Mvule Trust Annual Report, 2008

MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2008



Mvule Trust rubbed the tears of school fees from my eyes.

Born in this remote village in Kaberamaido, I am the only girl who might finish A-level.

My mum had us four girls and none of those are educated except me, whom my mum managed to pay in primary through fieldwork. I am a student with problems. My father is a peasant farmer and now he is very weak. My mother is HIV positive and had an accident where she broke her limbs.

My father had to sell land to pay for me in secondary. He sacrificed himself and put me in boarding because my legs could swell when I walked long distances to school.

My brothers have been accorded the first priority to education while we girls are often last to be helped and always considered wastage to family wealth, due to this my older sisters are married.

My quest to one time become a valuable scientist compelled me to write this letter. Many of my brothers have dropped out and I see myself next in the line without help.

I am a Ugandan girl of twenty years old. I sat for my O-level in 2005 but due to lack of financial support, I couldn’t continue further and so I had to wait until my dad was able to raise some little money to take me back to school.

MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2008

 After being chased from school, I would involve myself in casual labour to help the mother to look for fees. I could climb Rwenzori Mountains which is a terrible work and yet, young as I am, I experienced coldness that would reduce my life. I really see it that most of the time is wasted which I would be seriously concentrating on books. I have hopes that if there is good support, I will excel.

MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2008

Mvule Trust Annual Report 2008 Prepared by

Katherine Manchester.

Design and layout by

Allan Dentine Bulamu



Table of Contents

MVULE TRUST 2008 ANNUAL REPORT

MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2008



FAQs about Mvule Trust

6

Mapping Mvule

7

Mvule Trust over the years

8

2008 Executive Summary

9

Partnerships

10

Direct scholarships Medical and health science students Northern Uganda Identifying need

14 16 17

Student support: Monitoring visits Leadership camp Parents’ meetings

18 18 19

Graduating with hope Finance

20 21

Looking ahead

22

MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2008

Useful terms and acronyms: SS - Secondary School This covers grades S1 (yr 8 in UK) through S6 (yr 13)

O-level - Ordinary Level The certificate earned by a high school student upon successfully completing S4 (yr 11). O-level completion is necessary for earning a certificate at a tertiary institution. O-level examination results are broken down into four divisions, with Division 1 being the highest and Division 4 the lowest.

A-level - Advanced Level The certificate earned by a high school student upon successfully completing S6 (yr 13). A-level completion is necessary for earning a diploma at a tertiary institution or going on to university.

Tertiary Mvule Trust uses this term to describe non-university educational institutions for professions/fields such as forestry, nursing, medical laboratory technician or agriculturalist.

USE - Universal Secondary Education Introduced in Uganda in February 2007. Not yet “universal,” USE currently applies only to students in S1 and S2 in about 1,000 out of 3,500 schools. USE followed the implementation of Universal Primary Education (UPE) in 1997.

Vocational Training for practical fields such as catering, tailoring, bricklaying and carpentry.

VCT - Voluntary Counseling and Testing for HIV/AIDS



FAQs about Mvule Trust

FAQs ABOUT MVULE TRUST What is Mvule Trust? It is a small NGO operating only in Uganda, running a scholarship and grant-giving project. The Trust registered with the UK Charity Commission and the Uganda NGO Board in 2005 and began operations in 2006. It is based in Kampala. How does it work? Mvule Trust was established by a $5 million grant from the Arcadia Trust (formely the Lisbet Rausing Charitable Fund) for the purpose of supporting initiatives in education, science and the environment. Mvule Trust works with numerous implementing agencies, which receive grants to help carry out its scholarship activities. Who benefits from it? Mvule Trust aims to support bright but disadvantaged students who would otherwise be unable to continue their education. Emphasis is placed on women in rural areas, who are usually the most in need and least likely to benefit from a complete education. From 2006 to the end of 2008, Mvule Trust has helped 606 adolescents and young adults complete their courses by providing school fees for secondary, vocational or technical institutions; scholastic and other basic materials; training in reproductive and sexual health; and guidance and counseling. The aim for the entire grant is to directly help 2158 young people. Mvule Trust has also provided grants to schools for science laboratories, libraries, fuel-saving stoves and solar panels.

