Category Archives: News

Here you will find the latest Bright Kids Uganda news and updates

Immunizations at BKU

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On May 12th, BKU held an immunization clinic for the children. Victoria arranged for Dr. Joyce Abalo and nurse Lydia Lunkuse, from Kitala Health Centre II, to spend the day at Bright Kids to administer government vaccinations and medicine to the kids of BKU. The children were also weighed and their medical records were updated. The children received polio, measles, and diphtheria/tetanus/hepetitis B vaccinations. They also received Vitamin A and de-worming medicine. The community was also invited to bring children for immunization. At the end of the day, 60 children benefited from the immunization clinic. Despite some tears and frightened faces, the immunization clinic was a success.

Goats for BKU

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BKU wishes to thank the friends of our University of Pittsburgh intern Simone Vecchio for their generous donations. Before she left for Uganda, Simone was able to collect $300 (along with a number of school supplies) in donations. The money has been used to purchase 3 goats for BKU. we just received two she-goats and one he-goat. The she-goats are both expecting kids any time now. The goats will produce milk for the children and will be a great income-generating source to sell as they continue to reproduce. Thank you to our generous supporters for allowing BKU the opportunity to raise goats.
 
 
 

CLINIC PROJECT-Update

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We are happy to report that since the arrival of the student group Global Peace Exchange from Florida State University, construction has begun on a health clinic to service the children of BKU and the surrounding community. Throughout the year preceding this summer, Global Peace Exchange (GPE) was in correspondence with BKU to plan for the construction and furnishing of the clinic and fundraise enough money to see to its full completion during their stay at BKU this summer. It is both GPE and BKU’s mission to ensure that the clinic become sustainable by hiring a full-time nurse on staff and charging fees for health services when the community members visit the clinic. These fees will then be funneled back into the up-keep of the clinic and the children’s subsequent needs. So far, the money that Global Peace Exchange has raised through both grant writing and fundraisers, has supplied all of the necessary building materials. Some of these include: bricks, multiple bags of cement, iron rods and wires, plaster, stones, labor for 6 days per week, and much more! We are all very excited about the potential benefit this health clinic may serve to all people in the area, but especially the Bright Kids! Please continue checking back for further updates on the clinic’s progress.

Keep track of GPE’s Clinic Project Progress and check out the latest pictures through their blog: http://monicakfleming.tumblr.com/

Meet the New Friends of BKU!

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Victoria and the children are happy to welcome five new volunteers and two new interns to BKU. The new friends of BKU arrived between May 8th and May 18th and have settled into their new homes for the summer.  We are excited to have a team from Florida State University who raised enough money to build a new clinic for the children and the community. The volunteers are all members of the Global Peace Exchange (GPE), a student-run international development organization that raises money throughout the school year to support international grass-roots development projects all over the world.
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\Meet the FSU team:
Monica Fleming is a Biology major who would like to pursue a career in International Public Health .
Lindsay Slautterback is an International Affairs and Environmental Studies major who hopes to continue on to law school and then work for an NGO.
Ruth Krug is co-director of GPE for the Uganda team and is an International Affairs major. She wants to work on grass-roots community empowerment projects.
Oliver Okoye is a graduate student in Public Health and wants to work for the World Health Organization.
Molly Pyle is also co-director of GPE and is an International Affairs and social Work major. She wants to work on women’s empowerment issues and education abroad.
 
We also welcome two graduate students from the University of Pittsburgh as interns at BKU. Maria Cruz is working on a Masters of International Development in Human Security and is looking forward to filming a short documentary about Victoria and the children of BKU. Simone Vecchio is obtaining a Masters of International Development Planning and Environmental Sustainability with a certificate in African Studies. She will be assisting Victoria and is eager to learn about running a grass-roots non profit organization and achieving non-profit sustainability.
We thank all of the volunteers and interns for choosing to spend their summer with BKU and know that they will have a rewarding experience.

Back to School

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It’s time, once again, for the children of BKU to return to school. The last few days have been filled with preparations to ensure that the children have all of their school supplies and uniforms. Thanks to their generous sponsors, the children began returning to to school on May 12, 2012. On Saturday, we saw the first group of children leave for Namugongo Samaritan Primary School. On Sunday, the second group of children left for Kennedy Secondary and Primary School and on Monday, the last group of children left for Charity Primary School and Entebbe Junior School. All of the children were eager and excited to go back to school and see their friends. We will miss all of the dear children while they are away at school and await their return in August. as of Wednesday, May 16th, all dayschool children started back dressed in their brightly colored uniforms and smiling faces. Victoria and the children of Bright Kids Uganda are grateful for the generous support of all of the sponsors who enable the kids to receive an education. BKU wishes to thank the Indian Community, coordinated by our volunteer doctor, for providing tuition assistance. We thank the BKU board in the USA for all of their efforts in supporting BKU’s work and mission. We extend our gratitude to the community of Florida State University, who generously contributed $150 to assist with purchasing school supplies for the children.
 

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A Message from Purposeful Penny!

