Kingsway Christian High School was established in 2008 and is licensed and registered through the Ministry of Education in Uganda. The school has historically operated independently and sustainably, by enrolling paying students whose school fees allow impoverished youth to attend for free.
However, it is a constant struggle to balance the needs of the community with the resources at hand. There are always more students who apply than can be accepted into Kingsway, and it is heartbreaking to have to turn anyone away. Even the enrolled students may have face challenges with the availability of food, water, beds, and clothing.
A prevalent need right now is for a girls dormitory to be built. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the grace of God, progress is finally being made and construction is underway. You can read more and stay up-to date with progress here.
Despite this encouraging headway, Kingsway is still in great need of support. Its current needs are listed below.
Check out Kingsway’s Wish List
Girls Dormitory – Good news! (Jan 2023)
The Ugandan government had given Kingsway until the end of 2022 to get a dormitory built for girls (or to make significant progress). The building had been partially completed with foundation and walls of the lower level built. (The plan is that the dorm will have two levels, with the lower level for the girls and the upper level for administrators to live.)
Because of your generosity, Kingsway was able to raise over $20,000 in 2022, which will allow them to enclose the lower level of the dorm. When this level is finished and doors and windows are put in, the girls can move in, satisfying the government’s main requirement.
They have now starting to build as of mid-December 2022! Praise the Lord! They need $4000 for doors and windows for the lower level, and another $25,000 later to finish the upper story and complete the building.
Why is building the dormitory so critical? One reason is that it is unsafe for girls to walk from home to school each day. Young women and girls are increasingly preyed upon by boda boda (motorcycle taxi) riders and other young men who solicit sex or even rape them.
Milly explains the need in the video below:
COVID/Inflation Emergency:
The COVID pandemic closed schools for almost two years and devastated families financially. In other countries, children studied on the computer at home. In Uganda, many children were forced to give up school entirely to do menial labor to support their families. See this PBS report.
Along with other schools, Kingsway was able to reopen in January 2022, but with far fewer students than their usual class of forty to fifty. Few families have money to pay school fees right now to support students who cannot pay.
In addition, inflation is driving up prices for everything. An additional $2000-3000 per term is needed to pay teachers and buy food and classroom materials. Your prayers and financial support are needed to weather this crisis.
Drought Impact:
Kingsway has a large garden that it uses to grow vegetables and fruit, to keep the cost of food for students at a minimum.
The worst drought in eastern Africa in forty years destroyed last season’s crop. Until the rains return, Kingsway must purchase what usually can be supplied for little cost.
Update: In August the rains returned and Kingsway has planted crops for next year. Since then rains have still been scanty and there is some worry that the harvest will be small. Kingsway will need to buy food for several more months until the crops come in.
Applicants Turned Away:
Your ongoing monthly support will allow Kingsway to transform many more lives. The school has a long list of needy applicants who they are unable to enroll. Kingsway has classroom space available but simply doesn’t have money to take them on. These children may lose their only opportunity to get an education.
Kingsway would like to return to their enrollment of forty to fifty students in 2023, but it costs the school approximately $900 per year ($75/month) to offer room, board and an education to a needy student.
This year Kingsway has been able to support less than twenty students. The school would need an additional $18,000 to $27,000 to take on twenty to thirty more students next year if few families are able to pay regular school fees.
If you’ve ever wished you could directly help the poorest in Africa, you’ve come to the right place.
Check out Kingsway’s Wish List