Below: Beneficiaries at Kangai SS, Dokolo district

MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2008



MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2008

MAPPING MVULE Total number of students: 1,963 Girls: 1,534 (78%) Boys: 429 (22%)

Moyo

Koboko

Kaabong

Yumbe

Kitgum Adjumani

Nyadri

Kotido Arua

Pader

Gulu Amuru

Abim

Moroto

Nebbi Lira

Oyam

Amuria

Bulisa Masindi

Apac

Dokolo Katakwi

Kaberamaido

Nakapiripirit

Soroti Kumi

Nakasongola Hoima

Palisa Kaliro

Bundibugyo

Kabale Iganga Jinja

Kampala

Mukono

Mayuge

Kasese

Masaka Lake Victoria

Bushenyi

Kanungu

Kisoro

Ntungamo

Isingiro

Rakai

Kalangala

Kabala

 Mvule districts of operation

Mvule Trust over the years

MVULE TRUST OVER THE YEARS

MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2008



2005 l l

Mvule Trust registers with the UK Charity Board and the Uganda NGO Board. Seven educational organizations are identified to help implement Mvule Trust programs.

2006 l l

Scholarships are awarded to 1303 new beneficiaries (839 girls and 464 boys) for secondary school and vocational institutions in underprivileged, rural districts across the country. Mvule Trust awards grants to Cornerstone Development Uganda and Kichwamba High School to build science laboratories, as well as to Volcanoes Eco-tourism for the protection of the chimpanzee population in the Kyambura Gorge.

2007 l l l l l l

Uganda institutes Universal Secondary Education (USE). Mvule Trust takes on another 487 students (333 girls in secondary school, and 153 young women and one young man for nursing and other health courses); the total number of beneficiaries reaches 1828 (1365 girls and 463 boys). Mvule Trust conducts five health workshops for 398 girls from 35 schools, as well as for the entire Nyabyeya Forestry College. The Trust meets with parents of beneficiaries in West Nile. Mvule Trust visits 1040 students at school for monitoring purposes, and distributes scholastic materials. Mvule Trust gives a grant to Cornerstone to install solar panels; buy science lab equipment; purchase energy-saving stoves; and set up a woodlot.

MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2008

2008: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Development does not have a quick-fix, one-time solution. As the face of education changes in Uganda, Mvule Trust keeps reassessing ways to best serve the needs of underprivileged young people. Starting with secondary and vocational students and investment in school infrastructure in 2006-07, Mvule has since expanded to address the shortage of medical workers in Uganda, sponsoring over 200 students at nursing and clinical institutions. Having learned from its partner implementers, Mvule Trust continues to take on more and more students for “direct scholarships.” As beneficiaries enter the later stages of their courses and begin to wonder about the future, Mvule, too, is looking at what possibilities lie ahead. In 2008, Mvule Trust made it possible for 219 students to sit for the national UCE exam (O-level) and 203 for UACE (A-level). A further 872 are due to sit for UCE or UACE in 2009. That in itself is a remarkable achievement. For these young adults, Mvule Trust’s sponsorship has meant a happier, healthier future through delayed pregnancy and marriage. They have made it through at least four years of secondary study, empowered with valuable life skills, a means of income-generation and, for some, the possibility of further education. Many simply need a second chance: at Lira Medical Laboratory School, Mvule Trust picked up 11 girls who had excelled in the sciences at UCE – an area where most Ugandan youths struggle - but had dropped out after S4 due to lack of school fees. Clearly, Mvule’s scholarships are needed more than ever. Most students in Uganda who scored well on the 2008 UCE exam are not from the disadvantaged, rural districts where Mvule Trust operates. Nevertheless, Mvule candidates passed well above the national average. Country-wide, half of all girls who sat UCE in 2008 either failed or scored in Division 4. Under Mvule, 29% scored in Division 4; 36% in Division 3; 28% in Division 2 and 7% in the top Division 1. None failed. In addition to secondary school students, Mvule Trust enabled another 184 young Ugandans to complete their courses of study: 104 certificates in vocational training, 29 diplomas in nursing, two lab technicians, and 49 certificates in forestry. Mvule Trust visited over 1500 students at 91 schools and held six parents’ meetings in Eastern Uganda and West Nile region. The Trust and its implementers distributed scholastic materials and other basic needs including notebooks, pens, pencils and sanitary pads. In July, Mvule invited schools to send some of their brightest beneficiaries to a girls’ leadership and science camp at Cornerstone Academy. Continued sponsorship of a bed at the Hope Ward, International Hospital Kampala, provided vital medical care to needy Ugandans. Thanks to efficient budgeting and yearly under-spending, Mvule Trust will be able to support many beneficiaries through A-level or tertiary education until midway through 2013.

