Mtaala Foundation - Additional Projects

Additional Projects

PROGRAMS

A fundamental part of our Student Sponsorship program is that our students give back to their community. Every Saturday, Awegys students and primary students from the local village gather for Community Reading Day. The primary students play games and sing, dance, and drum before settling down to a collection of children’s books. Awegys students read to the younger children, translating the English words into Luganda for those primary students who do not yet have a grasp of the English language. At the end of the session, all of the students share new words or facts that they learned.

Since its inception, the local primary students have arrived of their own initiative and continue to show increased curiosity about reading. Given the lack of reading culture in Uganda, this alone is a true testament to the project’s success. Additionally, Community Reading Day gives our students an opportunity to hone their leadership skills, as two different Awegys students help lead the session every Saturday. All students have a chance to improve their reading and language abilities.

Many of the students at our school possess overwhelming artistic talent, and we are proud to support them in their artistic endeavors. In 2009, seven of our students participated in a three-day, hands-on cultural workshop in which they trained with one of Uganda’s leading tailors and fabric artists. At the end of the training, the students exhibited their work in a fashion show in downtown Kampala.

With the support of the Mtaala Foundation, Awegys students have also received workshops in traditional bark cloth painting, the art of making jewelry from handmade paper beads, journaling, self-portraiture, and photography. Additionally, the school recently received a large donation of brand-new instruments to further nurture its students’ musical talents. Original student art is frequently available for purchase at Mtaala events.

In 2009, the female students at Awegys School had a chance to improve their leadership skills and share their voices. With the support of the Alice Paul Institute in New Jersey, USA, Mtaala intern Elizabeth Seibert developed and implemented a nine-week Girls’ Leadership Workshop in Uganda. Throughout the workshop, our female students learned about vital leadership skills such as self-confidence, public speaking, and working cooperatively. They also learned about female leaders from around the world and discussed issues facing women and girls in Uganda today.

As a hands-on opportunity to practice their leadership skills and address a problem facing their community, the girls created an on-campus student environmental group: the Awegys Environmental Greenstars. The group continues to this day, giving our students a chance create change in their community from the ground up.

The Awegys Environmental Greenstars--a student-led environmental club at Awegys School--meets weekly to discuss environmental problems facing their community and to take practical steps towards addressing them. The first project undertaken by the Greenstars was the development of a school vegetable garden. Additional plans include planting trees, maintaining the school compound, picking up garbage in the nearby village, and educating the surrounding community about positive environmental practices.

The Greenstars began as a legacy project of our 2009 Girls‘ Leadership Workshop and is open to all Awegys students, encouraging the students to take on leadership roles and address problems they witness in their community.

In 2009, Awegys students had the unique opportunity to complete a five-week workshop in digital photography with a visiting professional photojournalist and artist, Amy Mullarkey. Amy also secured the donation of a number of digital cameras for the school. Throughout the workshop, the students focused on composition and frequently took field trips into the surrounding villages to practice new techniques.

At the workshop’s end, students participated in a photography competition and received prints of their work--a first for every student in the class. The winning photos from the competition will be up for auction, with proceeds benefitting the Mtaala Foundation’s work. Amy also contributed a number of her own photographs of Uganda to the Mtaala Foundation, many of which can be seen on our site. To learn more about Amy Mullarkey’s work, visit her website or check out her blog.

Our Pen Pal project began with the recognition that intercultural understanding is a crucial part of our work. Through this project, our students in Uganda are paired with students in the U.S. and correspond regularly through the Mtaala Foundation, sharing stories about their homes, schools, and daily lives. Both pen pals have a valuable opportunity to learn more about another country and culture while making connections abroad.

Additionally, we have seen our Ugandan students‘ English and writing abilities improve with the correspondence. Our Pen Pal project is currently full. Please check back for openings if you are interested in corresponding.

Community Reading Day

Student Art

Girls’ Leadership Workshop

Awegys Environmental Greenstars

Photography Workshop

Pen Pal Project