Each day when we
introduce the contents of the bedkit to the children, the story is always the
same. Their favourite items are the book bag, mathematics kit and the 12
exercise note books. When asked if there is anything else that they would like
added to the kit they shyly tell us that the notebooks, while very useful will not
last the entire year and would be grateful if more could be added.
Why is there such
an emphasis on notebooks? While the government schools are free for Ugandan
children up to the age of 14, parents must bear the cost of uniforms and school
supplies. For many families who struggle to feed their families, school
supplies are a luxury treated with reverence. With the high number of single
parent homes going to school can often
be viewed as a luxury. Today I spoke with a very beautiful and intelligent
young girl who was unable to pay the modest school fees to write the necessary
exam to graduate at the end of Grade 7 and therefore can no longer attend school.
Repeating the grade to stay in school was also not an option as there was no
money in the home for notebooks.
Yesterday in the street on their way home from
school, we met a group of school aged children clutching these very same
exercise books. They were proud to show us their notebooks- neat and well organized
with small handwriting and every line of the page used to conserve paper. There
are no half completed notebooks to be found. Each page is carefully used. In many schools, chalk is a luxury, classes
have 75 children in them and crayons (the
very ones that children in Canada break and toss away) are unheard of. And yet
these children all want to go to school.
They realize the
importance of an education and are extremely happy to be there so it is a small
wonder that the loudest cheers when they see the bedkits are for the school
supplies and uniforms.
Editor's Note: These are two pictures from yesterday. Yesterday`s blog has the full story.