 When I lost the person who was paying my fees, I left school and stayed at home and I got my first child. I want to have a capacity of maintaining my children and the community around. - Annet Amony, 21, Gulu. Mvule Trust took her on in 2006 for a course in bricklaying and concrete practice, and then sponsored her return to secondary school. This year, she is studying sciences at A-level.

Partnerships

PARTNERSHIPS Mvule Trust works with various partner organisations in order to reach nearly 2000 beneficiaries in 26 districts across Uganda.

Implementer

2006

2007

2008



FAWEU

857

1076

1105



WORLD VISION

294

330

275



ADRA

20

20

0



STF

57

62

33



UWESO

73

70

68



URDT

30

60

60



FORESTRY

50

50

49



DIRECT

1

6

77



MEDICAL

1

154

215



CORNERSTONE

0

0

81



Total

1383

1828

1963

Mvule Trust grants to partners: Forum for African Women Educationalists – Uganda (FAWEU) In 2008, Mule Trust-FAWEU supported 1105 beneficiaries, of whom 75% are female. The students live in 11 extremely remote and disadvantaged districts in West Nile, Western Uganda and Teso sub-region. The total value of the 2008 FAWEU grant was Ug. Shs. 556,493,685 (U.S. $325,816). A total of 339 students sat for final examinations in 2008: 167 for UCE and 172 for UACE. Kabugho Alice, of Kyebambe Girls’ SS in Fort Portal, wrote: “We S6 candidates have ended our term today and to me the term has been successful because I didn’t get any problem where fees are concerned. I hope for the best [exam] result. Educate a woman and save the nation.”

MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2008

10

Four percent of FAWEU students dropped out. Girls were almost twice as likely as boys to drop out, citing primarily pregnancy (in 54% of cases), marriage (8%) and indiscipline or lack of interest (10%). FAWEU encourages recent dropouts to return to school: this year, the organization sought out three child mothers and convinced them to resume their classes. One of them, Alumgat Christine, gave birth in 2007, while in S2. Since returning to school in 2008, she is always first or second in her class.

World Vision In 2008, Mvule Trust awarded a grant of Shs. 176,558,990 ($103,8371) to World Vision, a Christian NGO seeking to address the many causes of poverty. This year, World Vision in Uganda administered 277 secondary and vocational scholarships to students in the rural districts of Kitgum (114 beneficiaries) and Bundibugyo (163 beneficiaries). Over 28 million Ug. Shs. ($16,000) worth of scholastic materials, basic necessities and vocational tools were distributed.

MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2008

Uganda Women’s Efforts to Save the Orphans (UWESO) UWESO is a Ugandan organization running educational programs for orphans and vulnerable children. In 2008, Mvule’s grant of Shs. 53,818,416 ($31,510) to UWESO covered school fees for 68 beneficiaries to study and board at Migyera UWESO Training Institute (MUTI) in Nakasongola; the cost of transportation for needy beneficiaries to travel back to their homes twice a year; scholastic materials; mosquito nets; materials and a demonstration on how make menstrual pads at home; and helped to fund a career guidance day at MUTI for over 300 students.

Uganda Rural Development Training (URDT) Girls’ School Mvule Trust made its third annual contribution of Shs. 60 million ($35,129) to URDT to fully support the education and boarding needs of 60 girls. This school in Kibaale district uses a “two-generation” approach, emphasizing parent involvement and the integration of academics with skills in leadership, commercial farming, entrepreneurship, arts and crafts and life skills. The girls will graduate in 2009 and 2010.

