We are pleased to share these updates and stories directly from our ROA partners! Kenneth wears many hats at ROA, but one of his biggest jobs is helping us coordinate the sponsorship program and sharing term updates. We are so grateful for Kenneth and happy to pass along all of the exciting things happening at ROA!
On the second day of term 1 2025, the school staff was surprised when student Steven presented a cake to the Head Teacher, Madam Betty Wasswa. Though it may seem small, it brings unimaginable hope and happiness knowing that he treasures every opportunity he gets to be in school.
Little did Teacher Betty know that someone else was also on their way! Billgates, who just completed the secondary program, came with a cock (rooster) to further appreciate his teacher for the support given through his education. He has been under Rock of Ages care since Baby class. Thank you to everyone who has made this achievable. One step at a time! I believe Billgates will make a difference in his home area.
When you read the name, you may wonder, "how it is the greatest meal?".It’s very rare to find a school that can feed its students fresh fish and rice.
Special thanks to Alyson Wells with the Fly Fishing Collaborative, our dear friend Jerry Keely, and the entire team that enabled the construction of the aquaculture farm. From it we managed to feed the children with rice and fish upon their return for the first term of 2025.
The tales and stories of having fish at school are awesome! There are no great words to express the gratitude for making such a reality.
On Sunday, 9th March there was a nationwide marathon organized to raise sickle cell awareness in the country. ROA gladly participated in support of two learners who are suffering from sickle cell, Angel in P4 and Joram in P6. We went to the community to show that we stand with the sickle cell fraternity. Donned in red vests, these children went to the surrounding community, which many are from, to show that they are in support of the cause. Thanks to Tr. Betty and Abdu Wasswa who brought the vests.
On Thursday 6th March there was a meeting with all probation students in the secondary program and with their parents to discuss their way forward. Among those that were summoned are those who were non-compliant with the terms and conditions of the secondary scholarship such as not turning in their report cards or letters to sponsors reporting on their term We encouraged students and reminded parents to communicate with their children to perform harder and follow the standards set forth by the program to get off the probation list.
Tr. Betty was clear as we were addressing the issues at hand. To which they all accepted to take and do their part.
Also during the routine visits to check on the students who have reported to school, I (Kenneth) went to Lords Meade Vocational college and met with the students that are under the program and we discussed how best to improve their performance and the challenges that lead to such dismal performances in term 3 of 2024 as most of the students are on probation from this school.
After the various exploits in the Netball World in Uganda, Rock of Ages is becoming more famous and as a result, we have received various invites to participate in tournaments. Although we don’t honor most of them due to financial constraints, when we do, we always go and deliver our best! We are currently ranked 3 out of 15 teams in the U14 league this year.
Upon acquiring funds, we wish to participate in more sports challenges in support of our young athletes.
Every Thursday all Staff of Rock of Ages (teaching and non-teaching) meet and pray for the children and their families, Hands4Uganda, and the sponsors.
All share their goals and targets, challenges and victories. Dedicate their future endeavors and everything to the Lord.
Some Sponsored children get extra food every month to supplement their foodstuffs at home. This food is so important because it cuts down on the family expenses. This month, they received various portions for the families.
This year there’s a drop in the enrollment of continuing and new students and this has been attributed to the standard Gauge Railway. Though it has not yet been implemented on the school property, rumors circulated that ROA school was no more. It took convincing of various parents to let them know that we are still at the old premises and nothing much has been done to remove the school yet.
This is a program solely for the children in the boarding section. A program was started whereby they are taught making snacks like chapattis, cakes, buns, pancakes and even pizzas to some extent. Here we are skilling them and learning how to make their Sunday morning breakfast snack
Though it’s very early in the year, a lot is expected throughout the year and we are eagerly waiting to see how the Lord does get us through it.
Thank you for the enormous sacrifices you have all made to make the lives of these young ones worthy. We all press on and know that the best may not be reaped tomorrow but with the simple impacts, change will prevail in due course.
Thank you all and may the good Lord bless you.
In 2007, when Rock of Ages School was founded, it aimed to bring hope to the children in Mbikko, a community heavily affected by the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS. Little was known about how the lives of most of these children would unfold, especially for those who had never left the confines of their birth villages.
At the start of this year, we witnessed what was once a dream become a reality. What a year 2024 turned out to be! From the first children registered in 2007 joining university, to competing in national games, and even participating in the country’s premier netball championship, it was a year of remarkable achievements.
On December 30th, 2024, the Rock of Ages U14 Netball team traveled to Kampala to compete in their first-ever tournament recognizing the best netball teams in the country. It was the only school team present at the event. Currently, Uganda is ranked 6th in the World Netball Rankings. The national team stars were in attendance, and the children from Mbikko had the incredible opportunity to meet them.
The journey began at 5:00 AM, traveling to Kampala in the new van generously donated by Next Generation Ministries. By 8:00 AM, the team had arrived.
In the U14 category, there were 24 teams grouped into six pools. Rock of Ages was placed in Group A. They won two games and lost one, securing a spot in the knockout stages. The team triumphed over Railways in the next match and advanced to the quarterfinals, where they were eventually defeated by the champions, Hope for Uganda.
This experience was unforgettable for many of the children, as they cherished every moment and made lasting memories.
I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to making this possible, both financially and emotionally. Invitations to more tournaments and other sports events continue to pour in, and we are being requested to participate in more opportunities.
Thank you, Hands4Uganda, for making this dream a reality.
We are excited to announce a small team will be heading to Uganda in support of Rock of Ages for the first time since 2019! We would love for you to take this opportunity to send your sponsored child some words of encouragement.
