Primary Education
Children in Uganda attend primary school for seven years from the age of five/six but many attend a nursery class for three years before this. They start learning English at nursery and by the time they are in Primary 2 or 3 they begin to be taught all subjects in English all the time. The syllabus in all schools follows the Ugandan National curriculum.
The charity arranges sponsorship for children to go to non-government primary schools in Mityana area. However, there is a greater need for sponsorship in some very poor, nearby rural areas where there are only government schools. These areas are also the areas where the charity is developing health and water projects too, thus transforming them.
Although lower fees are paid in these schools, children have the same need for food and equipment, especially text books, which will account for most of the sponsorship money. Any that remains will be used by the school under strict supervision to improve the furnishing and equipment in the school. For example, to provide desks for the children which many do not have. This will improve the school for everyone in the village in the long term.
What your money is spent on
In the academic year of 2024 the cost of sponsoring a nursery/primary child is £300 a year, or £25 a month. This money provides the child with a year's school fees, a pair of shoes, shoe polish, pens, pencils, paper, exercise books, maths equipment, a school bag, a broom, soap and toilet paper. The schools insist on the children bringing all these things to school. Your money pays for not only a mug of porridge at break, but also a small lunch for the child. Often this is the first food or drink they have had since the previous evening. Also the children are provided with free medical treatment.
Boarding
At the end of Primary Seven children take a national Primary Leaving Certificate. You have to pass this to be able to go onto secondary school and to get most jobs. Mityana is almost on the equator and so has equal hours of day and night. This means that there is not much time outside of school hours for children to study for exams, as the one paraffin lamp in most homes is not enough to read by in a crowded room. Also most of the daylight hours outside school time are taken up with fetching water and helping grow food in the family garden. Consequently nearly all the primary schools try to insist that children board for their last year so as to be able to attend revision lessons before and after school. This costs an extra £216 for 2024, so the total for P7 year with fees and boarding is £516 a year or £43 a month.
Transferring to Secondary School
The cost of sponsoring a secondary student in 2024 is £420 or £35 a month.
A Primary 2 (P2) class at Mase school
Children lining up for a breaktime mug of posho.
Would you like to find out more? Fill in the form below if you'd like us to phone you to discuss sponsorship.
How to pay
It's probably easiest for many people to pay by standing order monthly or yearly (starting in November).
If you want to set up a standing order use this form. To set up a standing order via online banking the details you need are:
Name: Mityana Charity
Sort Code: 40-47-09
Account Number: 41515667
IBAN: GB48HBUK40470941515667
BIC: HBUKGB4113F
For those who wish to pay by cheque , please make cheques out to Mityana Charity and post them to The Treasurer, Mityana Charity, 57 Trevelyan, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 8YD. If you pay tax we ask that you also fill in a Gift Aid form and post it to the Treasurer. This will provide us with the funding to help pay for our overhead costs in Mityana.
