Just as we are feeling the effects of inflation here in the USA, people in Uganda are struggling with similar challenges… Ugandan schools reopened in February this year after a 22-month hiatus, the longest shutdown of schools anywhere. The inflation rate had just spiked 1/2 point to 3.2%. But the ever-upward rise in energy prices is driving inflation to alarming levels. Today the rate of inflation in Uganda is 6.8% and is expected to increase again in July. In addition, the price of all goods and services has risen dramatically. Food prices have nearly doubled in just four months (100 kgs of flour were $41.60 – now $70.00, a ream…

Construction Is moving along at a good pace and it’s very exciting to see the progress that is being made. Be sure to read the following update and view the photos…… Despite the many challenges facing the school over the next few years, we continue to develop and grow the campus. We broke ground two months ago for our most ambitious project yet. . . a massive Multi-Purpose Building and a large, modern kitchen. When completed (scheduled for late 2022) it will accommodate 500 students at a time for lunches and dinners. It will also have a raised stage for performances with room to seat 750 guests and will be…

In today’s world, the role of computer experience cannot be overstated. This is especially true in countries where only a select portion of the population has this experience, as it can be the deciding factor between success and stagnation.  Uganda is one such country. Many of the students at John Paul Secondary School will not have operated a computer before doing so in class – compare this with the widespread use of technology in the United States, where children as young as one or two years old have their own tablets. That does not make Ugandan students’ knowledge of computers less important, though: if a Ugandan student in secondary school…

Proudly affirming that 97% of donor contributions goes toward student and faculty programs and facilities, we want to provide an update on our Three-Year Development Program. While the school itself was closed, Friends of John Paul School and the school faculty were as busy as ever. First, there were government mandates to satisfy, such as security fencing, hiring a full-time nurse and security guards for the campus. After more than 12 years, there was a significant amount of maintenance needed for older parts of the campus. This included foundation work, new and restored flooring, doubling the number of latrines and improvement of the campus water supply. The entire computer lab…

Friends of John Paul School recognized early on that proficiency in the sciences and digital technology would be necessary if students were to be ready to take their place in today’s business world. The Science and Learning Center was the second major construction on campus and contained Chemistry, Biology and Physics labs. The first computer lab was introduced in 2015; as school attendance grew, so did the requirement for more computer hardware. In 2019, Board Director Liz Comerford began the process of funding and developing a major expansion – to more than double its capabilities. Coordinating their efforts, Liz and Computer teacher Francis Akol explored the most efficient and cost-effective…

In 2005, a visiting missionary spoke to the St. Fabian Catholic Church congregation in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Paul and Nancy Berrigan were struck by the terrible poverty of the people of Chelekura, extremely impressed by dynamic Msgr. John Kauta’s description of the good that might be done there and encouraged by how far the American dollar could go. Understanding that the root cause of poverty is lack of education, they pledged to build a small school near the village. In an agreement with the Archdiocese of Tororo and the Ugandan government, their initial pledge of a primary school changed into the promise of a secondary school – college preparatory under…