Help for Tororo/Uganda.

Ladies and Gentlemen

dear friends,

I died on Monday. The new school year officially began here in Uganda on February 5th, 2024 and I would like to report on the beginnings. However, experience over the years has shown that it always takes a while for students to return to school after the vacation, which lasts over 2 months. So I can't say anything about the exact number of students at the moment.

   Interestingly, however, students from northern Uganda have already arrived. In recent years, this collaboration has come about through personal contacts and for their families, the comparatively low school fees are attractive enough to send them to school as far away as Tororo in eastern Uganda. A visit from Fr. Robert, who recently traveled north, reinforced this good relationship with the families.

The results of the primary school final exams were published by the Ministry of Education last week; those of the secondary school leaving certificate and the Abitur are still pending. Of the 3 boys who took this test, Robert achieved a very good result, the other two, Ezra and Michael, achieved good and mediocre results. They will all 3 attend our school from Monday, February 12th, the official start of the 1st grades of the high schools.

Fortunately, a cooperation has emerged in the last few weeks through the mediation of our club member Christine Tussing-Kosica, who is also active in the “Kwa Moyo e.V.” association from Mbale. I've already reported on it. A group of them recently traveled from Germany and visited us in Tororo. Our headmaster, Ms Robert and I, together with our teachers, welcomed the guests to our school, which also included the coordinator and 2 social workers from “Kwa Moyo”. After a tour of the school grounds, we also showed them our projects in the “Masimiliano Center” such as the grain mill, office service, general store and the newly built “Yoanina Kindergarten”, which also started accepting children this week.

After visiting the school and the advice center, we drove to our home, where we all had lunch with our Ugandan colleagues. This went well with the exchange of experiences in our projects and the new partnership. The “Kwa Moyo” association will be sending us 18 students for the 1st high school class next week. Of course, this also includes organizational questions, which we were able to discuss on this occasion. Both sides expressly welcome this cooperation with goodwill.

Unfortunately, we recently had to witness a very sad event. Last week, a 4-year-old boy, the son of Mrs. Robert's niece, died as a result of malaria that was treated too late. You read it again and again in our media how dangerous malaria can be if it is not recognized and treated in time. There are rapid tests available here, but unfortunately their reliability is often questionable. Therefore, if you have corresponding symptoms, I recommend having the test carried out at a serious job. Unfortunately, this is sometimes neglected. In addition, a common, widely used antimalarial drug has now developed resistance due to the frequency of uncontrolled use. A drug that was developed in Europe is now also available in well-equipped pharmacies, especially in pharmacies in Kampala. However, like so many medications we have available in Germany, the costs are prohibitive for most people in this country.

Finally, I would also like to refer you to our 2023 activity and cash report, which we have published on our website: www.help.tororo.org under Home/News.

We warmly greet you from Uganda and, as always, we will report regularly on news in our projects.

Christiane Maleika and Father Robert Omiel, Tororo, died February 10, 2024

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

dear friends, 7.5.2022

20 years ago today, the founding of our non-profit association took place. This is certainly a good time for a brief look back at what has been achieved since then.

Together with our supporters in Germany and our partners on site in Tororo, a high school for boys and girls of the poor rural population as well as a women's center with various activities were established. 

In 2005 our partner association "ToRuDeFo" (Tororo Rural Development Focus) was founded in Tororo.

The high school could be opened in 2004 for the first students of the 1st and 2nd high school grade. In 2005, full school operation began as a day school, for which official approval was granted by the Ministry of Education in 2007. 

In the following years, a classroom for science subjects, additional classrooms, an administration building with a teachers' room, a modern toilet facility, a school library, a covered dining hall, an infirmary and a teachers' house were added on a new school site. A room with computers could be created in the meantime and allows computer lessons with a specialist teacher. 

The latest development this school year is the start of a class leading to the Abitur.

As more and more students from more distant areas enrolled, we began to build boarding places in recent years. Sufficient boarding places were built for the girls, and for the boys we converted the school building on the original site. A supplementary building is under construction. 

 Due to the Corona pandemic, the school management with our long-time principal and the supervisory board decided that, at least for the time being, no day students will be admitted as of this school year 2022. 

Now we are eager to see what the academic results of our current 150 students will be at the end of this year after 83 weeks of missed classes. As in previous years, they will again be taught by 18 teachers in the 5 high school classes.

