Kirima Stewards Primary is a happy, successful school that provides a high-quality education to 431 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 have insufficient funding and lack good staff. Salaries are low and teachers
often take a second job, so children sit for hours in a classroom with no teacher – an experience which
just teaches 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 see primary aged children looking after goats, carrying water 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 below to download
a sponsor form with standing order. You really can make a difference.
Graduating into primary school 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
Karen and Mark visited in 2025 as one of our regular trustee inspections to see Kirma Stewards Primary School on its new site to make sure that children
are getting the usual high standard of care and education.
All visits are self-funded (and none of your donations are spent on UK staff, marketing or admin) so that 100% of your
sponsorship and donations are spent in Uganda on improving the children's lives.
Here is the latest news:
P7 Geography Trip
School trip
The Primary 7 children from Kirima and Youngsters set out on their geography trip to visit highlights of Uganda. Only 2 of 29 children have ever
left Kanungu Distric in their lives. It is a challenge to learn about your country at school when you have only seen a tiny corner of it.
How exciting: their first viewing of elephants, tree climbing lions, crocodiles, hippos, buffalos, monkeys and a vast
array of birds. It is embarassing to visit the schools and see posters of african animals which the children (and most
of the teachers) have never encountered. They visited 6 districts and saw:
A game drive in Queen Elazabeth National Park
Several lakes and the Kazinga Channel bird-watching boat trip
Caves, hot springs and an irrigation scheme
A visit to every major town in the district and to the equator
A truely life-changing experience to celebrate graduating from primary school.
September 2025
Youngsters Primary School
Youngsters Classroom
We are pleased to start supporting Youngsters Primary School in Kinkizi. This was a thriving primary school prior to Covid but the
disruption at that time caused it to lose its International funding. We were overawed to visit in 2025 to find that the teachers were continuing
their work with no regular salaries.
The head teacher, the bursar, ten teachers and the cook have continued to teach the 180 children from nursery to year 7 with no external funding!
These individuals and their story were so inspiring that we decided we had to find a way to support them and we have provided enough funds to pay
a regular, if small, salary for each of the staff.
We were particularly to pleased to see that the District Examinations Panel ranked the school 18th out of 226 primary schools in Kanungu in their
most recent exam results. Well done to all the teachers and pupils - you deserve your success.
August 2025
Trustee Visit
Playtime!
It was, once again, a joy for Karen and Mark to visit the school and meet the children and staff.
Steven, the headteacher, with 13 teachers and 14 support staff are doing a fantastic job. From the moment you arrive, it’s clear that the school is well-managed,
with engaged and happy students in a well-equipped environment.
The school features an admin block that includes a computer room, a tented area serving as the school hall, a classroom block for three nursery years,
and another block for years one through seven. There’s also a playground with equipment for the nursery children, a volleyball net on-site,
and access to local grounds for football and netball. Due to the strong interest in boarding among older students and their families, we now provide
dormitories for girls and boys in year 7.
continued…
April 2025
...visit continued
The nursery playground
…continued
There is a strong focus on personal development with, for example, a programme appointing 23 prefects in roles which train pupils in leadership. We were able to meet
with several of the children both in formal conversations at school and informally on a nature walk and at an evening round the camp fire. They are confident
young people with good communications skills and a clear focus on their future education with ideas for their adult life.
One theme of our visit was a safety inspection and we were pleased to observe that child protection, fire safety, security, hygiene and health are taken seriously
to a standard which is, sadly, far from common in Africa.
The pupils, the teachers and the community are rightly proud of their brilliant school which gives children such an important start to their lives.
April 2025
RDC Visit
Year 7 Leavers' Presentation
If you did well at school, maybe you were presented with a book? The Kirima year 7 leavers were delighted with gifts of a brand new mattress to
every pupil who did well in their final exams. Something special which their family and friends will really take notice of.
And something which, every night for many years to come, will remind them of the reward from hard work!
The presentations were made during a visit by the Regional District Commissioner, the President's Representative in Kanungu. He also
commissioned a batch of new laptops which were donated recently.
Next time you are lying on your comfortable mattress, consider whether you could afford to donate something to help more children
in Kanungu get the education they deserve.
March 2025
Primary 7 Leavers Celebrate
Celebration for this year's leavers
Most children in Uganda leave school long before they complete their primary education, so everybody is delighted when Kirima children finish
their exams and graduate from year P7.
The whole school joins in the celebration (click the video to hear their excitement).
At Kirima we have a high retention rate and the children get outstanding results. This gives them the opportunity to progress to High School
and gain a valuable secondary education. Seeing this outcome encourages their parents to keep them at school even after they reach the age when
they would be useful at home and in the fields.
Financial support from Kirima donors helps transform their lives.
Update January 2025: The Ministry of Education has today released the P7 leavers' results and we are delighted that our pupils have achieved
their best ever results with some of the top grades in the entire Kanungu District.
October 2024
Fire Safety
Training Fire Wardens
All areas of the school have had safety upgrades, including lightning conductors, smoke detectors and fire extinguishers.
The video shows their fire awareness initiative, helped by the Uganda Police Fire Department, with staff and pupils being trained as
fire wardens so they are able to respond safely in case of fire.
Several schools in Africa have suffered loss of life from fires and we are pleased that positive action is being
taken by all staff.
October 2024
Soap!
Children waving a pack of soap
There was a rare surplus in the food budget this month which was used to give each child a pack of soap for washing their clothes.
Washing isn't easy in rural Uganda but somehow every child arrives at school beautifully clean and well turned out.
It is difficult for people in wealthier countries to understand broad grins on the faces of children on the special occasion
when they are given enough soap to wash their clothes.
October 2024
Kirima opens on new 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
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.
November 2023
A healthy start
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—mothers used to withhold water from babies
with diarrhoea, when simply giving them rice water is a lifesaver.
October 2023
Sports Day 2023
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 Cooks
The cooks in their kitchen
The cooks are 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.
April 2025
New IT teacher
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 education
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
November 2019
Nature Walk in the Hills
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 accessible to tourists. But most of the children have never walked in their local
hills—walking is a chore rather than a leisure activity.
We explored the local plants, insects and agriculture (including examining a bee hive). November is grasshopper season—when fried they
taste like whitebait and the children love them.
November 2019
I take my shoes off to play football because my parents can't afford to replace them if they wear out
Kirima child when asked why they play football barefooted
