By  Caitlin Green and Carolyn Edlebeck Arlington Academy of Hope works very hard to raise intelligent and driven students. In order for AAH students to be successful, it is important that the Arlington staff and community continue to inform and sensitize the students, especially the girls, with all the necessary life skills. As the young girls at AAH begin to grow and mature there are many issues that they face as they move from the rural setting to their new secondary boarding schools. Therefore, a P7 Girls retreat was organized with the aim of giving the P7 girls an added foundation of self-confidence and understanding of how to lead a healthy lifestyle before they move on to higher education. On August 6th-7th, the P7 girls joined AAH teachers on a weekend retreat to St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Mbale. Chaperones for the retreat included: P1 teacher- Grace Lusweswe, P7 teacher- Miriam Nabafu, Volunteer Coordinator- Carolyn Edlebeck, and volunteer- Caitlin Green. The retreat group left the village at 10:00am on Friday morning and returned at 6:00pm the following day. All of the girls were so excited to have an overnight retreat and showed great enthusiasm for the purpose of the retreat. The two-day retreat was full of activities and speakers for the P7 girls. The topics covered included: Behavior and Self-Confidence, Relationships, Health, and the Future. Five speakers from varying backgrounds came to speak to the girls on Friday and Saturday, giving expert advice on many issues, ranging from HIV/AIDS, personal health, future goals, career aspirations, and the importance of having good, healthy relationships. One speaker, Justine Auma, was a clinical officer who spoke to the girls about health and hygiene. Another speaker was Pastor Frank Nankunda, who created a wave of excitement for the future and the importance of continuing education. The overall goal of the retreat was to equip the girls with useful and important information so that they could have control of their futures, health, and sexuality. Overall, the retreat was a huge success! As Nakuti Carolyne in P7 commented, “I learned so much in Mbale. Now, I don’t think any girl in our class will drop out of school. I was so grateful for all the information our teachers and other speakers shared with us. I will never forget them. They have inspired me to have a successful future.” All the girls enjoyed the speakers and the activities that the coordinators had planned. Between speakers, everyone played games, had relay races, and listened to music. At the end of the retreat, each girl received a gift bag that included: two pairs of underpants, a bar of soap, jar of rubbing oil, shoe polish, a toothbrush, and toothpaste. This was a very successful and fun-filled event, for both the teachers and students. Hopefully, this will become the model for future girls’ retreats because the value and importance of sharing information with young girls is critical for their success in secondary school and beyond.
A Students Reflection
It was on 6th of August, 2010 that the Primary Seven girls from Arlington Academy of Hope left for a two day retreat to Mbale. The retreat was held at St. Andrew’s Cathedral Guest House. When we arrived on Friday morning, we had our breakfast and then began the business of the retreat. The first speaker was named Madam Jesica, who first told us about her life up to now. She talked about how girls should not be taken up or persuaded by men or boys. She also told us that girls should not be like sheep, which don’t know where they are going. Girls should have a path and not be lost in life. The presenter after Madam Jesica was Madam Mary. Madam Mary told us about how to make our future bright and successful. She also told us about the importance of taking care of ourselves and protecting ourselves as girl children. Next was a speaker named Madam Christine who held an HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases information session. She talked about what HIV/AIDS stands for, and how it is spread, prevented, and controlled. She told us the signs and symptoms of the diseases, and concluded her lecture by sensitizing us on how to be safe from HIV/AIDS as girls of Arlington Academy of Hope. Then she advised us not to have sex at an early stage because it is one way to get HIV/AIDS. After the morning speakers, we went to a restaurant in Mbale to have lunch. We had a very nice and heavy lunch that everybody enjoyed and we gave much thanks to the school for organizing the retreat. It was really fun for all us girls. After lunch, we came back and continued with the program. Madam Justine came and took us through a session about behavior and body changes. She told us how to manage our periods and how to keep ourselves clean during menstruation. After she finished at 7:00 pm, we went to bathe and then had supper. After supper at the guest house, we went to play games. All of the games were enjoyable and we even watched a movie called “Ice Age.” It was very interesting and no one wanted to go to bed and sleep. The following morning, we went to bathe and then played some games before breakfast. As soon as we had finished all sorts of games, we went to the dining hall to have breakfast. Our final teacher for the retreat was Mr. Nakunda Frank who talked about life skills. He said that we are as valuable as money, so we shouldn’t misuse our bodies. He was the most interesting person of all of the speakers that we had at the retreat. He promised to come visit our school. He made us very happy. In the afternoon, we had our final lunch. At around 3:00 pm, Teacher Carolyn and Caitlin took us to a super market and we bought all sorts of things we wanted. When the taxi came at around 4:30pm, we set off back to our homes. It was really nice and wonderful. All of the P7 girls wish to thank so much the US board and the school for having done all this, especially Teacher Carolyn and Caitlin who were the organizers of the retreat. How wonderful you are! God bless you!
