By: Kenneth Lukwago and Ariane Shaver
Rock of Ages is dedicated to providing a well-rounded education to less fortunate children in our community, giving them the opportunity to compete with their peers around the world. Our passion is to open doors for lifelong learning and lasting transformation.
This year’s theme focused on identifying individual talents and interests, and empowering students with practical skills that benefit both the child and their family. Through hands-on learning, we aim to help families improve their income while equipping children with lifelong skills that give them a competitive edge in the future.
A note from Betty:
For more than 15 years, the Lord has been faithful through every season. As a school, we continue to be a ray of hope for children in Mbiiko. It has been a privilege to watch boys and girls grow into beacons of hope—future doctors, teachers, accountants, and more—emerging from humble beginnings.
Dreams and visions are being awakened, and you are a part of this journey.
On behalf of Rock of Ages School and Hands4Uganda, along with our students, staff, and parents, we extend our heartfelt thanks for your generous support and commitment to education.
Your sponsorship has made a real and lasting difference. Because of your kindness, students who once faced financial barriers can now attend school, access learning materials, and pursue their dreams with confidence and hope.
Your support goes beyond school fees and supplies—it sends a powerful message to our students that they are valued, capable, and not alone. You are helping shape future leaders, professionals, and responsible citizens.
We deeply appreciate your belief in the power of education and your willingness to invest in young lives. We remain committed to using your support responsibly and ensuring it creates lasting impact.
Thank you for being part of our school family and for changing lives through education.
On Saturday, October 25, six pupils represented ROA at the National Spelling Bee Championship in Kampala. The competition took place at Kampala Serena Hotel, starting at 9:00 a.m. (Uganda time)—one of the country’s five-star venues.
Our students competed with over 170 pupils from 27 districts across Uganda. Only 2 of these 6 students are sponsored at this time. If you are interested in sponsoring one of these outstanding students please reach out to tamera@hands4uganda.org.
The event was televised on National Television Uganda along with a live stream recording so that parents and supporters near and far could cheer on the ROA participants!
While the team was eliminated in the third round, missing participation in the semifinals by one word, we are incredibly proud of these students hard work and bravery in competing on the national stage. Preparations for next year’s championships are already underway. However, the costs for travel and participation in these competitions are often are high, and we are hoping to raise funds to secure at least seven Cambridge dictionaries per class to support early practice and preparation.
A huge thank-you to everyone who made it possible for our team to attend the National Ball Championships. From day one, this has been a dream come true.
After several friendly matches and qualification rounds, the ROA Netball First Team was selected to represent Njeru Municipal District at the National Championships in the West Nile region.
They were placed in what was considered the toughest group, which included two defending champions. Despite being the youngest team in the tournament, their determination stood out—and they quickly became crowd favorites.
The group included teams from Wakiso, Nakaseke, Kakumiro, Mubende, Ntungamo, Karenga, Dokolo, Rubirizi, and Kyegegwa districts.
Our girls won eight matches and lost only one, to Wakiso. They reached the quarterfinals, where they were eliminated by Lwengo, the eventual tournament runners-up.
Today, the ROA Netball Team is ranked 7th nationally. They have received invitations to several major competitions, including the Buganda Ball Games and the Biira Invitational Tournament.
Rebuilding and strengthening the team continues. We hope to support our trainers, Denis and Alex, in attending professional netball coaching courses. We also aim to launch a boys’ team and ensure every age range has a netball team to play and participate in sport.
Seven of our players have been selected for trials at one of Uganda’s most prestigious netball academies during the end of year break (mid-December to mid- February). We invite you to continue supporting the team, as there is still a great need for training gear, uniforms, balls, and other essential equipment.
In line with this year’s theme, we are not only focused on education but also on empowering families toward financial independence.
We are strengthening our backyard gardening program, where students learn to grow vegetables at school and apply those skills at home. The goal is for families to grow their own onions, spring onions, tomatoes, cabbages, carrots, and more—reducing food expenses and increasing savings for families.
Each class is assigned a gardening project that provides year-round training. While we have seen encouraging results, additional funding is needed to fully support the growth of this project at the "in home" level.
We sincerely thank our sponsors for the extra food provided to our families. Your generosity has brought nourishment, relief, and hope during times of great need.
