It occurs to me that our child sponsor page on our website is way out of date. I shall get onto that update soon. In the meantime here is an update on the seven sponsor children Ssubi supports and also on some sponsor children from the past that have moved on.

Collin (beside Philip) is in primary 7 at Lilly Kindergarten and Primary School in Kampala. Beside Collin are Rita and Gertrude, two orphans that attend Lilly whom the headmistress has request sponsorship for. Dusman is currently looking into their situations and assessing their need for support.

Jordon (primary 3) and Beatrice (primary 4) attend Bright Valley Academy in Gulu.

Opio (secondary 4) is in the center of this photo in a burgundy school uniform. He has been with The Ssubi Foundation since he graduated from primary 7 at Lela Obaro.

Michael (white shirt and grey pants) and Carolyn (burgundy school uniform) are both in Secondary 4, Michael attends Sir Samuel Baker High School and Carolyn attends Gulu High School.

Anna is completing secondary 6 and has been accepted into Ugandan Christian University in Kampala. She starts in January and will be taking Law – Wow.

Unfortunately not all in things in life work out; we are not longer supporting the two Irene’s, after completing primary 7, one of the Irene’s got married and now has a child. The other Irene dropped out of Secondary 1 due to a pregnancy and she also now has a child. When we last saw Bukenya he was doing well in school and looking good, no sign of the skin disease. Unfortunately Ssubi stopped supporting Bukenya in late 2008 due to issues we were having with his mother. We have learned a lot this past four years especially to appreciate the role Dusman plays in guiding and mentoring the children. And in assessing each child to ensure sponsorship is needed and supported by the child’s caregiver or guardian. Money is only part of the of the solution, kind of like many things in life.

The Ssubi Foundation thanks the Alberta Government for supporting Ssubi through the Community Initiatives Program (CIP), International Development Grant. The CIP provides funds from the Alberta Lottery Fund to enhance and enrich community initiatives. The CIP International Development Grant provides financial assistance to small and medium sized Alberta based non-government organizations to meet Alberta’s commitment to give people in developing countries the tools to eventually meet their own needs. The purpose of the international development grant is to match or supplement the donations the citizens of Alberta make to humanitarian projects of their choosing. The Ssubi Foundation thanks Alberta citizens whom supported us this year and enabled us to apply for the CIP matching grant.

This summer we returned to Lela Obaro Primary School and repainted the Richard Theriault Memorial Library and teacher accomodations. We built the library and teacher accomodations in 2009. It was the first government school library in Gulu Distirct. Unfortunately this year the school has had a string of head teachers which has led things to become rather chaotic. We consider this a minor setback as a new head teacher is due to start this October and we have high hopes that Lela Obaro will resume it’s status as a model school. There are many dedicated teachers at Lela Obaro but good leadership really helps to move things forward.

Outside the R.T. Library at Lela Obaro Primary School

Inside the R.T. Library at Lela Obaro Primary School

Teacher accomodations and cook houses with a new coat of paint at Lela Obaro Primary School.

Well, Philipo, Clay and I are returning home. Here’s to another successful year in Ug, filled with laughter, joy and tears. We were inspired by the community schools (teachers and parents) in Amuru District that have gone so far with so little, the strength and dedication of the Rwot Lakica Womens Group and hard work put in by the Ugandan builders to complete the Palenga infrastructure projects in such a short time period.

We felt your love and pain Joni and we wish you strength. We felt joy at the birth of two beautiful babies this year. Dusman- we are so very happy for you, Rosette and baby Sasha. Hope-we wish you all the best in your studies and motherhood. Jules – you rock girl, look forward to seeing you next year and sharing experiences and life stories with you. And we enjoyed so much spending time with Philip’s family and friends. And last of all I will never forget having to finally wear a Basutti.

Even though Philip and I have returned home Ssubi efforts in Uganda continue. Dusman is currently in Gulu to help sponsor children get back to school and check up on completion of the infrastructure projects at Palenga. We hope to keep you updated through-out the winter on the blog – so keep checking in.

We were invited to attend a performance at Lilly Kindergarten and Primary School. Lilly supports a number of orphans and as an extra curricular activity they are training to become traditional dancers. We were very impressed and enjoyed the entertainment. It was a great way to finish off our time in Uganda.

Orphans from Lilly School perform traditional dances