After a year filled with planning, fundraising, construction, and recruiting we are pleased to announce that the school has opened its doors this week and welcomed the first-ever students to the Bizoha Campus of the Kasese Humanist Primary School!
The weeks leading up to the opening were very busy as the nursery block, with classrooms funded by Davida LeCompt, Pegasystems, and Dr. Bruce Chou, was completed and given a cheery paint job.
Through use of some of the additional funding received for 2016 from our generous supporters Leo and Karen Zelevinsky, we were able to add additional latrines and secure the site with brick fencing works around the nursery school yard and the entire campus perimeter, complete with security gates and signage.
The front gate and road signs proudly proclaim that we are a Humanist campus that stands out from the crowd for promoting a secular world view. We welcome children and staff from all beliefs and backgrounds. We have recruited competent and experienced teachers and we are confident that through active work and determination our learners are going to get balanced education that is free from dogma and indoctrination. The school will also have humanism and vocational lessons. We have nine full time teachers plus three others who will teach music, dance and drama, carpentry and tailoring.
Also opening is the on-site Andrea Vogt Health Clinic! We have hired a medic who will provide basic health care to the students and community. The much-needed 1000x microscope for diagnostic use was donated by Byong Park, and we have received donations from a few of our kind orphan sponsors each funding a week's worth of needed medicines and supplies. We are still seeking a sponsor for the medics salary, along with additional donations large or small to cover costs for supplies and medications. If you are interested in helping, please see our Donations page.
We have hired a School Bursar to handle financial matters as in collections and expenditures at the school. Generous scholar sponsorships have poured in from humanitarians around the globe to provide the tuition funding for a total of 84 needy and orphaned children, that count is including both our day scholars and hostel orphans. The hostel children have moved into their quarters, and we have our matron, cook and security guards on staff.
There are 111 children enrolled in school as of Day 2 operating, and we expect this number will grow to possibly 200 students within a few weeks. We will share images of the children and instructional areas in the coming days as they get settled into the environment, so please stay tuned for that. Uniforms are being sewn and distributed. All in all, it is a busy time!
Many thanks to all of our kind benefactors worldwide for making this secular humanist education possible for so many children in the community of Muhokya in the beautiful Rwenzori region of Kasese Province, Uganda.