   
 On Monday, June 14, the Bowman Family visited Bumwalukani and Arlington Academy of Hope. Rob Bowman, Dina Esposito, and their 3 children, Christina, 15, Mariah, 13, and Robert, 9, have been living in Africa for the last 4 years. They spent the first 2 years of their time in Africa living in Addis Abba, Ethiopia, and the most recent 2 years have been spent in Nairobi, Kenya. Rob works as an attorney for the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi and Dina works for a development NGO. The family is returning to life in the USA this summer! Christina, who graduated from ATS, will start her sophomore year of high school in the fall and Mariah will be starting 8th grade. The youngest child, Robert will rejoin the community at ATS in September.
The family certainly made and impression on AAH! They came with gifts of school supplies and sports equipment, and each class, P1 through P7, now enjoys its own basketball or soccer ball. Rob and the Bowman children held a basketball clinic for the P5 students one morning and the whole family helped to teach some of the students how to use the new computers. One of the more popular programs to use was Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing! The Bowman Family also graciously began sponsoring two students from P5. The family met and interacted with the two boys throughout both days they were here.
Christina and Mariah attended a P7 math class, read to the P7 class during their library hour and were thrilled to find an old ATS Page and Pen book in the library which included stories they had written while at ATS. Robert was pleased to create an art supplies shelf in the library with some of the materials his family brought for the school. He labeled the cabinet “Robert’s box” so the AAH children will (hopefully!) remember him when they use it.
The Bowman Family made a lasting impression on the students at AAH. We are truly grateful for the time they spent here. Since this was the first ATS family to visit AAH in Uganda, all the staff and students felt very privileged to spend time learning from the family. Each class had questions for the family about their life in America, Africa, and what it was like to go to school at ATS. It was a wonderful cultural and educational exchange. AAH thanks the family tremendously for th   eir visit. We hope they keep in touch!
 Q: Tell us about your background:
A: “I was born in Nairobi, Kenya and attended Kibera Primary School. My mother was a housewife and my father a mechanic. I have two brothers and six sisters (all currently living in Mbale). In 2000 my family moved to Mbale, Uganda. There I attended Mbale Secondary School from S1-S6 (six years). Then I went to Uganda Christian University for three years. This is the same university where the Head Master Thomas Kitandwe studied! After that I received a bachelor’s degree in Library and Information Science. Before working at Arlington I volunteered in the Mbale Public Library.”
Q: How did you find out about the librarian position at Arlington?
A: “I found out about the job from two friends. One friend is currently a worker in the Bupoto Clinic that Arlington runs and the other is a volunteer at the Christian University. They recommended that I apply.”
Q: How do you feel about leaving town and moving to the village?
