School here in Uganda is a little different then
what some of us are used to. They have 3 terms each year, the first one begins
in February and goes through April, the second is May through July and the last term is August through November.
Throughout the year, they have 2 short holidays lasting about 2 or 3 weeks and
one long holiday extending from end of November through beginning of February.
Each school has its own uniform with boys wearing
shorts or pants and a button up shirt while the girls wear dresses or skirts
and button up shirts. Everyone is required to wear long socks and black shoes. It
makes it interesting getting the kids ready for school in the morning because
everyone has the same clothes but different sizes, it can get a little crazy!
We are blessed with being able to send our kids
to the local school that is just a few blocks from our home! Each morning the
kids line up at the gate and we walk down the red dirt road to take them to
school – sometimes it looks like a bunch of little ducks following there mama and
other times it feels like an explosion of firecrackers with the amount of
energy the kids have! This year we have 8 kids in kindergarten classes, they
all go for the morning and then we pick them up at 12:30pm to bring them home.
Our 3 oldest boys are in 1st,2nd and 3rd grade
and they remain at the school until 4pm, when we go and walk back with them.
The week before the new term begins we start
getting everything ready – with 11 of our twelve kids here at the home in
school it takes us a little time to get organized! We send each child to school with a
bag filled with the following :
- Pencils
/ Sharpener
- Crayons
- Notebooks
- Ream
of paper
- 4
rolls of toilet paper
- Brooms
Education is priceless and yet its also one of
our largest expenses here at Rafiki. With our children’s committed sponsors, we
are able to ensure that each of our children receives an education and an
opportunity to change their lives forever.
Education is a key piece of empowerment. With the
absence of a strong economy and stable social structures here in Uganda, a
developed skill set and being able to think critically are invaluable for
people attempting to thrive instead of simply survive in an unstable economy.
We want to make sure that our children are able to work hard and be strong
leaders of their country – be it in the home as mamas and papas or in the
business sector as bankers, as doctors or lawyers, carpenters and mechanics, as
business owners and government officials. We want to stop the cycle of poverty and
desperation, starting with our kids here at Rafiki and education is a vital
piece of this.
It’s one of my favorite parts of the day when the
kids come running into the gate, all excited to share about what they have
learned that day… Whether it be a new shape, counting to 30, reading a whole
book or a difficult math problem, its amazing to watch their minds expand as
they learn and share it with us! It brings to light how
precious our minds are
and how we have the joy and responsibility
of raising our kids to respect
knowledge, seek wisdom and develop creativity!
By Kailey Jensen
Assistant Administrator
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