Kakooza Hannington's report of his visit 2014/6/3-8 to SACL

[ This page presents a report created by Kakooza Hannington during his visit June 3-8, 2014 to Paidha in the Nebbi district of Uganda to document the work of Saint Augustine Community Love (SACL) Programme focusing on 20 orphans, two agricultural projects, (a goat keeping project and the Erussi Farmers Assocation), and and a primary school called Abongo Primary School:

Interview with 20 orphans (password required)
Visit to SACL Agricultural Projects

goat-keeping project
Erussi Farmers Association

Day at Abongo Primary School

I converted Hannington's report to html, making some corrections and clarifications in the process in consultation with Hannington and Onencan William. Bracketed and italicized remarks like this are my inserted commentary.
Mapcarta links for Nebbi, Paidha, Erusi/Erussi, Padolo, Abongo, Padyere, Parombo. Goli, Angal, Pajur.

-Alec Johnson]

MY JOURNEY TO PAIDHA (3nd June 2014)

On the 3^rd of June , I arrived in Paidha on a journey that was fully by Alec Johnson, an American friend of SACL currently living and working Belgium, to carry out the following duties:

To interview the 20 kids (orphans) who need school fees to join secondary school
To visit Abongo primary school.
To visit some of SACL projects and see how they are doing.

In order to be able to carry out the above objectives, I needed someone more knowledgeable in those fields. I was referred to Mr. Onenchan William by Hon. Joshua Anywarach (MP, Padyere County) the founder of SACL.

Interview with the 20 orphans (password required)

[A VISIT TO SACL AGRICULTURAL PROJECTS]

A VISIT TO THE SACL GOAT PROJECT

Well, among the many project that SACL is doing well, there is also the goat project in order to increase on their income. Mr Okethi Vunda is the person who heads this programme; formerly most of the goats were kept at his place, but currently there are eight goats, of which only four are for SACL and the remaining are for himself. Mr. Vunda told me that most of the goats were given out to SACL members. It was agreed by members since the SACL had started another programme, i.e. coffee farming, and it needs a lot of time and nurturing, so they chose Mr. Okethi Vunda to take up this new programme.

A WORD FROM MR. OKETHI VUNDA

I thank you very much for always coming to check on us SACL well as you can see.
I dedicate a lot of time to serve SACL well; this means less time for me to do my own farming. I ask Alec if he can start for me some small business e.g. a store to keep produce for other farmers; this would have me concentrate on SACL work.

Mr Onencan William, SACL Coordinator

Mr. Onencan William also requested that it would be good if he was helped with transport ie buying him motorcycle for easy monitoring of SACL programmes.

[Erussi Farmers Association]

While interviewing these kids I took some time off to visit another project that Mr. Onencan William is involved in, ERUSSI(ERUSSI FARMERS ASSOCIATION) is engaged in. It is a farmers group and it's also a partner of SACL activities.

The group is engaged in Irish potatoes production; it procured Irish potatoes seeds and distributed to members awaiting harvest at the end of June. They are also very soon going to start digging a fish pond by next week the type of fish they wish to bring is Tilapia.

Funds are being mobilized from members to dig the fish pond. No external funds have been received.

The group started with 15 members and later mobilized to become an organization, raising the membership to 31. Currently the organization wants to become a cooperative, which requires 50 members.

The executive committee is made up of 9 people, including 2 contact persons.

Chairperson: Ongira Charles (SACL)
Vice chairman: wapokra bena
Treasurer: ocircan nataili

Committee:

Odaga Issa
Alirach Esperance
Oniachgilau Alex
Ongiera Mantaida

Contact person :

Onencan William
Orom Collins Jalacida (chairman, LC3 Erussi subcounty)

MY DAY AT ABONGO PRIMARY SCHOOL

On the 8th of June, I set off for Erussi again, but this time round my main objective, to visit Abongo Primary School, the school that had previously been hit hard by a hail storm in (2011).

Time check (11:00am) being a Sunday morning that meant that many people had gone for prayers to different churches of their faith.

But at Abongo Primary School there is a church for Catholics; this was ablessing in disguise, because at least I was able to interact with the different stake holders of the school so I took the advantage.

I joined the rest of the group in mass. in the mass an announcement was made for the people who have kids in this school that they had a visitor from Kampala representing Alec Johnson from the USA who had come to know about a few things about the school.