In parallel, a women's center was built on another site. In recent years, we have added the construction and operation of a flour mill, a sewing store and a hairdressing salon as training centers, a bakery and a grocer's store. Last year we opened an office here where people in the area can make photocopies and computer work is done. The construction of a kindergarten for the many children in the area can hopefully be realized soon.

The procurement of school and education sponsorships for particularly needy girls and boys has been one of the tasks of the association since its foundation. In the meantime, 10 boys and girls have successfully completed their studies or training and are working in their learned professions. Currently, 36 young people of different ages and grades are sponsored by the association.

Within the association there was a change of the treasurer. After the death of our founding member, Erwin Werner in December 2018, Annemarie Volkhardt- Grotjahn, a lawyer and connoisseur of Uganda, took over his duties in 2019.

As I always wrote also, I am regularly in Uganda,since my retirement for several months. I just returned after a 9-month stay. And I always report in my newsletters about the current situation of our projects.

Together with our local partners, we would like to thank you very much for all your support over the years, and of course we are grateful for any help in the further development of our projects.

Yours sincerely Dr. Christiane Maleika and Father Robert Omiel, 

www.help-tororo.org (with picture gallery)

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Ladies and Gentlemen

dear friends, April 2nd, 2023

We take the opportunity of the upcoming Easter holidays to send warm greetings from Uganda and hope that everyone can enjoy this celebration in good health and well-being.

It is a special time for us and our school because we are witnessing a change of principal. Our previous headmaster, who studied chemistry, worked at our school for 7 years after his retirement. Now he has reached an age that has prompted him to step down. It must be said that in recent years he has been given increasing responsibilities in the kingdom of the Jopadhola, an ethnic group in the district of Tororo. He was recently elected to a high position for this cultural institution, which means that his presence on behalf of the now 97-year-old king at traditional and cultural festivals and events, such as weddings and funerals, has become increasingly necessary. 3 years ago I had the chance to get to know this king in his house in Tororo and experienced him as a very alert, cosmopolitan, and committed personality. He was elected in 1999 from over 52 clan elders.

  Kingdoms with one king have existed in Uganda for several centuries. After Uganda's independence in 1962, the British attempted to set up a complex federal system in which Uganda's most influential king was elected president. However, there was cruel arbitrariness and repression by the subsequent rulers, so that the king and many of his supporters had to flee to England for asylum. In 1966 the kingdoms were abolished. They were restored in 1993 by President Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, but only under cultural and ceremonial aspects, which is their role to this day.

  Our new headmaster since April 1st, 2023 is a qualified art teacher. For the past 10 years he has already worked as a headmaster in a high school, so he certainly has good experience for his tasks in our school.

However, he has to overcome various challenges right from the start. On the one hand, this school year, which begins on February 6th. 23 began to see a significant drop in student numbers. Of course, this has an impact on the available school fees for operating expenses and in particular the payment of salaries. The families in our area have less income available, mainly due to crop failures due to the well-known climate change, and in this situation they are happy to save on paying school fees, not only for girls. As a result, school staff are dissatisfied and less committed, if not at all, to doing their jobs. Even if we as an association step in again and again and also at the moment when there are bottlenecks, the financial deficit is considerable, especially with regard to the salaries of the teachers. And it should not be forgotten that the pupils have to be provided with school meals, even if they have not paid the necessary school fees. Food prices have increased drastically, which is a big problem for many schools, including ours.

Our current rainy season, which started recently, came after a very long drought. Last season's crops have been used up for a long time and it will be another 2 months before the new harvest. As I keep reporting, this leads to hunger crises. Here, too, the association regularly provides food for the particularly needy.

In closing, I would like to tell a happy story. Since I came to Uganda more than 20 years ago, many of you have taken on the task of paying the school fees for children from particularly needy families. Since then, a young woman has also been supported, Oliver Mary, who trained as a nurse after graduating from high school and has since worked in a hospital in Kampala. 3 years ago she applied to get a diploma in her profession at the renowned Aga Khan University of Uganda. She finished her studies last year with a good result. Two weeks ago we were able to be there when she received her diploma at a ceremony in Kampala. This took place at the same time as students from the medical university of origin in Karachi/Pakistan as well as Tanzania and Kenya, which we were able to follow on the screen.

