ago but wasn’t yet roofed. This is now roofed and inhere we now have nursery classes ie.baby, middle and top class all study from here.
There was an old classroom block, which has been repaired. In this classroom block we now have P.5 and P.3 study in the same room, after demolishing the wall which was in the middle of this class that was preventing enough fresh air to come in and also create enough room for one class just in case, in future we built more classes. The other separate room on this same block, which used to be the black room, the nickname Julian and Simon gave it after seeing it(originally this room used to be a kitchen) in which P.5 used to study, after it was refurbished has once been used as a teacher’s residential house, in which 2 teachers used to sleep. We had to tell the teachers to rent a house, now the room is sometimes either used by Primary 4 or Primary 2.
We also used some money to start on building the foundation for the new classrooms with the hope that if our friends from Roath Park added us more money, we would get somewhere with the building. We were asked by our friends from Roath Park to give them the total cost of what it would take to complete the whole new classroom building. Then the work was halted because this needed us to get someone who was technical in this field to write for us a “bill of Quantity”.
We now have a reduced number of 3 classes still studying in papyrus made classes(they have no classroom yet) ie.P.1,P.2 and P.4(the picture is attached) and Nursery class still study together in the Garage ie.Baby class, Middle class and Top class.

PUPILS AND PARENTS ENGAGE SPACC:

In one of the recent parents and teacher’s meeting, it was agreed that parents, teachers and SPACC pupils who can, should once in a while come together and make local bricks made from soil, in order to make a contribution toward what Roath Park did. The parents and teachers saw it a challenge, Roath Park coming all the way from UK in Europe to give support to an insignificant school in Uganda (East Africa).In one of the pictures you can see children making a pile of the made bricks to prevent them from getting spoilt; mainly by rain.

The Parents, teachers and pupil’s involvement to make these bricks, which are affordable to them, has been a positive sign and as a way of being appreciative to what our Roath Park friends did for SPACC. At SPACC we have told the teachers, parents and pupils that much as the work is at a stand still, there is great hope of moving forward and we will try any means possible to see to it that the situation improves. We have thus kept these people’s morale high not to get discouraged, some have thought we are using such tactics in order to lure children to SPACC .We have appealed to the parents and guardians that we will need their support when the building resumes although once in awhile you can’t miss getting a funny comment. One such funny words that the people here in Uganda use to imply promising something and you don’t deliver, is “KIWAANI” literally meaning that we promise air or we are corrupt liars. Recently one member of Springs Alive was making suggestions as regards the way we should be doing some things at SPACC and a teacher was heard retorting “KIWAANI”.The teachers were being advised to work with morale. Indeed at SPACC we have encumbrances in regard to having teachers at this centre given the fact that these teachers are paid very little money, many children at SPACC fail to pay the little money asked them and they cannot be compelled if they fail to pay, this continues to be a big challenge since there are no means yet to sustainably cater for this. Also where we have dug the foundation, there used to be a banana plantation, people have been heard saying that by now we would have ate the matooke that were slashed while clearing the site to set up the new classrooms. Such comments have existed because local people think that we use such occasions to entice more children to join SPACC.

Putting that aside, there is need for room to accommodate the ever increasing numbers of children that is presented at SPACC. When Roath park asked us to tell them how much it would cost to complete the building, we wrote a bill of quantity and posted it to them and we are of the hope that we will soon receive good news from them.

We have also requested our Roath Park friends to do what they can in order that at least a classroom can be built. We still have a promise from them, which we are still waiting for in order to quell the unrest of inquisitive people who we had given a lot of assurances given that we had great hope from Roath Park.

Before the Roath Park visitors came to SPACC, Springs Alive had not yet developed capacity even to show that we could use a video conferencing kit which was one of the items Roath Park people where to give us if we had electricity at SPACC and since the Roath Park people had previously sent to us an advance party, we are sure they must have briefed Roath Park back in Wales how insignificant we were. This gave us much food for thought and as Springs Alive the CBO (Community Based Organization) we have had to sort ourselves out and we’re sure if Roath Park people were to come back now they would be mesmerized of the encounters we have established.

It’s our prayer that at SPACC, we keep a good name with all our links wherever they maybe. May the good LORD bless you.

Springs Alive Uganda Community for Orphaned Children

2008-04-19T07:14:00.001+03:00

Pupils forge links with children in Uganda

2008-04-16T14:28:00.001+03:00

Apr 10 2008 by Moira Sharkey, Western Mail

CHILDREN 4,000 miles apart have forged a life-changing friendship.

Having seen pictures and heard about the lives of youngsters at Springs Alive School in Uganda, pupils from Roath Park Primary, in Cardiff, made it their mission to help.

In one week of fundraising they had £3,000 in their appeal fund – a lottery windfall for the 100 pupils in the village of Seebi in East Africa. Many of the pupils on the school register are orphans having lost their parents and grandparents in the civil war or from HIV/Aids. All are taught in just two classrooms. There is no electricity, no running water and children have to walk more than five miles from their homes to attend lessons each day. But they make that journey as they know that education will give them a way out of poverty.