Straight Talk Foundation (STF) Mvule Trust works closely with STF, a Ugandan NGO specializing in health and development communications: Mvule Trust and STF are sister NGOs, sharing the same premises in Kampala. STF counselors are an integral part of ASRH training for all Mvule beneficiaries, as well as in managing scholarships for needy students in the districts of Gulu and Kampala. In 2008, its last year of operation, the STF-Mvule Trust scholarship scheme supported 33 students (19 girls and 14 boys) in secondary and vocational schools, at a total cost of Shs. 23,816,790 ($13,944). Overall, STF-Mvule benefited 61 students, whether through a one-time, semester scholarship, or by paying in full for a vocational course or for secondary school. Said Bosco Ongom of B.A.G. Technical School, “I will finish this year. I don’t have my mother and father; I am the only one who acts like a parent to my young brothers and sisters. Thank you so much for my fees.”

Sixteen STF beneficiaries in Gulu completed their vocational training: five in tailoring; two in motor vehicle maintenance; four in carpentry and joinery; and five in bricklaying and concrete practice. They all received start-up tools such as sewing machines.

11

Nyabyeya Forestry College (NFC) Mvule Trust has significantly contributed to the growing number of female foresters in Uganda. Fifty students - 45 of them girls – were taken on in 2006 at the governmentrun Nyabyeya Forestry College. NFC is the only institution in the country offering a technical qualification in forestry, and is a major training ground for employees of Uganda’s National Forestry Authority (NFA). The college offers certificates and diplomas in forestry, agro-forestry, biomass energy technology and beekeeping. Sixty female NFC students graduated with certificates in 2008, half of whom are Mvule Trust beneficiaries. “It is through the partnership with Mvule Trust that we have been able to raise the number of girls to over 30%,” Mr. Wilson Kasolo, NFC principal, said at the college’s 50th graduation ceremony. In 2009, Mvule Trust will pay for 27 certificate holders to continue studying for their diplomas, and another 10 to earn certificates.

Cornerstone Development

MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2008

12

In 2008, Mvule Trust supported 81 students (60 girls and 21 boys) at Ekitangaala SS, near the Cornerstone Ranch in Nakasongola district, with a grant of Shs. 70,375,000 ($41,203). Cornerstone selects needy students from the local communities, whose inhabitants are mostly nomadic cattle keepers. Ekitangaala SS is the only secondary school in the area, serving five primary schools. “In these villages, the culture of reading is very poor,” said Mich, a graduate of Cornerstone Boy’s Academy who has mentored the Ekitangaala students for three years. “These children often see themselves in a small way; going to school helps them to forget about that background and really achieve.”

MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2008

Hope Ward The Hope Ward of International Hospital Kampala (IHK) provides free treatment for needy Ugandans with serious medical conditions. With a yearly grant of $15,000, Mvule Trust caters for 365 “bed nights” at the Ward. In 2008, the grant went towards treating over 300 patients, most of whom needed complicated surgery, or treatments for cancer or complications related to HIV/AIDS. Under a special provisory in 2008, IHK agreed to provide outpatient care for Mvule Trust beneficiaries. The Trust referred two young girls and one boy for treatment, for which the total cost was Shs. 947,500 ($555). Below: the children’s section of the Hope Ward.

ADDITIONAL EFFORT: Child-headed families On behalf of the actress Natalie Portman, Mvule Trust partners with AIDS Widows Orphans Family Support (AWOFS) to coordinate the sponsorship of eight children orphaned by HIV/ AIDS. Since returning to school in 2006, the children’s academic performances have improved dramatically, from being among the last in their classes to making the top quartile. In 2008, Mvule and AWOFS also took on the two eldest children for vocational training. Irene Nakakawa writes, “I have enjoyed going to a big hotel for catering services, baking cakes and preparing different dishes. I associate with different people and am learning English and how to write.” Ddamulira Nicolas enrolled in a candle-making course and has started his own small business: he sells candlesticks at Shs. 100 (US 6 cents) for the ordinary type, and at Shs. 300 (US 18 cents) for ones that repel mosquitoes.

