Note from John Wanda

It is difficult to describe in a few words what the last few months have been for our programs in Uganda. I hope, however, that you will find the time to read about the phenomenal returns your investment in AAH has yielded. 

Together, we are making a lasting difference in the lives of Ugandan children - kids like George Bwaya, one of our secondary students who now ranks among the very top students in all of Uganda! 

This month, we are also proud to report the generosity of our partners Kamal Foundation, TOMS Shoes, Charitable Foundation of the Energy Bar Association, AHEAD Energy, Arlington Art Center, Arlington Traditional School and Marymount University. They, along with all of our other partners and supporters, are having a tremendous impact each and every day.

Thank you and please, encourage others to join our winning effort. 

Few of our friends in America today know what it is to walk to school without shoes. Fewer still can imagine what it feels like to walk barefoot, with jiggers (flea-like parasites) on your toes, thorns and jagged rocks along the way, and when it rains, stepping in human and animal excrement.

Many stories have been written about kids who walk miles to school, but few explain in detail what these kids endure - the muddy paths, rains, but most shockingly, the crippling effects of the lack of shoes.

I know those stories from personal experiences. When I was a young boy, I was pierced by a sharp stick while jogging around school and spent a week in hospital, with a swollen leg and no medical devices to extricate the small pieces in my foot. Eventually, the doctors decided to let the foot heal with the splintered pieces of wood inside my foot. Three years later, the pieces of wood tried to force themselves out, cracking the hard sole of my foot, and I had to be rushed back to hospital for surgery.

Such is life for a shoeless child in Bududa, even today.

Thanks to a generous donation of new shoes from TOMS Shoes, thousands of children in Uganda soon will no longer have to worry about thorns, or jagged rocks, or splintered wood. They will walk to school, comfortable, safe, and poised each day, through mud, through waste, over thorns and over stones. And through TOMS One for One Program, the children who receive these shoes have the chance to receive new shoes next year, and every year thereafter.

We are so grateful to TOMS Shoes for this amazing gift to the children of Uganda. We are also grateful to the government of Uganda which paid the taxes on the shoes. Special thanks go to the Minister of Finance and her senior officials approving our request. We also thank the officials at the U.S. Embassy and the USAID Mission in Kampala, especially Ambassador Jerry Lanier and David Eckerson, USAID Mission Chief, for their unrelenting support and advocacy on our behalf. Last, but certainly not least, we thank our supporters in Bududa, Uganda, and in here in the U.S., who have helped in various ways. Our staff in Uganda, especially Director James Nabitawo, have done an amazing job coordinating this effort.

Please visit our website to see the list of schools that will receive the new shoes.

AAH Students Excel at Primary School

Recently, we shared with you the amazing news about our P7 students in their 2011 Primary Leaving Exams.  Thirty-four AAH students (69%) passed in first division, and the rest in second division. These results placed AAH among the best performing schools in Uganda, an amazing feat considering the village and district where our school is located. Of the 56 schools in Bududa District that sat for these exams, 36 did not have a single student in Division 1. None of the other schools had more than five students in First Division. You can see the entire results by school for the districts of Bududa and Manafwa districts on our website. 

All 49 students at AAH who passed P7, plus another 12 students from local schools in Bududa and Manafwa districts, will get AAH scholarships to go to some of the best secondary schools in Uganda. Many of these students are the first from their families to go to secondary school.

The success of AAH students raises many questions about why the students at AAH do better than others. Our students come from the same villages, they face the same village circumstances, they endure the same challenges in life. The reason our kids do well is because they have supporters like you who love them, support them, and make them believe in themselves. 

You make it possible for us to provide the simple tools it takes for a child to learn - well trained teachers, books, pencils, a healthy meal, and free care at our health clinic. Thank you!

It is possible to do the same things for other schools in these districts. As many of our outreach schools have shown, these schools need very little to do better. Bukalasi Primary School, for instance, which had not had a first division student since 2001, got three this year. Their best student got a remarkable 8 aggregates. Sadly, the poor boy did not even have the $100 needed to enrol in the local secondary school.

