TASAAGA East Africa Secondary & Vocational School Breaks Ground on First Floor of New School Building

In November of 2020, Friends of TASAAGA purchased the 1/2 acre plot of land across the street from the TASAAGA Primary School in Sitabaale, Uganda with the intention of constructing a multi-level permanent School building for the TASAAGA East Africa Secondary & Vocational School.

Since it’s inception in 2018, the Secondary School has been renting a temporary structure in town. To accommodate growth in student population and promote the independence of this program, Friends of TASAAGA has planned the construction of a three story school building on this 1/2 acre plot of land. The construction is planned to be complete by 2023, with one story being built each year in between school terms to limit disruption of classes.

The new buildings foundation and first floor broke ground in April of 2021 and is scheduled to be complete and ready for use, with five classrooms and two bathrooms by the fall.

Friends of TASAAGA is grateful for the support from all of our donors and in making this project a reality.

Launching our 2021 Annual Giving Campaign for Friends of TASAAGA

Friends,

We’re kicking off the holiday season and as we close out the year, we want to acknowledge how challenging 2020 has been for so many. From COVID-19 ravaging the health and economies of our countries, to wildfires tearing across Australia and California, and Americans and many others grappling with the reality of deep racial injustice in our communities, this year has challenged us all. Yet, despite all that 2020 has thrown our way, the TASAAGA family has much for which it is grateful and as we launch our 2021 annual giving campaign today, we want to thank you for what you’ve helped us accomplish over the past year:

• We continue to fulfill our commitments to our teachers: TASAAGA’s Primary School and Secondary and Vocational School were 1 of only 2 private schools that continued to pay their teachers a salary after the Ministry of Education shut down schools due to COVID-19.  

• Running water is now available in Sitabaale: Thanks to the support of our partners in the UK, we have running water at the primary school. This development will not only help our students and staff, but means residents and businesses in Sitabaale have the option to connect to piped water for the first time as well.

• We are building toward a sustainable future for the TASAAGA East Africa Secondary and Vocational School: At the beginning of fall, land became available directly across from the primary school and thanks to your donations, we were able to purchase one half acre to be the future home of the Secondary and Vocational School. 

While 2020 was not what anyone expected, we’re grateful for what we’ve been able to accomplish and even more excited about what we have planned for 2021. Once again, we need your generous support to make it happen and are writing today to officially launch our 2021 giving campaign in hopes of raising $25,000 between now and mid-January. Your donations will help us execute on our strategy, which includes 2 primary initiatives:

1. Start construction on the new TASAAGA East Africa Secondary and Vocational campus. We are working on plans for the construction of classrooms, a science and computer lab, dormitories, and offices on our half acre and will begin construction in the new year, as financing permits (see our architect’s preliminary visual for the school below). Our immediate priority is raising $10,000 to construct the core, 6-room classroom for our students who return in February. Having our own structure allows us to increase the security of our staff and students as well as improve their learning environment. This investment will also put TASAAGA on a path to sustainability by eliminating rent payments and allowing the secondary and primary schools to share resources like security guards and cooks.
   
   
   

2. Improve quality and sustainability of school operations. As you may remember, a major 2020 priority was to attract and retain high quality teachers and administrators by increasing staff salaries. Negotiations were successful at the beginning of the 2020 school year and we were positioned to start the year with an incredibly talented staff. While COVID-19 changed quite a bit about our operating environment, we are pleased to announce that new contracts have been agreed upon and all of our teachers and staff will be returning in 2021.
   
   To ensure we can predictably support our staff and broader school operations over the 2021 school year we are working to improve the reliability of school fee collection, raise $15,000 in donations for operating expenses by mid-January, and increase the portion of donations that come from monthly donors.
   
   To date, we are grateful to a number of individuals, who’ve decided to give between $10 and $100 on a monthly basis, and whose generosity currently covers almost 40% of our operating expenses. As we continue to strive for sustainability, we’ve set a goal of recruiting 20 new monthly donors who are willing to contribute any amount on a regular basis. If you would like to sign up for recurring payments, you can do so here (include link).

From the TASAAGA organization and the team here at Friends of TASAAGA, thank you for your continued support. With this community, we are confident we can reach our $25,000 goal. If you have any questions or comments, never hesitate to reach out!

Kind regards,

The Friends of TASAAGA Team

Uganda COVID-19 Impact & FoT Updates:

Uganda COVID-19 Impact & Updates:

• National lock down: In response to the increased global spread of COVID-19, on March 18, 2020, Uganda shut down all businesses, schools, and public transportation and put in place severe social distancing restrictions. While some of these restrictions have been loosened and some businesses have reopened, schools have remained closed and the Ministry of Education announced its plans to not reopen until next February for the 2021 school year, pending continued, low COVID-19 cases in the country.
  

