UG 12 - TODAY FOR TOMORROW: ST. MARY COLLEGE
Project Location
The St. Mary’s Girls' High School is located in Aboke, area of the Lango area, 35 km from Lira which is the capital of the region and 350 km northeast of Kampala which is the capital of the country. It is a primarily agricultural area, blessed with fertile soil and good rainfall. It is densely inhabited but not industrialized, while trade has some relevance. Since there are no significant industries, there are few families with a stable income.
The majority have only what comes from the land that usually consists of 5-6 acres per family, so there is difficulty in cash for various needs that are not food. People are very hardworking. We cannot speak of extreme poverty, but being in a rural area, the great majority of people still live in huts where the furniture consists of a bed, a few chairs, a small table and a little more.
The school was founded 55 years ago with the aim of offering rural girls a holistic higher education that would eventually open the doors of a profession or even a university. The school is private and belongs to the diocese of Lira. The aim was to have young women, from rural areas, prepared and therefore able to assume significant roles in Ugandan society and to express the female dimension in the life and choices of the country. It was necessary for the female part of the rural population to be able to speak up.
Project description
The school is residential for various reasons. It is not only the English tradition that justifies the boarding school but also the distances, the lack of electric light in the various villages, the absence of regular public transport, and more.... Living in school is a cost that sometimes becomes very heavy for families. The school offers the use of textbooks and cultivates its own land producing cassava, sweet potatoes, sesame, corn and more. The students contribute one hour of hoeing in the fields per week, they also take care of the school’s cleaning: classrooms, refectory, dormitory and courtyard. This contribution reduces running costs so that the school can charge tuition in line with those of government schools.
This is the fourth school year with a double section – first, second, third, and fourth grades – and the number of students has reached 660. The increased capacity was a positive response to the requests of many parents who hold the school in high regard, and was approved and encouraged by the school's Board of Governors. The new walls have been finished, and parents have completed the construction of three restroom blocks, which they had committed to building.
What is currently urgently needed is the purchase of five computers for the staff room, which teachers will be able to use freely to prepare for lessons and exams. This purchase was necessary because teachers often do not have internet access at home. Additionally, we need to purchase textbooks for the fifth and sixth grades and continue to support the studies of some students experiencing financial hardship.
Objectives
- Ensure improved teaching quality by purchasing five new computers for teachers.
- Meet the needs of the increased number of female students by purchasing new textbooks for fifth and sixth grades.
- Guarantee the right to quality education for poor but deserving female students through sponsorships.
Beneficiaries
Direct: 660 students (in particular the 10 who will receive the scholarship) and the teachers of the school
Indirect: families and the region that will have a more complete high school.
Referent sister for the project: sr Susan Atube
Project's costs