ALDO’s Founders
Canadian residents Phoebe and James Gonahasa founded ALDO after the couple visited Nakyere Village in the Namutumba District in 2001. During her youth, two teachers in Uganda raised Phoebe and despite having few modern amenities at the time, she considers her access to education a privilege. Realizing the poor state of education after returning so many years later, Phoebe and James felt inspired to bolster the community with a new school.

In an interview with The Borgen Project, ALDO president Sheilagh Clifton explained that “the Gonahasa’s started saving money and every summer returned to Uganda to visit family and supervise the construction of a multi-purpose building, to serve as a community center and for children to attend school.” In 2006, the organization completed the construction of a multipurpose hall, acting as a community center and an early childhood education institution. Two years later, ALDO began constructing a nearby elementary school that offers primary education and literacy programs for the community.

Early Education and Elementary Schooling
ALDO’s educational programs serve to improve childhood education and promote good character. Clifton says, “Namutumba District has high levels of dropout cases plus the learning achievements in the primary are quite low.” The organization’s early intervention programs teach children the essentials of literacy and numeracy, providing the educational resources to do so. Researchers from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development attest that children who receive early childhood education have higher chances of excelling in higher education.

Children enrolled through ALDO can also receive elementary section education at the second school. It is located about two kilometers from the original building. ALDO hires and trains qualified teachers to teach the Ugandan primary curriculum consisting of English, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science and Religious Education. To work around the lack of electricity due to the school’s rural location, the organization provides solar power to parts of the school for basic services like printing, emailing and photocopying.

Motivating Students to Continue Education in Uganda
To gauge the success of students, ALDO administers the Primary Learning Exam (PLE) that Uganda National Examinations Board designed. This mandatory exam tests grade seven students on English language, mathematics, science and social studies in order to reintegrate them into the next appropriate grade in secondary school. Based on the results of the exam, the board distributes students across four divisions, with division one being the highest achievement and division four being the minimum requirement to pass.

Clifton is proud to share that, of the 11 students who took the exam in 2019, three passed in division one seven in division two and one in division three. She added that “many of these children come to us two and three years previously unable to read or write.” ALDO is working to improve the conditions at their school to consistently achieve these scores. Its goal is to motivate more students to progress into secondary school, which equips the youth with “skills, aptitudes, and social values for a productive and healthy adult life.”

Education Breaks Cycles of Poverty
ALDO quotes on its website, “Education is a powerful vaccine against the pandemics of poverty, disease and ignorance.” For developing countries, public investment in education can break cycles of poverty. The people of Nakyere village commonly practice subsistence agriculture to provide for their family and community, earning little or no surplus. Clifton explained that “the community is trapped in overwhelming poverty even though there is a desire to break free.”

A 2014 study from the International Journal of Education and Research has shown that a leading cause of absenteeism in school is household work. Children often have no choice but to farm or trade to help make ends meet, disrupting the levels of education they receive.

ALDO’s kindergarten is currently the only one operating in Nakyere, making it a crucial component in improving accessibility to early education. According to The World Bank, preprimary school enrollment in Uganda was only 14% in 2017. To improve on those numbers, ALDO works with parents to communicate the value of early education. The organization hosts parent sessions each term, encouraging them to enroll their children in the school.

Beyond basic education, ALDO also offers skills and leadership development. Each week, students take part in activities like baking, basket making, pottery, music and other skills with work-related applications.

Planning for Expansion
The conditions of rural Nakyere leave much for ALDO to desire. The most significant challenge the organization faces is a deficiency of resources for both basic services and schooling needs. Clifton said that the main campus holds classes “with an open hall layout, where it is very difficult to have distinct areas for different subjects and activities.” Lack of electricity in the region limits the amount of light entering the school and a lack of tables and chairs affects students’ ability to engage in schoolwork.

The organization is currently working on expanding its kindergarten with construction improvements and additional equipment with the goal of increasing the kindergarten capacity to 120 students.

ALDO’s Successes
The student body at the Amazing Love School has grown from 46 children to more than 300 children since its opening in 2006. ALDO continues to improve its elementary section by hiring qualified teachers and training professional development, communication skills and computer use.

To promote gender balance, six of the school’s 15 teachers are female. ALDO also provides female students with health supplies and counseling sessions. James Gonahasa stated that “there has been a great reduction in the number of girls married off early and fewer children are working as house maids or farm laborers during school hours.”

The Amazing Love School owes much of its success to the dedication of its co-founders, Phoebe and James Gonahasa. In 2019, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) recognized the couple with its International Humanitarian Award. ETFO president Sam Hammond praised the organization for “inspiring hope and a love of learning that will change students’ futures forever.”

ALDO’s work in Nakyere village has had an immense impact on the pulse of the community. The implementation of two schools in the Namutumba district sets a precedent for children’s outlook on education in Uganda that will help break generational cycles of poverty perpetuated by childhood labor and general nescience regarding the value of school. ALDO offers student and teacher sponsorships on the Amazing Love Development website.

– Evan Lemole

Link to the original article: https://www.borgenmagazine.com/education-in-uganda/

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The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario recently recognized Durham residents James and Phoebe Gonahasa with its 2019 International Humanitarian Awards. James is a teacher at Sir John A. McDonald P.S. in Pickering. The couple co-founded Amazing Love School in Uganda and have grown it from 46 students to more than 300. – Photos by James and Phoebe Gonahasa

DURHAM — James Gonahasa is a teacher in two different worlds.

This year, he will be teaching Grade 4 and 5 French immersion students at Sir John A. Macdonald Public School in Pickering.

