Clearing and ploughing activities are going on at our new 7.5 acre parcel of land purchased for agriculture to help move toward self-sustainability. We even had some parents participating in the clearing of the site. We have also started constructing a temporary goat shed on the property. We’ll soon transfer some goats and begin planting maize, cassava and vegetables prior to the coming rainy season in September.
We are excited to see all of these projects kick start and are grateful for all the support.
We’re happy to report that all the children and staff at BECU are physically doing well and staying healthy, although food is scarce and money is tight. While the virus did makes its way into Uganda and has impacted many people there also, the Bwindi area has been blessed to remain in hiding from the virus and has seen no cases. As a safety precaution, much business and our school and all other schools in Uganda have been closed.
This closing has impacted BECU enormously since the school is dependent upon tourists entering the country and coming to see the gorillas. It has cut off dollars that would supply local jobs and partial funding for the orphanage and school. All schools both public and private have been closed now more than two months. They were projected to reopen June 1 but that has been delayed to July 1.
Uganda now has 688 confirmed cases but no deaths at this time. The country continues to be under a complete lock down. Most of the spread of the disease has been from truckers entering the country from surrounding countries, mainly Kenya. All trucks are stopped, but unfortunately drivers with the virus then escape and spread out into the country. Praise God there have been no cases yet in Bwindi.
Along with this news, we have some other exciting news to share:
1. The BUCC board has authorized funds to convert two classrooms into a boy’s dormitory which will have up to 60 boys. The conversion has been started and will be complete in 30 days. The new boys’ dorm was slated as a future new building project, but due to government pressure, BECU was required to convert classrooms into dorms for now.
2. One more effort in our goal to make the school self-supporting is the acquisition of 7.5 acres of land 7 KM from the school. The biggest expense of the school is the food budget which is currently around $85,000. The land will be used to grow crops which will reduce the food bill by one-half. The goats, chickens and mushrooms will also be moved to this land. A full-time land manager will be hired to manage production. The board has approved and sent earnest money for the land purchase. More details coming soon!
Everyone at BECU enjoyed our Christmas party at the Florida country club on the 26. Yes, the Florida country club, but not the country club in Florida, USA! Our staff hosted a special party for the children at a nearby country club, which just happens to bear the name Florida.
Each of our children received a Christmas present – a new outfit – and they each enjoyed delicious food and drink selections of their choice in celebration of Christ’s birth. Each teacher was given $50 as Christmas bonus. Every one was extremely happy for the help. We are thankful to the BUCC board members who paid for the Christmas Party!
Children Perform at National Conference with World Leaders
The children of BECU were recently invited by the Parliament of Uganda to perform at the closing dinner of the annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference September 23 to 29. This was the second time this conference was held in Uganda since the country’s independence.
The conference attracted 54 country representatives and more than 1,000 people. This was a wonderful invitation and opportunity for BECU to be recognized and receive greater awareness of its cause.
Francis Byukama, Director and Founder of BECU, said, “We have been very lucky to be invited to perform at the 64th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference. We are very grateful to be trusted in cultural performances at the national level.”
We\’re so thankful to the Snisky family for so generously helping BECU acquire the new school van! It is wonderful and the children are so grateful not to have to walk to school, many of them miles. This will greatly increase attendance for those who live a long distance from the school.
The kids at Bwindi Junior School got to take an exciting trip cross-country on a study tour in the capital city Kampala and Entebbe to see and do some extraordinary things.
Director Francis Byamukama led the group to a wide variety of destinations. The group traveled an amazing 521 km, visiting Entebbe Airport, UWEC (Entebbe zoo), and the city square among others. A special treat was stopping at the Uganda parliament.
\”Our children like touring and they were all happy to visit the city and meet their member of parliament. Our children and teachers enjoyed it so much.\” said Byamukama.
We\’re excited to announce the completion of a new building, which now provides classrooms for 2nd to 7th grade classes. Special thanks to the Beakley and Snisky families for their contributions to make these possible.
Meet Penuel: Only Surviving Child of AIDS-stricken Parents
Penuel is a 10-year-old girl who has no siblings and relatives. She is the only child of tea factory workers who both died because of HIV/AIDS. Her father died in 2013 when she was six years old and her mother died three years later.
We at Bwindi ECO Children Uganda are working hard to help her have a better chance at life. She is now in 4th grade and she loves her English subject.
Until recently, we believed that Penuel had no family who could help her. But an ex-soldier just visited her and explained how they are related.
Penuel chose not to continue contact and communication with him, but we plan to visit him to learn more about their relationship. We believe that we have a role to play to help out Penuel.
Penuel’s dream is to one day become a lawyer. She is currently waiting for a sponsor who can partner with her to make her dreams come true.
John Davis is the eldest of three children. When he was five years old, he lost both his parents in a fatal car accident. His two other siblings were only three and one. The three children were taken in by their aunt Mary who has six children of her own. She works as a gardener for different families and could only make so much to provide for nine children.
John’ young sister suffered and became malnourished and unable to walk, and John was often made to stay home to look after his sister. His education was delayed as he only began schooling at eight years old.
Mary’s husband unfortunately was not helping his wife and family at all. He would spend most of his time in bars. When he would come home, he would beat his wife and chase her with the children out of the house, forcing them to sleep in the bush the entire night. As you could imagine, John and his siblings grew up in a very poor family. One day, John heard on a radio talk show about Bwindi ECO Children Uganda. He decided to find BECU and was successful. After arriving, he told one of our teachers, Nicolas, all about his childhood.
We wasted no time and visited his home the next day to learn that everything John had said was true! BECU readily took in John and his older sibling in 2017.
In just one year, John’ sibling got a sponsor.
Today, John is 12 years old and is now in 5th grade. His favorite subject is Mathematics and he dreams of becoming an engineer.
John eagerly awaits a sponsor who can help him work towards his dream. We know that John will grow up to be a hardworking young man and a loving big brother who will always look after his family.
