15 year old Kiberu William, who is a top performing scholarship recipient of Just Like My Child Foundation was just given his first opportunity to travel outside of his home country of Uganda. William traveled through Kenya recently with several of his classmates and observed many interesting comparisons and contrasts to Uganda.

He was given the opportunity to meet and learn about the Masai people of Kenya and even got to see them perform their traditional dancing. The trip included a safari where William was able to see the wild animals of Africa in their natural habitat for the first time ever. He was beaming as he told us about how he saw a cheetah amongst other interesting wild life. He visited museums, swam in the hotel pool and got a tour of the airport; all experiences that are all too uncommon for the youth in Africa.

The highlight of the trip for William was experiencing the hustle and bustle of Nairobi for the first time. He described some of the vast differences he observed between Kampala and the capital city of Kenya such as the level of cleanliness and security. He expressed his desire to continue traveling the world and seeing other countries in East Africa with his very own eyes. William’s mother Nankinga Grace has expressed how extremely grateful she is for the opportunity to broaden his horizons.

Just Like My Child Foundation is so proud of William’s dedication to studying hard and utilizing his opportunities to the fullest. He truly is an absolute joy to be around and a definite super star!

Three years ago, maternal deaths at the hospital were astronomical due to lack of proper medical care, surgery equipment, medical doctors, and an ambulance to transport women who were experiencing obstetrical emergencies. While no one knows for sure what the true rate of maternal mortality is in the villages deep in the bush, the hospital reports a marked improvement in outcomes for women who DO reach the hospital in time.

When I first arrived at Bishop Asili,Hospital in 2006, women were turned away from the hospital by the dozen because there was no way to serve them. Today, a gleaming new surgery centre, trained medical doctors, and adequate instruments for C-sections and laparatomies have turned tragic stories into stories of joy and hope. Women and children who would have otherwise died are now emerging from surgeries with healthy babies, hope, a community that supports them, and a future filled with hope. It’s a miracle to watch.

Simple interventions are what have changed the staggering statistics of maternal mortality.

A full School Management Committee has been recently elected to aid the head mistress in both policy implementation and planning as the school continues to grow. Budgeting, planning and projecting are the most common themes in the teams analysis process for the development of the school. Serious recruitment initiatives and intensive interviews have been done as part of the process for hiring competent and qualified teachers to join The Children’s Academy for the Collective Heart teaching team.

The Children's Academy for the Collective Heart

Some members of the School Management and Project Support Committees are shown here working on school development planning.

Akware Judith, the Headmistress of The Children's Academy of the Collective Heart is hard at work in her office

The Children’s Academy for the Collective Heart has constructed a temporary kitchen and hired a cook to prepare the students daily lunches. They have also taken the initiative to start a poultry project, plant fruit trees and begin growing a garden that they will utilize as both an agricultural educational tool as well as a supplemental source of food for the students.

This temporary kitchen was constructed by the school until a more permanent one can be built

Katikamu has started a school garden that will be used as an educational tool as well a source of food for school lunches

As for the students!! All of the things that we take for granted in the western world such as clean classrooms with seats for every child, balanced school lunches, learning materials and books, a station to wash hands and a playground to enjoy at recess are things that the students at Collective Heart are experiencing for the first time ever from their learning environment. The students are literally beaming with joy from all of the benefits they are gaining by studying and growing at a school that has their very best interest at heart.

First Graders and Kindergarteners combined

Look at those happy first graders!!

The children of Collective Heart are shown playing at recess with playground equipment provided by Just Like My Child Foundation and Collective Heart. A school playground is rare in Uganda! Not only has it provided joy to the children who study from the school, but has also served as an enrollment recruitment tool to children and families in the surrounding area that are not yet attending the academy

The values that The Children's Academy for the Collective Heart are dedicated to embracing and implementing include the necessity of friendship, generosity, responsibility and sharing! Ah!! Just look how cute they are!

The Children’s Academy for the Collective Heart has already shown so many incredible successes! They are living proof  of how far motivation, committment and global love can make such a huge impact on the whole wide world.