By Godiver Asege
Kyotera
Before the Rotary Club of Muyenga Breeze stepped in, St. Francis Lugaaju School in Kyotera district had a single shared toilet block for girls, boys, and teachers.
According to the school head teacher Emmanuel Lukwata, this always led to low pupil enrollment and frequent infections.
However, with the construction of a new toilet block and enhancements to the classrooms funded by the Rotary Club, the school’s enrollment has risen from 400 to 586 pupils.
“We had one toilet that we shared amongst the girls, boys and teachers, the class rooms were so dusty without doors and windows. Since the Rotary Club of Muyenga Breeze came in, the school; s enrollment has increased from 400 pupils to 586 pupils,” Lukwata noted.
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He stressed that the refurbishment of the classrooms, as well as the improved toilet and kitchen facilities, has attracted many parents in the area to transfer their children from private schools to St. Francis, which is government school.
Speaking during the handover ceremony of the new toilet and kitchen, at the school, Lukwata noted that with the new refurbished classrooms blocks, he is hopeful that this would improve the performance of the pupils because of the conducive learning environment.
They were handed over by the Rotary Governor District 92214 Francisco Ssewanga in Kalisizo, Kyotera district.
Ssewanga urged parents within the community to prioritize education, emphasizing its role as an equalizer and a powerful tool for societal transformation.
He emphasized the importance of educating girls, saying that by educating a girl, one is not only empowering an individual but also benefiting the entire family, community, and nation.
“Dear parents, let us empower our children and educate them. It is a way forward to this modern challenging world without education. The world is going to become very difficult and tricky for our children,” he noted.
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He expressed his gratitude to the Rotary Club of Kampala Muyenga Breeze for their interventions in the communities and for extending a helping hand to the people of Kalisizo.
He urged parents and community members to ensure the maintenance of such projects.
Paul Kigonya, the president of Rotary Club of Muyenga Breeze, said upon visiting the school, the Rotarians identified various areas that required intervention and they took collective action to address these needs.
“The school had only one block of toilet shared by both teachers and pupils which was a challenge. During the rainy days they would not go to school, the class rooms were in a very sorry state with no windows, doors and too dusty. There was no kitchen,” he added.
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He noted that after recognizing the various issues, the rotarians, made a collective decision to improve the school infrastructure to create a more suitable environment for the students.
Kigonya said a kitchen was built with the purpose of providing meals for the children while they are at school, recognizing the significance of nutrition in the students’ educational experience.
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“One of our focus areas is the best education and literacy and as Kampala Mugenye Breeze we have done so much on the ground and we thank all our partners that have contributed to this success most especially our club members because they got money from their salaries and pocket money to make a change in the community,” he added.
They also undertook other initiatives like educating the young boys and girls about their personal health, and effects of domestic violence. Another training session was organized for women to empower and equip them with skills, with the aim of fostering success in educating the children.