For the past 3-4 months, we have been waiting for word from the Ugandan government about the future of education. Last week, they sent out the requirements necessary for schools to reopen. Each school must receive permission to reopen based on meeting new sanitation requirements. This morning (Tuesday, 9/1) an inspector came to RUHU and confirmed that significant renovations need to happen ASAP.
Meeting these requirements at both the RUHU primary school and the RUHU secondary school will cost $25,000. We believe that meeting these requirements is worth the money and effort. Here is why:
- Many of the changes are improvements which will be good for RUHU’s schools in perpetuity. These include: improved toilet systems, new gates/entrances (which allow for better tracking of attendance), more seats/desks (to allow for distancing).
- RUHU’s schools are the bedrock of RUHU’s programming. RUHU’s schools educate hundreds of kids. But they are also what make RUHU’s slum outreach program effective. The schools provide a positive outlet for the kids that receive care from the outreaches that Patrick runs.
- The schools also employ 30+ people!
If we thought that the additional covid-19 requirements were only short-term or that they wouldn’t improve RUHU overall, we might hesitate to raise the $25,000. But these improvements are necessary for the short-term and the long.
We know that asking for money right now is not simple. Many people are struggling financially. Knowing this, Sonja and I want to lead by example. So we’re kicking off this 25K fundraiser with a $2,500 gift. We would love for you to consider helping RUHU reopen their schools by making a gift today. Hundreds of vulnerable kids benefit from these schools and will benefit from your financial contribution.
The pictures above are from 2016. In the spring of 2020 we celebrated our 10-year anniversary of partnership between Beautiful Response and RUHU. Each month we’ve been remembering a year of our partnership. In 2016 we were hitting our stride, growing the RUHU school and sending our oldest kids off to live in their own small apartments.
