After being closed to the majority of pupils for 22 months – the longest school lockdown in the world – Ugandan schools reopened to all pupils on 10 January 2022.

Creating resources for homeschooling during COVID lockdown is a major challenge for the Uphill teachers. That has changed with the arrival of a multifunction photocopier! New Tech for Uphill

How Uphill Junior School developed from 2015-19, with financial support from the Trust.

In March 2021, the primary 7 pupils finally sat the 2020 Primary Leaving Examinations. This bright year group did themselves proud, with top marks in the district going to an Uphill girl! Examination Success!

A further grant from Meeting Needs funded a second latrine block with sewage tank this time for the primary boys. The original latrine will be taken over by the kindergarten children.

Lockdown proved to be a good time to get things done at Uphill. A small piggery – initiated to provide an income stream for the school – was constructed and three mama pigs were installed. Uphill has Pigs!

A central handwash station was constructed during lockdown, just in time for partial school reopening. Fed by harvested rainwater from across the school site, this addition to the school infrastructure has been widely acclaimed.

Uphill teachers reach out to pupils stuck at home. Government home schooling programmes required access to radio, TV and books – Uphill pupils had none of these resources so the teachers devised their own programme. Lessons in Lockdown.

COVID restrictions eased and the Uphill Build Team were back at work – installing additional security fencing around the extended school site, moving the wooden kindergarten classrooms, installing a stone floor and relocating the playground equipment. Kindergarten building used as a temporary boys’ dormitory when the school reopened to Primary 7 in October. Kindergarten on the […]

Uganda went into pandemic lockdown at the same time as the UK and all schools were closed for 7 months. Food poverty – always a problem – escalated. The Uphill Trust ran a successful fundraising campaign to support the Iruhuura community food aid initiative. COVID 19 Food Relief 1; COVID 19 Food Relief 2

In 2017 Crosfields School, a longstanding Uphill partner, donated a large amount of school uniform which was taken out to the school progressively in trustee suitcases. All the young girls received a  smart tartan dress – tartan kilts for the older girls are still at Uphill HQ, awaiting the next visit.

The Uphill Build Team work flat out to get the two new classroom blocks plastered, painted, with ceilings and electricity installed, in time for official opening by the Kabarole District Chairperson and other local dignitaries. Uphill trustees were also there and Max led the official visitors on a guided tour of the school.

A large donation from Dollar Academy Sponsored Walk (2017) plus fundraising from Kiltwalk events in 2018 and 2019 generated enough money to fund the two more classroom blocks for the primary section of Uphill Junior School. Water harvesting systems were installed and primary 1-4 moved out of their cramped wooden classrooms at last.

A second latrine block, for girls, with private washroom and a sewage tank rather than a deep pit, was funded by the charity Meeting Needs. Water harvesting was added and a tap installed in the washroom.

Two more plots of land were offered to Uphill Junior School, both adjacent to the current site. One of them held an electricity pole, with the promise of power for the school buildings. Money was found and the land bought. In no time at all electricity was installed in the administration block, and later in […]

Following a legacy donation from a family friend, the trustees commission an administration block for Uphill Junior School. The building contains a staff room, two offices and room for the new school nurse. It is painted orange – the donor’s favourite colour. A water harvesting system is installed.

Ugandan schools need to have an official site plan as part of the licence and registration process. A site survey was commissioned, along with official plans for the school. The plans reflect the current school buildings along with a ‘wish list’ of other buildings. This becomes a guide for further school development.

Fantastic fundraising from the Muddy Mayhem challenge and Crosfields School allowed the trustees to commission a tyre playground for kindergarten, along with sports equipment for the primary school. None of the children had seen a playground before, but they soon got the hang of it!