It’s the second year at Bombolulu Secondary School and the new class has been in for their very first day. We’re super excited and so were they. There were 35 new faces, excited and more than a little nervous. It’s an equal split this year, 17 boys and 18 girls.
Time for new uniforms all round.
When the kids apply for a place at the school we always ask about their ambition for the future. It’s fascinating to see their answers and this year’s intake are as ambitious as we could ask for. Top of the list comes doctors, with 8 of our pupils keen to go down this particular medical route. Then we add 2 nurses, an optician, plus a surgeon.There’s 4 engineers, an astronaut (why not?), 4 pilots, 3 for the military, an actor and a msician. It’s a real mix across the practical and the creative. Every one of them are ambitious and we encourage them to aim high.
Our ethos is to see these children flourish, grow and be happy. We don’t just want them to escape poverty, we also know their success will feed through to the local community and create local economic growth. Nelson Mandela said it very aptly “Education is the great engine of personal development.It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, the son of a mine worker can become the head of the mine, that the child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation.”
What is tough is to understand the backgrounds of our children. Many come from single-parent families, several have no parents, and are looked after by guardians or grandparents. A few have disabled parents whose employment options are severely restricted. Poverty is way beyond what we understand as poverty in the developed world.
A very common feature that has tragically led to the poor background of the children is that poverty has restricted their parents’ education opportunities. Similarly, illness has contributed massively to their restricted ability to earn.
We were well over subscribed for this year’s intake, with around one hundred and fifty applicants. In accordance with our ethos, the school was looking for children from a very poor background, where their parents could not afford school fees. At the same time, they are also selected on the basis they had to have worked hard at primary school, as shown by their results and their reports.
The school also has to make sure the children have reached the correct level of education to date so they will not struggle too much in their new environment. Our teachers go far above and beyond normal hours to support the children in their academic development, but there is a limit to the resources that are available.
And as well as hope, some well lofty ambitions to go with hope for a better life and future. Nelson Mandela also said “It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.” That’s one of the reasons we select pupils on their aptitude for hard work in the classroom.
As the school grows, so does the need to find additional funds and sponsors for the children. We provide the children with education for free, and we also provide everything that goes with that as their parents can’t afford the basics in life. So we provide uniforms, shoes, and we feed the kids twice a day, otherwise they would likely go hungry.
It costs around £120 per month for us to provide for each child, so we’re looking for 6 sponsors for each child at £20 per month. Of course it’s up to you how you donate and how much you donate. Monthly or annually both work well.
The kids are hugely grateful for all the support they get and they love to write, say thank you and tell you how they’re getting on. Plus we send you regular updates about progress at the school generally.
Bombolulu Secondary School – A very successful first year It’s been a very successful first year operating as a lower secondary school. Here’s the quick highlights of what’s happened and what’s been achieved. Or if you want, you can download…
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We received several generous donations as part of The Big Give donation matching initiative, and that’s been a great help to our children.
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So many members of the public have supported the children through organising or participating in fundraising activities, by one-off donations and regular sponsorship of individual children. We’ve been helped by volunteers in all sorts of areas. We’ve received donations of items for Christmas boxes, undies, second-hand uniforms, the list is too long to mention.
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