A: “I like it here in Bumwalukani. Many things, such as food, are not as expensive as they are in town. However, there is rarely power and that is something I am not used to. However, I will endure the darkness. Also, in the village people are friendlier and take time to greet each other. This makes me feel welcome and happy. In Mbale Town people are usually very busy- going to work/shopping, and do not take the time to get to know one another.”
Q: What is your favorite food?
A: “I enjoy mushroom soup and of course matoke (Uganda staple food- boiled plantain).”
Q: What do you think is your biggest challenge as the new librarian?
A: “My biggest challenge is working with the very young children (P1 and P2 classes). I have never dealt with children so young but I am quickly learning how to handle the classes of 50 students and help them appreciate and enjoy the act of reading.”
Q: What is your favorite part of your new job?
A: “Although the young children are my greatest challenge, they are also my favorite part of my job. I enjoy reading stories for them and teaching them new things
  Compiled by Tr. Shibale Richard Kakala
A teacher’s workshop was conducted at the AAH school premises starting
on Wednesday 26th- Friday 28th of May 2010. The purpose of the
workshop was to help all the teachers acquire knowledge and skills of
handling the transitions class, P4. This workshop was mainly for the
teachers of Grade 4, but also affected all teaches because they may at
one time teach the class. The workshop was important because the
Ministry of Education and Sports together with the National Curriculum
Centre have changed the Grade 4 curriculum. AAH needed a workshop to
stay on top of these changes. All AAH teachers participated. The
facilitators were P4 Tr. Shibale Richard, whom was trained to train
the others, and and Mr. Wanzala Abass, a previous trainer. The
workshop was organized in such a way that daily lessons were not much
affected.
Below are the topics that were covered:
1.) Background to Grade 4 curriculum
2.) Understanding Documents for P4
3.) The role of language for P4
4.) Methodology in P4
5.) Scheming, lesson planning, and assessment
6.) Challenges in implementing the P4 curriculum
7.) Demonstrations
  Although the major landslide occurred several months ago, there is still a pressing need for aid and assistance for the displaced residents of the affected areas. Arlington has continued to support the IDP camp in Bulucheke by donating items, building structures, and distributing goods.
This past term, before students departed for term break, the upper classes (P6 and P7) organized dozens of large sacks of clothing and shoes into smaller bundles for individual families at the camp. Then all 100 students and over 15 staff members spent all afternoon until evening personally walking from tent to tent distributing the items. These items had been donated by Bukumbale Primary School, Kampala City School, and Buyobo Women Microfinance Initiative. Donations included: maize flour, soap, salt, clothing, shoes, and other food items. Each of these institutions asked AAH to do the job of distributing their donated items because they trusted that AAH would get the task completed efficiently. That same day, AAH also supplied two truckloads of firewood, since this was an urgent need at the camp for cooking.
It was a job very well done by all staff and students of AAH. The residents of the camp were very grateful to all oh AAH’s hard work and commented on the direct efforts AAH has made. It was also a powerful learning experience for the Arlington students. They learned how important it is to give and to take time to help others in need.
Photos taken by AAH Director: James Nabitawo
Arlington Junior School held an Open House at the end of April. This gave all of the student’s parents an opportunity to come and observe how a typical school-day runs at Arlington. It was a time for parent’s to ask teachers questions about their child’s performance and behavior, and to understand how hard their children work to succeed in their classes.
This was a great day for Caroline in P4 (age 11) and her father. Her father came to Arlington and sat in on her class, ate porridge break with her, and talked with the P4 teacher about her academic progress. This is what Caroline had to say about Open House at Arlington, “I was so happy to see my father and that he was able to come. Some of my friend’s parents could not come. That morning my father had to get up early and feed the animals so he could leave home early enough to get to my school. My father told me that he was proud because my teacher gave him a good report. He said he was happy because I was always early for school, while others were sometimes late. Also, I always revise my books and study hard. It was a nice day for me.”