Each month, several families receive food items such as bananas, rice, cooking oil, eggs, soap, and posho. This support has significantly reduced household financial strain and improved daily well-being.
Your kindness goes beyond food—it reflects compassion and a true commitment to our community. May you be blessed, and thank you for standing with our families.
Since its launch in 2017, the Rock of Ages–Hands4Uganda Secondary Program has supported over 160 students who graduated from Rock of Ages Community School through their secondary education.
Thanks to your support, students have progressed through various education levels. Some attended vocational institutions and graduated with skills in motor vehicle repair, tailoring, construction, catering, hairdressing, and more.
The program runs from Senior One to Senior Four, with several students continuing to upper secondary and some to university through their own scholarships. Among the first cohort are Joseph, who is pursuing medicine; Christine, now a land surveyor; and Daniel, a secondary school teacher.
This year alone, we successfully supported over 100 secondary students throughout the full academic year. We are deeply grateful for your continued care and support to continuing the education of these students past the walls of ROA!
We extend our deepest gratitude to our donors and partners. Your support has provided not only financial resources, but also confidence, encouragement, and hope.
Because you believe in our vision, we have been able to train youth, improve livelihoods, and create lasting change. Your support represents true partnership, shared values, and a commitment to building a better future.
We remain fully committed to accountability, transparency, and maximizing the impact of every resource entrusted to us. Together, we are not just funding programs—we are transforming lives.
As we close the year, we will be sharing upcoming plans, projects, and support needs for the year ahead as we continue working to uplift individuals and strengthen our community.
Thank you for walking this journey with us. We look forward to continued collaboration and even greater impact in the years to come.
May God bless you all.
— Rock of Ages & Hands4Uganda Team
To our dear Sponsors, Donors, and Supporters,
Greetings to you in the name of Christ! We hope this letter finds you well and enjoying the holiday season. 2021 brought many challenges, triumphs, and immense hope to Hands4Uganda (H4U) and Rock of Ages School (ROA)!
By March of this year, many classes resumed but a sudden spike in COVID caused all schools to close once again and unfortunately they have not yet resumed. To support students during this time, food distributions were organized, and school materials were prepared for individual delivery to the students. Each month, teachers traveled to their pupils’ homes, providing a packet of homework to be completed over the next month. The teachers spent time with each student, explaining material, answering questions, and ensuring basic school supplies were available. This was a massive undertaking by the ROA staff and we are so thankful for their faithful commitment to our students!
Despite students not being in school, progress continued to be made at the new ROA campus. All finishing touches to the Primary Building were completed and plans for our next project, the Multipurpose Building were drawn. Items like an industrial printer were purchased and an expansion of the school agricultural program which will reduce food costs and increase nutritional intake for student lunches were made.
We announced our partnership with the Fly Fishing Collaborative who will help set-up an aquaponics farm on the school site in 2022! This project will generate additional income for ROA and will provide educational opportunities for students as they learn about lifecycles and sustainable agriculture.
We are also thrilled to share that a very generous donor has worked to design a solar power system that will provide ROA with consistent power in 2022 and eventually access to technology in the classroom! This is a major advancement for ROA and we are so appreciative of this donor's dedication and love for the children.
To date all teachers and staff have been vaccinated and while we have had no losses within the student body, faculty or staff due to COVID, this year's medical bills nearly quadrupled from previous years. Your continued donations during this time ensured that any student, teacher, or staff member needing medical attention was able to receive it free of charge. Thank you for making this possible!
Lastly, we would like to take a moment to acknowledge former H4U board members. Randy Fowler and Gabe Flicker were part of H4U since the beginning of the organization. As passionate, kind, and educated men of Christ they acted as fearless leaders of the organization for nearly a decade. Finally, it is with great sadness we share that former board chair, Karla Reynolds, passed away this fall. After a long battle with cancer, she now rests peacefully in the loving arms of our Father. Karla was a key player in the development of H4U and worked relentlessly for the betterment of the children. We are forever thankful for Gabe, Randy and Karla and are honored to continue in their good works.
We look forward to welcoming all students back to ROA in January. We ask for your continued prayers and support as we provide each child with a wholesome education and the means to a better life.
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and many blessings in the New Year!
Hands4Uganda BOD and Volunteers