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Dear friends,

 

We have wonderful news! On April 30, 2012, Purposeful Penny received a donation of $1,000 to go towards Bright Kids Uganda. At Purposeful Penny, we are extremely excited for the children of Bright Kids, who will benefit greatly from this donation! We are also tremendously grateful to the donor, who wishes to remain anonymous. The donation will be made to Bright Kids Uganda at the end of the calendar year.

Morgan Brown

President of Purposeful Penny

Pictures from a BKU Volunteer

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Thanks for sharing these wonderful pics Heather! 

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Communal Hut & Solar Lights

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The  2nd Monkspath Scouts of UK have donated more than one thousand
pounds  for the construction fo a dining place/ communal hut for the Bright
Kids.There is a lot of excitement at the BKU as we look forward to a big surprise to
our brothers and sisters in boarding schools who will arrive to find us dining in
a decent place now rather than under trees and on our beds at nite!!!
A big thank you to all the scouts and scouters of 2nd Monkspath.
Because the funds were slightly  more than what was required for that hut, we decided
to build a rectangular one  with one floor on top to house the offices!!!
We know the funds wont complete the offices BUT at least we would have moved
a step towards that!!
For now we have enough materials to see the completion of the dining which is the
ground floor including ironsheets for the roofing of the top when time comes for
that!!
Remember 2nd Monkspath scouts also donated funds for solar for both houses
of the kids, then funds for the poultry project which is now in its third year and the hens are
still giving us eggs. We hope to bring in young ones in May from the profits made
out of selling eggs and the cocks!!!
More  good news…
As the rains kicked off in most parts of Uganda , Entebe area inclusive, so did the
power cuts increase. Having more than five kids under the age of five in darkness
can be a real nightmare!!!
We are more than gratful to the  NEWCASTLE GANG SHOW SCOUT ACTIVE GROUP
who have generously donated 130 pounds for the purchase of solar lamps which
are coming in very handy whenever the lights are out.
A big thank you to that Gang and its co-ordinator for Uganda Dave Mowbrary!!!ImageImageImage

Gloria Laid to Rest

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Yesterday , our village and the neighborhood gave our Gloria a very befitting farewell as more than 100 people young and old , Catholics, Muslims, Protestants and those without religion from all tribes braved the heavy down pour which started at 3p.m and ended at exactly 4p.m when she was due to be lifted from our verandah to her final resting place!!!
Everybody was shocked with the time of the rain which God enabled to start as Gloria’s body left my sitting room for the verandah prayers.Then people feared we would be soaked with rain as we walked to the graveyard still on my land.But immediately after Rev.Sister Babirye from Nsambya Babies Home finished her speech, the rains stopped and we carried dear Gloria on the upper side of my land where she was buried. She now rests in a cemented grave we had to hurriedly build and we will complete this weekend.
Speaker after speaker from Kampala and beyond praised Victoria for having dared to adopt a child not even wanted by her own parents and abandoned on March 20th, 2002 in the slums of Kampala at one and half years old together with her baby sister Fausta who was only three months old.  Fausta was present  to attend her sister’s burial and was accompanied by her guardian and friends from their home in Kampala.  All those who had visited BKU talked fondly of Gloria as the one who always welcome them home sometimes snearing them with dirty and she truggled to stand with their support to show she was welcoming them.  Gloria will be greatly missed by all the BKU kids some of who travelled from their boarding schools to pay their last respects to her before she was buried.  Notable among these was her dearest friend Said who had a paper to sit at 2 p.m and rushed to just have a last minute look at his dear one as she laid in her coffin!!
Gloria died due to what we felt was neglect by the school where she was as they never made any efforts to call us to pick her up when she was very sick and was only found on Friday morning having just vomited in the class and quietly seated in her wheelchair outside the classroom still in her dirty dress while people attended to cleaning the classroom first.  Victoria who had taken juice for Gloria just decided to call for a special hire and took Gloria off to hspital immediately because she was terribly dehydrated.
Although she was put in drip its seems she had been vomiting for days while at the same time not eating.  Not being able to talk made things very difficult for Victoria who kept on asking Gloria what had gone wrong at school without an answer. The doctor found Malaria BUT we still believe it was beyond  malaria.
She left us with so many un-aswered questions.
GLORIA please know that YOU were DEARLY loved not only by your MUM Victoria BUT MOST of the people who crossed YOUR path !!!!
You will be missed” MAAMA MAJIJI ……GLORIA AKUUUUBA ” as you used to say not forgeting your singing of “Baby Jesus I LOve UUUUUUUU!!!!!!
May your beautiful and innocent soul REST in ETERNAL PEACE DEAR!!!!!

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R.I.P. Gloria 2000-2012

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ImageWe are sad to say that our beloved Gloria Namusoke has passed away.  Words cannot express the sadness we are feeling at Bright Kids Uganda over her loss.  In 2001, Gloria was abandoned on the railway crossing by her drunken parents in Kampala together with her sister Fausta.  In 2005, Gloria became a Bright Kid.  Gloria despite being disabled was a very intelligent girl.  She was extremely beautiful and had just started school thanks to a new sponsor this year!  She loved to sing and clap.

Dear Gloria,

Only God knows the vacuum your passing has created in my life, it will take time to be filled.  We LOVE you daughter… you will be missed!

Victoria Nalongo Namusisi

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