Last year was spent at Amazing Love School in Uganda — a vibrant community hub that he and his wife Phoebe Gonahasa co-founded and have poured heart and soul into growing.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) recently recognized the couple with its 2019 International Humanitarian Awards.

ETFO president Sam Hammond says their work is giving people hope.

“With their school and community skills building, James and Phoebe are helping to break the cycle of poverty in this village.”

The Gonahasas got their start in humanitarian work after visiting Uganda in 2001 and seeing what they describe as the “appalling” state of education after years of political instability.

“The classes were crowded due to lack of adequate infrastructure and the teachers’ morale was low,” James says in an email from Uganda.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario recently recognized Durham residents James and Phoebe Gonahasa with its 2019 International Humanitarian Awards. James is a teacher at Sir John A. McDonald P.S. in Pickering. The couple co-founded Amazing Love School in Uganda and have grown it from 46 students to more than 300.

So, they used their own savings to start Amazing Love School in Phoebe’s home village of Nakyere. It opened in 2006 with 46 kindergarten students, three teachers and a cook.

The school has now grown to more than 300 students from kindergarten to Grade 7, as well as 14 teachers and five support staff.

A non-profit organization called Amazing Love Development Organization was created to help raise money and steadily grow the school.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario recently recognized Durham residents James and Phoebe Gonahasa with its 2019 International Humanitarian Awards. James is a teacher at Sir John A. McDonald P.S. in Pickering. The couple co-founded Amazing Love School in Uganda and have grown it from 46 students to more than 300.

Every summer, the Gonahasas travel to Uganda to supervise work as the school expands, and provide support to students and teachers — they also spent the whole 2013-14 and 2018-19 school years there.

James says Amazing Love School has had an immeasurable impact on students and the entire community.

“There has been a great reduction in the number of girls married off early and fewer children are working as house maids or farm labourers during school hours,” he says.

And that’s just one example.

Literacy rates have improved, children have access to the playgrounds and sports fields, spinoff jobs have been created and new businesses have opened nearby.

Solar power at the school allows lights for children to study at night in a village where there is no electricity or running water.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario recently recognized Durham residents James and Phoebe Gonahasa with its 2019 International Humanitarian Awards. James is a teacher at Sir John A. McDonald P.S. in Pickering. The couple co-founded Amazing Love School in Uganda and have grown it from 46 students to more than 300.

Students can do skills training in areas like brick laying, carpentry, farming and baking, while a Heart to Heart program teaches about healthy relationships and academic success.

Sweet potatoes, cassava, fruit trees and corn have been planted in gardens on the school property.

Amazing Love School even houses the only library in the district, with visitors coming from as far as 50 kilometres away to see it.

“The village has become vibrant with hope and expectation,” James says. “We have seen children start dreaming again, parents regaining their hope and the community rejuvenated.”

Next steps for Amazing Love School include adding more classrooms, a computer lab, science lab, offices and accommodations for children who travel long distances to school.

There are also plans to install a security system, boost the solar power, complete the dining room, put in a new water system and obtain a school bus or van to transport students.

Anyone looking to support the Amazing Love School can make a donation online at www.amazinglovedevleopment.org or check out the third annual Taste of Africa fundraiser coming up Nov. 16 at 5 p.m. at the Oshawa Italian Recreation Club, 245 Simcoe St. S. in Oshawa.

Email amazingloveschool@gmail.com for more information about the event.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario recently recognized Durham residents James and Phoebe Gonahasa with its 2019 International Humanitarian Awards. James is a teacher at Sir John A. McDonald P.S. in Pickering. The couple co-founded Amazing Love School in Uganda and have grown it from 46 students to more than 300.

by Jillian Follert

Jillian Follert has been telling Durham’s stories for more than 15 years. She currently writes about education, food and business for Torstar’s community newspapers in Durham.

Email: jfollert@durhamregion.com Facebook Twitter

https://www.durhamregion.com/community-story/9567785-one-durham-teacher-two-schools-a-world-apart/

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WOODSTOCK – It’s a labour of love for a school in Uganda built on it.

On August 23 local volunteers in Beachville raised $1,500 for the Amazing Love School located in a remote village in Uganda where poverty and starvation are part of everyday life.

Organized by Oxford County residents and Woodingford Lodge employees, the money was raised through raffles and games.

The school, founded and funded by Canadian couple Phoebe and James Gonahasa in 2006, is located in Nakyere Village, Namutumba District.

It is built on ancestral lands that Phoebe Gonahasa, who grew up in the village, inherited from her mother.

“What the Gonahasas are doing is completely selfless,” said Sheilagh McDonald, one of the organizers of the fundraising event, adding her goal is to raise awareness about the school. “They are so dedicated to improving the conditions of their home village — it’s such a noble cause I wanted to support them.”

McDonald actually travelled to the school in February to teach English to the students. She said the school is so remote that it took five hours to travel the 160 km from the airport in Kampala.

The village has no hydro or running water — or any retail outlets — and the population survives off of shallow wells known as boreholes.

“This couple from Uganda recognized that this area is so remote the children were not getting educated and would live as peasants the rest of their lives,” McDonald said.

A number of the students are orphans from the AIDS epidemic, she said.

The Gonahasas, who now live and work in Canada, started the school and operate it with their own funds.

“From the desks to the books, they pay for everything; they also feed the students,” McDonald said. “Many of the students come to the school because they get fed and their parents want them to go so their children get an education.”

While the school costs about $4 US a year to attend, as many as half of the parents just can’t afford it, but the children are never turned away.

“The goal for this couple is to see the Amazing Love School flourish and to provide their students with a strong educational foundation that will make them employable,” McDonald said.

heather.rivers@sunmedia.ca

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