The Friends of Margaret Junior School

Registered Office: 2 Whitehall Terrace, Shrewsbury, SY2 5AA
Tel. 01743 246352.

email: info@margaretjuniorschool-uganda.com

Registered Charity: 1114202

All About The Margaret Junior School

Margaret Junior School is situated in the small parish of Kasanje in Masaka District, Uganda. Uganda is one of the poorest countries in the world and until recently few children in rural areas were able to attend school. The Government has now introduced Universal Primary Education (UPE) but it will take many years for the policy to be fully implemented as there are just not enough school buildings or trained teachers in place. Many children have to walk long distances to reach government schools, which is difficult for those who are ill, or whose families require them to work in the fields.

Margaret Junior School was started in the Spring of 2004 by Kasujja Sarah, a retired Deputy Head-teacher. It was as the result of her son, Mutebi Daniel (Danny), receiving sponsorship to read law at Kampala International University, from Margaret West of Shrewsbury. Margaret was in Uganda in 2003 visiting Roger and Wendy Ford, friends of hers who were doing Voluntary Service Overseas. Danny, who is physically disabled, was studying at Masaka Vocational Rehabilitation Centre, where Wendy was teaching. Danny had a passion to read law and Margaret, who was impressed by his attitude and hard work, offered to fund his course to make his ambition become a reality. Sarah, so impressed by this generosity thought "What can I do? I can't afford to put my son through University, but I can teach…………."

A year later Margaret Junior School was born!

Sarah, wanted to do something positive for the poor children in her village, who were unable to attend school because it was too far away and because they lacked parental support, many being orphans or physically disabled. With her family's support she built a class-room onto the side of her house and expected to enrol about 30 children. Within a week of opening she had 90 pupils!!

Five years later the school has over 250 pupils, 155 of whom are orphans (mostly HIV & AIDS related) and 35 physically disabled.

Margaret Junior School needs ongoing support and The Friends of the Margaret Junior School was established in 2006 to work with the local School Committee in Uganda to plan for the future education of the village children. The local community is doing what it can but most people are subsistence farmers and there is little spare cash for luxuries - like education. Also many of the children do not have parents and are being brought up by guardians, grandparents or aunts and uncles.

Since being established four years ago The Friends of Margaret Junior School have been successful in :

• Buying the land on which the school is sited
• Building pit latrines
• Bringing piped water to the school and village
• Building two new 4 class-room block
• Establishing a Pupil Sponsorship scheme

This has been made possible by the generous support of Lions International and the Waterloo Foundation and by donations and fund-raising efforts from members and supporters, for which the Trustees are very grateful. Local parents & families in Uganda have also pitched in by supporting the Headteacher with gifts of food and crops and by digging the latrines and making the bricks needed for construction.

There is still much to do. The school needs better equipment and more books and in time hostel accommodation will be required to support those who travel long distances in order to attend.

Your help will be much appreciated!

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