A Labour of Love: August 2024 Updates

August 2024 Newsletter

View this email in your browser Friends of Sabina Director, Maria White (pictured with her husband, Celso, and Sabina students above) reflects on her summer visit to Sabina.  "As Celso and I sit working on this rainy day under the Sabina Campus gazebo, we watch the children meander through campus as if it is not raining:  laughing, skipping, talking, singing, sweeping, kicking balls and some rush to take exams without a care in the world. Most have chosen not to wear shoes and are void of an umbrella or raincoat. A vision of pure JOY! Ironically, we are on day two of a power outage!  The water tanks are empty and are not refilling. The clothing that the kids washed the day before and their bed sheets are hanging on the line completely drenched… and these children are not bothered at all! Matured in our faith, we are humbled by the happy demeanor of the children as we know GOD will take care of everything.  As our trip comes to a close, we are grateful for all we have been able to accomplish during our stay at Sabina. We are blessed with having donors who have made the advancements on this campus possible. We are in awe of the Sabina staff’s dedication, and thankful for our fellow directors, Ann Marie and Stephen, for continuing to partner with us as we follow God’s vision." Please enjoy this update on our four pillars: Education, Infrastructure, Sustainability & Community.  TEXT BOOKS FOR OUR SECONDARY STUDENTS Science subjects have proven to be the most challenging for the secondary students. In addition to tutoring, we purchased biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics textbooks for each sponsored student. The students were very excited to receive the books and promised to improve in their performance. PREPARATIONS AHEAD OF NATIONAL EXAMS We are nearing the nerve-wracking period of national examinations for our Primary seven candidate class. In order to prepare our pupils, our teachers have tested them in a number of sample exam papers which they have successfully performed. Recently, they wrote their district mock examinations which are to be marked centrally by the district. The Primary Leaving Examinations are one of the most important exams for these young learners. Their result determines if they are promoted to Secondary school. We have four pupils sponsored by Friends of Sabina who will sit for this exam in early November. ON THE FIELD This term has been full of sporting activities. We have achieved great success with both our netball and football teams. In the District Organized Tournament (DEO’s Cup), our teams showed great sportsmanship on and off the field. Since the beginning of the year the coaches have worked hard at discovering and developing children’s talent.  Our netball and football teams won various medals throughout the tournaments and some of our pupils are going to represent us at the National level. EMPOWERING OUR GIRLS THROUGH CRAFTS The girls continue to support each other through mentorship and counseling. They have also created an environment where they can manage the club independently with minimum supervision. During the term on Visitation Day the president of the Club talked to the parents about how the club has been very useful to them and they requested parental support. The girls showcased some of the skills they acquired like bracelet making.  Everyone enjoyed making  bracelets as a group. FIRE SAFETY What a powerful day educating and training our staff and pupils on fire safety! A representative from the Uganda Police Force came to demonstrate fire drills, how to use a fire extinguisher and other valuable lessons. Even our housemothers and pupils got to quench a fire! Sabina School and compound underwent an inspection that day where they were awarded with a compliance certificate making our school and dormitories a safe place to study and sleep.  My name is Namigadde Stellah, a female Ugandan aged 29 and a proud Catholic. I am a proud nursery teacher teaching baby class at St. Kizito Sabina Primary School. I am passionate about singing church music and currently serving as a choir mistress of St. Augustine Youths’ Choir Kyotera. I also enjoy dancing. I thank God for having brought me to such an amazing school which I have always dreamed of.  A school where; all religions are catered for, teachers are highly recognized, the environment is conducive, learners are highly cared for in all aspects, learners talents are discovered and developed, diet is balanced for both workers and learners, and computer lessons are carried out to both teachers and learners.  This is rare to find in our country! As I am a teacher of baby class, I truly spend the working days happily because these learners are enjoyable to be around.  