It does not cost much to give teachers at these local schools the resources they need for them to do effective teaching. Lunch and supplies for students can go a long way towards improving student attendance and attention. Recognition and incentives for well performing schools and students will encourage all to do better. 

Not all schools can rise to the AAH level in the short term, but they can certainly do better if we can help them with resources, supplies, training, and positive encouragement. We ask our friends and partners, both in the US and in Uganda, to join us to improve performance at these local schools. Please contact us if you would like to help.  

Record Breaking Senior Four Results with 9 Aggregates for AAH's Top Performer

George Bwaya (right) with Joyce Wanda and AAH students Daphne Mabonga and Stuart Kitandwe.

The news got even better last week, when results of Senior Four (also called O-Level) exams were announced. Thirty students who are on the AAH Scholarship Program sat for these exams. Fifteen -- 50% -- passed in the first division, as compared to the 2.25% pass rate for the district of Bududa and 0.83% in Manafwa district.

Our top student, George Bwaya, achieved 9 aggregates in the Senior Four exams - a result that puts him among the very top students in the country. George achieved Distinction 1 (top scores) in 7 subjects, and a Distinction 2 in the other subject, giving him the rare 9 aggregates for the best eight subjects. 

George's performance exceeded by far anything that has ever been accomplished by anyone from Bududa district.  Our top performing girl, Sakina Nandutu, was the leading student at her school, Iganga Girls, with 16 aggregates.

Taking Care of Waste and the Environment at AAH

In February, we completed installation of an environmentally friendly biogas system at our school in Bumwalukani, courtesy of a generous grant from the Laird Norton Family Foundation secured by AHEAD Energy, and supplemented by a donation from longtime AAH donors and sponsors, Bruce Leighton and Doreen Jones. 

The old pit latrines were replaced by a bio-latrine and a 16 cubic meter underground bio-digester was constructed.  The bio-digester supplies biogas to the kitchen for cooking -- saving trees -- and produces a sanitary fertilizer that can be applied to farmland.

In addition to the simple task of taking care of human and animal waste, the biogas system provides enormous education opportunities. 

Green Heat Uganda, the company that installed the bio-digester, also put together a training session for students. Students learned about fuel and waste, specifically the different types of fuels (firewood, charcoal, kerosene, animal dung, etc.) and their sources (forests, river banks, and retail shops for kerosene, animals and humans). Students also learned about the dangers associated with unsustainable use of wood fuel and the health effects of smoky kitchens. The students were told how harmful waste can be, if not managed properly. The shallow latrines and abattoir waste end up in the small river passing their little village, just a few yards away, where locals collect their drinking water!

Power to the Children

Through a generous grant from the Charitable Foundation of the Energy Bar Association, the children and AAH team at our primary school and library will have more reliable electricity.

Power outages in Bumwalukani are a daily occurrence, sometimes lasting days.   On those days when electricity is available from the grid, it usually is only for a few hours. 

This wreaks havoc on the learning environment, affecting lighting, computer usage, and other educational tools. The CFEBA grant will allow us to replace ineffective solar batteries and upgrade the entire system, which was originally installed thanks to another CFEBA grant in 2007. 

We are grateful for CFEBA's support, which will have an enduring impact by powering the children's education. 

This is My City/This is My Community

Bumwalukani is a far cry from a city and from most communities, too. It has no road (just a beaten path), no electricity (except at AAH), no running water, no brick buildings (again, except at AAH) and, of course, no City Hall. But this summer, in an exhibit at Arlington Art Center (AAC), Bumwalukani will be honored as part of the Art Center's This is My City/This is My Community

An AAH girl at her home

project.

As I write this, a staffer at the Arlington Art Center, Sara Yousefnajid, has just returned from Uganda, along with Arlington Traditional School (ATS) Art Teacher, Veronica Perez. Veronica and Sara taught photography to the P5 class at AAH. With the cameras provided by AAC and ATS, the students took pictures of life at school and in the village, cataloguing what students do from the time they wake up to the time they go to bed. Additionally, Veronica is teaching Art to AAH students. Fourth grade students at ATS in Arlington are doing the same, taking pictures of life in their city, err, county.

