WATER WALK at Duke of Connaught School in Toronto

Students of Duke of Connaught School in Toronto wish to reach out in solidarity to their peers in Uganda who have to walk for water daily.

On Tuesday Nov 23 2010 students will WALK FOR WATER and take a moment to reflect upon the challenges that their pen pals face each day in collecting water.

Each class has been collecting coins in buckets as well. The coins are being weighed to bring attention to the weight of water. Each grade has their contribution posted in the front hall. Each day the levels go up. "Way to go grade 3 students" you are right off the chart!

Let's Play Soccer!

Thanks to the Toronto students who came up with the idea of collecting and sending soccer balls, students from all 12 CASP schools are now enjoying playing soccer.

All kids love to play!

These are students of St. Patrick Guwula School.

Nakulabye Parent's School

Here are some new photos from Moses' latest visit to Nakulabye School.

(Moses Lyagoba is the environmental educator who co-designed the project with us.

He oversees the activities of the Uganda Water and Garden Project in Uganda.)

The school name is pronouced "new-cal-la-bee-aye" with an emphasis on "la".

The classrooms are very crowded and basic educational supplies are lacking. Grades 1,2,3 and grade 7 (preparing for their final exams for entry to secondary school) are located inside the school building.

Students in grades 4, 5 & 6 attend their lessons in this outdoor structure without furniture.

Moses meets with local decision-makers including parent council leaders, headmaster of the school, local government education leaders and others. Local solutions to local problems are discussed. Everyone from the community is expected to contribute to building solutions. Clean water and food are the highest priorities.

The students must walk 1.5 km each day for water. However the water source is not clean and many children suffer from waterborne disease. With help from Toronto students this year we hope to be able to raise the funds for a 10,000L rainwater harvesting tank at this school (similar to the ones built at Kinu school with great success).

The parents are subsistence farmers and find it difficult to provide food to those children old enough to attend school. There is a great need for a school garden to provide food. Parents have donated land for the gardens. With help from Toronto students, we hope to be able help pay for land clearing and seeds to get the garden's established.

The students at Nakulabye School are very happy to have partner schools and pen pals in Toronto. They danced, sang and played drums in celebration of forming new friendships with Canadian students!

Liberty Village After-School Program Joins Us!

Welcome to Liberty Village Kids!

This unique afterschool program has a social justice and environmental education focus. They draw students from Givins-Shaw Public School as well as Niagara Public School. Every Thursday the students will be working on a local or international project. They have selected the Uganda Water & Garden Project as their international project!

We very much look forward to meeting the students and showing them photos of Uganda! We would like to students to grow up learning that they CAN make a difference in the world!

Harvest Time!

Recently Moses went to Kinu Primary to assess the harvest. He was pleased to hear from the staff that the garden this year has helped to feed students at the school who would otherwise go without food. The corn harvest was particularly successful.

CASP welcomes Curr Intermediate School

Moses Lyagoba on behalf of CASP would like to extend a warm welcome to Curr Intermediate School in California USA that has joined the network of schools. CASP is grateful to each and every student, teacher, staff and parent volunteer involved in the Uganda Water & Garden Project. The work that you do will raise awareness of world water & food issues generally and also make a tremendous difference in the lives of many Ugandan students. Thanks & Welcome!

School Supplies Received!

Students at Kinu Primary School received the donations of school supplies, tooth paste & tooth brushes! Thanks again to the Kimberley and Adam Beck students who donated the items. You brought smiles to faces of the Ugandan students.

Welcome Duke of Connaught Public School!

We would like to extend a huge WELCOME to DUKE OF CONNAUGHT PUBLIC SCHOOL (K-8) students, staff and parents! Principal Lenna Kozovski has invited the entire school to get involved in the Uganda Water & Garden Project as part of their school's Social Justice Plan. We gave a presentation to the 45 staff and look forward to our presentation scheduled to the parent council in October. Wow, we already have meetings set up with classroom teachers and teachers leading clubs. How exciting!

Outdoor Concert Fundraiser: Oct 2nd 2010

Please plan to join us for an ...

Outdoor Concert & Fundraiser

Saturday Oct 2nd 2010

@ Kimberley/Beaches Alternative School

50 Swanwick Ave, M4E 1Z5

Music: Tin Star Orphans Band & Friends

Fun & Creative Activities

Water Relay (get 5 friends to sponsor you $5 each)

Come learn more about the Uganda Water & Garden Project and help us raise money for Vanessa's photo trip to collect and share images documenting the ways that water and food shortages have affected children in Uganda.

Through her photography and her photo workshops with Ugandan children, we will learn more about the Rain Water Harvesting and School Garden Projects that Toronto students have funded and the ways these projects have led to improvements in the lives of Ugandan students.

Vanessa is a member of the Social Responsibility in Education Committee, a long time volunteer on the project and a parent of a BAS student. She is donating one month of her time as a professional photographer to travel in Uganda with CASP coordinator Mr. Lyagoba. We would like to help her cover some of her expenses to make this all possible.