• Impact of COVID-19: With just over 10,000 cases and around 100 COVID-19-related deaths reported so far, Uganda’s tightly-controlled response to the pandemic, while controversial in many ways, seems to have helped limit the spread of the virus. However, while these measures have succeeded in containing the outbreak thus far, they have significantly stifled the economy with economic growth now projected at 0.4% compared to 5.6% last year.
   

• Ssese Islands (location of TASAAGA’s Musawo Clinic): While most public transportation partially resumed in July, public boats are still restricted from operating to the islands. This means no one from the islands can access the mainland for any reason, including to address critical healthcare needs.

TASAAGA’s Response: 

• Safety first: Since March, our first and foremost mission has been to safely and effectively care for TASAAGA’s students, faculty, and support staff including TASAAGA’s Executive Director, Bruhan Mubiru.
   

• Closing of TASAAGA schools: In response to the national mandate in March, we closed the TASAAGA Primary School and the TASAAGA Secondary School, sending all students, other than the orphans, and staff home until further notice. Without reliable access to the internet, virtual learning, or teaching resources, lessons were, unfortunately, discontinued. Thankfully, no one associated with TASAAGA has reported a COVID case.

• Caring for our most vulnerable students: With 27 orphans among our student body, Friends of TASAAGA immediately pledged to provide safe lodging, food, and adult oversight for these students throughout the pandemic. They have stayed in Sitabaale, the village where our schools are located, along with four essential staff members to support them -- a matron, cook, and two security guards. Additionally, our Executive Director, Bruhan, and Secondary School Headmaster, Denis, have stayed closely connected to the group of remaining students including providing them with review sessions to prepare them to return to school in 2021.
   

• Supporting our teachers when they need us most: To ensure the financial stability of our 17 secondary school faculty and staff members, we decided to continue paying a portion of their salaries -- as much as we could sustainably afford -- throughout the shutdown. As of September, we are one of only two private schools in the country doing this; something we are extremely proud of and which is only possible through the charitable contributions of our supporters like you.
   

• Musawo Clinic on Kimi Island: Given the boating restrictions to the islands, TASAAGA’s Musawo Clinic continues to serve as the only medical facility for nearly 4,000 people across Kimi (where the clinic is located), Miende, Bugiri, Nsazi, and Koome Islands. This infrastructure has been critical for the health and wellness of the locals of these islands.

Looking ahead: 

• Student Spike Expected: It is projected that 1 in 2 private Ugandan schools will not have sufficient funding to re-open in 2021, leading to a large number of students looking to attend already overcrowded and understaffed public schools. Given this, we anticipate a spike in 2021 student registration and are paying special attention to vulnerable students who are most susceptible to discontinuing their education altogether.
  

• Reopening safely: With plans of returning to in-person classes in February 2021, we are taking all recommended precautions to ensure our students and staff have a clean, safe environment to return to.
  

  Again, we thank you for your consistent support through these turbulent times and will update you on the status of our students and staff as the situation evolves. 

TASAAGA's Executive Director, Bruhan speaks to congregation of Resurrection Lutheran Church in Woodbury, Minnesota

As part of his first United States tour to educate American’s and spread awareness of TASAAGA, in July 2019 Bruhan had an opportunity to speak with the wonderful congregation at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Woodbury, as suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota. During his meeting, Bruhan shared the story of TASAAGA and encouraged involvement from those in attendance. While Friends of TASAAGA is not religiously affiliated, we are continuously seeking support and guidance from those interested in bettering the educational opportunities of our students in Uganda.

Bruhan pictured with Pastor Paul Dean of Resurrection Lutheran Church (left) and Co-Founder and Board Member of Friends of TASAAGA, Linda Kraemer (second to left).

TASAAGA's Executive Director, Bruhan visits Robert Morgan High School in Miami, Florida

During a recent US tour, Bruhan Mubiru took time to speak with a group of high school students at Robert Morgan High School in Miami. He shared the story of TASAAGA, the differences between Ugandan and US school systems, and stories about his students.

In return for his presentation, the students from Robert Morgan donated 30 packets of books to Friends of TASAAGA that Bruhan could take home with him.

We at Friends of TASAAGA extend a HUGE THANK YOU to Mrs. Rachael Manasco for inviting Bruhan to speak, and to all students who attended to learn more and donate books.

Bruhan (center) pictured with high school students from Robert Morgan High School in Miami, Florida