Building work has begun on a dormitory at the secondary school, but we need your help to complete the construction!

Local residents levelling the site in preparation for building, also benefiting from the opportunity for employment.

Since the school opened in 2014, students, parents and teachers have been requesting the addition of boarding accommodation.  The provision of this facility is especially important at Senior 4 level, to enable the students to do their best in the end of year national exams – Uganda Certificate of Education (O Levels).

As the 2016 academic year began, we were urged to provide dormitories, at least for our first group of Senior 4 “candidates”.  We converted a small house, enabling some of the Senior Four girls to revise in a conducive environment, with solar lighting, at school in the evenings.  Very few of the students live in homes with adequate lighting for reading in the evenings, and for many the length of their journey home also reduces the time available for studies.  This year’s boarders included a girl who had been walking for 2 hours from home to school each morning, and the same to get home in the evening.  Clearly she would have missed valuable revision time each day without the opportunity for boarding accommodation.  On her route to school she passed other secondary schools, but the fees and requirements necessary to enrol at each of these schools proved prohibitive, leading to her enrolment JJ Vocational Secondary School.

These Senior Four girls were very eager to move in to accommodation near the school with their “Matron”, also a teacher at the school.

There are around 90 students in this year’s Senior 3 class, many of whom hope to board at the school for their Senior Four year.  The current room will not accommodate the increased numbers….. Can you help us finance the construction of a purpose built dormitory block?

Our plans include two dormitory blocks (one each for girls and boys), each with 3 rooms for students, a matron’s room, store room and nearby bathroom.  To date we have received generous funding which will enable us to complete the matron’s room, store and one of the students’ rooms in the girls block.
We need approximately £20,000 in addition to complete the construction of the girls’ block.  Can you contribute to this worthy cause?  Please visit our partner’s website:  http://www.hihand.org for details of how to donate.  Please inform Hand in Hand to allocate your donation to Jehovah Jireh Nshumi – dormitory construction.

The completion of this block will enable more girls to make the most of
secondary education, as well as enabling the boys who are most in need of boarding accommodation to sleep in the smaller, temporary accommodation used by the girls this year.

Or maybe you would like to help on a regular basis to enable us offer more places on a subsidised or fees exempt basis?  This letter was recently received by our secondary Head Teacher:

This student completed her primary education at JJ’s primary school, and then progressed to our secondary school where she has just completed Senior One.  She is among the subsidised students, but nevertheless is struggling to pay Ushs 30,000 (approximately £7 or $9 (US dollars)), half the standard termly fees towards teachers’ salaries and basic running costs.  Maybe you can enable us to provide more free places for such students, or to further subsidise others who are unable to pay the standard fees through setting up a regular donation to us through Hand in Hand.

A monthly donation can be set up through becoming one of Hand in Hand’s “Changemakers” at http://www.hihand.org/regular-giving.html, allocating your donation to Jehovah Jireh Nshumi.

For more information about giving, contact Hand in Hand’s office: http://www.hihand.org/contact-us.html