The young people from the Interact Club at Croesyceiliog School gained national recognition when they won the Rotary Young Citizen Peacemaker Award of 2026 – they have been tremendous supporters of 3H and chose to donate their prize money so that we could buy mattresses and bedding for the balondo (albino) children attending Jackie School. Their fragile skin makes these children especially vulnerable if they have to sleep on the ground so the mattresses are very much appreciated.
We are also grateful to long time supporters Bristol Breakfast Rotary Club who have funded mattresses and bedding for the residents of the community home and its new extension plus some of the most vulnerable sponsored children.
At the health clinic there were so many cases of malaria that we had to purchase additional test kits and antimalarial treatments. Sarah says this is just a seasonal problem but Diana noted that malaria is a thorny issue even for the government who sometimes offer free nets – which aren’t any use to people sleeping wrapped in a blanket on the ground. The good news is that other illnesses which were endemic in the school are now almost unheard of.
Milton has been able to organise some further training for both the teachers and the Primary Leaving Exam (PLE) candidates – some specialists visited from Kampala and ran sessions on how to teach effectively to improve the PLE pass rate – and for the children, how to answer the questions effectively. They are touring the country to provide schools with the techniques needed to enable children to excel – and the training lasted from 8am – 5pm!
It’s the end of the academic year at Livingstone International University, the exams are over, and the students are dispersing. Godiva has headed back to Mbarara to do her teaching practice – this is a photograph of the school – in the class she is teaching there are 95 students – she says they aren’t all that much younger than her and it felt overwhelming at first but that the students follow the rules and are well-behaved.
,Esther, Peace and Sarah, who all studied IT, are staying in Mbale to complete their final year projects. All three achieved good marks in the exams but their final degree is dependent on the mark for the project. They will graduate in October.
Diana usually selects our sponsored students from those applying to LIU who need financial support but this year she was faced with a dilemma. Two potential students from the very deprived area of Karamoja had applied, Joanne pictured with her family, above, and Susan, with her family below. These young women were equally determined to rise above their unfortunate start in life, both come from polygamous families, have deceased fathers, and mothers who feed their families by brewing liquor – albeit that this barely feeds the children. Diana felt unable to decide who was most deserving of support from 3H, and at our Board Meeting the trustees all agreed it was an impossible choice so we will sponsor both girls. We have one sponsor already lined up but are now looking for additional sponsors – it costs £1500 a year to keep a student at LIU, we welcome half sponsorships of £60 or quarter sponsorships o£ 30 per month. If you can help, please get in touch, 3huganda@gmail.com
Our fundraising challenge, which ran throughout May, has been brilliantly successful. Over and above the £1687 raised by walkers and donors, the Interact Club of Croesyceiliog School has raised an additional £700 which has brought the total to a fantastic £2387. A huge thank you to everyone who donated! Two shoe sellers from the Mbale market will be visiting the school to provide the shoes – photo’s next newsletter!
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