Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Christmas Feeding

For Christmas day Fausta and I started up three charcoal fires and cooked up some chicken-veggie stew, some French fries (chips) and rice for any who passed by. Fun was had by all.

As there is/was some dispute over the future of St Faustas, on Jan. 5 2009 the Administrator General will take over trusteeship of the school. What this means is that I will have an iron-clad contract to rebuild the school without the risk of some family member taking away my work. In the mean time we have been working on the permaculture gardens that will feed the school. the first aquaponics experiment ended in mass death of small fish, I pray forgiveness and will try harder next time. RIP baby Tilapia(s)

Tuition fees have been estimated... about 600 US per year for a 7th grader (the oldest and highest price, for now, that we will have) with full room and board. Plans are for there to be ~20 male and ~20 female full boarders and another 60 day schoolers.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Teacher interviews

Started interviewing teachers today. The ones who were here last term will be back, for at least one term. clean up and construction starts next Monday. The permaculture gardens will start taking shape on Wednesday.
More photos to come,
Peace
John

Friday, December 5, 2008

Fausta and her youngest

The kitchen

Boys shower

Girl's shower

Outhouse

St Faustas Primary School Kitinda Uganda

St Faustas Primary School Kitinda Uganda

Just up the hill from Lake Victoria and minutes from Entebbe St Faustas primary, day and boarding, school is getting ready for change. When the founder met his untimely death a few years ago the school was left in the hands of his young daughter. She has struggled to keep it going, leasing it to headmasters who are often as not thieves. The students didn't get fed and she didn't get paid. Now she is 18 years old with two children earning her living selling cassava slices to the students of the school that her father built. Now to bring a change.
We have developed a multi-tiered plan to make St Faustas sustainable and green.

Infrastructure
Step one is to clean and repair what is there
Step two bring in electricity, running water, green sanitation facilities and a kitchen
Step three is to plaster the walls, install floors, windows and doors
Step four if to build and buy furnishings
Step five integrate

Garden
Step one Permaculture design ethics
Step two compost waste
Step three plant for students food, leftovers may be sold at market
Step four fish and fowl, aquaculture and chicken tractors will provide garden benefits and protein for the students diets
Step five integrate

Adult education
Once the young ones have been let out of class provide the opportunity for members of the local community to expand their knowledge. Classes in reading, small business math and economics, permaculture, green technologies and information communication technologies.

And between terms when the students go on break the facilities will be made available for groups who wish to visit Uganda, for tourism or education.

These are photos of St Faustas today, come back often to see our progress.
Thank You
Peace
John