The original wooden school building is dismantled and moved to the new site to create 7 temporary classrooms in 2 blocks – one for the lower primary classes, the other for kindergarten. A third plot of land expands the school site further.  All Uphill children are now on the same site.

The only water supply in Iruhuura is a shallow well, so the trustees prioritise the provision of rain water harvesting systems for the school. In 2016 water tanks were installed next to the latrine and classroom blocks.

A second plot of land was purchased, adjacent to the first. Construction of the first permanent classroom block also began, funded by the Dollar Academy Sponsored Walk  (2015). The school site was secured and three primary classes moved onto the school site.

After a busy year of fundraising, building begins on the new school site, starting with a ventilated improved pit latrine.

The Uphill Trust obtains funding to purchase land in Iruhuura (legacy donation plus small grant) and a local landowner agrees to sell one of her plots to Uphill Junior School. Max returns to Uganda in the summer with his son Shaun to the finalise the transaction. A new home for Uphill

Elius takes Max to see Uphill Junior School for the first time.  The impact of 90 Ugandan children singing for him was too much for Max – he was hooked and vowed to help in any way he could! How it Began.

Max tells everyone who will listen about Uganda and Uphill Junior School. Friends get involved and 1st Newport Brownies raise over £1,000 to buy a water tank for the school.

Illustrator and Comic Artist Catriona Laird designs the Uphill logo whilst still a student. It features the red dirt road the trustees travel on whenever they visit the school. The logo is used, in different colour schemes, by both school and trust.

The Uphill Trust is awarded Scottish charity status on 29 January 2015 and a group of trustees make their first official visit to Uphill Junior School. It is clear that the school is going to need good quality classrooms on a permanent site, so land purchase becomes the first objective for the charity.

Parents and guardians are delighted with the quality of education and ask for a primary school – Uphill Junior School is born! Elius and his business partner start to put up a wooden school building on rented land, but soon run out of money. Where is Uphill Junior School?

Max takes his wife Belinda to Uganda for the first time and she is also hooked! When they get home, they establish The Uphill Trust to support Uphill Junior School. The family appoints trustees and draft a mission statement for The Uphill Trust.

Donations from the Macdonald family and Dollar Academy Charity Committee help to finish the school.  All the classrooms have a roof, brightly painted walls, and desks for all the children.

Niall ‘Max’ Macdonald travels to western Uganda to research his family history and meets Elius for the first time  (an arrest is involved…)  How it Began

Muhimbise Elius, a trained teacher, founds a kindergarten school for 3-5 year olds in Iruhuura trading centre, western Uganda, to provide pre-school education for local children.