UDS Chair of Trustees visits Uganda

Mark Sheard, the Chair of Trustees, has just returned from a visit to our projects in Uganda. On his return to the UK he wrote:

I met many inspirational people on this visit – but one particular lady’s story will stay with me for many years to come. She told me how she was widowed 6 years ago which left her both destitute and in despair. But then she told me UDS came, and showed her how her tiny scrap of land could produce food for her family and income from her surpluses.

With pride she showed me her onion patch, her bananas, her maize and other crops. And then, beaming, she quoted Isaiah’s prophetic words to me: ‘UDS bestowed on me a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.Thank you UDS.'

Widow Pirusuka Wotali thanks Mark Sheard

This lady’s story is inspirational – but, I’m thrilled to say, not unique. Indeed, a recent analysis of our impact indicated that UDS

programmes have directly benefitted more than 20,000 people over this past year. This number is trulyremarkable and we are very grateful to all our supporters who give so

generously to allow us to help the poor to break the vicious cycle of poverty.

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Cyber School a great success

Students who use our facilities in Kamuli say a recent three-month trial of a computer-based science teaching programme has been a great success... so we've now gone ahead with a licence to put it to full use for the next three years.

Earlier this year UDS decided to evaluate a scheme called Cyber School, an e-learning programme to teach mainly science subjects at GCE O-level. We hoped that this would help students who do not have access to laboratories or science equipment in their schools.

The scheme was supplied by Cyber School Technology Solutions, a Nairobi-based company that offers digital education services worldwide.  Its courses specialise in science and mathematics.

 

Cyber School was available for three months in our study centre, located in our library, and became very popular. A total of 76 students signed up to use it, and up to 10 students came in every day to access Cyber School.

Many students were intimidated by the prospect of using a computer, but UDS’ library staff soon put them at ease, and three months on many of them are full of praise for the programme. 

Student Joel Zirimenya said, “I had some problems in the science subjects more especially physics,”  but now: “I’m in the best five who are wizards in physics at the school.”

Fellow student Benard Kaima was at first reluctant to use a computer, but now says: “The system helped me find and cover topics that we skipped at school, these topics were never taught even up to now, and the exercises provided at least opened my eyes to a world of questions.”  

Students were dismayed when the demo version expired recently, just as they approached exam period. But now we have a three-year licence, they can look forward to making full use of its benefits for the near future at least.

UDS' marathon hero

One of our key Kamuli staff has completed a heroic feat - coming in the first 100 of a field of 500 in the Busoga Marathon.

Robert (right) with fellow runner

Robert Ssebuliba, who runs our I.T. training programme, was awarded a commemorative key-ring for his efforts.   But his biggest reward was being able to take part in a fund-raising effort to plant trees and preserve the natural environment in Busoga.

Busoga sub-region, once the Busoga Kingdom, is a large area of Uganda that contains Kamuli District, among many others.

The marathon - actually a 10km run - was won by up-and-coming long-distance runner Michael Cherop.

Members of Parliament, religious leaders, NGO staff and business people were among the guests in attendance, and runners came from as far afield as the Democratic republic of Congo, Tanzania, Rwanda and Sudan.

We congratulate Robert on his great success.

If you wish to donate, please visit his JustGiving page:

http://www.justgiving.com/RobertBusogaMarathon

Read more about Robert at our website:

http://www.ugandadev.org.uk/

  

Remember Kamuli on International Literacy Day

On Sunday September 8th the world will observe International Literacy Day. Established back in 1965, it's a day when UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning.

A pupil in Kamuli enjoying reading aloud to the class. 

It's an important date not just for Uganda, but for Africa generally. According to UNESCO figures, the overall literacy rate for sub-Saharan Africa stands at 63 per cent.  Uganda doesn't fare too badly by African standards, with an overall adult literacy rate of 73 per cent.

But the picture in rural areas is much worse. And Kamuli, where UDS works, registers the third lowest reading skills in the country for primary school children. A recent government survey revealed that children aged 10-11 in Kamuli register a literacy level of just 14 per cent.

UDS is trying to do something about this - both with our well-established book box programme, and with our new reading project in primary schools. All the experts agree that the biggest barrier to increasing literacy is the lack of books. 