Soon after the services a meeting was convened in which I would interact with the different stake holders of the school, and below is what transpired in this meeting:

An opening speech from the headmaster of Abongo Primary School.
He made some introductions of some people who run the school were we attendance [?]
- Representing the parents and teachers association.
  - Mr Adubango Mateo as the chairperson.
  - Committee: Opio Eprem
  - Committee: Arombo Mary
  - Committee: Akum Mathathin
- Representative of the smc
  - Chair person : Ajamugisha John Baptist
  - Committee: Beroparwoth Lillian
He further introduced me as the representive of Alec Johnson, The LC3 chairman of Erussi subcounty, Mr. Orom Collins Jalacida, who accompanied me, and Mr Odaga Issa, representative of Hon Joshua Anywarach. [Mr Odaga Issa is a political agent of Hon. Joshua for the parish of Padolo.]
The head teacher gave thanks to Alec Johnson for sending me to check on them. He also said that there is a plan of increasing teachers from 7 to 25 .
He said this was third visit from USA to visit they school and he asked me to tell you that Abongo welcomes them.
SPEECH FROM THE LC3:
Apologies for coming without giving early information.
He thanked the community for their time. More thanks goes to MP for bringing friends who are ready to be with them. He also asked the community to be free to give what needs to be done to school. He asked the leaders also to be free to contact them when there is any problem.
Finally, he gave an announcement to the community that the Abongo health center, which is level ii, plans to become a level iii health center. [Note from Onencan William: A health center is a health center and cannot be a school. However in ONE place where there a school, there will also be a church, health center, market etc. so Abongo Primary is not Abongo Health center. The two are different. A change in Health Center Grading from level ii to level iii comes with increased staffing level, increased supplies of medical equipments and medical supplies, as well as better services and increased number of housing facilities.]
MP REPRESENTATIVE, Mr Odaga Issa
He talked about what was going on in the camp e.g.
- coffee seedlings distributions
- assisting the church, mosque etc.
- moving with friends who can work with the community
There is nothing more to give because the rest is in the hands of our visitor.
[Hannington]
It was my turn to give a speech. I greeted the people of Abongo and I said that Mr. Alec Johnson sent greetings to them. I addressed my intentions for visiting Abongo on behalf of Alec Johnson.
I inquired about the $1000 that were sent by Sherie and friends what it had done, what their urgent needs, what are some of the projects that the school do apart from teaching, [and] how is the housing of teachers currently, because, the last time Alec visited, he saw that the school employs six teachers and it provides accommodation for only one teacher.
[Contributions from the audience.]
Below are the attributes from the audience.
- I was told that the $1000 has been used to shelter part of the church and also put a ring beam around it.
- Also the mp Joshua Anywarach was able to shelter part of the classroom block that was blown off by the hail storm.
THE ATTRIBUTES FROM OTHER STAKE HOLDERS IN THE MEETING.
- Oronya Immanuel.
  - For church Appreciation for receiving fund, but unfortunately it was not enough. The following are the requirements:
    - Plastering the church.
    - Benches for the church.
    - Flooring is also needed.
  - For the school:
    - Land for agriculture is there.
    - Lack of inputs.
    - Lack of clean water for the community
- Oringi Charles (parent)
  - Received funds from Hon. Joshua helped the roofing.
  - Lack of desks for pupils.
  - No staff houses and the number of teachers has increased
  - A lot of land for tree planting beans only that the inputs are not enough.
  - High needs for eucalyptus and pines
- Mr. Obaya Victor (parent)
  Provision of lunch for the pupils to improve on their health.
- Nyirumbe selucth (wife to the head teacher)
  - Lack of staff quarters for the head teacher.
  - The condition of the church needs improvement.
- Oyenyboth Roselin (parent)
  Pupils come from long distances, hence not reaching to school in time.
- Mr. Owach Phillip (parent)
  He thanked Alec for the love he has shown to the school. He talked more about the conditions of the classes especially during the rainy season.
  Support the plan of the beans project and then for tree planting.
- Mr. Akumu Mathathan
  -Emphasized more on water source for the school, church and the community ground e.g. borehole.

MY OBSERVATIONS.

-There is been some bit of improvement made on the school e.g. roofing of the school.

One of the school gardens has been prepared for next planting and the other has beans have grown ready for harvest

The classroom walls are still in a very bad state they're very hollow, hence housing snakes that can be dangerous to kids.

The stake holders are also very interested in tree plant and this is one of their urgent needs.

I also felt that the school should be given a helping hand as soon as possible in housing for the teachers is concerned. Since there is only one teacher who resides at the school; in my opinion I think this may deter good teachers from joining the school.

Also this may lead some pupils to run away from this school to go and join other school where they think that education is better

During my interview with Mr. Sam Ocaki, I learnt chairman board SACL about the 20 kids that may need help to join secondary school; I learned most of the parents can't afford to pay for they kids to join secondary. This is mainly because the government of Uganda pays for for kids in each family to study for free in primary for those that may wish to take it up. In the processes when these kids reach the level of going to secondary their parents face a problem in paying school fees for their kids since they have not been used to pay school fees for their kids in primary.

[Closing remarks]

All in all, my trip in my own opinion was a fruitful one. I extend my sincene thanks to the following people:

Hon. Anywarach Joshusa
LC3 chairman Erussi
Mr. William Oncencan
Mr. Okethi Vunda
Emma

On a lighter note, among the many trips have made to West Nile, this was the first time I saw Elephants in the Murchison falls national park. This was so exciting, as this was my first time to see an Elephant.