13

Direct Scholarships

DIRECT SCHOLARSHIPS Starting in 2007, Mvule Trust took on “direct scholarships,” working with educational institutions themselves instead of going through a partner NGO. In 2008, direct scholarships were awarded to 215 nurses, lab technicians and environmental officers, as well as to 99 secondary and vocational students in northern Uganda. In addition, university tuition contributions were made to several Mvule Trust and GYC staff. Direct scholarships involve more self-conducted programs, but are also very cost-effective. Mvule Trust has developed strong relationships with the administrations of local institutions. For instance, thanks to Mvule’s support to 21 girls at the government-operated School of Hygiene in Mbale, the school has been able to undertake much-needed renovations. The school has come a long way since 1979, when the first woman was admitted. Says principal Onen Cliff Richard, “These girls are leaders, they have really grown. Now you see them in the field in their gumboots, doing so much for health in their communities.”

Medical and health science students Health services in Uganda are critically inadequate. For the country to attain the Millennium Development Goals, an estimated 26,700 more health workers are needed for the current population. Moreover, 46% of Uganda’s doctors are concentrated in the capital city, Kampala, while rural areas average only one doctor for every 100,000 people. (As reported by the daily newspaper New Vision, 26/01/09) In November 2007, Mvule Trust began by recruiting 153 girls and one boy to attend medical and health institutions across the country. In 2008, the Trust granted bursaries to continuing students and identified another 61; this year, Mvule sponsored a total of 162 nurses, 29 clinical lab officers, 21 environmental health officers, and 3 agriculturalists. Retention rates among students in technical schools are higher than for students in secondary schools. Techical students are generally older, more focused in their choice of profession, and optimistic about job opportunities. Studies have shown that students educated in rural areas are more likely to become invested in those communities, rather than moving to Kampala or contributing to the “brain drain” of medical professionals leaving the country.

MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2008

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Tertiary students are usually more committed than secondary because they have gone through all kinds of problems. They may be the first born in their families and everyone is looking at them as the only source of hope. And unlike vocational training, which may be very useful but is often under-looked, tertiary courses are regarded as professional. - Josephine Abalo, Mvule Trust program manager, pictured at left with beneficiaries of Lira School of Nursing.

MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2008

District

No. of Students

Health Institutions 2007 recruits

2008 recruits

Total in 2008

1

0

1

20 2

10 1

30 3

Bushenyi

Ishaka Adventist Hospital Training School

Gulu

St. Mary’s Hospital Lacor Gulu Clinical School

Jinja

Jinja School of Nursing Jinja Medical Laboratory Training School

5

3

8

Kabale

Kabale Institute of Health Sciences

0

2

2

Kampala

Mengo Hospital Laboratory School St. Raphael of St. Francis Hospital Nsambya Training School

0 1 2

2 0 0

2 1 2

Kasese

Kagando School of Nursing

0

2

2

Kumi

Ngora School of Nursing and Midwifery

20

1

21

Lira

Lira School of Comprehensive Nursing Lira Medical Laboratory Training School

7 11

1 13

8 24

Luwero

Bukalasa Agriculture College

0

2

2

Mbale

Mbale School of Hygiene Mbale School of Clinical Officers

19 0

2 2

21 2

Moroto

St. Kizito Hospital Matany, School of Nursing

21

0

21

Pader

Dr. Ambrosoli Memorial Hospital Kalongo

40

18

58

Soroti

Soroti School of Comprehensive Nursing Arapai Agricultural College

5 0

1 1

6 1

154

61

215

TOTAL

My mother passed away when I was in S4. Ever since my father married again, I have stayed with my grandmother in Palissa. This is my first year at Ngora Nursing. I am learning nursing theory and the relationship between nurses and patients. Teachers teach us to respect patients, which is so good because even if it was me to fall sick, I still need to be respected. - Claudia Akurut, 21

