So Excited About Solar
Not only are we so grateful for our new water well, but we’re supercharged about our new solar panels! Literally! Thank you to everyone who helped make this a reality!
Children’s Trail
Construction Updates: New Kitchen and Community Tap
We’re excited to share these photos showing the progress on the new kitchen, along with the community water tap. We thank you very much for your generosity. All the children here and members of our community are grateful for your good deeds toward us. We continue to pray for your good health always.
Thank you – Imaanishimwe Catherine
My name is Imaanishimwe Catherine I am 10 years old.
I am a student at Bwindi Junior School. Last year, I washed my hands and body with dirty water which I also drunk when I was bathing. A few days later, I suffered from headache and I had a running stomach and I spent 2 days in bed without eating anything. I was rushed to the hospital. On reaching the hospital, I was found with diarrhea. I was given a sick bay in the hospital where I stayed for 10 days on treatment. For all those 10 days, I was in a lot of pain. I never liked taking medicines but I was forced too. For all those 10 days, I missed class and missed my friends and teachers too. After I Was discharged from the hospital, I felt like not going back to school because of fear to take unclean water again but I was convinced to go back to school and never to take un boiled water again.
Since then, I have been very careful, I have never again drunk un clean water while bathing. Some days I could go thirsty due to fear of taking un boiled water. I am grateful that now we have got clean water from deep underground (bore hole water) at school.
Our teachers have taught us how to properly wash our food containers, clothes and bodies using the clean water we have all over the school.
Now we drink clean water direct got from the taps in every corner of the school. I now no longer go thirsty. I drink water whenever I need it.
A huge thanks to all those who have donated towards the construction of the borehole.
I am Imaanishimwe Catherine
Poem Bwindi Junior School
Hello our USA friends and directors of BUCC.
Thank you for recognizing our need for clean and safe water and thank you for supporting it.
We didn’t know we have such Christian people like you who care about us but now we have known it.
Please know we have a deep feeling about your generous act. We really appreciate you, you are special.
God bless you!
Oh! How did you get to know that we didn’t have enough clean water to drink at school and we would spend some days without drinking water.
How did you get to know that we would travel long distances to fetch water from unclean streams. Did you know we used to stay thirsty due to fear of taking unclean water?
Did you know that because of the water from the running river, our fellow children would get sick too often?
At school we would be limited on the number of liters of water to use for a day and because of such, some of us would go to bed without bathing, sometimes we would not wash our clothes or bed sheets regularly.
Dear BUCC friends and directors, you are a blessing to us. Thank you for your kindness; thank you for giving us water at school. We shall never forget you. We now have clean water. At every corner of the school you find clean water.
We no longer carry jerricans and buckets of water on our backs and heads travelling miles.
Now we have access to safe readily available water at school.
Our water is so clean and it tastes so much better now.
Water related sicknesses are no more. Going to bed without bathing because of lack of water is no longer an excuse. Hygiene and sanitation at school is it’s best than ever before.
We are now safe and all of us here at Bwindi Junior are committed to the care of our borehole project, while focusing on our education, with clean safe water, we are sure, we shall perform better in class than ever before.
God bless you all.
We remain yours,
Primary five class members of Bwindi Junior School.
Thank you – Miracle Owoyesigire
Hear directly from one of the students: Miracle Owoyesigire! She is a brave young woman who shares how life-changing clean, accessible water is for the school and orphanage.
Thank you to our supporters!!
Bwindi Celebrates Clean Drinking Water!
Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to the water well project. We’ve got clean water!
Projects You Can Help with in 2021
We at BUCC are excited about 2021 and the possibilities it brings. We have a number of key projects being planned for 2021 and they are listed below:
- Increase Orphan support – $504 per child annually. Includes housing, school tuition, 3 meals per day, school uniform and clothing.
Sustainable Agricultural Workshops. These will be held in January 2021 to teach villagers how to grow a sustainable garden to feed their families. We are partnering with Healing Hands International to conduct these workshops.- Water Well and supporting infrastructure – See here.
- Medical Clinic with medicine closet, isolation room, water and exam room – $6,500.
- Kitchen Completion – $5,000.
- Playground Equipment – $3,500.
- Toilet Expansion – $5,800.
- Security Fence – varies depending upon the type of fence. $3,500 to $8,000.
None is more important and far reaching than providing the Bwindi ECO Children Uganda main campus with a permanent supply of drinkable water and the ability to share it with the local Bwindi community.
Start Helping The Bwindi Children Today.
Christmas Party
Thank you so much for the special Christmas gift! We were able to buy new Christmas clothes for 100 orphaned children. We can never stop saying thank you for the wonderful support. The photo shows some of the children in their new Christmas outfits.
Blessings,
Francis.
Bwindi Partners with HHI for Workshops
Bwindi was excited to partner with Healing Hands International to host its first two Sustainable Agricultural Workshops in 2021.
The workshops were geared toward help local parents with income training, specifically pertaining to agricultural methods.
“It was an enjoyable training and I am sure our parents will put all they trained in into implementation. It was so nice of you to support us in this.” said Director Francis Byamukama.
We also want to thank Healing Hands International for their partnership in hosting successful workshops.
Bwaswa is located in Bwindi in kanungu district; this village is located 9km from Buhoma where Bwindi junior school is located. It is far deep on the mountains and the entire communities are farmers growing Tea as a major crop and bananas. These particular workshops was mainly attended by women with only few men. Here is the reaction of the participants;
Arinitwe Hope is married with two children and she grows tea and bananas this is what she said “This method of farming has come to improve our financial status and increase our house hold income. For so long we have been growing tea and forgetting food crops because we lack the skills but now we have it we shall now grow both tea and vegetables and also practice the composting method to improve our soil” thanks HHI.
Akankwasa Juliet” I am here for this training because of the pain I go through as a mother to feed the children, my husband focuses only in growing his Tea of which the money materializes after a long time but remember every day the family needs to eat so because of that am happy that I have learn a skill that I can use to grow vegetables for the family and sale Part as my husband grows the tea.
Looking Forward to a New Year and New Harvest
Our gardens are doing very well. We are yet to receive our first harvest, and are anticipating some great savings in food expenditures from growing our own produce. More on that hopefully by the end of January.
Photo 1 is plot 1 with a garden of mature maize ready to be harvested two weeks to come.
Photo 2 is plot 2 maize garden mixed with rice. It will be the next to harvest.
Photo 3 is plot 3 Maize mixed with young cassava. After harvest of Maize cassava will be left in the garden to mature for the next 4 months.
Photo 4 is plot 4 where we have planted fodder for feeding goats.
All the orphans and vulnerable children we have on the list are returning to school. We will share some new photos and info of new children coming to Bwindi in January. New children equal new sponsorship opportunities. Contact us if you are interested in becoming a sponsor.
The seven girls are doing fine. Two of them will be graduating from primary school this year and will be joining secondary school. The other five will still be in primary and their fees do not change. For the two joining secondary school, they will require $900 each for the 2021 school year.
We encourage all sponsors to send their support for fees in early January at the latest, to enable us plan effectively for next year. The next school year begins January 11, 2021.
The staff, the school nurse, the farm manager and the entire school community are all doing well. All of us love you so much. With your valued assistance we look forward to having a colorful Christmas party! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!