This is a ticketed event. Please check back in August for details.

Thank you for your support!

Thank You Steve Sainsbury!

Steve Sainsbury had a trip planned to visit Masooli school and travel in Uganda. He had worked with Karin, a teacher at Birch Cliff Heights, in the past and agreed to transport pen pal items for us.

In addition to bringing school and dental supplies, soccer balls and pen pal letters, to Uganda he returned with a huge bag of pen pal letters and art for our growing number of schools in Toronto.

Graduating students (grade 6 & 8) received their letters just before school ended. All other students will receive their letters in September.

Thank You Steve!

Pen Pal Art from Uganda

Pen Pal art from Uganda.

Glen Ames is Making a Difference!

Glen Ames makes a significant contribution targetted to the second phase of the water project at Kinu Primary School. The plan is to continue fundraising efforts next year to see it through to completion!

This project will involve the construction of 2 more rainwater harvesting tanks to collect water for irrigation. The chariperson of local council within Kamuli District, in response to this exciting news has agreed to donate the eves trough system needed to collect rain water from the metal roof.

Kinu Primary School has a large amount of land, making it an ideal site to have several demonstration gardens (vegetables, fruit, medicinal plants, pine groves). People from other schools will then be able to learn from the work done at the Kinu gardens and determine what might be best transferred to their site.

Ultimately, this water project will contribute to the provision of food to thousands of school children in Uganda.

Thank you!

Students at Birch Cliff Heights are THRILLED to have received pen pal letters, hand woven mats and art from the students of Masooli School!

Welcome St. Patrick Guwula School!

We welcome the students, staff, parents and community members affiliated with the St. Patrick Guwula School in rural Uganda!

The 700+ students at this Kamuli District school walk over 2.5 km each day for water. There is hope on behalf of the community that (with assistance from local, national and international sources) this school can be revitalized. Representatives from this school have participated in the workshop on "Sustainable Solutions for Water & Food" put on by CASP.

The students of St. Patrick Guwula School have been matched up with pen pals at Glen Ames Sr Public School. The grade 8 students have received their first message and the grade 7 students will receive their letters in September. The Ugandan children are VERY EXCITED to hear from Canadian students!

Welcome St. Patrick Guwula School!

Travel volunteer has arrived!

Steve, our Canadian travel volunteer, has just arrived in Uganda!

He is delivering:

Soccer balls from Glen Ames!

School supplies from Adam Beck!

Tooth brushes/paste from Kimberley!

and a camera from Beaches Alternative!

He is also delivering & receiving pen pal letters.

Kimberley Public School: Student Questions

Classroom Questions 

Ms. Vree's Grade 2-3 Class at Kimberley Public School

Recently we were able to make a visit to this wonderfully dedicated classroom.  

They came up with the following questions and area of interest for Vanessa to photograph during her trip.

Show us with Photos:

how big the rain water harvesting tanks are

the structural components of the tanks (screens to keep debris out)

how the water is being used

who used the water from the tanks

the types of fruits and vegetables grown and available in that part of Uganda

what the school(s) looks like

the students at Kinu

the games kids like to play (do they play bobo?)

the clothes people wear and for what occasions

Everyday Life Questions:

do students have enough food and water?

do people have enough wood for building?

how do people find shelter from the rain during rainy season (umbrellas?)

Future:

These students understand that they have been given a gift of the opportunity to learn from their peers in Uganda.  They would like to know if they can do anything to assist the project next year.  They asked, "How else can we help?"

Nov 23rd Ceremony in Uganda: Special Announcement

Ceremony & Kamuli Community Celebration

On Nov 23rd the RT. Hon Deputy speaker of the 8^th parliament of the Republic of Uganda Rebecca Kadaga will preside over a ceremony to inaugurate the rain water harvesting tanks and the Canada Africa School Partnership (CASP) as a registered community based organization in Uganda.

We have prepared a speech which will be read by PLAN Uganda/International NGO representative.

We have also arranged to have a banner made for display during the ceremony with a special message from Canadian Pen Pal Schools.  It reads:

SHARING THE WORLD'S WATER CONNECTS US!

Thanks to the Ugandan and Canadian volunteers who build the Kinu School Rain Water Tanks

A message from Beaches Alternative Public School, Adam Beck Jr, Kimberley Jr and Monarch Park C.I.

In Toronto, Ontario, Canada

We have made arrangements for Mr. Lyagoba Moses, Project Director of CASP in Uganda to add a special announcement to his speech:

$500 donation from Beaches Alternative School

$500 donation (from Nov 15 community/small business fundraiser)

and ....

$500 from the Royal Bank (Lee & Queen and Kingston Rd & Lawlor branches)!

September 2009 PDF Newsletter

Social Responsibility Learning and Action

• Students Inspiring Others

• Student Learning: Water and Gardening

• Ceremony in Uganda

• TDSB Character Attributes Emphasized

September 2009 PDF Newsletter

Images from Pen Pal Package

Toronto students post letters to Ugandan students at Kinu Primary School.

Letters received from pen pals include art that describes life in Uganda