I am also very proud because Oliver Mary now has 2 children and still works in her clinic. This shows what is possible with a lot of diligence and will.

2 boys, Kizito and Paul passed their Abitur with very good. I'm also very happy about that and we'll see which career path they will start in the near future. Joan is currently in the Abitur class and 3 other boys are graduating this year. Robert, who has also been supported by sponsors for a long time, is finishing primary school this year and from what I can see he is also very hardworking and ambitious. When I'll be back, which I plan to do at the end of May, I'll report in detail.

Best regards and, as always, many thanks for any support!

Christiane Maleika and Mrs. Robert Omiel

The treasury report for 2021 is published under Your contribution/donations.

The treasury report for 2022 is published under Your contribution/donations.

Activity report 2022

In 2022, I lived in Kidera/Tororo until the end of April 2022 and then again from mid-September until today. 

The annual general meeting was held on 9/5/2022. The report was sent by mail and can be requested if needed.

The year 2022 was marked by the effects of the long lockdown due to the Corona pandemic, the effects of global climate change, and the war in Ukraine.

I wrote 6 newsletters in 2022, each reporting on the current situation in our projects and in the country.

On September 20, 2022, the Ugandan Ministry of Health announced the outbreak of the Ebola virus. It also reached international as well as German media. On January 11, 2023, Ebola was declared over after registration of the last infection.

The Covid- 19 pandemic moved somewhat into the background in 2022. For fully vaccinated individuals who present a vaccination certificate, there are no longer any restrictions on international travel when entering or leaving the country at Entebbe Airport and national borders.

Masimiliano Ochwo Omiel Memorial Secondary School:

On Jan. 10, 2022, after an 83-week school closure, attendance classes began again, but with the restriction imposed by the Ministry of Education that only boarding students could be admitted. At last, only 75 boys and 66 girls attended our school. Many families were unable to afford the already low school fees because of the long Corona lockdown and the financial difficulties associated with attending boarding school. This significant drop in student enrollment, and thus revenue, meant that payment of school staff salaries could not be fully completed by the end of the 2022 school year in November 22.

This was compounded by the sharp increase in prices, especially for corn and beans, of the daily school meals.

The official end of the school year was scheduled for Dec. 9, 2022. However, most schools in the country sent their students home immediately after the final exams in mid-November for cost reasons. 

We implemented Corona's delayed start of the 2 classes leading to the Abitur after the Mittlere Reife and started classes with a 5th grade in February 2022. 

At the end of the school year, it also became apparent that we would have to look for a successor for our long-time principal due to age reasons. This is being done together with the school's board of directors.

Repair work had to be carried out again and again on the school buildings, especially on the shower rooms and the toilet facilities for boys and girls, caused in particular by weather-related damage.

The teachers' house has been in full use since its completion, as has the infirmary, for which a nurse is responsible.

Construction of the study room has not yet been completed. Greatly increased costs of building materials than previously estimated delayed the construction.

We were able to purchase new computers at the beginning of the school year, replacing some that had been in use in previous years. Unfortunately, we were greatly disappointed by our school's computer teacher, who apparently did not adequately supervise his students in the use of the computers. This led to various breakdowns and need for repairs. Fortunately, through the help of

"Cents for Help", a joint campaign of associates and companies of the Bosch Group in Germany to buy new computers. This teacher was replaced and a computer teacher could be hired.

School sponsorships:

Of the 31 school sponsorships existing in 2022, 3 boys- Christopher, Moses and Patrick and 2 girls- Sophie and Zipola -finished elementary school;4 boys- Ignatius, Nicholas, Edwine, Stephen and 2 girls- Doreen and Josephine -finished secondary school; Paul and Kizito finished high school. One girl- Grace- finished her apprenticeship as an accountant and Okeke finished his apprenticeship as an electrician.

All other boys and girls sponsored by the school were promoted to the next grade.

Edy and Max graduated from high school. Edy has since completed an apprenticeship as a tourism specialist in Jinja, a city on the Nile that is popular with tourists. Max began studying law. In 2022, Oliver Mary, a trained nurse, also graduated with a degree in nursing.

