Soccer project in progress

"Unity is Power". The bush of yesterday is turning into a new soccer field  by tomorrow. The "Yamba Abaana" Uganda group can't wait to see their kids play soccer in their new football field closer to the   school. Their determination can be seen in the work force applied. See photos below.We are very grateful to Yamba Abaana USA group that    has donated the funds for the purchase of the land and the Yamba Abaana Uganda actively working to level the land for a new field. Remember that if it wasn't because of the primitive hoe, one  day would enough for them to have the work done. But they have to count weeks.

As men clear the bushes, women follow leveling the new soccer field. 

Active involvement and Participation, a key to rural community development like Rubanda is the only hope to fight poverty.

Need of Quality education to their children is the main  motivation to this much and hard work done in a single day.

New Soccer field project taking shape

It is incredible to see a school serving three hundred energetic kids with no soccer field. An African life can be extremely miserable and boring for kids without space for soccer  or social games.  Our school has been forcefully without it for over nine years. Kids have an opportunity to play soccer  once a week using  the only available soccer field forcing the kids to walk about five miles to and fro each time they do so. However, the community demand is also high that most of the times our kids can't makes it.
The lack of a soccer field has been a thorn to the parents, administration and our kids themselves until recently when their hopes and prayers have been answers by a generous community member.  Who generously offered her piece of land for our new soccer field at a reasonable because she loves our project. The school administration believes that this soccer field will be an assent for the entire community. Its closeness to the school within about one mile makes a very bid difference that will provide more frequencies and freedom pf planing to the management and to the kids .

The community is so happy and has embarked on soccer project work.This involves planning, purchase and field clearance and preparation. The school that has nursery and primary sections, is currently serving over 289 children. It has been hard for the kids and staff. The director recalls in one of his recent meeting with the kids,"our school has no soccer ground", the kid screamed. This comment from a small kid pierced through the heart of the director  who brought it to the school board and donors.

Great appreciation goes to all friends and community members who have already started pulling hands and energies together to this great project will certainly fulfill the hopes of our kids, build their muscles and brains to a common good. It will also improve our efforts on the provision of quality education.
In their last meeting, the PTA has  adopted and launched this project as designed qualities and process of implementation. 'We have to find a viable piece of land, closer to the school, desirably flat and good size to promote a wide range of sports to the kids" the director commented. The land issue is, however is crucial in Rubanda as life entirely depends on subsistence farming. Land is the main asset and source of income. Coupled with increasingly growing population, poor methods of conservation , poverty, and   over use have made land more difficult to find and predict in project planing ans development. Actually land is a major source of conflicts in the community with lots of court cases hanging in court rooms.
 Therefore, having a piece of land like the one you see in the pictures below, is more than a blessing.
The community is extremely grateful to the generous community member who has unique loved  community development and considered our kids' development efforts above hers

" We should not sleep", comments one of the PTA members during their recent regular meeting. '"We must all rise to prepare this new soccer field our kids return from their vacation on the June" he said.
 The community has planned to converge at the new soccer site for groundbreaking on June, 2, 2013. We will keep you posted of the developments .

We are extremely happy and grateful for all of you who are involved in this amazing soccer project. You may be a donor far away from the site or a community member right next to the school, it doesn't matter. We are all there any way for some give by being there and others by donating there.

 " Yamba Abaana" Uganda group  is representing all of us on the ground. By doing all you do we're together. Adding incentives to our common mission, school and commitment. For we believe that together we are providing quality education to our children for a better future. Remember that this same project is also to bridge the entire community as it will be a field open to the entire community regardless of age and status. Together we are developing the community of Rubanda.
 
Here below, see a few pictures taking you through our new soccer field.

The community members visit and discuss how to involve and develop the new soccer field May 16 2013

The community representatives of Yamba Abaana agree to do the ground breaking on May 16 2013.

They line up to capture the length of the new soccer field.

KIDS TO KIDS BRICKS PROJECT IN UGANDA

Its a amazing to see how Love and Compassion work in a human soul.

After teacher Barbara Busch at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Medford showed a slide to her kids of how  hard life is at Rubanda Solidarity School kids in Western Uganda, she was amazed to see the reaction of her school kids. What great ideas come out of these kids' hearts. We are pleased to attach some of the pictures of their activities. They decide to take action, design a brick walled house and start work. See below.