    In order to brighten up their library all the students of Arlington Academy of Hope got their hands dirty, quite literally, in the process of beautifying the walls and bookshelves. Students in P1-P4 classes each painted one of their hands and very carefully, so that they didn’t spoil their uniforms, painted the side walls and backs of bookshelves. In the P5-P7 classes a group of Art Representatives were chosen from each class. The classes worked together to come up with ideas for their murals and presented their classmates’ ideas during discussion. P5 decided on painting the Coat of Arms and P6/ P7 decided on an Ugandan landscape (including Mt. Nusu), a kob- the national animal, and an AAH student reading.
With the assistance and partnership of FIMRC staff and volunteers, students spent two weeks painting the library after school. FIMRC donated scrubs and gloves for P5-P7 students to wear. Student thoroughly enjoyed wearing the scrubs and gloves. “This is what I’ll wear someday as a doctor,” one of the P6 students commented. Bethany Richards, a FIMRC volunteer and artist, worked with the students on developing their art skills and coming up with creative ideas. For many of the students it was their first time using paint and being able to mix their own colors. Although this was a rather messy project, the students greatly enjoyed using their art skills and taking ownership of their hard work.
Joel P7 told me: ”I enjoyed painting because the mural we painted turned out beautifully. I am really happy that we came up with the idea to paint an AAH student reading under a tree. I enjoy being an artist and using my skills. I hope that we can have the chance to use the extra paint for more projects because I enjoy art. I thank Tr. Catherine who offered to pay for some of the paint that was purchased. All of my fellow artist participants thank everyone for organizing this activity.”
Caroline P7 told me: “I really liked painting in the library because it has helped me improve my art skills. I have now learned how to draw people and before I never knew. It has also helped me learned to improve my handwriting by helping me learn to draw straight and stay in a line. Also, I was the one who came up with the idea of painting the kob, our national animal. The kob was my favorite idea and my favorite thing to paint!”
Catherine Reising-Jones recently returned to Uganda for the fifth time accompanied by her husband, Jeff Jones, and brother-in- law, Peter Sims, to see that the 2010 school year starts off well. Catherine has played a major role in the secondary scholarship program and is well loved around the village. She has personally visited dozens of secondary schools in order to ensure that AAH children go to the best secondary schools in Uganda.
Carolyn Edlebeck also arrived recently in Bumwalukani. Carolyn will be spending the year in Uganda as the Volunteer Coordinator. She is excited to support the AAH primary school, secondary scholarship program and village school outreach program.
Immediately after arriving in Uganda, the group got to work! In their first two weeks, the group organized the library, finalized plans for the new well project, taught basic computer lessons to P6 and P7, visited students in secondary schools, explored the various possibilities for solar energy and created profiles for the new P1 students. It has been an action-packed couple weeks! Everyone at the school and the local villagers have been extremely welcoming and are grateful for the group’s hard work. “Well done!” is the common phrase used in Bumwalukani whenever someone passes a volunteer at work.
The volunteers also had the pleasure of bringing sponsor letters with them from abroad. Upon entering each classroom, the children clapped and cheered because all were eager to read their letters. To all the dedicated sponsors: Thank you so much for taking time and writing to your child. It means so much and makes the students feel special!
If you are interested in volunteering at AAH in Uganda, email volunteer@aahuganda.org for information.
This morning, we received wonderful news. The 43 students who just graduated from AAH achieved a new milestone for our primary school. All the students scored in Division One or Division Two on the 2009 Uganda Primary Leaving Exam (PLE) and the majority of them (23 students!) scored in Division One. We are so very proud of these hardworking AAH students and their teachers. Thanks to them and the generosity of their child sponsors and many other donors and supporters, AAH remains the best performing school in Bududa and neighboring Manafwa District. You can see in the chart below how the performance of AAH students compares to those from Bududa District (where AAH is located) and across Uganda. The results from the PLE are again a confirmation that it is possible for students to achieve excellent results in rural Uganda, provided they are given the basic means to succeed.
