Katuuso's primary 7 students travel across the country to visit Queen Elizabeth National Park.

In early May, our primary 7 students took a 3-day field trip to Queen Elizabeth National Park.

May in Uganda is the last month of the wet season. The students trip involved setting off from Katuuso Primary on an 850 kilometre 15-hour plus round trip across Uganda, to the west towards the Congo. 

During the journey, the students stopped off at the town of Fort Portal, an area known for its tea growing and the crater lakes which range in depths up to 400 metres deep.

Fort Portal.

Fort Portal.

Following this they took in Uganda’s largest mine, Kilembe which is mined for predominantly copper and keeps 4,000 people employed.

Hanging out after checking out Kilembe Mines.

Hanging out after checking out Kilembe Mines.

They then reached Mweya within the Queen Elizabeth National Park citing many animals before taking a boat trip on the Kazinga channel. 

Kazinga channel's ferry.

Kazinga channel's ferry.

The Kazinga channel is home to the greatest numbers of Hippos in all of Africa who our students discovered bob just below the surface of the water to protect their sensitive skin. Whilst cruising, the students were also fortunate to spot Crocodiles, Elephants, Buffalo and Antelopes. This provided our students with the highlight of the trip as aside from our School Director, Janepher none of our staff or students had been on a boat before. 

The journey home also took them to the Kitagata hot springs which many Ugandans believe have healing powers and the Equator placing a foot in each Hemisphere.

Kitagata hot springs.

Kitagata hot springs.

Here’s how the trip went through the eyes of one of our students, Christine:

On Thursday, 11th of May, 2017, we came to school and were told us to bring a blanket and a pair of bed sheets the next day for our tour. They also told us to wash and bring our jerry cans for drinking water. 

On Friday, we were excited to be going on tour and reached school at 5:00 am for breakfast. At 7:30 am the bus arrived; we prayed and started our journey. 

The students excited before heading off on their journey.

The students excited before heading off on their journey.

We reached Fort Portal, where we heard a story about Sir Gerald Portal and Bishop Aberi from a tour guide. Afterwards, we had morning tea – chapatti and a juice.

After eating breakfast, we continued to Kilembe mines and saw how copper and gold are mined. After learning about Kilembe, we had our lunch at Viring Gardens. We ate rice, matooke (mashed bananas) and beans.

Here's our teachers taking a break on the walk back from the mines.

Here's our teachers taking a break on the walk back from the mines.

When we finished eating, we travelled to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Upon reaching there we were welcomed and they accommodated us. We had supper and slept. 
On Saturday, we woke up and bathed before having breakfast.

We then took the long journey to Mweya and upon our arrival saw very many animals! There were warthogs, antelope and elephants that weighed 1000 kilogrammes and above!

After that, we continued to Kazinga Channel. We sailed on a ferry and for all of us, it was our first time being on a boat. We saw Lake Edward and Lake George, and when we came back we visited Lake Katwe which has salty water. After, we went to wash our uniforms and then bathed. 

On Sunday morning, we went to Kitagata where we found natural hot springs. We found very many people there, swimming and bathing in the water. After that we went to have lunch at Star Gardens; we had rice, matooke and beans.

Taking in the views and spending time with classmates at Kitagata hot springs.

Taking in the views and spending time with classmates at Kitagata hot springs.

After eating we began the journey home to Mpigi District; we even stopped at the equator on the way! It was an interesting, exciting and enjoyable field trip that I know we will remember forever. 

- Christine Nanfuka, Primary 7

Christine Nanfuka, Katuuso Primary 7
Success Stories
Goretti

Sweet and shy Goretti lives with her aunt, uncle and cousins in a small house in the local village. When Goretti was younger, she moved in with her aunt and uncle because her parents could no longer look after her. She was one of our first students at Katuuso Primary, starting in 2011 when she was just 4 years old. Now, Goretti is in Senior One at Mbazzi High School, and is relishing the honour of being a high school student in her community - something that is taken for granted in Australia, but in Uganda, represents freedom and opportunity. Goretti also loves attending School for Life because she hopes to one day become a pilot in Uganda - a dream which she knows can only be reached with the help of a good education.

Violah

Violah has been at School for Life since since she was six years old. Sadly, Violah has experienced hardship no child should ever deal with. Her Dad passed away three years ago, leaving her Mum without the financial means to support her family - so she left Violah and her siblings with their elderly grandmother. Every day, Violah has to wake up at 5am to fetch water, cook meals and make sure that her younger sisters are properly looked after. Then she walks half an hour to get to school. Despite this adversity, Violah has flourished at school and has made many friends. She loves that School for Life is "helping me to build a future". After finishing school, Violah hopes to become a teacher to help other children.

Umar

Umar is one of our best performing students at Mbazzi Riverside High School - but life has not always been easy for Umar. His father abandoned the family in 2015, leaving his mother to struggle to support her five children on her own. School for Life has provided Umar with opportunities that may never else have eventuated for him. Umar begun his journey with School for Life at Katuuso Primary School, where his academic ability was quickly revealed. Now, he is a thriving member of our Senior 1 class and a formidable wing on the football team. With a love for mathematics, Umar is set on studying electronic engineering after finishing his senior studies - a goal which he is the first to admit is now within reach thanks to the skills and resources provided to him by School for Life.

Rose Nambooze

Rose is a 32‐year‐old single mother of one. She started working with SFL in 2013, after taking part in our tailoring training program. Prior to working with us, she was unemployed and living in her father's home helping to care for her father, who had cataracts, and his farm.
Thanks to her full time employment, Rose was able to save enough money to pay for an eye operation and restore her father's sight, allowing him to return to work as a mechanic. Now, Rose has moved into her own home and no longer relies on her father financially. 

Joseph

Joseph is one of our Special Needs teachers at Katuuso. After surviving a severe case of malaria at age four, he was left permanently deaf. He was raised by his single mother and attended a nursery school for the handicapped and later transferred to a school for the Deaf in Kampala. He eventually mastered sign language and pursued a university degree in education. Joseph decided to become a teacher so that he could give the gift of education to others who are hearing impaired.

Teddy Namatovu

Teddy is a participant in the Kumi Tailoring Program and four of her five children attend Katuuso Primary School. She and her husband farm two acres of land, which supplies fluctuating revenue. Participation in the Kumi Tailoring Project has secured income to reliably pay for school fees, nutritious meals and renovations to the family home. Teddy has gained a great deal of self-esteem from her ability to support her family and she takes pride in independently financing the education of all five children. Teddy has also been working on her numeracy and administration skills. She was appointed Treasurer of the tailoring group and will be responsible for keeping records of their savings.

Flaviah Nassaazi

Flaviah Nassaazi started working at Katuuso Primary and Vocational School in 2011. Prior to cooking at the school, she and her husband were subsistence farmers. They worked tirelessly for small yields and minimal income to support their family. Flaviah's cooking job not only enables her to pay school fees for her children, but she has also invested in a local barbershop business. She is now passing her cooking skills onto her eldest son Frank, who has also joined the school's cooking staff. Flaviah and her husband attend the adult literacy classes offered weekly at the school. Her English and reading have improved immensely, as well as her confidence.

Rachel

In 2010, Rachel began as a cleaner at Katuuso Primary and Vocational School. She was working to save money to study to be a teacher at University. Thanks to Barrie and Simone Goldsmith, her dream of studying came true and she is now fully qualified.