Projects
Building Schools / Matthew Cardwell School
| Name: | Matthew Cardwell School |
| Project Type: | Building Schools |
| Country: | Uganda |
| Current State: | |
| Project Added: | 2007-11-27 00:00:00 |
| Estimated Cost: | £37,000 |
| Completed: | 2004-08-20 |
Description
It was simply a shack!
Project Total £30,000 (by Sept 2005) - £100,000 (by Sept 2007)
One of the joys of having children is that when they start attending school, very soon you have the dreaded parents day. Everyone hates them! The teacher is petrified in case Jonnys Dad is as big (relatively speaking) as Jonny, and he is going to shout because she told Jonny off for throwing pencils at the girls. The kids are afraid, in case the teacher and their parents come up with a master plan to ruin their social life by giving them extra homework and they never get to play the x-box again. The parents are anxious in case their little angel is transformed when they leave the house and actually torments every one at the school from teachers to the class hamster.
Imagine if you turned up on your first ever parents day and as you pulled your car into the car park and looked towards the school you saw your child waving at you from their classroom. Not out the window however, but rather through a gap in the wall.
Instead of having the custom school building, brick walls, cavity lined, central heating, and all the amenities we have become used to, you turned up to see that your child was attending a rickety old shack that more resembled a 19th century stable. The walls were patched with uneven and mismatched planks. The floor was dirt and when it rained the water ran through the classroom. The children in the class squeezed onto a bench, and used their knees as tables. The books they used were second-hand and you could see the marks of the previous lessons that had not been fully erased. The black board was perched on a small bench and the teacher stood by it giving the lesson for the day. I wonder how you would feel?
I kind of get the feeling that we wouldnt accept that standard for our children. In fact we would pull our children out immediately and find a new school. But if this isnt good enough for children here surely it isnt good enough for any child. Why is it that in Africa for 100,000s of children this is the best they can ever hope for? For many children, school isnt even an option. 20% of the worlds children do not attend any school. In Africa this is much higher!
The photos of the school are from the old Mpata Primary in Mukono, Uganda.
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During the summer of 2006, Abaana's Youth Team spent time building a block of teacher's accommodation at Matthew Cardwell Primary. This means the school is able to attract well qualified teachers. Another block of teacher's accommodation was constructed by the Abaana's Ladies Team in October 2006.
A new kitchen was built during the summer of 2007.
Photos