With the cash from Wales, a new school block can be built and the classrooms refurbished. Roath teachers Simon Ellery and Julian Husband travelled to Uganda to deliver some supplies before helping the staff plan for a new classroom block and a refurbishment of the current building.

They arrived with rugby balls and shirts, pencils, sharpeners and bought books and equipment locally.

Describing the moment the pupils saw the new school supplies Francis Omia, a member of staff at the school and one of the organisers of the Springs Alive educational scheme said: “When the pupils were shown scholastic materials such as sharpeners, pencils, rubbers and books they were thrown into a frenzy shouting at the top of their voices ‘twafunye obusongola ekaalamu, twawonye gilita’ literally meaning we have now got sharpeners, we are saved from razor blades.”

He added: “For us in Africa it’s unbelievable to be given anything in such a manner even the used clothes and shoes sent to Africa find their way to shops where they are sold at exorbitant prices. Thanks to the fundraising efforts at Roath Park, the pupils of Springs Alive are able to build a classroom block and repair the old classroom block. Since the visitors left, we have been overwhelmed by inquires from children wanting to join the school.”

For the children in Roath their fundraising week has been an experience they will not forget and the beginning of a lesson on how children are living in other parts of the world.

Uganda is now a more prosperous and peaceful country than it was a generation ago. It has been ravaged by civil unrest. The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a cult group, has been responsible for massacres in the north for almost 20 years. It believes that the country should be ruled by a strict code based on the biblical Ten Commandments.

It is estimated that the violence displaced more than 1.6 million people and tens of thousands of civilians have been killed or kidnapped. It ended in 2006 when LRA and the government signed a truce.

Headteacher of Roath Park Primary Colin Skinner said: “When we launched the fundraising week we had no idea how much we would raise. The children had been told about the school and saw pictures. They really wanted to help. They raised £3,000. That is life-changing money for these children in Uganda. It will make a real difference. The experience was also really worthwhile for our pupils as it gave them an understanding of the lives of children in other parts of the world and gave them an opportunity to do something to help those who are not as lucky as they are.”

Mr Husband said: “On arriving at the school it was obvious it was just worlds apart from anything we are used to in Wales. The classrooms are so dark and there is nothing on the walls. There is no electricity or running water. There are no school dinners and children make do with what is growing around them. The idea of a free lunch here is eating sugar cane and lots of fruit which is growing on the site. Uganda is a luscious green land. It is a beautiful place.”

Mr Ellery added: “They have so little, but they are so happy. These children were all smiles. They were so grateful to receive anything. A local branch of the organisation Teddies for Tragedy, which sends knitted teddies to children in third world countries gave us dozens of teddies to take with us. We did not have one for every child but each teddy came in a bag. The children who received a bag were as delighted as those who got a teddy. It was quite incredible. These children know how important an education is. They know that it is a way out of the poverty.”

It is hoped that the educational links can be developed in the coming years. If Springs Alive gets electricity it can be connected to the internet and pupils and teachers can email each other. Questions pupils have about Wales or Africa can be sent directly and exchange visits for staff are being considered.

Pupil in Cardiff, Wales Raise the Roof on New School

2008-04-11T21:36:00.003+03:00

Reporter Moira Sharkey posted an update to the school fundraising efforts to finance a new school for Springs Alive. Please click the excerpt from the article to read it in full.

Now we are the Only School with Rugby Balls!

2008-04-11T17:59:00.004+03:00

Praise be to Jesus the most gracious.

Hope you are happy and sometimes thinking of Uganda.

I am sorry for taking so long to communicate , but one thing I noticed is that after your visit, my life was changed and now I see things in a new way.

• I feel important and alive.

• I feel highly respected.

• My zeal for working for the community was re-kindled.

• You may never know what an impact your visit had on us but it was so great.

• The number of children has greatly increased from 80-100 to 150 pupils, though they don't pay but atleast they do come to school.

• In lower classes, we had never been able to do drawing and shading for lack of coloured pencils but now children want to do it almost everyday. They enjoy it so much.

• 90% of our children knew not the pencil sharpeners.

• We used to borrow past papers from other schools and exercise books from pupils of other schools in order to get worksheets and other teaching materials.

• Having been so humbled and touched, I now move around villages searching for the children who do not attend school to come and enjoy school life at Springs Alive although some can not afford to come to the school because they lack clothing, can't afford to buy exercise books and pencils. Sometimes I have to convince their parents to allow them time off their farms to come to school.

• Teachers now enjoy teaching because of the text books we received- although we need more skilled teachers from there to come and share education experience with us.

• The sharpeners, crayons and the pencils, the teddies made us feel special-it was our first time to see them.

• Many professional teachers now come in with their applications for jobs though we have not yet got the capability of paying them.

• The renovations made caused a lot of comfort to both teachers and pupils because we used to move from one shade to another to another and the next, in accordance to what the weather was. We used to sit three classes in one room but now there is room at least room for some classes to sit as one class.

