As we reflect on the past year, we are overwhelmed with gratitude for all the progress made at Sabina through the support of our Friends of Sabina family. We have touched on all four areas of focus throughout the year: education, infrastructure, sustainability, and community. Additionally, we were excited to host three volunteer trips to Sabina post-COVID-19 lockdown. We look forward to hosting more members of our Friends of Sabina family to the Pearl of Africa - Uganda and on our beautiful Sabina campus to experience the magic.

EDUCATION

Reaching Our Book 1:1 Ratio Goals

Friends of Sabina continues to set students up to reach their learning goals through the generosity of its donors. Earlier this year, the Begle family donated funds to purchase textbooks for our P1 to P4 classes. This term, the Loeb family moved the P1 to P7 book ratio to 1:1 for all core subjects, which include English, Math, Social Studies, and Science. We thank these families for their extraordinary kindness.

A Special Visitation Day for Families of P.7 Students

Sabina held a special visitation day for parents and guardians of P7 students on October 23. Our parish priest joined us and lead a mass to bless the P7 candidates on their upcoming Primary Leaving Exams (P.L.E).

Parents and guardians met with their children's teachers to learn about their progress during the term and were pleased with their academic advancement. Additionally, families were entertained by a student-led production featuring a parity of guardians' role in their education. Those with P7 students had the opportunity to see how their students were preparing for the upcoming P.L.E. exams with practice exams. Teachers and families were pleased to learn students produced better practice exam scores than the previous cohort.

Launch of the New Computer Lab

The students and staff are enjoying the new computer lab that opened on September 25th. Jay Loos, a member of our Friends of Sabina family, worked with our administration team to develop a third-term curriculum. With assistance from his daughter Emma, a teacher, Jay partnered with the ICT trainer, Brother Paul, and Richard, the school librarian, to begin teaching classes on keyboarding and basic computer skills.

COMMUNITY

Sabina's Contribution to 50 Years of Priesthood

Our Parish, St. John Baptist, invited Rev. Fr. Johannes Schultewolter, from Germany, to celebrate his Golden Jubilee in the priesthood. Over 3000 guests attended the event, including the Bishop Serverus Jjumba of Masaka Dioceses. Fr. Johannes sought many benefactors to contribute to projects and programs in the community. Our entire school participated in the celebrations, and our Music, Dance, and Drummer group beautifully performed a traditional pot dance.

Infastructure

W.A.S.H. Project Update

The work for W.A.S.H (Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene) continues to make remarkable strides with the team of engineers and other construction staff on site. A new 30,000-liter water tank was installed. This tank will supply water for teachers' and students' washrooms under construction, classroom blocks, and a future Early Childhood Education Center. Additionally, we have expanded our water harvesting initiative by installing new gutters and pipes, which will help store over 60,000 liters of water near our student housing facilities.

Sustainability

Our students are seeing the results of their dedication to the practice of permaculture. Not only does our permaculture program make our school more sustainable, but it's also a tremendous experiential learning tool for our students.

September Volunteer Trip

Our co-director Ann Marie Davis and her family, Jay Loos and Emma Loos, had a full Uganda Immersion Experience. Their journey began with sponsoring our Sabina artist, Fred, and one of our local volunteers, Moses, to gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, visit three national parks, and track in the forest to observe Chimpanzees in their natural habitat. After exploring the Pearl of Africa, their journey continued to Sabina. Here Jay focused on launching the computer lab, he also bonded with our students inside and outside the classroom. Emma raised over $500 U.S. dollars, which purchased school supplies for students and laid the foundation for future projects. Ann Marie organized the donation of over 400 reusable menstrual pads from the women of Niles Senior Center in Niles, IL. through Chrisann Fahy. This simple act of kindness will provide our young women with comfort and less stress during the monthly cycle.
Friends of Sabina would like to thank Emma and Jay for their incredible impact on the Sabina community during their trip. Emma shared some additional highlights in a brief reflection from her time at Sabina:

As an academic professional, I spent time observing and assisting in classrooms. I delivered my feedback for operational improvement to the director, and we worked together to develop an implementation plan. I also tried to immerse myself in the culture by being present with everyone at the school. I participated in extracurricular activities such as club G.L.O.W., helped with permaculture projects, played sports with the students, talked with staff, and tried to be actively involved in many aspects of campus life. So many people work diligently every day, so it was awesome to work side-by-side with everyone.

If you would like to learn more about volunteering or sponsoring a student, visit our sponsorship page.

Gratefully Watching Sabina Reach New Heights