We kicked off our primary literacy project by providing more than 260 books to just two schools. We are also training teachers, opening reading and debating clubs and doing all we can to get children reading at an early age. Of course, we'd like to do more, which we can do only with your donations.  So please remember us on International Literacy Day, September 8th. You could set up a regular standing order via our  donations page or text UDSL13 followed by £5 to 70070 and you could  be helping these children  have a better start to life.

Memorial Service for Dr John Maitland

On Saturday 10 August a memorial service was held in the St Francis Chapel, Makerere

for Dr John Maitland, the founder of UDS who passed away in November last year.  The service was led by the most Rev Stanley Ntagali the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda and attended by trustees and staff as well as officials from Kamuli. 

The Doctor, as he was affectionately known by many,  was a visionary.  From his time spent in Uganda in the 60s and 70s he recognised that lack of access to information and training prevented many people from escaping poverty. He dreamt of an informed society, free from poverty which UDS in Kamuli is working hard to achieve. 

Dr Paul Kiwanuka, UDS Board Member paid the following tribute

"John's life was remarkable and inspiring. Not only because of all he achieved but also because of the faith he had in God, his gracious belief in people and their potential and the ability to hold on to the fact that it can and will be done."

Click here to see pictures from the event.  The national newspaper New Vision ran an article prior to the service which can be read here and follow this link to another New Vision article published in 2005 when John "retired".  

The quote  that "Maitland will never retire from the hearts of those he touched, encouraged, and walked with." is  more poignant now that he is sadly no longer with us.  His contribution towards changing the lives of the people of Kamuli will never be forgotten.

Graduation day in Kamuli

UDS has just celebrated a very special day at our Centre in Kamuli. On Tuesday 18 June our computer training students for the year 2012-2013 attended their graduation ceremony. There were 99 of them in total – 14 of them deaf.

Geoffrey Namukoye, General Manager of our centre, started the proceedings by urging the graduates to continue their computer training by investigating the extra courses the centre offers – such as graphics, programming, maintenance and networking.  

UDS Director Rita Epodoi also spoke the gathering. She thanked the graduates for their desire to pursue computer training. She gave particular thanks to the deaf students and their tutors. She also drew everyone’s attention to UDS’ new digital science for O-level programme, and urged the graduates to join the Computer Alumni Club. 

There was a special guest in the form of Ritah, a former student who trained at UDS in 2010. She is now studying bio-medical science at Makerere University. She told the graduates that she hadn’t truly appreciated the value of her computer training at UDS until she began her university studies. Then she realised how useful her computer knowledge and skills were. She added that some of her classmates find their studies hard going because they lack computer skills. Ritah concluded by urging the graduates not to take their training lightly - it’s something that will help them improve their lives. 

Mr Kayabya, our oldest student, receives his certificate

Another guest was Mr Mugote, a blind man who manages to use computers despite his disability. He paid tribute to the organizers of the UDS project, whom he described as “great thinkers”. The community should be lucky to have these services in place and they should use them, he added.

The ceremony of handing out the certificates was conducted by the District Education Officer, Joseph Musoke. He congratulated the students, and told them they should consider themselves lucky to have acquired such valuable computer knowledge. He thanked UDS for bringing such services to the community.

It was a big day for UDS, for the graduates and for Kamuli. There was even a report on the ceremony in Uganda’s national newspaper, the Daily Monitor, recognition indeed of the importance of the work UDS is doing.

Helping Ugandan farmers to produce more food

This coming Saturday 8 June, thousands –if not tens of thousands – of campaigners are gathering at a rally in central London in a call to demand action on hunger at the G8.

The event is part of the Enough Food for Everyone…IF campaign to bring an end to hunger worldwide.

UDS farmers check pineapple crop

The IF campaign was launched earlier this year by a coalition of 100 UK development charities and faith groups, with the aim of pressuring governments to put hunger and malnutrition on the G8 agenda.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged to hold a special meeting on hunger ahead of the G8 meeting of world leaders in Northern Ireland 17-18 June.

Among the demands of the IF campaign is the provision of more funds for small-scale farming. This is an area in which UDS has long been working, training subsistence farmers in better agricultural methods in order to produce crops to take to market and thus improve their income while producing more food.     

So what better time to remind you of our farmers’ appeal?