While election frenzy dominated the news, the final result was that the incumbent, Museveni, won another 5 year term. He will have completed 30 years at the end of it all.  The news was received quietly and with some resignation.

Meanwhile at Stand Tall, we were busy selecting about a dozen new students who join us as new learners for 2011. We were looking for enthusiastic children and parents and we think we found them.

This is my 4th day back in Kampala and it has been slow adjusting. The combination of jet lag, heat and lack of rain haven’t helped but I can say I am finally feeling myself again and the energy is returning. I went to see Stand Tall yesterday. It was the second day of the new term and the children were excited to be back. More detailed updates will follow when I have spent more time but I can say that the grounds around the school have been levelled and planted with grass. Large trucks come in daily and water so the grass can establish itself. Once that has happened, the variety of grass planted is very tough and hearty and will need only occasional maintenance. The drainage ditches have been dug, a wood shed built and some trees planted. We are still waiting for the plumbing to be hooked up to the city line and for a large water tank with pump to be installed as back up. The classrooms still lack shelves, storage closets and cubbies but we expect all of this to be done within the next 3 weeks. Slow going but happening.

So here is what my first day was like and what I observed. I arrived in the morning with a suitcase full of stuff donated by many wonderful people in Vancouver. Thank you to Mark Steinberg for donating a laptop, to Jude Walker for donating a laptop and network router, to Honey Halpern for her generous donation of quality picture books, pencils, and pencil sharpeners for the teachers’ desks, to Lorys Schouela for her donation of 3 wall maps for the classrooms and am external hard drive for the office, to Chloe Beck for the frisbees,  to Claudie Snarch for the wonderful marbling kit and paper and to Troy Scott and Shannon Kelly for the office supplies and children’s prizes. We also received cash donations for specific projects which I will speak about in the near future.

I visited two classrooms in the afternoon – one level 2 doing social studies with Teacher Lois and the other was Level 4 doing mathematics with Kotridah. Our first volunteer, Honey, had introduced some teaching methods during her month at the school that focused on involving all the children in the learning process. Although the teachers have only just begun to implement these methods in the classroom, I did notice (happily) that they were incorporating them into the lesson plan. Brainstorming, group interaction, individual participation from every student was evident and I felt that the children were engaged in the learning process. There definitely can be even more – more learning games, more physical games to re-energize, and less lag time. It made me realize how challenging a job this is for a single teacher in the classroom. A volunteer, acting as an assistant to the teacher, can have a very positive impact on the learning process!

At the end of the day, we had music and I was treated to a full concert of singing, dancing, drumming and music making with teachers participating as enthusiastically as the children. It was a fantastic welcome and a great treat for me.

Thanks to Jude who spent 4 months in Kampala and through her own initiative volunteered at Stand Tall throughout her stay. She worked with the children, did some computer training and shook that grass skirt to the beat of the drums.

CHRISTMAS 2010 BROUGHT OUR LEARNERS A SELECTION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS FROM SANTA CLAUS. THE PARTY BEGINS! MERRY CHRISTMAS STAND TALL TRAINING CENTRE. MAY YOU THRIVE EVEN MORE IN 2011

Here’s what our African Nights fundraiser got us. We are breathing a sigh of relief that our cherished Principal now has a much safer vehicle to travel in. One of the first outings was the transport of two Stand Tall student representatives to the The Daily Monitor Christmas celebration at the first class Serena Hotel in Kampala. Our young ladies represented us with grace and good manners.

On Saturday, Nov. 20, the Globe and Mail featured Stand Tall Education Network in the business section. In case you missed it, here is the link

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/managing/giving-back/standing-tall-for-education/article1806650/

The donation of thread and yarn from Barclays Bank, Uganda, allowed us to thread the loom we purchased, and we can now begin teaching the kids how to make some simple products. We should soon have our first proud photos of those products.

Stand Tall Training Centre received a visit from Barclays Bank Uganda volunteers. They brought printing cloth material for tie/dye, weaving threads, 3 dozen plastic plates, weaving needles, printing dye, cabbage seeds, eggplant seeds, 15 pairs of Gumboots, 5 dozen exercise books, 2 packets of pens, 6 buckets, 12 basins, and toilet tissues. Thank you Barclays for your contribution. The kids’ faces say it all.

 

In one little month, our first volunteer, Honey Halpern managed to introduce the teachers and pupils to innovative child-centered teaching techniques; buy a microscope, and a sewing machine for the children; speak to three local schools about her techniques; speak to a Kenyan group that visited our school after hearing about how Stand Tall promotes an effective learning environment, and write a fascinating report about her experiences.  Her blog is where you can learn more:  http://eastafricandiary.wordpress.com/

Remarkable. We need more like her. Perhaps, you?

Here is the letter we received from Ssimbwa, the Principal of Stand Tall Training Centre.

“We had a very wonderful Parents meeting yesterday. A lot of things were discussed mainly about children performance, the role of Teachers and Parents towards the performance of children, achievements and constraints towards practical activities at School etc.
They commended the School for caring about the education of their children.
The Parents Teachers Association (PTA)  was formed and 7 Parents were democratically elected as committee members on the PTA. The composition of the PTA committee shall also include 2 people from the School; The Principal and one Teacher ( The exact Teacher not yet decided). I will send you the names of the full committee.”
Kind regards,
Ssimbwa.