They are my stress killers with genuine smiles and above all, they love to learn and discover new things. They continue to make me look and feel younger!! I joined St. Kizito Sabina in October 2023 and later on I was appointed as the head of Music, Dance and Drama (MDD). I felt blessed because as I said before, God provided me with singing and dancing talents. Fortunately, as I started doing mimes and fashion shows, the learners  enjoyed these activities and commenced requesting more.  Our school has portrayed excellent performances in MDD.  We won a trophy in the Education Week festivals where various activities were carried out.  The learners of Sabina are really exceptional and work tirelessly towards their success. Allow me to take this heartfelt thanks to our Directors and Friends of Sabina for the unconditional love and support towards our lovely school.  Sabina looks so different! We really appreciate and pray to God to continue blessing and rewarding you as I request you kindly to pray for me also so that I fulfill all the dreams and plans I have for Sabina. STAFF BATHROOMS COMPLETE Staff living quarters were built in 2022. Due to a lack of funding this area was not completed. With a generous gift, the staff bathrooms have been completed this month!  STAFF COOKING AREA A modest staff cooking area was completed to ensure that the staff that live on campus have access to a proper cooking area. Several staff members earn extra income by preparing food items to sell at our canteen. TACKLING WATER OUTAGES  Water outages continue to be a major problem on campus driven by village water issues and frequent village power outages. The upper 30,000-liter water tank has been connected to the two 5,000-liter tanks on the lower campus to reduce the breaks in water supply to the student bathrooms, kitchen, and staff bathrooms. The team is now addressing challenges with the newly installed WASH pump, which was damaged by the constant electrical surges in our area. FOS will need to fundraise to fix the current pump and deliver solutions to address power outages, such as installing solor to run the pump when electricity is out. COFFEE ABUNDANT! Sabina’s 16 acre coffee project is running well.  Banana plants were intercropped between the coffee plants and manure scattered at the base of both plantings.  This provided much needed nutrients during the dry season. Water is in abundance due to our well designed reservoir system.  We continue to be grateful for the successes. We are happy to report that the income from the coffee harvested from the Jan Smart garden was used to support the permaculture program for the next 40 days!  CORN HARVESTING Director Maria White was involved in the harvesting of corn this term along with students and their guardian’s. Students are acquiring this practical skill and will later educate their families and communities. SABINA'S MAIZE MILL PROGRESS Sabina’s corn mill continues to successfully operate. A new business model has been proposed and will take effect immediately. In 2025, it is our hope that the corn mill will generate more revenue.  The goal is to purchase appropriate quantities of corn at the right time/price which will support an increase in profitability.  We have also managed to build a secure structure where the workers can deal with the customers and keep their cash safe during the day. SPIRITUAL COOPERATION IS THE THEME The missionary childhood day is a big event in the catholic church and it's celebrated annually. This year’s theme was “Spiritual Cooperation”. Here at our local church, the Father in charge of schools,  Father Frank organized the event which attracted many children from all denominations and schools. It's one of the special days celebrated by the children in our parish. The children anxiously await for this celebration.  Sabina school participated in the event and one of our students, Andrew Matovu, was the master of ceremony for the day.  He delivered very well.  A lot of food, drinks and entertainment was provided by various schools. This day was enjoyed by ALL! FAREWELL, OUR BELOVED BARBRA. SABINA MISSES YOU DEEPLY One of our dearly loved pupils, Namisango Barbra, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in the Spring. She fought a short and tough battle before she passed on July 1st. She was a caring, loving and beautiful young girl. A talented singer and dancer with an infectious smile,   Barbra is greatly missed by her Sabina Family, and we dedicate this newsletter to her. May you rest in peace, Barbra. SABINA'S TEACHERS, pictured here, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! Approximately 14 out of 22 teachers are sponsored by individuals like you. Learn more and sponsor a teacher today! SPONSOR A TEACHER Copyright © 2024 Friends Of Sabina, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: Celso & Maria Family Foundation  PO Box 6380 Hilton Head Island, SC 29928 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.