Learning Beyond Borders

I love the motto of  Learning Beyond Borders  (LBB) : “Connecting communities through the power of education.” How very appropriate.  Development comes with opportunities for and challenges that must be overcome to reach more sustainable solutions. It is a long term project. LBB was founded in 2007 and with help from HEAL, the group works to build cultural connections and support communities through sustainable fundraising with a focus on increasing educational opportunities.

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LBB forges partnerships between students in Canada and young students in rural Uganda through letters and scrapbook exchanges while also financially supporting their education with the purchase of academic and extracurricular supplies. At present, there are 3 schools that are being supported by HEAL.

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We had the opportunity to see many of the schools in rural areas and give words of encouragement to the students and the teachers. The parents barely have enough to feed their families, let alone pay for the school fees. They definitely do not have textbooks available to them and just providing them with multiple sets of books for the class to keep at school, is huge in helping the students improve their learning. Another example is to provide them with “holiday packages” and “practice exams” which involves providing pertinent school assignments and reading material so that the students can continue to study at home and better prepare for their national examinations. One very astute and articulate student, Brian, wearing tattered clothes, was being allowed to attend primary school without a uniform as the headmaster felt he had potential to be best in class and earn a scholarship for secondary school. Unfortunately Brian finished primary school with only one point away from being top grade, which was devastating as he did not qualify for the scholarship, and would not be a candidate to attend secondary school. Without education, he along with many others like him. will likely not have a strong chance to get out of a life of poverty. The headmaster has asked HEAL to help with a scholarship for this bright boy.

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One of the toughest things to see was a school, where the classroom had collapsed and the children were studying without a roof – I don’t know how they manage when the rainy season is upon them.  It’s another project that HEAL needs to help out with, and God Willing, these students will have a classroom to study in by 2020.

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