Uganda - IV - Melton Primary School

Let me take you back to 2016...

Myron, 6 years old, comes home from school one day and tells me "Mom, we are fundraising for chicken for the school". Now, the school he went to was very active and fundraisers were a common thing at the UNESCO school, but chicken at the school?! I had my doubts. Then the letter from the teacher came home; they were raising funds for their sister school Melton Primary School in Kampala. We had a conversation with Myron about the meaning of a sister school and how their donations could help the Ugandan school buy chicken. Myron's response: "One day I will go there and help them out!"

Well, the much anticipated day had finally arrived!

We arrived at Melton Primary School after a three hour drive to cover only 27 kilometers; the traffic in Mukono (where we are living for a month) and Kampala, we cannot describe. It is a mayhem of little taxi buses, cars, and mopeds.

Mr Yaledi, the principle of the school, met us close to the school, to lead us through the last little bit of the heavy slum the school is located in.

Melton Primary was very hard hit by the pandemic, like so many small businesses and schools in Africa. Students stayed home, therefore no school fees were paid, resulting in not being able to pay the rent. They were evicted and the landlord even took desks and their water tank, to pay for the loss they as property managers endured. After the pandemic, Mr Yaledi found another location, in the middle of a very poor area, even for Ugandan standards. There were a few small buildings present and in the meantime he has built three more classrooms, complete with black boards and desks and chairs.

Currently they only teach to the students that are most vulnerable, who were the hardest hit by not being in school for two years during Covid. His total student number is around 350, and he hopes to build the school up to accommodate them all. When we were there, there were maybe 50 students present. Mr Yaledi told us that at 4pm the Primary 7 students arrive, to be taught till the sun sets...

We toured the small school, spoke with the staff and spoke with the students. Students were allowed to ask us anything. It ranged from:

Where is Canada? Are you a state of the USA?

What are you white people called, we are Africans but you?

Is your hair real? Can I touch your skin? Do you feel pain when I pinch you?

Do you have cows and where are they if they are not allowed on the road?

What kind of animals do you have in Canada?

We explained about the snow and cold temperatures... some children had seen a fridge/freezer, that helped...

Mr Yaledi shared his personal story with us of a very sad childhood and how a Canadian sponsor made a difference in his life, which resulted in him being able to become who he is today. He told us his wish to give these 350 students a place where they can learn, grow, and become contributing citizens. Most of the students are orphans or abandoned by their parents. Mr Yaledi and his wife Lillian (who left one of the best schools in Kampala, to come and work with him) search for family or locals who will provide the children with a place to sleep.

He explained he cannot ask the caregivers for school fees, as they are mostly already struggling to provide shelter for the child. He tries to provide the children with two meals a day as these meals might be the only meals this child will get that day.... On the day we were there, because of not having money to pay for enough firewood, the children got cold maize porridge and a lukewarm sauce of some sort....

We asked where the funds are coming from to feed the (hungry) children and to continue the build of the school. He explained the chicken 'business' they had (a chicken coop, selling the eggs, sometimes the meat) they had to stop as they could not pay for the feed for the chicken...

The school is not generating any money right now except what they get from parents, donors, and kind strangers.

It was a very special visit. Mr Yaledi gave us typical Ugandan bananas and sugar cane. We personally bought bags full of toys for the nursery school and Linden Meadows School donated almost $300 CAD (fundraiser). A personal donation of $500 CAD came in which we were very excited about.

Myron and Raija really enjoyed the visit too. Raija mainly played with the children and Myron had multiple conversations with the older students.

The visit made a big impression on us. We have huge respect for Mr Yaledi and his wife Lillian, who together with a few other staff, change the lives of all these beautiful children.

If you would like to support this wonderful place of learning in any way, please send me an email: downrightadventurous@gmail.com

♫ If I had a million dollars, if I had a million dollars 🎝