For this project, GC2S2 has teamed up with Start the Ripple and Ebenezer Junior School!
The Situation:
The only school in the rural village of Kyanjiri in central Uganda is in danger of closing. Transportation is not affordable for children in rural villages who want to reach the closest government-funded schools. Due to regulations, Ebenezer Junior School has until January to expand facilities and extend security and safety measures.
If the school closes, 125 children aged 5 to 16 will not receive an education or two meals a day. Nine local staff members will no longer have housing or steady employment. Lubwama Elvic and Namujozi Veronica, “Vicky,” will lose their vision to build the first school in Kyanjiri.
Elvic and Vicky’s Story:
Elvic and Vicky are a dynamic Ugandan couple with a shared passion for serving the underprivileged in their community. Their journey began with a dream to bring educational opportunities to their village, Kyanjiri, where access to schooling was limited. They work tirelessly daily to oversee and manage the school they helped establish.
Elvic and Vicky have not only transformed the educational landscape of Kyanjiri but also impacted the entire community. In 2024, Ebenezer Junior School expanded from serving 80 students to 125 children ages 5 to 16. Ebenezer employs 9 local staff members and offers 2 daily meals for its students.
With the support of the nonprofit Start the Ripple, they constructed five classrooms and provided 85 scholarships to children from impoverished families. Students learn literacy, numeracy, and life skills. Ebenezer School gives local teachers housing and employment, ensuring stable livelihoods.
To further community empowerment Start the Ripple has already done the following:
- Planted 400 coffee plants to generate income
- Cultivated maize and beans to feed the school students
- Dug a 120-feet deep well
- Installed 2 water filters
- Built latrines
- Provided medical treatment for malaria and common illnesses among students.
- Previously, children might resort to drinking from basins or puddles, but now they have safe, clean water at school. Since 2022, these efforts have created crucial educational opportunities for children without access, helping them build a brighter future.
How you can help:
- Security lights: 1.6 million UGX → $431.04 USD
- Playground: 2 million UGX → $538 USD
- Grounding Poles for the schools: 3.5 million UGX → $942.90 USD
- Lightning strikes are common in Uganda. Pupils are at risk of being struck by lightning while at school. Rooftops require grounding poles to keep students and faculty safe inside the school.
- A fence around the School: 4 million UGX → $1,077.60 USD
- Play Materials, such as Sports Equipment: 4 million UGX →$1,077.60 USD
- Extra funds will be allocated for teachers’ salaries & the required school uniforms.
- Total needed solely for construction: $4067.14
We are asking for donations of $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 to help us get started. We appreciate any support you can offer. Every dollar will go towards children’s education. Thank you.
You can click the donations link above or go to our GoFundMe page to donate.
January 1st, 2025 UPDATE:
The security Lights, leveling the soccer (futbol) field and playground area, Grounding Poles and lightning Rods, and the fence are all now completed. We have also begun the school uniforms. However, we still need to purchase the playground equipment and play materials for the children to finish this project!
The local council was thoroughly impressed with our efficiency in completing said tasks and is allowing the school more time to finish. Our portion of the project is close to completion; please assist us in finishing it!
The added projects we are assisting our partners with are the following found below:
Additional Projects
- Kitchen: $2,000
- Cafeteria: $5,000
- Water well & purifier with (2) Bathrooms: $40,000
To explain the high costs for the water well & purifier plus the two bathrooms (latrines), our partner, AKVO Ventures, is constructing the bathrooms and installing sensors on the water purification system and well to monitor the well for maintenance purposes. They are using specialized drilling equipment to bore around 100 meters deep (roughly 330 feet) in the ground for the well to last an estimated 10 years, and most importantly, they are digging latrines under the bathrooms and adding in equipment so they can use sanitation trucks to clear the latrines for permanent use.
It is important to note that Uganda does not have sewage pipes like the United States does in every town/city. Due to lacking a sewer line, they must build latrines and close the open pits over time. Our solution is a bit more expensive upfront but permanent, with only a $300 sanitation truck fee to clean out the latrines every 6-12 months. This means the latrine costs drop by 75%! Since every 2-3 months, latrines are usually dug, and old ones are filled – a new latrine can cost roughly $300-600 depending on how deep it is dug into the ground – and that means it costs at a minimum $1200, and a maximum of $2400 per year. With our method, we can spend about $3-600 annually, and the constructed bathrooms will not have to be rebuilt later, which also saves on construction costs!