Circle of Peace Primary and Nursery School is located, Makindye, Uganda, near the capital city of Kampala. The school was founded in 1994 and ever since has been operated by the Bbaale family. Currently, the school enrolls 500 + students in nursery through 7th grade. Most of the school’s students commute from home but approximately 40 underprivileged students reside in dormitories on campus. The school provides for all their needs: housing, food, clothing, medical care and emotional support.

Principal MaryLove Bbaale oversees the school with the help of her brother, Director Charles Bbaale and a school management committee. The school employs over 25 staff including teachers, teachers’ helpers, cooks, cleaners, guards, a secretary, a bursar, a nurse, a matron and warden.

Primary education in Uganda is free but students must pay an annual fee to cover the cost of books, uniforms and classroom supplies. Children whose families cannot pay are not allowed in public schools. But at Circle of Peace School no child is turned away for lack of funds. The School is primarily supported by the selfless commitment of the Bbaale family, headed by family matriarch Amina Bbaale. Her sons, daughters and grandchildren either work at the school or provide for it financially. Families of the students contribute what they can toward their child’s education, and the school generates operating income from a poultry farm and agricultural land. Circle of Peace School receives no government funding.

Classes are taught in English. The school’s students do well on required national tests and also are well-behaved. The School serves children of all faiths; both Christian and Muslim students attend. Besides classroom and library facilities the school has space for soccer, volleyball, basketball, dance and music.

In 2011, Circle of Peace International was established as a US-based 501c3 nonprofit corporation, whose mission is to assist the Circle of Peace School in meeting the educational needs of its students.

The cost to support a full scholarship which includes tuition, housing (full boarding), uniforms, school supplies, and all extracurriculars is ~$400 per student. Circle of Peace selects scholarship students on the basis of need, with 13 boys living in the boy’s dorm and 12 girls living in the girl’s dorm on campus.  Most of these children are orphaned, abandoned, or have family circumstances which makes care very difficult at home. The school covers all costs for children who live in the dorms: education, medical support, food and lodging and more.

Scholarship Details are below:

Alinda Angel – Alinda is in Primary 3 (third grade). She lives in the girl’s dormitory with her sister at Circle of Peace School. Her sister Mercy is in the Nursery School. She wants to be a teacher when she grows up and help children learn who have no money to go to school. She likes to read and enjoys studying English and drawing. She loves the school library where there are so many good books. Her two favorite books are Junie B. Jones and a little Monkey Business and Junie B. Jones Has a Monster Under Her Bed. She and her friends enjoy reading to each other or listening to their teacher read to them. She loves to play basketball, jump rope and race. Her favorite color is pink. She likes chicken, matooke, rice and beef. Her favorite treat is ice cream. Her best friends are Tasha and Gloria. They play a lot of games together. Alinda’s parents died of COVID. During the holidays she and her sister visit their grandmother in a distant village. Her grandmother works at a farm, which helps her earn enough money to buy sugar, soap and salt. Alinda is happy that Principal MaryLove brought her to Circle of Peace School. She is working hard to make her grandmother and teachers proud.

David Kirabo – I am 12 years old and am in Primary 4 (fourth grade). I live with my mother. She works at Circle of Peace School as a custodian. She works hard and does her best to give me a good life. Sometimes on weekends she does laundry for people in the neighborhood. The money she makes only pays for our rent and food. My favorite subjects are mathematics and science. My favorite color is purple. My best friends are Mark and Joseph. Soccer is my favorite game. We practice every evening. I like to eat chicken, rice and peas and ice cream. I am asking for help from a sponsor for my education. My dream is to become a doctor or pilot. If I become a doctor, I will make sure everyone gets treatments when they get sick. My father didn’t get treatment and died before he got to the hospital. I hope I will be able to visit my sponsors who have helped me to pursue my dream.

Mark Mutebi – I am 7 years old and in Primary 1 (first grade). My sister and I used to peep through the gate and admire the lucky children who were able to go to school. My mother couldn’t afford to pay the school fees. Then one day we got lucky: they took us in and now we are students at Circle of Peace School. I want to become an engineer or mechanic so that l will be able to build schools and houses. Also, l want to be able to fix broken down cars. Our mother used to work at a market selling vegetables. The money she made was just enough to pay for the rent and groceries. But now she is sick and can’t take care of me and my sister. We live at the school until she gets better.
In the morning Grandmother Amina gives us breakfast, mostly porridge and pancakes, sometimes bread or bananas and we also get lunch. We are always excited about school. They take good care of us. My best friends are Jackson and Isaac. We play soccer every evening after school. We hope someday we will be able to play on the school team. I will be very happy to get a sponsor. Thank you for giving me education.

Mercy Blessing – I am 5 years old and I am in the top nursery school class. Alinda is my sister and best friend. We live in the girl’s dormitory. She helps me to make my bed and wash my clothes. Teacher Maggie is my teacher. During recess and after school I draw pictures of flowers, houses, cars and children playing. My favorite color is blue. I love to play on the swings and climb and slide. During break times I like to play ball with my friends Grace and Georgina. In the morning, we all go to the morning circle where we do a lot of activities; we also sing and dance. It’s a lot of fun. I love being in school. We visit my grandmother during the holidays and I love her very much.

Patricia Nakanwagi – I am 8 years old and I am in Primary 2 (second grade). My parents died of COVID. I live at the school in the girl’s dormitory. My favorite color is red. My favorite foods are posho and beef. My best friend is Kyla. We play together. I love school because we have a lot of fun. I am in the environmental club and we plant many things in our school garden like tomatoes, carrots and cabbage. I love to play indoor games like Juno, puzzles, and cards. When I grow up I want to become a nurse and give sick people medicine. My favorite subjects are Science, Social Studies and English. I am learning all the things that will give me a bright future.

Shania Nasuuna – I am 5 years old and in the Top Class of the Nursery School. I live with my father. My mother left when I was a baby. She was very sick and her relatives took her back to their village to take care of her. She never came back. My favorite subjects are drawing and shading. I like playing netball. My favorite foods are fish, matook and chicken. When l grow up l want to be a musician because l enjoy singing. My favorite color is orange. Kyla is my best friend. We always jump rope and read Junie B Jones and Curious George books together. These are our favorite books. School is a lot of fun. I am very lucky to go to Circle of Peace School.