A Day In The Life At School

On Monday, September 5th students all across Uganda will be returning to school for their 3rd and final term of the academic year. This comes at a time when many parents and teachers are transitioning their children to the start of a brand new school year.

And so, we thought it would be educational to share with your kids what a typical day looks like in the life of a Ugandan student.

Let’s hear from a few of our sponsored students now:

As you can see, the academics are intense and students work extra hard to make their sponsors, guardians and our staff proud. We are immensely proud of them for adapting to a rigorous school day, as well as the other inevitable difficulties with boarding life.

As you probably noticed from the schedule, there is not much opportunity for physical exercise and fresh air during the school day and this inertia certainly hampers concentration in class.

We encourage the students to take advantage of any extra-curricular activities offered whether it be sports, games, student-led clubs, cultural activities, arts or playing instruments. 

Boarding school is a safe haven for many students who live in extreme poverty at home; however, students are not without challenges and schools are struggling now more than ever to meet a myriad of needs.

Safe water is a problem across Africa and Uganda is not immune.  Our students often complain of unpalatable and unsafe water, and we are always relieved when we hear that a partner school has invested in a potable water source. It is difficult to imagine what it must be like to have one water source for such a large campus when most of us live with multiple faucets in one house. 

The school menu is also very basic – mostly posho (maize flour bread) and beans.  Our students are thrilled when they get a chance to eat meat, vegetables or fruits.  For our more vulnerable students with chronic illness such as HIV or diabetes, we offer additional nutrition and monitoring to ensure healthy development.  We also conduct medical exams when students return to school, so we are able to evaluate their overall health and change diet when necessary. 

Many things are beyond our control, but we certainly try our very hardest to mitigate any and all of the negatives and the truth is that ALL of our children repeatedly tell us that school is the very best time of their life. 

Children of Uganda has provided an educational foundation to well over 1,500 students.  We have graduated lawyers, doctors, nurses, engineers, teachers and accountants.  We also have graduates who manage their own businesses in tailoring, art, baking and more.  Each of these children come to us tiny and scared to be away from home.  We have the privilege of watching them gain confidence and independence, finding their purpose and transforming into who they aspire to be.