Soft Power Education runs two pre schools for 120 AIDS orphans and children from desperately poor families. Buwenda Pre School and Kyabirwa Pre School offer the children a chance to be children for just a few short hours each day. They learn the basics of being in a learning environment such as listening to the teacher and sitting quietly as well as essential social skills and basic English.
Soft Power Education completely covers the costs of both pre schools... that's everything from paying the teacher's wages, books and pencils and new t-shirts at the start of each academic year.
Our volunteers both long term and short term can get involved in the day to day running of the pre schools - assisting the teachers or even running their own small workshops with a handful of kids. Have a look at our volunteering pages to learn about volunteering opportunities with Soft Power Education.
Buwenda Pre-School was the first pre-school to be built in the small trading centre of Buwenda. On land gifted by the community to Soft Power, Hannah set to work building the school with the support of overland passengers, donations and a team of local builders. The school took two years to build and is divided up into three classrooms and an office – it is run by 3 qualified Ugandan teachers and a local cleaner/school assistant. The headmistress, Florence, is an amazing woman who has been a major part in the school’s success and happy environment – her deputy, Justine, went to work as headmistress at our second pre-school, KCC.
The school now educates up to 120 pre-school children between the ages of 4 and 5 years old. The children are mostly orphans who have lost one or both parents to AIDS, or children who come from desperately poor families. At the start of the new school year children are registered and it’s at this point the school committee, made up of the teachers and five community leaders, keep the number of pupils in check. These adults are aware of the children’s family history - they know if a child is living in a large extended family having lost his or her parents to AIDS, or is struggling in a poverty stricken environment - hence they make sure it’s these children who would otherwise have no chance of an education that are accepted.
The pre-school is open from Monday to Friday from 8 am to midday and is free to all those who attend. The mornings are filled with games, songs, playing, writing, story telling, painting and learning. Soft Power covers the school’s running costs and the teachers' monthly wage. The children bring their own snacks in small colourful lunch boxes – some have popcorn, others fruit, whereas the odd potato maybe the only source of food. What amazes is the fact that these beautiful young children share – they have so very little, but whatever they have they share with their friends so everyone ends up with something.
The school is brightly and boldly painted and stands out from the main road – it has a fenced play area and a jungle gym and a 4 stance pit latrine. Surrounding the school are shacks selling a variety of produce, a small farmyard next door with cows and goats, a local health clinic sits behind the playground and a tap pumping water is across the road making it easy to collect water.
Buwenda was very lucky to have had a complete refurbishment in the Summer of 2007 led by Paul Tobia... read more
Our second pre-school, Kyabirwa Chidren’s Centre, or KCC as we call it, was built soon after the official opening of Buwenda Pre-School – which took place in March 2003. The community of Kyabirwa had seen what had happened in Buwenda and approached Soft Power with the gift of land. However, the community were divided….some wanted a pre-school, others wanted a mosque. Being a non-religious charity we stood back and waited. The decision was finally made and a long and wide pre-school was to be built.
Kyabirwa Children’s Centre is a mirror image of Buwenda. It educates the same number of children, has the same staffing figures and its own school committee. The only real difference is the land – it’s a lot larger giving ample room for the children to run and get lost in, but it is off the main road, tucked away in the village, surrounded by crops, mud huts, winding paths and the sound of the Nile.
The children of Buwenda and Kyabirwa, like most children, walk to school. Some live close by, others walk for an hour. Soft Power Education cannot guarantee that every child from the two pre-schools built by the charity will go on to primary education, but they are given a good foundation for learning and a strong sense of being loved and looked after. They are tiny children, but they are immensely independent and wise for their age and with their smiles they brighten up the hearts of all involved in giving them a good and much needed start in life.
Take a look at the refurbishment of Kyabirwa Children's Centre which took place in the Summer of 2007
Pre School Running Costs
We are often asked how much it costs to run something like the pre schools. The tables below should give you a good indication of what it costs us each month and year.
Soft Power Education covers all the running costs of both pre schools which includes everything from teachers wages to new t-shirts. We give each pre school a 20,000 shilling allowance each month which covers buying soap and chalk etc.
Monthly Costs
| Cost |
Monthly |
Annually (Ush) |
| 3 teachers |
341,000 |
4,092,000
|
| 1 cleaner |
66,000 |
792,000
|
| Allowance |
20,000 |
240,000
|
| TOTAL |
427,000 |
5,124,000
|
Annual Costs
| Cost |
Amount (Ush) |
| 120 T-shirts |
660,000
|
| Term 1 Supplies |
150,000
|
| Term 2 Supplies |
150,000
|
| Term 3 Supplies |
150,000
|
|
Christmas Party
|
250,000
|
| TOTAL |
1,360,000
|
Each pre school costs 6.5 million Ugandan shillings to run and maintain each year. This naturally excludes any building work or refurbishment which may be needed.
We are very lucky that many of the items the pre schools need at the start of each term such as books and pencils, are donated by visiting tourists and volunteers. This helps us to keep costs down.
Other Pre School links: