Paving the Way Phase 1 of the big landscaping project at Uphill Junior School is underway! In Scotland we might call the body of water that forms at the front of the school each time it rains the “Uphill Lochan’ (a small lake or pond). Not an ideal entrance feature, and one that needs to […]
Infrastructure at Uphill: The Final Step(s) Uphill Junior School lives up to its name as our school site is anything but flat, a reflection of the wonderful geography of the surrounding landscape in the crater lakes area of west Uganda, bordering the Kibale Forest. The landscape around Uphill is not the only spectacular feature – […]
Anyone for Stovies? * We are all very aware of how limited Earth’s resources are, and how important it is to protect and conserve what we have on the planet. In Uganda they have been promoting the idea of using less firewood for cooking for some time, not only to conserve their natural resources but […]
Every Friday is a Good Friday During our trustees’ visit in February 2026, we got to see our new vocational classroom in use. In pride of place were the sewing machines and knitting machine, and there was more waiting for us. We really enjoyed helping with the ‘unboxing’ of the Workaid consignment of equipment which […]
In advance of our annual Trustee visit, and the start of the 2026 Ugandan academic year, we are delighted to report very positive news from Uphill Junior School. During 2025 the school applied for, and was awarded, PLE (Primary Leaving Examination) exam centre status. This means that that the P7 candidates are able to sit […]
The 12 PCs of Christmas! IT skills are essential for today’s children and adults. Only 25% of Ugandan teachers have a basic understanding of computer use and only 10% have the skills to use computers to enhance their lesson planning and teaching. For pupils in rural schools, lack of electricity, IT equipment and functional internet […]
Even though I’m now a retired dentist, after a career spanning 40 years it is quite difficult not to find myself thinking of teeth and oral hygiene. In 2019, before I stepped away from the chair, I was part of the Dentaid team of volunteer dental professionals on the first of my three professional visits […]
We are lucky to have really good communication with the Elius, the Uphill Junior School Director, via digital messaging services. This blog gives you a flavour of our regular chats… Team Uphill – Elius with trustees Liddy, Belinda and Max Background to this conversation Towards the end of the COVID lockdowns the Uphill staff asked […]
Walking on Water Way back in 2014, Newport Brownies – accompanied by a crowd of friends, families, and the Newport Church Sunday Club – held a sponsored walk across the Tay Bridge. They were hoping to raise enough money to buy what would be the very first rainwater harvesting tank for Uphill Junior School in […]
For a community where toys are not a regular thing for children, it was good to see a wee one cuddling a doll made from banana leaves during school playtime at Uphill. Commenting on this to one of the teachers, she said, “We can all make them.” My reply was, “Please can you show me […]
If you ever wondered whether Girlguiding was a truly worldwide organisation, here’s a tale that will convince you. Following a chance meeting with some Ugandan Guiders in Entebbe during 2022, Liddy, a longtime Brownie leader in Scotland, went on to make further Guiding connections in Uganda. The result of these links is the formation of […]
A New Kindergarten for Uphill This is the story of ten years in the life of a rural Ugandan school building. These days we in the west are all being encouraged to reuse or recycle to cut back on waste, and help reduce climate change. In Uganda, our experience is that before anything is thrown […]
Read on to hear about the impact of your donations in 2024! It’s been a good year for Uphill Junior School. After 10 years of building, box ticking, and official inspection visits, the school has been awarded fully registered status as a Private Educational Institution in Uganda. As you can see below, Headteacher Michael and […]
Another school year is coming to a close in Uganda and the Class of 2024 have completed their Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) and left school. This was the eighth year in a row that pupils from the school have had the opportunity to sit these important national examinations. The Uphill Class of 2017 was the […]
Though we’re not the only species on earth to use tools, you can’t deny that we’re better at it than any of the others. Our modern life would be impossible without them. So, if you are a young Ugandan, access to tools and the training in how to use them will be a necessity for […]
Developing interactive and hands on learning activities for the teachers and pupils is one of the priorities at Uphill. We help when and where we can and gradually new strands of teaching are becoming embedded in the classrooms. This is the second blog about new resources that have ben introduced into the school. Hands On […]
Developing interactive and hands-on learning activities for the teachers and pupils is one of the priorities at Uphill. We help when and where we can and gradually new strands of teaching are becoming embedded in the classrooms. In the first of two blogs on this topic we introduce you to developments in IT and science. […]
The Uphill Compost Toilet Project was born out of necessity – a new toilet facility is urgently needed for staff and visitors to the school. The current ‘temporary’ shallow drop latrine was built in 2018, in response to a requirement by the school inspectors, and is now almost full! We struggled to find a place […]
In June 2023 we received the incredible news that Hazel’s Footprints Trust had awarded us a generous grant of £15,000 – the biggest we have received to date! This financial boost set the wheels in motion for a significant transformation in the Uphill Junior School staff housing compound. By October, with final agreement on the […]
A BIG UPHILL THANK YOU TO ALL OUR DONORS! 2023 has been a more ‘normal’ year for the staff, children and parents of Uphill Junior School, although the cost of living crisis that is biting the world over has hit rural Ugandans hard. The price of food staples such as maize, beans, matoke (savoury banana) […]
