Fund raising for the B.O.H
Thanks to the pupils, parents and friends of St. John's, we have managed to raise £350 between September and December. We have set ourselves a target of raising £1,000 for the Bridge of Hope, a target which we feel is very achievable. We asked Mr. Lawrence Leewra, the Headteacher at the Bridge of Hope, what his specific needs were for the school. This is what he said
UGX = Ugandan Shillings:
- Purchase of 1 acre of land to extend- UGX15,000,000 - £3,750
- Teachers' salaries - 9 teachers @ UGX 350,000 - £88 per month each
- Security Guard - UGX 150,000 - £37.50 per month
- Class Windows (where there none) 17 windows @ UGX150,000 - £37.50 each
- Classroom Doors (none at all yet) - 7 doors @ UGX300,000 - £75 each
The owner of the land below the school grounds is selling 7 acres. He has given the Bridge of Hope School first refusal on the 1 acre adjacent to the school grounds, originally wanting UGX18,000,000 but Lawrence has got him down to UGX15,000,000. What Lawrence would like to do is to be able to move the livestock off what is now the school fields on to the new land so that he can develop the school's facilities. In the UK people some people are able to pay £3,700 on a family holiday. Here it could purchase 1 acre of land for the school's future.
The next priority is, of course, the teachers. The sponsorship of a teacher is £88 per month – which is nothing in the grand scheme of things!!!
Security Guard – particularly at night when there are the 2 dormitories with a total of about 30 children in them – security is paramount but at the moment there is only a dog! It costs £37.50 per month using a security company.
Windows and doors speak for themselves. Even the windows they currently have don't have glass in them yet which means that when the storms come in the rainy seasons the kids simply get wet and classes are disrupted.
So as you can see, if we can reach our target of £1,000… then what an amazing difference that will make to the lives of the children at the Bridge of Hope Primary School.
So keep an eye out for the fund raising events that we will run at St. John's this year and help us make a difference.