Our local river – seen in the video below – has been extremely dangerous for children when flooded in the rainy season, resulting in many deaths over the past years. But with extra safety education and awareness in our school, this has been prevented for our pupils.
The River Namatala, with its source in the foothills of Mount Elgon, runs close to Child of Hope school and borders Namabasa, the village where the new secondary school is being built. It provides an important amenity for the slum population who use it to wash clothes and bathe. The youth search the waters for items they can sell for pocket money and earn a small income by washing motorcycles in bays along the riverbank. Water is extracted for watering crops in the dry season and the river forms a natural fun swimming area for children from the slum.
But in the rainy season its rapidly rising level brings a risk of drowning, with floods destroying crops in surrounding fields and rendering the road impassable for staff and children living in Namabasa. Child of Hope’s social workers and teachers are vigilant in educating the children about the dangers of the river, resulting in no injuries or drownings in the Child of Hope community in recent years.
Our team helps our pupils and their families to understand various other local dangers, including on the roads, where a high percentage of deaths take place in Uganda. Would you be interested in part-sponsoring one of our family support workers to help ensure the safety of even more children? If so, please click below