The story of John Paul Secondary School began in July of 2005, when a Diocesan Priest from Uganda named Msgr. John Kauta, was the guest speaker at our church for the annual Mission Appeal Sunday. He spoke passionately about the people of Uganda, their poverty, their great need and particularly the plight of the children. He also discussed the oppression and atrocities they have been forced to endure and the devastation inflicted on the country by war and brutal dictators. Msgr. Kauta is a very dynamic speaker and we were immediately drawn to him.  We decided at that moment we wanted to do something special. After mass we waited around to introduce ourselves and first broached the subject of possibly building a school for the children in Uganda……and the rest is history.

The next several months were very exciting and busy times for us. We began getting cost estimates to decide the size school we would build and started arranging for funding. We were humbled when we learned we would have the honor of naming the school and a bit in awe when we received the first set of blueprints and saw the scope and size of the project. The most excitement of all though was when we approved the plans and decided to “go ahead” and build the school.

John Paul School, named in honor of and dedicated to our fathers. It was only then we learned where it would be built  --- Chelekura, Uganda. Where??? We couldn’t even Google it.

Chelekura is a very small village about 20 kilometers from Pallisa in a remote part of eastern Uganda. Like many other parts of Uganda the first school here was a large tree.

In this extreme environment, the shade of a large tree can lower the temperature significantly. Typically children will sit on the ground in the shade with a teacher and a blackboard at one end. This was the first school.

The first building to be used as a school was a very simple open air structure. It was merely a series of poles in the ground with a thatched roof. The building was divided in the middle, with half the students facing in each direction and an instructor at each end.

Actual construction of John Paul School didn’t begin until March, 2006.  We anxiously awaited e mails and photos so we could follow the progress of the construction. We reveled with the first pictures when the foundation was laid, and again when the school began to take shape as the walls began going up.

Then we received the pictures that showed windows and finally the beginnings of the roof.

But all did not go smoothly. There were many obstacles and challenges. The first occurred when we drilled for water, an essential resource to support the school and the children. We drilled seven times unsuccessfully and eventually had to abandon plans for a community well and instead provided a water collection system of gutters and cisterns to capture the rains during the monsoon season. Another disappointment was the lack of electricity or generator. Two friends, early supporters and donors to the school offered to provide the first computers to the Science Center. Unfortunately their gift is still delayed. The government is now beginning to provide electricity to rural communities, but Chelekura is still “on the list”. As the main building was being built, they also built a series of eight latrines – three for male students, three for the females and two for the staff; buildings that were new and quite a novelty to most of the students.

One of the principle reasons our US dollars were able to go so far was because the local villagers volunteered their time and talents for the actual construction. It was amazing and gratifying to see how these local people, without benefit of modern tools and equipment, were able to bring the school to fruition. Especially when you consider, due to the remoteness of the area, that every item needed to build and furnish the school be it brick, nail, desk or blackboard had to be transported great distances. There are no Home Depots or Lowes around the corner!

The Africans have a saying, “Hurry Slowly”, and it seemed we were moving very slowly as we moved to 2007. It was during this time that a major change occurred. Due to some government actions and the intervention of Archbishop Odongo the school was changed from its original purpose as a primary school to a secondary school. By agreeing to this change, Archbishop Odongo was able to negotiate the construction of a government funded primary school on the same site. So, Chelekura which had no school would now have educational facilities for children from first grade through secondary school.

Finally after a year and a half of planning and building, John Paul Secondary School opened in February, 2007 with fourteen eager students. 

In March, 2007 we travelled to Chelekura to attend the dedication and blessing of the school by Archbishop Odongo. It was one of the most memorable moments of our lives and a life altering experience.