A Roof Over the Principal’s Head

Sometimes, we in the more developed world kind of miss the obvious. I was speaking to a friend in Uganda, Ronald Mugabi (actually we were communicating through the wonders of Facebook chat!) who runs a charity there called Aim for the Restoration of Hope (AROH) supporting two schools for orphans, a clinic, and a women’s empowerment program. I am part of a sister charity in the U.S. (AROH-USA) formed to support Ronald and the two Ugandan communities we serve.

Although we all believe in self-reliance and are working towards that eventual goal with AROH,   I was asking Ronald what we could do to support the children; what kind of school supplies did they need — pencils, books, paper, rulers, erasers? Did they need money for their fees and uniforms?

Ronald had to step me back a little, pointing out that the kids were still meeting in the temporary school shelter at the St. Paul’s location, and that the new school office, though it had walls, lacked both a floor and, well, a roof:

Oh, I thought, a roof, well, that does makes sense. Otherwise, the Head Teacher (who is like a Principal here in the U.S.) wouldn’t be able to get much done.

Here is a recent picture of what the rain can be like in Uganda, from a wonderful photographer, Will Boase (Mzungu Diaries), who kindly has allowed me to use his photo to demonstrate the need for a roof especially during the rainy season, which is now:

I’ve been involved with AROH for a few years now, and we have made great strides, one slow step at a time. It’s great to be able to contribute to the education and future of children in a different country. And sometimes, the first thing you need to do is get a roof over the head teacher’s head!

Thanks for stopping by,

Heather McC

PS. I’m contributing $10 today towards the office roof and floor/kitchen fund through the Facebook Causes app for AROH-USA. (It’s under the “General Donation Cause” if you want to contribute.)

Here is the “kitchen”!