Kirima Stewards Primary School

Kirima Stewards Primary is a happy, successful school that provides a high-quality education to children in this deprived area of rural Uganda thanks to the generosity of our sponsors.

The headmaster Steven and his team manage just the right balance between caring for the children, giving them a stimulating & fun time and teaching what they need for excellent exam results.

Many children who cannot get a place in Kirima attend a Government school. They are depressing places to visit because they lack both sufficient funding and good staff. Salaries are low so teachers often take a second job, meaning children can sit for hours in a classroom with no teacher – an experience which just teaches patience and passivity.

Other children do not attend school at all. Government schools are theoretically free but, in practice, families must make a financial contribution. Where schools are not good enough, families keep children to work at home. We constantly see primary aged children looking after goats, carrying loads or helping in roadside brick-making factories.

So, it is a pleasure to visit Kirima and be delighted by the sight of happy, smiling children.

For just £15 per month you could change a child's life… just click the button above to download a sponsor form with standing order. You really can make a difference.

Graduating from Primary 7 is a big deal in Uganda

Graduating from Primary 7 is a big deal in Uganda

About 80% of pupils have dropped out of government primary schools in Kanungu district over the last 10 years. Auditor General John Muwanga
Only 2,372 of 10,414 pupils completed primary education

So, what can I do to help?

Sponsor a child

It costs only £15 per month to pay for a child's education

Sponsor form

Provide desks

£10 buys a bench and table for the new classrooms

Donate £10

Give a marquee

Children need shelter when it rains £500

Donate £500

Projector

£500 pays for a projector for the children to view lessons, TV and films

Donate £500

News from Kirima

Several trustees visited in 2023 to see Kirma Stewards Primary School on it new site to make sure that children are getting the usual high standard of care and education.

All visits are self-funded to ensure that 100% of your sponsorship and donations are spent in Uganda on improving the children's lives.

Here is the latest news:

Kirima opens on new site

Children at the new Kirima site

Children at the new Kirima site

Kirima Great Stewards Primary School has opened on its new site, across the road from the original Kirima Parents' School.

The school has 292 320 children from Nursery to Primary 7, with 15 teachers and 9 ancillary staff.

There are separate toilet blocks for girls and boys, and hand washing facilities provided by water barrels with taps. Recreation facilities include a flat play area with a volley ball net and a small enclosed play area with some equipment for the Nursery classes. There is an outdoor covered kitchen.

Trustees reported they were given a warm welcome by everyone and were impressed by the happy, settled atmosphere and loyalty of the team.

 

November 2023

Loving learning

Learning outdoors

Learning outdoors

It is an uplifting experience to visit the schools in Kanungu. The children are interested in everything, engaged in their lessons and so happy to be at school.

I asked a boy if he was looking forward to the school holidays. He looked at me sadly and said "No, when I am is at home I spend too much time carrying water and not enough time learning".

We know that education is changing their lives. They just know that they love it.

Three children in lessons
 

November 2023

A healthy start

Getting vital inoculations

Getting vital inoculations

Sponsoring children in Uganda to go to school doesn't just mean they get an education… it also ensures they have a healthy start to their lives.

Child mortality in Uganda has halved in the last decade; simple interventions can halve it again.

At Kirima we make sure children get inoculations against killer diseases. We educate them in simple ways to stay healthy. By passing on what they learn to their families, they can save the lives of their siblings - many people withhold water from babies with diarrhoea, when simply giving them rice water is a lifesaver.

Washing hands
 

October 2023

Sports Day 2023

Uganda version of egg and spoon race

Uganda version of egg and spoon race

It was wonderful to see the children enjoying themselves at the 2023 sports day. Chatting to them outside the School environment is a great chance to get to know them better and check their wellbeing.

Some of the races were just like at home, like the sack race, others had a Uganda twist, like the balloon run and the vegetable peeling competition. The visitors joined in the tug of war, but it was declared a tie when the rope broke!

 

October 2023

The Cook

The cook in his kitchen

The cook in his kitchen

The cook is probably the most important member of staff at Kirima Stewards!

Children arrive at school hungry after a long walk with no breakfast. The school day starts with nourishing porridge. Lunch is traditional Uganda "posho and beans". Posho is mainly made of maize flour and cooked in a giant saucepan. The taste is more similar to rice though. Beans are poured on top to add protein and flavour. It is not very exciting but is a nourishing, balanced diet and the children love it.

A full belly is vital to learning at school as well as their healthy development.

 

October 2023

New IT teacher

IT teacher using the new laptops

IT teacher using the new laptops

The school has recruited a specialist IT teacher and set up a new resource centre with the first 12 laptops.

Some of the children have never touched a computer before but they learn very quickly and are delighted with their new lessons.

 

October 2023

Advanced primary education

Primary book (with cricket)

Primary book (with cricket)

Children at Kirima Primary are taught to a high standard as the typical biology exercise books show. The picture above shows an excellent understanding of the human blood circulation system and the one below our reproductive system.

One photo was taken in cricket season; vast numbers appear in November and the children catch them to cook and eat - a favourite delicacy.

Biology lesson

Biology lesson

 

November 2019

Nature Walk in the Hills

Girls with grasshopper

Girls with grasshopper

When we visit Kirima, we always take a group of children for a walk in the beautiful hills above the school. The scenery is wonderful and would be more popular than the Lake District if it were more accessible. But most of the children have never walked in their local hills - walking is a chore rather than a leisure activity for the locals.

We explored the local plants, insects and agriculture (including examining a bee hive). November is grasshopper season - when fried they are like whitebait and the children love them.

Children waving from a bridge
 

November 2019

I take my shoes off to play football because my parents cannot afford to replace them if they wear out Kirima children when asked why they play football barefooted