LAKE BUNYONYI PINEAPPLE COMMUNITY PROJECT

How many people live around Lake Bunyonyi ?

Lake Bunyonyi is part of two districts, Kabale and Kisoro. Kabale district, which where the community project is located, has approximately 534,164 inhabitants according to the Ugandan Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives.

How long kids spend on dugout canoe each day to go to secondary school?

The children spend in average two hours one way on canoe to reach the secondary school on the main island, so a total of four hours daily. Most of them are from disadvantaged families that cannot afford motor boat.

How long does it take for a child to learn to swim?

Every child is different and therefore it is impossible to give an exact answer to this question. Practice and exposure are the keys to learning, hence regular swimming lessons is very important. While a child can learn basic swimming skills like breath control, floating and propulsion quickly, mastering good swimming technique and water safety skills will take several months, from 6 months up to 1 year of regular lessons to accomplish.

Currently it takes me two (2) to three (3) hours for each lesson and having only few swimming jackets makes it harder for me to fulfill the growing number of kids willing to learn.

What is being thought to children in preschool?

The preschool teacher provides early childhood education and care for children, and help them develop a range of skills that make them ready to learn when they start school, such as social skills: the ability to empathize and interact successfully with their peer group, and also relate easily to adults.

We will offer swimming lessons at preschool for which I will be acting as a swimming teacher; along with sports practices like volley ball for both girls and boys. In future, we would like to offer initiation to music as well.

How long will children have to walk in average to get to preschool?

According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics,  6.5 % of students aged 6-12 who attend school had to walk more than 5 km to and from school (an average person walks between 2-3 km per 30 minutes). Children come from surrounding areas, some walk up to one and half (1.5) hour, while others employ twenty (20) to thirty (30) minutes to reach the school, the closest ones live only ten (min) by walk. The preschool is located clause to the community elementary school which insures sibling to walk together to school.

Will we receive an update on how the funds usage?

We want to keep you informed of the progress of our projects with monthly emails. We are willing to share with you the progress of the swimming class and preschool buildings construction but also share with great pride the school and swimming achievements of our children.