Covid-19 Update . . . never a greater need for your support

For all of us, Covid-19 has been difficult and disruptive . . . but for the school children of Uganda, it has become disastrous. In Uganda, which has minimal provision for health care, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to show increased cases as well as rising deaths.   Thus, the government has taken rigorous steps . . . from closing all borders to governing transportation, to restricting travel between villages and regions to closing ALL schools.

All schools have been closed since March with almost no opportunities for distance or online learning.  An opening of ALL schools, planned for September 21, has now been delayed until October 15 and ONLY P7, S4, S6 and university students may return.  October 15 until mid-December will be designated the “second term.”  In late January or early February, the “third term” will begin. The candidates will then be expected to write their exams around March or April 2021.  All other students must stay home until next year. 

For John Paul School, which serves S-1 through S-6 grades, this means a significant drop in student count and tuition income.   With only S4 and S6 students returning, the maximum student count at JPSS until the Jan-Feb new term will be 138 – down from the pre-pandemic student count of 579.  That, of course also assumes all 138 can pay their tuition – highly unlikely.

Regardless of the number of students who do return, normal services and costs continue. A prime concern is the funding necessary to retain our 30 highly effective, degreed teachers.   Additionally, there are fixed costs such as food and firewood, servicing the school’s solar panels and lab chemicals and equipment.

In addition to the above, before John Paul Secondary School can reopen, we must meet the following government-imposed conditions:

• Purchase digital thermometers
• Hire a qualified nurse
• Prepare isolation rooms for emergency cases
• Purchase enough sanitizers and other disinfectants for daily spraying of classrooms, dormitories and other places
• Purchase more garbage containers and more hand washing facilities
• Fence the school to avoid intrusion of outsiders who may put students at risk of contracting COVID 19
• Place a barrier fence at the bore hole to limit students’ interactions with outsiders
• Hire at least one watchman who is formally trained and certified
• Purchase a spray pump for daily disinfecting of facilities
• Provide daily transport to submit school status report to the district COVID19 Task Force

John Paul School depends significantly on the support of generous donors.  If there is any possibility for an additional gift at this time, we can only assure you of its genuine need and our sincere gratitude!