The kids of Sacred Heart Catholic School  in Medford-USA are moved to compassion and action after learning about how hard life and much is lacking at their peers' school in Uganda. They decide to take action, design a brick walled house and start work.

They made up their mind to set up a mission with a provision of a "Brick(s)" to each child in Uganda with commitments to save some candies and chocolates, spare free sometimes to reach out for the new mission sales, contact their generous friends and families, extra. The project that began with one brick is now counting 1400 over in the shortest period of time. Its amazing.

The goal of these kids to hip up 90,000 bricks and able to save their peer kids in Uganda of dust, sun, rain, studying under trees or shamble huts. They are also very concerned to see kids who run through the day with no meal or one meal a day for those who are lucky. They can't keep their eyes open seeing slides of their fellow kids scrambling for scarce,dirty and unsafe drinking water from the ponds. It's a moving situation that speaks to the kids quite clearly. As they grow they discover different realities going on in our global world. These kids could not imagine how over five kids could sit on one bench in class and all scrambling for one available text book. That's just a piece of it.

Thank you Barbara for this program and your motherly thought that leads to a brighter future to all our kids of both communities (US and Uganda). In no way can we forget your fellow staff and administration at the Sacred Heart School who are providing and supporting this great opportunity.   Thank you all.

The seeds you are sowing stand the test of times because they are being sown in the hearts of children who have the longest life a head of them.
May God continue to bless the work of our hands. "United we Succeed". Please have a look below.

The Sacred Heart School Kids making a sale to get a  "Brick" for Uganda. They have already a hip of 1400.

LIFE @ RUBANDA SOLIDARITY SCHOOL-UGANDA

The vacation time that saw Paul and Wini Benvenuti accompany Fr Dominic Tumusiime to Uganda is over and we are all back safe and sound  to our daily routines. The journey that started on February 30th 2013   was full of excitement for both of us. While Paul and Wini wished to the difference between East Africa and West Africa and see the realities of Rubanda and Children in Rubnada Solidarity School, I was more taken up by my family and school children. The one month vacation that seemed enough time to do all we had on our plan just rushed like water on hill slopes. However, we managed to capture some of our activities in pictures and video clips that we feel honored to share with you. You will also see Dr. Bruce who joined us a week later from the DRC refugee camp in Kisoro-Uganda.

Paul entertains kids on their Thanksgiving day Feb. 23rd 2013

Post the celebration  kids are going through the experience of a beautiful thanksgiving day

A happy mother of four kids is so happy because she found a place for them.A guarantee to  quality education is
why she loves this school and smiles.

A day later, the staff and community volunteers sit to evaluate the thanksgiving party

Wini chats with Diana,  one of the first beneficiaries of Yamba Abaana since 2005 attending teachers' college as Paul does with a healthy worker

March 13 2013: Fr. Dominic celebrating Mass with the School children

Kids enjoying their time at the school compound during their school break time

Wini (center) and Paul (behing with a cap) enjoying snaps with St Adrew's secondory school students

Paul and Wini tour the new school land proposed for a new nursery school

At their back, on the opposite hill is the current Rubanda Solidarity school premise

Wini and Paul cross the valley to the opposite hill to have a fair view of our project's two hills

Dr. Bruce 2nd right with Paul and Sharon joined by friends from Kisoro team and School nurse @ Rubanda Healthy center.

Dr. Bruce joins the school children for a group photo on 16/2/2013

Curious kids having fun and a taste of driving a visitor's car

Cows a great source of wealth and health. They provide a source of dowry to the people of Rubanda.

Quality education is all these kids need to fully develop their talents

Dr Bruce left the company of Shalon (center) and Paul (right) are escorted by kids to Rubanda Healthy center

From left: Mrs Immaculate, Fr Dominic, Dr. Bruce and Mr. Rogers enjoy a photo with a group of Yamba Abaana kids

Dr. Bruce looking at the new land on the opposite hill of the school proposed for the construction of the new nursery school project

 

Teacher Rossette mentoring the school children in music

A group of Yamba Abaana parents and guardians working on  their sweet potato project intended to build funds to top up on the given sponsorship.