The team will be able to take one #10 business size envelope (4.125 in. x 9.5 in.) per student. If you would like to send a letter to your child feel free to include any items that will fit within this size envelope including letters, pictures, stickers, etc.
All letters must be received by July 7.
Please send to:
Ariane Shaver
Box 194
2608 N Main St. B
Belton, TX 76513
In addition, the team will be taking books for the ROA library. A list of books can be found on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1JEJFIDRMDM4T?ref_=wl_share . We will be happy to include a “Donated by” or “In Honor of” or etc. note on the first page of any donated book. Please indicate your request at Amazon checkout under “Review items and shipping” where you can choose “Add gift options” and create a note with the message you would like to have included.
Thank you again for all of your support,
The Hands4Uganda Team
I greet you in the name of our lord Jesus Christ and hope this finds you well as we continue serving and fulfilling the Lord's work. Allow me to pass my sincere gratitude as I appreciate the support and sponsorship that you have given to Hands4Uganda for Rock of Ages School.
May the Lord richly bless you. Webale Nnyo and Mukama akuwe O’mukisa
At the beginning of this year i.e. January 10th 2022, the government officially opened schools. It was joyful and exciting but the road wasn’t smooth. With your prayers and support, we have pushed and came to the end of the first Trimester.
Among the various things that have transpired in this term, below are the challenges and how we have managed to cover and work around them with a way forward.
First and foremost, there was a loss of interest in education. Depending on most of the learners' settings, the community where they live, one could say it takes courage for a child to stay home and not indulge in peer pressure. The prolonged stay out of school led to formation of many groups which didn’t have a good influence on young children and some lost the love for being in school and didn’t want to return.
This also came about when learners outgrew their classes after two years of staying home. Some students felt they were too big for some classes considering their body sizes and had to be convinced and counseled to be in those respective grade levels.
There is also a challenge of increased prices in the market for most of the scholastic and food items that are key to the feeding of the learners at the school. There is fluctuation of food prices which has also been a challenge to the school as we try to sustain on the amount of funding that has until this point been enough for support.
During the Covid -19 lockdown period, most of the parents lost their jobs and resorted to personal small businesses (i.e. selling vegetables or second hand goods). This made most of them move to places that are cheap in terms of renting, yet they want their children to still attend Rock of Ages.
The quickest and cheapest means of transport is boda-boda which in turn is the most dangerous and not recommended for ferrying school children. In that way we greatly fear we may lose many learners. We have realized there is a great need for a school bus to help maintain the children who turn out to be coming from farther than walking distance.
As a school we have mobilized and started career guidance and counseling sessions that help motivate and inspire learners to actively stay in schools. We have a program that is family based with the purpose of mentoring learners with the parent's love and participation in education.
We are adjusting and empowering our learners to a holistic education whereby we are skilling all the learners for a better and complete education to run concurrently with the national curriculum and among these are:
We are integrating our learners in income generating activities that will help in ensuring that they have skills to support their families and among these are:
While we have a long way to go, we have come so far. Once again we do appreciate all our dear Sponsors for the support.
May the almighty bless you,
Betty Wasswa
Sewing is a very useful skill for people of all ages!
We have been posting about "Skilling The Children", which are Saturday afternoon classes where students come to Rock of Age Campus in order to explore a variety of skills. Sewing is an area of growing interest amongst male and female students!
Last week we shared what Teacher Betty lovingly calls "Skilling the Children".
Today, on pi day, we are excited to have more pictures from the baking class! While pie is not a very common dish in Uganda, students learned how to make banana muffins, daddies, half cakes, and chapati!
While ROA exists to provide a formal education and support for students, life skills are something that we strive to provide for children of all ages!
Each weekend Betty and a rotation of teachers participate in what they call "Skilling the Children". Students are welcomed to campus on Saturday afternoons to practice a variety of skills including hair styling, sewing, baking, and chicken rearing. Students are able to choose what activity they would like to participate in for each session and all enjoy baked goods at the end of the day!
Stay tuned for more information on each activity Betty has organized for the students at ROA!
We have BIG NEWS! Rock of Ages Community School now runs on SOLAR POWER!
Last year a very generous donor approached us about the possibility of providing a solar power system for ROA. With his professional skills as an engineer, he worked closely with our Ugandan team and a nearby solar business to create a system that can support ROA electrical needs and is scalable as we continue to grow the campus!
We thank and praise God for this awesome donor who put so much time into this system, out of his love for children and learning, and for this sustainable gift that will help offset operational costs for ROA and provide reliable electricity throughout the building! Having electricity readily available brings so many more opportunities for in-classroom tools and we cannot wait to see what God has in store next!
Due to age, humidity/uncontrolled climate within the school building, and for sitting open for so long without students in their seats many classroom desks became cracked and damaged.
Many preparations were made by faculty and staff for students to return to ROA following the COVID-19 closure and it quickly became apparent that desks needed to be a priority. Unfortunately, almost all student desks needed to be replaced. New desks for P4, 5, 6, and 7 were moved into the building as classes resumed and they are so much more sturdy and durable! Plus the students seem to be excited about them too!
We continue to work on funding for new desks for our younger primary students and preschool classes. These students are currently using the best of the older desks and our preschool children continue to use the same tables that have been in use for the past 7 years. If you would like to make a donation towards the purchase of new desks, please click "Donate" in the upper right corner of this page and under "Donor Note" simply type "for desks" and we will ensure your amount is designated.
Thank you for your continued support and please enjoy the photos below!
Our students are back in school!
Thank you for your continued support over these past two years! This article gives a really good perspective of what has happened to many students in Uganda due to the pandemic and gives us reason to give thanks for what our organization has been able to do for the children during these difficult times.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/worlds-longest-education-lockdown-ends-as-ugandas-schools-reopen
