Educating Child Soldiers and Former Refugees -- Beacon School

Our doors opened in the spring of 2006 to 250 former refugee children from the internally displaced persons (IDP) camps.

Many were malnourished, had never used a towel, worn shoes, or slept on a mattress. Most were orphans, and one fourth was former child soldiers or abductees -- exceptional students in crushing conditions, who needed food, medicine, clothing and counseling in addition to academic education.

Now our school has 470 students, ranging in age from 13-21. We are very proud that our students took their first national Ordinary and Advanced Level examinations this Fall! Click here to meet some of our students!

Please - would you consider sponsoring a student? It takes only $42,00 a month or $500.00 a year to sponsor one student. $500.00 completely covers all of a student's needs for a year, including:

Room
Board
Clothing
Tuition
Books
Medical Expenses

What else can you do?

Write: Our students would love to have pen pals! Currently it takes six to eight weeks for letters to go one-way, but when we get online in 2008, we in the U.S. will enjoy much faster conversations with our friends in Uganda!

Besides education, we also hope to provide for our students:

Mosquito bednets
Generator - power is only available two to three hours, three times a week
Well - for fresh drinking water
Books for the library
Meeting & Examination Hall - in August 2007 we were given $17,000 towards this need- huge thanks to our friends at New Hope International Church! But still need $ 20,000 to complete the project.

Your donation towards any of these much-needed necessities will be gratefully received!

Future Plans at Beacon

We plan to establish a vocational program for those students who do not advance beyond "O Levels" in their studies. We hope to start courses in tailoring, woodworking and shop in 2008. We also plan to open a computer lab and to begin vocational training in computer sciences.