The pictures will be displayed this summer at the Art Center, in the This is My City/This is My Community exhibit, showcasing life in Arlington and the rural community of Bumwalukani. The display will also be shown in the AAH library in Uganda sometime later this year. 

This project is part of efforts by the Art Center to create bridges between Arlington and communities around the world. We are thrilled to be partnering with the Arlington Art Center and ATS for this project. 

Elementary students and their families in both Arlington and Uganda will benefit from this artistic exchange, as well as the opportunity to be exhibited in a professional gallery setting. The Art Center is using its previous success with This is My City as a model to create the curriculum of the photography classes, facilitate the exchange, and provide exhibition space for the artwork. The exhibit will promote awareness of AAH, as well as the strong relationship between ATS, the people of Arlington, AAH, and the people of Uganda.

Canaan Nursery and Primary School Receive Generous Grant

Canaan Nursery and Primary School, one of more than 20 Ugandan schools AAH supports through our outreach program, is a recent beneficiary of a generous grant from long time AAH donors and child sponsors, Jim and Amy Angel. 

Most of the students who attend Canaan School have learning and physical disabilities; many are orphans. The lease on Canaan's current premises expires this year, and the school faces a looming deadline to establish new facilities by the end of the year. The Angel grant will be used to buy land for a new site, but it will not be enough. 

Will you help Jim and Amy and AAH construct a new school for these long neglected children?  Please contact Amy at angelicma@aol.com for more information. 

Amy Angel at Canaan School

Marymount University Trains Bududa's Teachers

More than 65 primary school teachers from all over Bududa District gathered at Arlington Academy of Hope school February 16 - 20 for a Teacher Training Workshop, led by Professor Shannon Melideo, the Chair of the Department of Education at Marymount University.

Shannon, along with 3 undergraduate education students, worked with the teachers to develop teaching skills and strategies, with an emphasis on effective teaching techniques in low resource settings. 

Through interactive games and lessons, they demonstrated how teachers in our area can use materials they have to create active learning environments for their students. The response from attendees was very positive -- so much so that word spread and teachers from Bubita Primary School began attending workshop sessions, along with invited teachers from Bumwalukani PS, Bududa PS, Bulobi PS, Bukiga PS, Bunamutoro PS, Saku Saku PS, and Arlington Junior School.

The schools send many thanks to Marymount University for implementing the workshop.   Teachers have already been excitedly talking about next year's workshop. Since many teachers do not have the means to attend remedial workshops, our teacher training program helps to continually grow the depth and knowledge of teachers in our area, as well as create unity and camaraderie among schools. 

Our goal for these workshops is to raise the standards of education in Bududa district and provide a path to a better future for thousands of children.  And from the results we have already seen, we know this is a goal that will be achieved.

News Briefs

Rendezvous with Voice of America - John and Joyce Wanda will be interviewed by Dr. Shaka Ssali on the Voice of America on Wednesday, February 29, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. Dr. Ssali is a renowned broadcaster whose interviews and commentaries are greatly anticipated all over Africa, especially in his native Uganda. John and Joyce will share the story of AAH and appeal for broader participation by the African Diaspora as they seek to expand AAH Outreach efforts.

Arlington Travel Soccer - We are delighted to report that students from the Arlington Travel Soccer in Arlington, Virginia donated more than 300 soccer uniforms to the students at AAH. We thank Margaret Core, who organized the collection, and all coaches and students who donated their uniforms. We also thank Tanzman Soccer Association members in Arlington for their support with soccer balls, pumps and other supplies.

Volunteer Travel - We thank Emily Norton and Jake Klim who just returned from a three week trip to Uganda. They worked at the clinic in Bupoto and Jake made a documentary. We are excited about the many inquiries we are receiving from propspective volunteers who are considering traveling to Uganda to work at AAH this summer. We especially acknowledge Kate Warach and the group of students from Washington International School in Washington, DC, and students from The College of New Jersey who are planing to go in June. Other students from high schools in Arlington, VA and their parents are planning to travel this summer too. We have also received volunteers and inquiries from the UK and France, proof that word about AAH has spread internationally. We welcome more volunteers who would like to consider a more long term stay.