• The balls we received from Roath Park Primary school have brought a big change. We started training ourselves and on Friday 4/April 2008, we are having a friendly match with a neighbouring school-thanks.! We indeed now have some kind of recognition as regards sports competition here in our Town Council-Kakiri, not to forget mentioning that so far according to the survey made we are the only school in our Town Council with rugby balls!

• Thank you for the computer, for I can now do such a work on my own.

Friday 28th march 2008 was the day we received money into springs alive account at Stanbic bank Uganda which you sent on 28th Feb. 2008. We have now embarked on the new school construction; you will see update pictures and expenditures soon. Otherwise we have attached the draft sketch of how the new roath park class is going to look like.

Roath Park Primary school, we have you at heart and all we can say is God bless you.

Yours truly

Nalwebuga Teddy-headteacher.

A commentary from Springs Alive Children's center on the visitors from roath Park

2008-03-30T14:38:00.003+03:00

ROATHPARK; A RAY OF HOPE FOR AN AFRICAN VILLAGE SCHOOL

18th Feb. 2008 by Francis omia of springs alive children's centre, sebbi village, kakiri, wakiso district.

The week 17th to 23 February saw a lot of activity in the usually quiet sebbi village in wakiso district. All week long the pupils had been practicing "God save the queen" in preparation for visitors from roathpark primary school and the welcome song, "are welcome our loving visitors, we are happy to receive you, my heart, my happiness………" am sure by now the youngsters from roathpark could have learnt this song from Simon one of the teachers from roathpark he seemly liked it a lot to the extent of singing it along with the pupils of springs alive.

With all the gifts from roathpark, the visitors were not so disappointing however it was not until the pupils were shown scholastic materials such as sharpeners, pencils, rubbers and books that they were thrown into a frenzy shouting at the top of their voices "twafunye obusongola ekaalamu, twawonye gilita" literally meaning we have now got sharpeners, we are saved from razor blades. On translating this to Julian from roathpark, he got visibly moved by the plight of these pupils and went on to ask Francis who is a staff of the school about two youngsters aged around 9 and 10 standing at the school boundary watching all the excitement. When told that these donot not have the opportunity to be at springs alive children's center in their neighborhood is a free school, neighborhood here can mean 5 to 10 kms some pupils walk over 5kms to school every day and if chanced eat sugar cane for break. The visitors had a go at the sugar cane and could not peel the cover; you know Whiteman's teeth are so weak.

Back to where we were, on learning about the two unlucky youngsters at the boundary, Julian immediately picked two jumper shirts and went over to the school boundary, on receiving the jumpers the two youngsters dashed off like they had been sent away. For us in Africa it's unbelievable to be given anything in such manner even the used clothes and shoes sent to Africa find their way to shops where they are sold at exorbitant prices, almost anything goes in Africa because there is so much need.

Thanks to the fundraising efforts at roathpark, the pupils of springs alive are to be built a classroom block, the old classroom blocks have been repaired and painted. You can imagine how much more would do for these hopeless orphans who lost their parents to the civil war and HIV aids that have ravaged this part of the world. Since the vistors left we are overwhelmed by inquires of children wanting to join the school,

In our culture when you are given something the best form of appreciation is to give back so the staff (martin, Francis and Teddy) and pupils of springs alive have become restless since receiving all these gifts from roathpark, mind you this is supposed to be a partnership . The art and crafts class decided that they make banana fiber balls and teddies for the visitors to travel back with to roathpark primary school. Understand they liked the balls. This is just the beginning of the partnership, the pupils of Springs Alive children's center want to exchange letters and share experiences with the youngsters of roathpark. Unfortunately, springs alive children's center is still striving hard to get solar electricity or get connected to national power grid so that they can have classroom to classroom interaction. Can you imagine the children's center could not get the video conferencing equipment as promised by roathpark because of this electricity problem? Staff from springs alive children's center would like to visit roathpark primary shool and learn from their experiences since they are over century old as compared to the 3 year old African school as well as share with them experiences from this part of the world.

Thanks to roathpark primary school, to the pupils, to parents, Moira, Collin, Simon, Julian, Kathy and others for the great love you have shown to our children in seebi village.

omiafp@yahoo.com

A New Voice from Uganda

2008-03-28T00:52:00.004+03:00

A new voice can be heard emanating from a small rural village outside of Kamapla, Uganda. It is a voice of hope and a voice of champions. Martin Sebuliba the author of this blog started the Springs Alive Children's Center after a career in the government. Dissatisfied with his ability to impact positive change for his people, he set out to make his dream a reality. He envisioned a place to nurture and educate the next generation of Ugandans who had suffered the ravages of was and disease. He established a community for these orphans and is using the internet to reach out for help to keep this very important community vital and strong. Martin Sebuliba is a new voice. He is a leader with values, commitment and determination. Listen to what he has to say in this new blog. It will give you a fresh inside look at the problems faced by children on a daily basis in their struggle for survival. You too may be compelled to help. Not long ago, a school in Wales sent two representatives bearing gifts. They took some amazing pictures. Help by spreading the word about Springs Alive Children's Center in Uganda, link to this blog, raise awareness.