Today, the 43 AAH graduates are no doubt filled with excitement and new hope as they prepare to advance to a top level secondary boarding school where AAH has an established relationship. Provided they meet the eligibility requirements and we raise the necessary funding, they will receive AAH Secondary School Scholarships. A whole new world of possibilities will open up to them.
It’s amazing when you consider how far they’ve come. AAH students are products of a harsh rural environment and their likely fate was to become peasant farmers like their parents. When these kids first came to AAH, they knew almost nothing. Most could not write their names, or do the basic multiplication table, or tell the time. It did not matter whether these kids had gone to local schools or not. Many were on the verge of dropping out of school before AAH. That they could come to AAH and excel as they have done validates our belief that the system was not living up to the potential of these children. Continue reading PLE Results In – AAH Students Excel
In our continuing series, we bring you another composition from one of our students. Georgina, who will graduate this year, writes about her class’ school trip to the Ugandan capital of Kamapala. For most students, the field trips are their first chance to see a big city.
It was on Wednesday, 16th September 2009 when our teachers sent us home at lunch time to prepare for the tour to Kampala on the next day. We were so excited to hear that. We went home to prepare ourselves for the journey. I did not sleep that day. I was thinking about the tour. We began telling stories with my sister Caroline until it clocked midnight. We slept for three hours then we woke up to bathe and put on our clean uniforms. But for all those three hours, we were dreaming that the bus had left us! Continue reading Student Stories: Georgina (P7)
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Caitlin Green and Carolyn Edlebeck Arlington Academy of Hope works very hard to raise intelligent and driven students. In order for AAH students to be successful, it is important that the Arlington staff and community continue to inform and sensitize the students, especially the girls, with all the necessary life skills. As the young girls at AAH begin to grow and mature there are many issues that they face as they move from the rural setting to their new secondary boarding schools. Therefore, a P7 Girls retreat was organized with the aim of giving the P7 girls an added foundation of self-confidence and understanding of how to lead a healthy lifestyle before they move on to higher education. On August 6th-7th, the P7 girls joined AAH teachers on a weekend retreat to St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Mbale. Chaperones for the retreat included: P1 teacher- Grace Lusweswe, P7 teacher- Miriam Nabafu, Volunteer Coordinator- Carolyn Edlebeck, and volunteer- Caitlin Green. The retreat group left the village at 10:00am on Friday morning and returned at 6:00pm the following day. All of the girls were so excited to have an overnight retreat and showed great enthusiasm for the purpose of the retreat. The two-day retreat was full of activities and speakers for the P7 girls. The topics covered included: Behavior and Self-Confidence, Relationships, Health, and the Future. Five speakers from varying backgrounds came to speak to the girls on Friday and Saturday, giving expert advice on many issues, ranging from HIV/AIDS, personal health, future goals, career aspirations, and the importance of having good, healthy relationships. One speaker, Justine Auma, was a clinical officer who spoke to the girls about health and hygiene. Another speaker was Pastor Frank Nankunda, who created a wave of excitement for the future and the importance of continuing education. The overall goal of the retreat was to equip the girls with useful and important information so that they could have control of their futures, health, and sexuality. Overall, the retreat was a huge success! As Nakuti Carolyne in P7 commented, “I learned so much in Mbale. Now, I don’t think any girl in our class will drop out of school. I was so grateful for all the information our teachers and other speakers shared with us. I will never forget them. They have inspired me to have a successful future.” All the girls enjoyed the speakers and the activities that the coordinators had planned. Between speakers, everyone played games, had relay races, and listened to music. At the end of the retreat, each girl received a gift bag that included: two pairs of underpants, a bar of soap, jar of rubbing oil, shoe polish, a toothbrush, and toothpaste. This was a very successful and fun-filled event, for both the teachers and students. Hopefully, this will become the model for future girls’ retreats because the value and importance of sharing information with young girls is critical for their success in secondary school and beyond.
