Dear sponsors and friends,
What happened to us a year ago is now being repeated in Uganda. People are getting vaccinated against covid. The initial scepticism has evaporated, especially since the Queen of the Buganda Kingdom decided to have her vaccination. The people here have more trust in her than the president.
The schools in Uganda have been closed again since mid-July. Regina hopes that the green light for the reopening might arrive in January 2022. There are various indications that this will be the case. All the schools in the country have had to re-register. This has resulted in a slight adjustment of the educational providers. All the secondary school principals were invited to attend a workshop. This led to an adaptation of the curriculum, with a larger number of practical subjects.
The need for a more practical form of education has grown increasingly strong during almost two years in which schools have been closed. Young people are growing up without reaching an age-appropriate level of education. Nevertheless, they want to or have to enter the world of work in order to make a living. The leaders of Kingdom of Buganda have been addressing this problem over the past few months. They are offering various vocational courses. BSSK graduates and others who are interested are able to benefit from this, as well as younger and older people who want to improve their working life. Training courses of this kind are already up and running in the capital, Kampala, and the courses are now being offered at the BSSK as well. Regina has provided part of the new, spacious Annina Hänny school building, and the Kingdom is responsible for the administration and management of the courses. Regina and the BSSK will not be affected by this from a financial perspective. The courses are free of charge for the participants and take place during the day, in the evenings and on the weekends. They mostly last for two years and the graduates are awarded a diploma after passing the exam.
During the non-teaching period, Regina, and a small group of students who stayed at the BSSK for a variety of reasons, planted seeds, harvested crops and looked after the animals. Another occupation is the sale of Indian clothes, which Regina buys in bales. These clothes are beautifully presented and sold on the main street in front of the school. This allows the youngsters to make a modest profit and gain new experiences that are useful to them.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish you a peaceful Advent, a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
The web team