Local aid:

The economic problems of the already poor country intensified for the reasons already explained. Above all, gasoline and food prices, especially for grain, rose considerably. Power outages were part of daily life, as was a constant shortage of water. Even for those people who still have casual work or employment, the struggle for survival is paramount. Hunger crises are everywhere. A significant portion of our donations therefore went to food for the rural poor who surround me. Medical care has also become more unaffordable for many people than it was in the past. Without financial support, adequate medical treatment is hardly possible anymore. And we are not talking about special diseases. Even the cost of treating malaria, which affects young and old alike, is increasingly overwhelming these people.

Masimiliano Center:

Activities such as those in the flour mills, the bakery, the office service and the grocer's store are unchanged, but at a reduced level. We had to close the tailor shop temporarily because the tailor in charge became too unreliable. 

The construction of the kindergarten is not yet finished. We had to interrupt it because the construction manager was out of work for several weeks due to an accident. The Ministry of Education and Culture of the Saarland supports this construction.

Gez. Dr. Christiane Maleika Fr. Robert Omiel 24.1.2023

Newsletter in October 2023

Ladies and Gentlemen

Dear friends,

Since I have been back in Uganda since mid-September, I would like to report on the experiences I have had since then.

When we arrived in Uganda we were greeted by beautiful weather with sunshine and heat as you would expect in Africa. After Father Robert's relatively short stay in Saarbrücken, this time we flew back to Uganda together.

However, the weather situation changed quickly. Almost every day we have thunderstorms with heavy rain and storms. In the morning it is still sunny and very hot, but that suddenly changes as the day goes on. We recently had a particularly severe tropical storm with hail and heavy rain. That was really scary. Luckily, since I live in a stone house and not in a mud hut like most of the people around me, I was able to endure this storm fairly well. The haunting usually lasts 1-2 hours, then the sun shines again. This hailstorm completely devastated the fields where people grow mainly beans, cassava, potatoes, sweet potatoes, soybeans, corn and bananas. And these foods were almost ready to be harvested. But nothing will come of it now that everything has been destroyed. Our agricultural project also suffered greatly from this storm. The construction of the vocational school building was destroyed, as were the plants for the upcoming harvest.

This is the reality of the consequences of climate change, which I experience very closely here and which I have reported on again and again. However, the extent of the storms is particularly severe at the moment. The rural population is currently faced with the question of whether and when they will be able to grow their crops again after this devastation or when they will be able to harvest again. The alternation of rainy and dry seasons as they knew it is no longer reliable. Since people live from this income, it is particularly tragic. Even casual work is rare in this area. And don't forget - there is no government aid in the country, neither in this situation nor at all.

I can also increasingly observe that there are more and more young people in the villages who don't go to school and are sitting around unemployed. It's often not the case that they don't want to go to school. Families simply don't have the money to pay the usual school fees in the country, however small they are. I see that in our school too. There is an increasing number of students who come to class but without having paid school fees or only a small amount. Of course, that isn't possible either, because the school staff, the operating costs and the costs for school meals have to be covered. Even if we receive donations to support the school through campaigns, it is not enough to cover all expenses.

Food is becoming more and more expensive, as is gasoline. There is currently no petrol at petrol stations such as Total and Shell in Tororo. They say the memories are empty. It is only possible to refuel at gas stations run by Somalis who have fled here.

In addition, the power often goes out suddenly and for several hours. Luckily, I started using solar both privately and in our projects a long time ago, when installation was still rare and expensive. People's knowledge of the benefits of free solar energy has now improved, but the costs of purchasing or installing it are still too high for many people. And unfortunately, the few solar companies that have existed in Tororo in recent years have disappeared from the market.

I can also report that the national secondary school leaving examinations will begin for 26 boys and girls next week. They include Max, Tony and Veronica, who are sponsored. They have prepared well, as they told me, and during the school holidays they attended a preparatory class that is regularly organized for candidates for the final exams in schools, including our school. This is also common practice in primary schools. This year Robert, Ezra and Michael are finishing their primary school years. I will report back on your results as usual.

Despite all the difficulties that I keep reporting on, I am still firmly convinced that attending school or training in a trade (which also requires paying comparatively high school fees) is the only option for young people for a better future can be seen.

  At this point I would like to thank you again for all your support, be it monthly, annually or occasionally.

With kind regards

Christiane Maleika and Ms. Robert Omiel