Executive Director Sees Firsthand the Impact of AAH in Uganda

Our Executive Director, Dan Gardner, just completed a 16 day visit to Uganda where he inspected all of AAH's projects there. "Though this was not my first trip to Uganda, I continue to be amazed by the vast extent of AAH's work and the long-lasting impact we - with the generosity of our donors - are having on the communities," Dan reported.

During his visit, he met with senior government officials in Bududa and Manafwa Districts to discuss government support for partnering with AAH on future education, healthcare and environmental initiatives and seeking ways to leverage AAH's ongoing initiatives such as women's microfinance and school nutrition.

In addition, Dan was on hand for the opening of the Bulobi Primary School. It was a joyous day for the girls and boys, who now have desks to sit at and a solid roof over their heads while they learn. 

Dan also visited primary schools in Bumwalye, Bupoto, Matuwa and Bududa Primary Schools, which are among the more than 20 public schools in the region that benefit from AAH's outreach program, as well as several of our partner secondary schools and, of course, our own primary school in Bumwalukani. He also met with the AAH Junior School Headmaster, teachers, staff and students who all sent their thanks to the AAH Board of Directors and all the donors "back home" for their generous support enabling their success in school. 

While visiting our Bupoto health clinic, Dan met with Dr. Lisa Umphrey, who joined AAH in October to bring improved healthcare and health education to this remote village.  She has reorganized the clinic and is now utilizing a system of five discrete stations for processing and treating patients more effectively. The Manafwa District Health Officer had kind words for both the Bupoto Clinic and Dr. Umphrey for the improved health care and health education being provided and linked these efforts to an improvement in the local mortality rates.

Not wasting a moment of time during his visit, Dan also held community meetings in Bumwalukani and Bupoto to reinforce AAH's strong partnership with the locals. In Kampala, Dan met with USAID officials, with whom we have worked closely to bring hope to this poverty-stricken region.

Child Sponsorship Update

AAH students receive their sponsorship letters

More girls and boys need sponsors who will bring hope to their lives. 

 Click here to learn more about Child Sponsorship for primary and secondary students.

Correspondence between our students and their sponsors is an essential part of the sponsorship program. The children in Uganda are most grateful to their sponsors and they look forward to receiving letters from them. Those who don't receive a letter are so disappointed.

We thank all sponsors who have already written back to their students, and encourage those who have not yet done so to write right away.  The letters will be mailed to Uganda at the beginning of March. 

If you aren't a sponsor, consider this: For less than $1 per day --  $360 per year -- you can help a young girl or boy go to primary school.  Or, for $1,000 a year, you can help a secondary student continue down the path to a better future.  Now is a great time!

Contact our Sponsor volunteers at sponsorship@aahuganda.org if you can help or need more information. 

• Take a Leadership Role. AAH is recruiting new members for the following committees: Finance, Health, New Ventures, Communications, Volunteer and Development. If you're interested in putting your expertise to work in one of these critical areas, contact AAH Executive Director, Dan Gardner at dgardner77@verizon.net.    
• Sponsor a Child at AAH. We still need sponsors for students at the AAH Primary School, and those on scholarship at secondary school. A sponsorship for a student at primary school is $360 a year - less than $1 a day. A secondary school sponsorship is $1,000, or $83 per month.
• Donate to AAH. If you are not able to sponsor a child, but wish to make a one time donation to support AAH's work in Uganda, you can do so by donating online or sending a check to AAH, P O Box 7694, Arlington, VA 22207. Every donation is important and helps us meet the many needs of children in this community.  
• Become an AAH volunteer. If you have an interest in helping AAH with fundraising, helping at outreach events and presentations, doing administrative work or coordinating communications projects, please e-mail Dan Gardner at dgardner77@verizon.net. 
• Organize AAH events:  AAH has a range of volunteer opportunities for putting together critical events throughout the year, including the Arlington County Fair,  the Annual Picnic in the Spring, the Annual AAH SanGala in October, and many others. If you're interested in helping at these events, please email Joyce Wanda at arlingtonacademyhope@yahoo.com 

• Learn about the many different ways you can give and support AAH and its mission.