First Day of School

Number estimates varied, but this is a sampling of people who came to apply for a P1 (primary 1 or first grade) spot at Nyaka for a child in their family. Remember these are all grandparents or aunts, uncles, cousins, etc., of the children. Almost all children at Nyaka are double orphans because of the AIDS pandemic. There were 26 openings for P1 (four children were being held back) and at least 90 children vying for a spot. They were there all day for the screening process. If there was another child in the family attending Nyaka, they were not as likely to get in. Some might balk at the system, but they're trying to assist as many families as possible, so they try to spread the educational opportunity around.

The school year runs February to November with several weeks off in the middle and a long holiday break at the end. I knew they were coming back to school while we were there; I just didn't realize it was a new year, not just a holiday vacation. The school has grades P1-P7. After P7, the kids take a national test. If they pass, they can go on to secondary school (if they can afford tuition). One of Whitney's goals is to get a scholarship fund going to help these kids go on in school if they pass the test. He is working with someone to create a video to be used to promote donations to this fund.

After 3 years (I think) of secondary school, they go to college (more like high school), then they go to "university." One has to be careful if you talk about "college" students because that means something different to them. My roommate in the guest house had just graduated from Indiana University, but couldn't say she just graduated from college. I explained that my daughter will be attending a university in a year and a half.

There are 250+ kids between the 2 schools--Nyaka and Kutamba--and it only takes $145 to support one child through the school year. Leave me a comment if you'd like more info about doing that--that's a quite reasonable sponsorship! You'll see more pix of kids from both schools and the groundbreaking we attended for Kutamba(it's in a temporary facility now) ---coming soon. I can't wait to share more of my experience with you!