School and Education
All children at the orphanage are provided with primary and secondary schooling.
Formal education includes primary and secondary, which are 7 years and four year high school. The primary and secondary school is located at the orphanage. Children from the local community of Nsumba also attend there. 290 children from the orphanage attend school each day. There are approximately 500 children who attend the Nsumba orphanage. There are 23 teachers employed at various class levels. The teachers at the primary and secondary school receive a small sum of their wages from the state. Wages of the teachers at the high school level are entirely supported by the Bring Children From Streets organization.
The High school is a bicycle ride away from Nsumba orphanage, but there are few bicycles and it takes time to walk to and from the orphanage. Because of this, many need to live at the school and this costs more money.
In Uganda it costs money to attend school. The state covers schooling for 4 children per family. This means that families, who have more than 4 children, must themselves cover the costs of the additional children. Many families have no possibilities to cover these expenses. The results are that there are many children who do not receive schooling.
25 million people live in Uganda and of these only 1 million live a life above the poverty line.
Some of the children who live at the orphanage are sent there because their parents can not afford to raise them or send them to school. Some of these parents are ill and do not have the ability to care for their children. There are approximately 2 million children without parents in Uganda today. The estimate of parentless children is expected to increase to 4 million by the year 2015. The factors behind these estimates are HIV/Aids, malaria, poverty and war.
Textbooks are not used in the same form as we are accustomed to. Teachers instruct while the children take notes in their notebook. There are no textbooks as you may see in other countries. The orphanage has just purchased a printing machine, which will allow the school to print worksheets for the children. The school must cover the school material expenses such as books, pencils, erasers, and colors among others. Bring Children From Streets are the sole sponsors of the materials. The library is a building next to the orphanage that provides the opportunity for the children to increase their knowledge. The library continuously working on increasing their book inventory.
None of the children at the orphanage have back packs for school. The books are placed in newspapers or plastic grocery bags. We have now received 300 carrying bags from Haakonsvern (a military base in Bergen). We are currently working on getting transporting the bags to the orphanage.
Education is the most important agent to lift people above poverty. Therefore the orphanage has made a sewing room and employed a seamstress. She comes to Nsumba every Thursday and stays overnight until Saturday. During the days of her stay, she teaches both boys and girls the craft of seamstress. In addition to 15 sew machines; the orphanage has purchased an iron press.
An agronomist has been employed at the orphanage who is responsible for teaching the children agriculture.
An addition has made on the workshop, which serves multi purposes, and includes carpenter, arts and craft areas. There are many children at the orphanage who are very talented at drawing and making pictures. They make fantastically beautiful cards that we also sell here in Norway. We believe it is very important that the children utilize the skills they are talented inn to start the foundation for their environment.
It is a short path back to the streets when there is a lack of money. The most important factor is therefore a career focused education.
Education above primary and secondary school costs money, and many of the children stop their education after primary school.
We hope that some of the sponsors wish to provide some extra economical support for when their children are ready for further education. Bring Children From Streets attempts to provide support to all the children who desire additional education. The economic costs of this are currently large and the organization does not have the funds to finance this today. The sponsorship includes 125 NOK pr month covers the costs of primary and secondary school. The cost of High school and higher education is around 100 NOK extra per month.
Teachers residence
Another project that is being planned is a building where the teachers can sleep over. The teachers currently share a little room together with the children. Residence for the teachers that have sanitary system, including a shower, would help keep the teacher from applying to schools that have better funding and have these types of facilities. Improving the facilities for the teachers is a prerequisite for improving the quality of education for the orphanage. This prevents the best teachers from applying to the orphanage because they apply to other schools that have better facilities and working conditions.
The High school is a bicycle ride away from Nsumba orphanage, but there are few bicycles and it takes time to walk to and from the orphanage. Because of this, many need to live at the school and this costs more money.
In Uganda it costs money to attend school. The state covers schooling for 4 children per family. This means that families, who have more than 4 children, must themselves cover the costs of the additional children. Many families have no possibilities to cover these expenses. The results are that there are many children who do not receive schooling.
25 million people live in Uganda and of these only 1 million live a life above the poverty line.
Some of the children who live at the orphanage are sent there because their parents can not afford to raise them or send them to school. Some of these parents are ill and do not have the ability to care for their children. There are approximately 2 million children without parents in Uganda today. The estimate of parentless children is expected to increase to 4 million by the year 2015. The factors behind these estimates are HIV/Aids, malaria, poverty and war.
Textbooks are not used in the same form as we are accustomed to. Teachers instruct while the children take notes in their notebook. There are no textbooks as you may see in other countries. The orphanage has just purchased a printing machine, which will allow the school to print worksheets for the children. The school must cover the school material expenses such as books, pencils, erasers, and colors among others. Bring Children From Streets are the sole sponsors of the materials. The library is a building next to the orphanage that provides the opportunity for the children to increase their knowledge. The library continuously working on increasing their book inventory.
None of the children at the orphanage have back packs for school. The books are placed in newspapers or plastic grocery bags. We have now received 300 carrying bags from Haakonsvern (a military base in Bergen). We are currently working on getting transporting the bags to the orphanage.
Education is the most important agent to lift people above poverty. Therefore the orphanage has made a sewing room and employed a seamstress. She comes to Nsumba every Thursday and stays overnight until Saturday. During the days of her stay, she teaches both boys and girls the craft of seamstress. In addition to 15 sew machines; the orphanage has purchased an iron press.
An agronomist has been employed at the orphanage who is responsible for teaching the children agriculture.
An addition has made on the workshop, which serves multi purposes, and includes carpenter, arts and craft areas. There are many children at the orphanage who are very talented at drawing and making pictures. They make fantastically beautiful cards that we also sell here in Norway. We believe it is very important that the children utilize the skills they are talented inn to start the foundation for their environment.
It is a short path back to the streets when there is a lack of money. The most important factor is therefore a career focused education.
Education above primary and secondary school costs money, and many of the children stop their education after primary school.
We hope that some of the sponsors wish to provide some extra economical support for when their children are ready for further education. Bring Children From Streets attempts to provide support to all the children who desire additional education. The economic costs of this are currently large and the organization does not have the funds to finance this today. The sponsorship includes 125 NOK pr month covers the costs of primary and secondary school. The cost of High school and higher education is around 100 NOK extra per month.
Teachers residence
Another project that is being planned is a building where the teachers can sleep over. The teachers currently share a little room together with the children. Residence for the teachers that have sanitary system, including a shower, would help keep the teacher from applying to schools that have better funding and have these types of facilities. Improving the facilities for the teachers is a prerequisite for improving the quality of education for the orphanage. This prevents the best teachers from applying to the orphanage because they apply to other schools that have better facilities and working conditions.