Children of Madera & Our Impact

Mission Madera supports six schools in the Madera area, located within the town of Soroti, Uganda:

1. St. Ann’s Madera Girls’ Primary School - 1,093 students, P1-P7

2. St. Francis Primary School for the Blind - 100+ students, P1-P7, coeducational

3. St. Francis Secondary School for the Blind - 92+ students, S1-S6, coeducational

4. St. Mary’s Girls’ Primary School - 1100 students, S1-S6

5. Little Angel’s Nursery School - 60+ students, 3 years

6. St. Padre Pio Nursery & Primary School - 580+, 4 years-13 years

   Please note that St. Francis Primary and Secondary Schools for the Blind are the only schools specifically for blind students in all of Uganda.

The children of all six schools are truly amazing and unique. They possess an unreserved sense of joy and genuine happiness. They appreciate their schools which become, over time, their home away from home. Some students are orphans and as such, their schools truly become “home”. For blind students, most of their parents have neglected them and threw them to the streets. In Uganda (and most of Africa), being blind is looked upon as a curse, causing many blind children to be vulnerable.

Each student is given a bed, supplies for class, and three meals a day. Meals include porridge for breakfast and pocho and beans for lunch and dinner. The children take care of their school grounds, often sweeping, cleaning, and tidying up.

In the primary school, the older girls mentor the younger and become extensions of the teaching faculty. Older girls often lead prayers and singing during Mass.

In both the primary and secondary blind schools, children help one another. While some students are completely blind, many have partial sight. As a result, they can be found leading those with less sight from building to building.

A Day in the Life of a Madera Student

• 5-5:30am Wake Up & Wash

• 6-7am Morning Preps

• 7-7:30am Chores

• 7:30-8:am Prayers & breakfast

• 8:30am-1pm Classes

• 1-2pm Lunch

• 12:30-2pm Free Time

• 2pm-3:30pm Classes

• 3:30-5pm Games/Free Time

• 5-5:30pm Personal Administration

• 6-6:30pm Pray the Rosary

• 6:30-7:30pm Dinner

• 8-9pm Recreation

• 7:30-10pm Extra help & Prep Classes

• 10pm Bedtime

*Uganda Education System Explained:

Similar the United States, Ugandan students are enrolled in Nursery, Primary, and Secondary school.

Nursery - 3 years

Primary (Elementary) - 7 years

Secondary (high school) - 6 years

University after Secondary school

The Impact of Mission Madera

Our goal is to introduce people from America to the amazing children of Madera. While we feel that we make a difference in their lives, they ultimately impact our lives so much more. We always leave feeling that they gave us more than we could ever give them.

PROJECTS since 2020 (NEw!)

• Covid-19 relief packages

• Goat farm for Little Sisters of St. Francis

• Security wall around St. Anne’s Primary School

• Bore Hole for St. Anne’s Primary School

PROJECTS FROM 2019

St. Ann's Primary School (1,065 girls)

• dry well repairs near bathing and drinking area

• approved funding for new dining hall and food prep area

• new ceiling for infirmary

• new mosquito nets for students who did not own one

• bulletin boards for Primary 1 class (2 classes)

• 200 books purchased for library

• new musical instruments purchased

• jump ropes, hula hoops, and other recreation toys purchased

  St. Francis Primary AND Secondary School for the Blind (200 students)

• ramp with rail for computer lab and offices (approved; not completed)

• mosquito net screens

• 3 large monitors for ZoomText (software for visually impaired students)

• painting and window repairs to buildings

• new water purifier purchased

  Little Angels Nursery School (70 children)

• all classrooms were painted

• 3 mats purchased for each room

• toys, books, scholastic supplies delivered

• 70 new chairs purchased for classrooms

  St. Mary's Girls' Secondary School (900 girls)

NEW TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE

Mission Madera's fifth partner school is St. Mary’s! We will begin within the next few months working with Oysters and Pearls (nonprofit that works with blind students and technology) to initiate Technovation, a program that works with select students to further expand computer and ICT skills for future careers. This will open countless opportunities for students, as technology and ICT skills are in high demand within the job market of Uganda.

SUccessful Projects Completed in 2017 & 2018

• New computer lab, Primary School

• New computer lab, Primary Blind School

• New computer lab, Secondary Blind School

• New computers purchased- all three schools

• Blind student software license (“JAWS”) purchased

• New floors installed, Primary Blind School

• Classrooms painted, Primary School and Nursery

• Dining room tables and benches purchased, Primary School (54 benches and 27 tables)

• Preschool painted & refurbished

• LSOSF Convent guest houses refurbished

• Feminine products purchased, all three schools

• Malaria kits purchased, Primary School

• 19 new doors and locks for St. Francis Primary Blind School classes & dormitories

• Soccer Balls for Joy, all three schools (over 60 soccer balls delivered)

• Electricity and new tile floor for the Computer Room, Primary School

NEW DORMITORY FLOORS