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
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
In September the Ugandan President announced that students would not be returning to school until January of 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the US, Google Classroom has provided a platform for virtual communications between teachers and students, allowing for continued learning despite "in-person" limitations. However, in Mbiko Uganda where electricity is unreliable (and often absent in most student homes) online/virtual learning is not an option.
With growing concern for student learning, Rock of Ages Community School faculty and staff devised a plan that would allow for more academic engagement throughout the last trimester of this school year despite limitation on in "in-person" classes.
In September ROA teachers put together progressive learning packets for every single ROA student. These paper packets contained 500 questions and activities and were meant to be completed over a one month timeframe. All ROA teachers then hand delivered these packets to each students home by foot or boda-boda (motorcycle taxi), taking the time needed to explain the homework packets and how the student is expected to pace themselves. Teachers are available to answer questions throughout the month and via phone. Teachers then return to each students home at the end of the month in order to review the packet and provide students with new material.
While these packets could never replace "in-person" learning they have been a success! Students have been brushing up on their academic skills, working towards a smoother transition once schools are able to resume in January!
