All Saints School

Today we went to visit the All Saints School located a little over an hour outside of Uganda, at the request of a good friend of ours. The school was started less than two years ago, and we were the first westerners to ever come and visit. Although the drive was long (mainly due to Kampala's notoriously terrible traffic) it was worth the trip. The All Saints School serves over 200 students. 40% of the students are orphans, children from abusive homes and children who are from underprivileged families. The other 60% of the students pay school fees, to subsidize the cost of the education and allow the school and its programs to be sustainable. The school serves children from ages 2 to approximately 14 and has instruction at the primary and pre-primary levels.

Going to the school on a Saturday we did not have the opportunity to meet all the students, but we were able to meet the approximately 100 students who live full time at the school--boarders as they are known here in Uganda. Many of these students make up the 40% who otherwise would be in unstable  and/or unsafe homes, or would not be able to attend school due to financial constraints. Upon arriving at the school we were greeted by all of the office staff. We were able to tour the school with a lovely woman named Betty--a social worker who works at the school full time. Every person at the school was incredibly warm and welcoming and we immediately felt at home.

The All Saints School takes very good care of all their students-- considering their physical, emotional and spiritual health. The boarding students live in large dormitories, where they are taken care of by matrons who live in the same room as the students. The matrons have grown into adoptive mothers for these children and showed such genuine love for them. Every school day the students eat together- boarders, non-boarders, teachers and administrators alike, fostering a sense of community among the students and staff. Meals are cooked by the kitchen staff and the food primarily comes from the garden where students learn to grow various crops. All meals are free for the students, and the diet focuses on nutrition (as many students come into the school malnourished). Throughout the classrooms were amazingly clean and organized, and although it was the weekend all of the teachers were at the school working- many with students- on their plans for the week to come. The dedication of the staff to their students was inspiring, and they are really trying to work beyond simple education and toward nurturing their students in many ways.

The work that All Saints is doing is incredible. They have done so much for the students that come to their school- working to ensure that their students who come from difficult backgrounds have a chance to flourish and thrive. We are hoping to go back to the school to do some activities with the children at a later time, and to foster deeper connections with the people we have already met.