Men and women work together to build a UG. Yamba Abaana group similar to the US. Yamba Abaana group

Yamba Abaana group Uganda is donating some of their vegetable produce  for the school children

Our school comedians take over the stage

Paul and Wini receive an African gift from a nun at their residence at Rubanda

These kids are so energetic that even with limited resources and facilities they can use anything possible

Sr. Benadet leads Dr Bruce and his team a round Rubanda healthy center. This facility partners with  our school

Fr. Dominic, Paul, Wini and Rosete visit the consolers of the heart of Jesus community in Rubanda

At lake Bunyonyi

Please, ENJOY SOME OF THE VIDEO CLIPS FROM RUBANDA SOLIDARITY SCHOOL

• Foot ball with a a banana leaf ball
• Kiga dance with kids version 
• PTA group

 

Thanksgiving for excellent UPLE Performance 2012

The video clips below portray the real life at Rubanda Solidarity School. "Solidarity" like our name is the real tool for our community building where Peace, Joy and security for our children and the community Rubanda are eminently needed. Our goal is to have  better life with equal opportunities for both girl and boy child. 

Rubanda Solidarity was born out hard realities. It was a result of deep reflections on deteriorating security and concerns for children, school drop out youths and increasing social economic hardships to parents with mothers being the most  vulnerable. 

Since its foundation in 2004, things are not certainly the same. Life is getting better though at a slow pace due to financial meager resources .  Regardless, some fruits have started to ripe with the first batch of our 21 candidates to sit for Uganda Primary Leaving Examination (UPLE) in 2012. With 19 of the students scoring first division and 2 with second, there is a great reason to rejoice and have a "Thanksgiving". Their wonderful performance is not only a boost to the children, their families and the community but to our school which seeks to offer more services to vulnerable children in the community. These children below are getting ready with the rehearsals for the real thanksgiving day. Hope you will be able to track the the celebration through our pictures and video clips on this blogger day by day. 

We are very grateful to God, Parents,, donors Staff  and all friends from within and out of Rubanda. We know and acknowledge that the excellent performance was a fruit of a combined effort of which each individual deserves to be part of our "thank you" and celebration. With especial recognition, the community of Rubanda sends its particular appreciation to the individual and the Yamba Abaana US group that generously donated  funds for the  day that brought together a congregation of about 600 participants with more than 300 joined by their parents and guardians.

Our beginners have set Rubanda Solidarity as a model school of community projects in Kabale district and a landmark in Rubanda community where we excelled with the best performance in 

UPLE since the establishment of formal education in Rubanda community during the British rule in 1960s. We have all reasons to celebrate and seek blessing to do even better in the future. Watch the video clips.

The nursery school deputy, teacher Joy Kesande animating the kids cultural music at  Rubanda Solidarity School February 2013

VACATION OVER

The vacation time that saw Paul and Wini Benvenuti accompany Fr Dominic Tumusiime to Uganda is over and we are all back safe and sound  to our daily routines. The journey that started on February 30th 2013   was full of excitement for both of us. While Paul and Wini wished to the difference between East Africa and West Africa and see the realities of Rubanda and Children in Rubnada Solidarity School, I was more taken up by my family and school children. The one month vacation seemed enough time to do all we had on our plan just rushed like water on hill slopes. However, we managed to capture some of our activities in pictures and videos that we feel honored to share with you. You will also see Dr. Bruce who joined us a week later from the DRC refugee camp in Kisoro-Uganda.

From right: Paul, Wini and Stella stand next to the Uganda Martyrs Shrine March 3 2013

March 4 2013: Fr Dominic and Wini at Uganda Equator on Masaka Road

March 4 2013: From left Wini, Dominic and Paul arrive at Uganda Equator on Masaka Road to Kabale

From left Rogers, Paul and Wini enjoy Uganda food taste at Makanga-Kabale town

The view of lake Bunyonyi from a distance 4 miles away

Lake Bunyonyi is the deepest lake in Uganda, swim at your own risk.

Quality education is all these kids need to fully develop their talents

 

Please, ENJOY SOME OF THE VIDEO CLIPS FROM RUBANDA SOLIDARITY SCHOOL

• Foot ball with a a banana leaf ball
• Kiga dance with kids version 
• PTA group