Set up on land donated by a local Ugandan farmer and community development worker Ssali Expedit, Queen of Peace has grown from nothing to educating over a hundred local students. The Queen of Peace Secondary School is one of Children's Sure Houses newest initiatives and one that is very much at its beginning phase of development.

The standard School ages for these years is 13, 14 and 15, however due to the poverty of the area and the lack of free education facilities before the Queen of Peace School's inception, the age groups of the students range from 13 to 19. An example of the struggle of some of the students for education in this area is Joseph.

Success through Empowerment :

One of the Founders, Sseruyange John is an example of empowerment through education in Uganda. An orphan at the age of six, John received support to help him gain an education from domestic and foreign donors. It was very difficult for John to grow up as an orphan, but with the help he received, he managed to complete his studies. John now holds a Master's Degree in Economics from Makerere University (Uganda's most prestigious University), and is a lecturer in Kyambogo University.

John is an example of Ugandan's trying to help Ugandan's. His story is one of hope, which support from donors and volunteers can achieve. After receiving help to complete his studies, he is now helping hundreds of others to do the same, thus creating a cycle of perpetual empowerment. What Uganda needs is Education, Education and Education. John is an example of just how important helping people to empower themselves through education is, and you can see with his story what can be seen all around Uganda, educated people helping their countrymen grow and prosper.

Teaching:

Though the founders of the Queen of Peace School have made great strides in such a short space of time, there is a real need for volunteers in order to help them on their journey. Volunteers are needed to teach in various subjects including English, History and Geography etc. New ideas and initiatives on how to help the children to grow are always welcome at the Queen of Peace School. Some examples of this would include HIV/ Aids education and support, Nutrition education and Computer literacy classes for the School's pupils. The Queen of Peace School also plans to create a Senior 4 class next year, and as such will require teachers no matter what their level of experience in order to facilitate this development.

Community Development:

Nabyewanga, Muge Village is one of those neglected villages that you can see at times when you travel through a main road in a poorly developed country. Too far from the capital to receive centralised assistance, but also not rural enough to attract the attention of various NGO's, Muge Village is in desperate need of help and ideas on community development. With the help of the students, the community has prospered by strengthening its food security with individual classes sent to grow yields of food (including Potatoes see picture below) for both the School's sustainability and the under-privileged at large. However initiatives such as these have been limited by a lack of expertise and resources. We need volunteers who can come up with fresh ideas on initiatives, which can help the School, and the wider community grow as a whole.

Building:

Volunteers are also needed in order to finance and construct permanent School structures, as the current classrooms are made of wood (see the picture below.) The School at the moment consists of two classrooms, which are together as part of a shed like structure. We need to build classrooms from brick and cement in order to create a proper scholastic environment for the children. At present the current structure does not prevent the students and their study materials from getting wet when it rains. If the rain is strong, classes at times have to stop and shelter taken at a nearby building. When therefore need a sound structure in order for us to educate the children effectively.

The aim of the School is to:

• To improve the standard of living conditions through the education of the masses, and building homes for the underprivileged.

• To establish a provision of safe water for drinking and home use by the community.

• To Encourage, support and comfort HIV/ Aids stricken families.

• To ensure the provision of vocational studies so that students can strive for self-sustainable career.

• To improve the school structures from wooden classrooms to permanent concrete structures.

• To provide high quality education to the young and old.

• To improve on the income generation of the school through small-scale projects that can empower the students and community. E.g. Raising Poultry and Pigs.

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Joseph
As I left Kampala with Sseryange John to visit his School, he told me of one student, Joseph, whose story seemed to sum up so many that I had heard about the struggle for education in Uganda .

John began by going through Joseph's life story, tragically orphaned at the age of four when he lost both parents to the HIV/ Aids epidemic. Joseph was left alone with his sister with nobody around to support him. Joseph did manage to attend Primary School and the start of Secondary School, where he showed himself to be a precocious talent excelling academically, as well as at sports, music and drama. All seemed to be going so well for this bright young pupil. Unfortunately though, due to his financial constraints, Joseph had to leave School early because he could not pay his School fees. He also had to give up on any further thoughts of education in order to help out on their small plot of land. It looked at that point as if a lot of potential would be wasted.

This is were Sseryange John found Joseph a few years later, in a field near the school, with his older sister nowhere to be seen, having married and moved to Kampala. John found Joseph still only a young boy, on his own, farming the land and living in a small dark hut, subsisting on whatever he could grow and sell in the nearby Muge Village .

John commented on how polite and kind Joseph was in that first meeting. When I met him, I met the very same boy. I could not help thinking of how I would have been as a person if my life had been so difficult. I could picture myself as a quiet, sullen and angry young man, but with Joseph I met a boy who was always smiling and always having fun with those around him.

John having talked to Joseph in the field, asked him to come back to School in order to finish at least his Secondary education with the Queen of Peace School. John also offered to try and find him some better accommodation, which he did in the form of a small house beside Ssali Expedit's house. Joseph has taken the kindness and opportunities given to him and never looked back.
Now Joseph is head boy at the School and gets the top marks in nearly everyone of his subjects and is currently preparing for his A level exams. John is in no doubt that Joseph is more than capable of studying at University, and plans to fund his further development when he can get enough resources to do so.