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10 May 2011

'Not just a free school': Stand Tall Uganda Education...

This was a month of accomplishments. Below are only some of the value additions to our very special school.  Stand Tall is much more than just a free school with nice buildings. As we grow, we continue to add educational programs that are designed to enhance and individualize the learning experience. Our children continue to grow in confidence, creativity and academic ability.  Guided by our well-trained staff of teachers, these children are blossoming into their own. As one student wrote, “I love Stand Tall because it has made me what I am”. How exciting.

MESSAGE FROM OUR PRINCIPAL, SSIMBWA KAYONDO
In less than a year of operation, Stand Tall Training Centre has attracted diverse groups of people from within and outside of the country. The relevancy of an education that enhances Teacher/Student interaction and creative learning practices is being continuously appreciated. We acknowledge with thanks the many resource persons with various skills, teachers and volunteers who have come in to work with us.
At Stand Tall, we cherish practical skills alongside academic education. We call upon you to join hands and support the disadvantaged children as we cannot do better without you. Any contribution counts, however humble it may be.


WELCOME, GERALD KIKOYO
Gerald is our newest member of the Stand Tall team and our financial consultant.  He is an accounting wizard and organizational expert and we are all grateful to have him here once a week monitoring our expenses and keeping us on budget.





CHEEP CHEEP


Our one -day-old chicks are adjusting to their new surroundings.
They will ‘brood’ for two weeks in a heated box before being let loose in the coop.
We bought the local variety of chicken for its superior resistance to disease. The children will be learning the process from vaccinating to feeding from our neighbor and our experienced Principal.

chicken rearing lesson





















HEALTH CARE DAY

Many thanks to Festus, Nurse Maria and Josephus  for presenting our children with an afternoon  worth remembering.  The children were completely focused on the short film about Sexually Transmitted Disease and Festus, the presenter, had just the right mixture of humor and facts to keep the kids engaged and listening.  We are grateful to him for presenting a difficult subject in a most accessible manner.

Festus guides STD talk


Nurse Maria teaches technique

our dental kits

lining up for kits









Josephus continued with the theme of HIV prevention and warned the children of the dangers of STDs.

Nurse Maria ended the afternoon with a demonstration on tooth brushing and dental health care.  She also did a stellar job of keeping the children attentive and smiling.
The  afternoon ended with the distribution of dental kits to each child. Dr. Angelina Loo of Vancouver generously donated the kits.  There was so much excitement as the children lined up and waited their turn to receive a kit.




FRUIT TREE SEEDLINGS



ready to plant
Thanks to a generous donation from Claudie and Gary Snarch on behalf of their newborn nephew, we have purchased 41 fruit bearing trees.
They include papaya, orange, mango, avocado, macadamia, and guava.  With a two-year maturity date, we can expect our grounds to look like a garden very soon, not to mention the benefit to our bellies
















WELCOME TO THE BOARD, JOSEPHINE
We are very happy to announce that our Uganda Board has a new member, Josephine Buruchara from Kampala, Uganda.  She is highly skilled and is sure to be a valuable asset to our Board. For more information on Josephine, visit www.standtalleducation.org.








WE’VE GOT A REAL COMPUTER LAB
Hello generous donors! You have made our computer lab a reality.
Our next purchase will be a projector as soon as we get the funds and then we are really on our way! There are so many educational DVDs we want to show them.

computer lab

We’re really getting there and the children are totally fixated on learning computer language. We still need more equipment but we are much closer to our goal. Now, how to keep them from discovering the app store.


SKYPE CALL TO MOLDOVA


skype call to Moldova




Wow, Wow, Wow – the kids got to talk to children in Moldova thanks to PEDN, a Ugandan organization that focuses on improving education and administers the world wide Aflatoun program here in Uganda.  Among many other things, Aflatoun promotes chlld saving , child empowerment and global interaction among fellow Aflatouners.  So where is Moldova, anyway? Moldova is a small country bordering Romania and once a part of Russia but now independent.
The children were enthralled and so were we.





ART AND MORE ART
Art   always speaks for itself…….




making books

painting a mask

proud of my envelope














PENPAL LETTERS




letter from Stand Tall learner


Nootka Elementary in Vancouver sent 36 pen pal letters to Stand Tall learners and now Stand Tall has answered.   Among the questions asked “Do you have snow in Uganda?” and “Do you have computers at your school?”.  The dialogue continues…









IT’S A PARTY





birthday card



Sweet hugs from the children of Stand Tall to my wonderful mother, Cely Schouela, who donated a big, creamy and very chocolaty cake for our school party celebrating my birthday.  I was truly spoiled by the songs, dance, speeches and the wonderful presents. I received fruits, eggs, vegetables, bead necklaces, bags, a gorgeous penholder, money, a wallet and a live rabbit! Thank you!



my rabbit





















ZANZIBAR

And finally Zanzibar….. What does Zanzibar have to do with Stand Tall? Absolutely nothing but I couldn’t pass up posting some photos of this incredibly beautiful and exotic place.

P E A C E

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