15

Northern Uganda

Northern Uganda Field coordinator Christine Lamwaka is a peer educator at Gulu Youth Center (GYC), run by Straight Talk Foundation. She visits the STF and direct scholarship students in Gulu at least four times per term to pay school fees, establish good rapport with the schools, and provide counseling to the students. “The girls often ask me about relationship problems and reproductive and sexual health issues like menstruation,” Christine says. “The boys had a lot of indiscipline cases at the beginning, especially the orphans living with relatives who mistreated them. They call me or come to GYC to look for guidance.” In 2008, Christine visited 83 students at 14 different schools in Gulu district. It is not easy work: she travels by bicycle or boda-boda (a motorcycle “taxi”) to schools as far as 70km from Gulu Town.

Christine (left) distributes new sewing machines to tailoring graduates in Gulu. This year, Christine completed her B.A. in education at Gulu University thanks to financial support from Mvule Trust.

MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2008

16

Mvule’s on-the-ground activities around Kigum are coordinated by field officer Joyce Adong (right), who also works as a peer educator at STF’s Kitgum Youth Center (KYC). In 2008, Joyce oversaw a total of 78 students in the districts of Kitgum, Pader and Lira: 45 in secondary; 16 nursing students; five child mothers in tailoring; and one studying drawing and sign painting.

MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2008

Identifying need In November 2008, Mvule Trust screened over 400 applicants from rural districts for nursing and other medical science courses. One hundred and fifty applicants traveled to interview personally with the Gulu and Kitgum field officers. Says Christine Lamwaka, “I asked them questions like if they have both parents, if they live in a permanent or a grass-thatched hut, and what are the sources of finance at home. Maybe a girl is just making money by selling small items in the market. Even if she is not an orphan, her parent could be a primary teacher, whose salary is not over 200,000 shillings a month. This way I can tell the needy ones.” Fifty-three medical science candidates were interviewed from GYC, and 45 from KYC; a total of 100 were successful. Among the most vulnerable and needy of Mvule’s beneficiaries are the “child mothers” - girls under 18 years of age who have given birth. A disproportionate number of child mothers live in northern Uganda, where decades of violence and social unrest have disrupted the traditional family unit and means of living. Mvule Trust supports 17 child mothers in Gulu and Kitgum. Joyce and Christine identified them when they came for VCT at the Straight Talk youth centres. As most of the child mothers have not even completed primary school, Mvule Trust encourages them to go into vocational training.

Below: Three needy beneficiaries from Kitgum attend the Modern Tailoring School.

17 Other beneficiaries are identified directly from the community. Field coordinator Joyce Adong first met Irene Layet, 21, (right) when she was going door-to-door selling homemade brooms. The first child of a crippled father and arthritic mother, Irene was the only one bringing in household income. Joyce recruited her to learn tailoring in Kitgum.

Student support

STUDENT SUPPORT

You could see from the way these girls expressed their words that they are looking for a good life, meaning a life that can expose you to electricity, nice buildings, people from different places. They believe that good life is brought by education. - Jerolam Omach (pictured above), a counselor at STF who conducted part of the ASRH workshop at the beneficiaries’ leadership camp in August.

Monitoring visits In 2008, Mvule Trust partnered with STF to conduct verification trips to all focus regions of Uganda, meeting with over 1500 students at 91 schools: l l l l

MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2008

18



East and Teso sub-region (Katakwi, Amuria, Kaberamaido, Moroto, Kumi, Soroti, Mbale, Jinja): 22 schools West (Bundibugyo, Kasese, Kisoro, Kibaale, Masindi): 22 schools West Nile (Adjumani, Moyo, Yumbe, Nebbi, Arua): 28 schools North (Gulu, Kitgum, Pader, Lira) and Nakasongola: 19 schools

Leadership camp Mvule Trust-STF held a five-day workshop for 120 beneficiaries from 11 districts to participate in a leadership and science camp. Mornings were dedicated to science practicals, going over skills that students will need for their O-level examinations. In the evenings, STF counselors challenged the girls to answer questions like “What is gender?” and, “How do you show love without necessarily having sex?” The girls also had a chance to share their personal problems, which included “lack of people to guide me on how to understand my body,” and “being forced into love relationship because of money.”

MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2008

Parents’ Meetings In 2008, a young girl in Adjumani asked Mvule Trust to “advise our parents on the value of girl child education so they can stop harassing us to get married.” With just such a goal in mind, Mvule and STF held three meetings in West Nile (Adjumani, Yumbe and Moyo districts) and three in Eastern Uganda (Katakwi, Amuria and Kaberamaido districts), interacting with a total of 326 parents and guardians. Financial constraints are a major reason for parents discontinuing their children from school. Surprisingly though, some parents expressed resentment about all the support their children are getting, saying it made them unruly. Other educational NGOs, too, are finding that some sponsored students are undisciplined. According to one head teacher, “Sponsored students don’t feel the pinch, so they feel no responsibility to parents or teachers.” Unlike many sponsors who provide beneficiaries with their every need, Mvule Trust gives only school fees, plus some scholastic materials when possible. The Trust aims to aid families in difficult circumstances, not undermine the roles of teachers, parents and community leaders. Beneficiaries are strongly encouraged to find a way of earning their own pocket money during the holidays. My stepmum says, ‘You are just fattening from my home. Why don’t you go to the market to find someone to marry? – Harriet, 18, Lwala Girls SS in Kaberamaido

During parents’ meetings, participants first split into same-sex discussion groups before coming together to share ideas on problems and solutions. Mvule Trust provides all participants with lunch, soda and biscuits, and some small cash to pay for their transport. Left: Women’s discussion group at Adjumani SS.

Left: Martha Akello, STF counselor and Parent Talk writer, speaks with parents at Usuk SS in Katakwi district.

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Graduating with hope

GRADUATING WITH HOPE As of the end of 2008, Mvule Trust’s sponsorship has helped 403 students to successfully complete their studies. Their new skills – vocational or academic - give them the means to make an important transition: living above the dollar-a-day poverty line. l Forestry graduates have very marketable skills. Many of the 11 Nyabyeya diploma holders have found excellent jobs right out of school: two work at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation; two with STF’s Tree Talk; and one with the Uganda Bureau of Statistics. One earned a first division in his exams and is currently at Makerere University on a government scholarship. l Akello Jenifer, under STF, studied catering in Gulu and was hired at Jojo’s Palace as soon as she graduated. She earns 80,000 Shs. a month ($ 46) working in the kitchen. “Every month I save 20,000 Shs. for the bank and I spend the rest. In the future I want to open a small hotel,” she says. Milly Charity Ayat, another STF beneficiary, was so bright that she finished her course a year early. She now earns 9,000 Shs. ($5) a day as a construction worker. Tailoring graduates can earn between 5,000 and 10,000 Shs. a day. l Under World Vision, 60 vocational students in Bundibugyo graduated in 2007 and received start-up tools. Kabarwani Annet, one of 11 girls at Rosa Mystica Institute of Business and Vocational Studies, was the first graduate to be employed. She currently works at the BX hotel. She says, “I am humbled by what God has done to me and my family, from hopelessness to a breadwinner. I am now determined to open a personal restaurant and I will be able to adequately support my six younger siblings.” l The majority of Mvule Trust medical science students will complete in mid2010, but a few who were taken on midway through their course have already finished and found jobs. Janet Acen, of Gulu, completed her course in enrolled comprehensive nursing at Lacor Hospital and is staying there to practice. Okello Jackline Jennifer finished at Gulu School of Clinical Officers and is now volunteering at GYC. l Elisabeth Acen, 23, finished at Ngora School of Nursing and is volunteering in the nearby town of Serere, Soroti district, as she awaits her examination results. Elisabeth earns a stipend of 100,000 Shs. a month, plus free lodging at the health center. “Every day I work with many patients for injections and transfusions; I am the only one at the health center trained as a midwife,” she says. “With my papers for qualified nurse, I can look for a good paying job in a hospital, earning 250,000 shillings every month or even more.”

Below:

MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2008

20

Nyabyeya Forestry College (NFC) graduates and beneficiaries at Lira School of Nursing in Northern Uganda.

MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2008

FINANCE In June, Mvule Trust underwent a successful audit with Carr Stayner Sims and Co. A representative from the firm accompanied Mvule Trust staff on surprise visits to the UWESO school and Nyabyeya Forestry College.

Mvule grants to implementers

Mvule expenses by category

Income and expenditure statement for the year ending 31 December 2008 INCOME Grants Interest Total Income Less: Capital Expenditure Balance available for Recurrent Expenditure RECURRENT EXPENDITURE Program sub-grants – scholarships Secondary Vocational Sub-total Innovative Science/Leadership development camp Parents’ meetings/Annual camp Project running costs Support to beneficiaries Hospital bed support for students Sub-total Administrative Costs FAWEU operational overheads Salaries – Head Office Salaries – FAWEU Directors’ salaries Office rent Office expenses Advertising, trustees meeting Motor vehicle running expenses Audit fees Overseas travel Exchange loss Sub-total Total Expenditure Surplus for the year before exchange difference Exchange difference BALANCE AT 31 DECEMBER 2008 (TOand RESTRICTED FUND) Legal administrative information

Note

Actual Ushs.

Actual US $

10 11

1,588,752,927 721,732 1,589,474,659 (2,600,000) 1,586,874,659

963,794 422 964,216 (1,522) 962,694

963,379,078 134,767,500 1,098,146,578

564,039 78,904 642,943

28,781,500 20,373,850 59,418,400 29,248,900 25,620,000 163,442,650

16,851 11,928 34,788 17,125 15,000 95,692

29,911,208 40,566,356 40,710,504 89,036,150 54,990,000 20,128,549 5,475,000 16,038,831 5,978,000 8,278,240 (64,537,772) 246,575,066 1,508,164,294 78,710,365 --

17,513 23,751 23,835 50,000 32,196 11,785 3,205 9,390 3,500 4,847 (37,785) 142,237 880,872 81,822 (41,868)

78,710,365

39,954

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Legal and administrative information

Name of charity: Mvule Trust Name of governing document: Charitable Trust Deed signed between the two founders and three trustees on 1 March 2005. Name of trustees: David Bowes Lyon (Chair), Madeleine Plaut, Richard Dowden Trustees appointed: For knowledge of education, Africa and charitable sector. Principal office of the charity: 25 Ross St. Cambridge, UK CB1 JBP, UK 4 Acacia Avenue, PO BOX 22366, Kampala, Uganda Names and addresses of other relevant organizations or persons : Auditors Carr Stanyer Sims & Co. Certified Public Accountants PO BOX 6293, Kampala, Uganda Tel: 256-0414-258458 Bankers Stanbic Bank Crested Towers\Corporate Branch PO BOX 7131, Kampala, Uganda Barclays Bank PLC Pall Mall 2 Reg. No. 1026167 Tel: 44-0-207-707-5080 London, UK Solicitors Lex Uganda 8th floor Communications House PO BOX 22490, Kampala, Uganda Tel: 256-0414-232733 Taylor Wessing Carmelite 50 Victoria Embankment Blackfriars, London EC4Y 0DX, UK Tel: 44-0-207-300-7000 Advisors Arcadia 39 Sloane Street, London, UK Tel: 44-0-207-838-7100

MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2008

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Charity Commission Number: 1111410 (22 September 2005) Government of Uganda BGO Certificate of Registration: S.5914/6093 (28 October 2005) LOOKING AHEAD Most beneficiaries will complete S4 in 2009, towards the end of Mvule Trust’s original operation period. However, since 2006 the Trust has consistently spent less than its annual budget of $1 million; expenditure over the last three years averages $ 743,572.67 annually. With an accumulated surplus, Mvule will be able to stretch its original budget. For the 785 students finishing O-level in 2009, Mvule intends to offer them the possibility of attending a tertiary institution or going on to studying sciences at A-level; the latest would complete by midway through 2013.

MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2008

The Mvule Trust team 1. Cathy Watson Director 2. Josephine Abalo Program Manager 3. Katherine Manchester Program Officer 4. Mary Achom Data Officer 5. Fred Mwesigwa Driver

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MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2008

24 Table of Contents