[b]What motivates you to keep helping children in Uganda reach their full potential?[/b]
I am motivated when I see children coming every day with their smiles. I see our students working hard and it makes me work hard too. They are trying to exploit their talents and I see that they want to learn. I am also motivated by the school vision to make education a path to transformation in the community.
[b]What sets AAH apart from other education-focused non-profits in Uganda?[/b]
There is trust among our staff and the community, and we are committed to the goals of AAH. We were founded by John Wanda who grew up here and we have many locally-driven programs to help the community. We support our students from P1 (First Grade) up to university, and we also assist many local government schools in the area to improve on their performance. Our vision is broader than just educating the primary pupils at our school. We also teach the ABCs of success, so that we train students in Academics, Behavior, and Character. We are committed to educating students in a holistic manner. Staff have strong relationships with their students.
[b]What do you love the most about your work with AAH?[/b]
I love the transformation so far attained and the progress of the project which I have seen over the past ten years. I also love the team spirit amongst fellow workers and the children’s success and development over the years. In addition, I enjoy getting new ideas and strategies from the other professionals who come from the US and other countries to work with us.
[b]Why does education matter to you?[/b]
Education helps me and my students to know more about the world. It improves our quality of life and it has the power to transform me and our whole society. Through education, we can get better jobs to better support our families, and reduce our burdens. We can prevent and reduce diseases, and eliminate illiteracy. Through education, we can reach our full potential as Ugandans.
[b]Five years from now, where do you envision AAH?[/b]
Our first class to graduate from our primary school just joined university this past year, so five years from now we will have former students who are university-educated and joining the workforce, plus we will have many more students in secondary and university. These students will form a network to support each other professionally and to give back to this rural community, even if they move to the cities. Our students will help develop their home community and we will have greater and greater progress. If it is possible, I would also like to see AAH build and operate its own secondary school.
[b]What advice would you give to prospective teachers?[/b]
Being a teacher requires you to be dedicated and committed to your job. You must be able to work as a team with your fellow teachers, and you should always continue to seek for knowledge and to do more research. Most importantly, you must love the job of being a teacher.
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29 APR 2014