At the end of January each year we pinch ourselves to check that we are not dreaming – has another year gone past already? Oh yes, it has! The past 12 months have zoomed by and now The Uphill Trust is six years old!
2020 was a very odd year for everyone involved in the Uphill project. Here in Scotland the COVID-19 pandemic ensured that we spent most of the year confined to our homes and local area. In Uganda, Uphill Junior School closed at the end of March and the majority of the pupils will remain at home for the first few months of 2021. As in the UK, the Ugandan government is waiting until COVID vaccinations are available before lifting the country-wide restrictions and opening education to all year groups.
The Primary 7 pupils returned to school in October. There are 16 students – studying hard for the Primary Leaving Examination in March – 7 girls and 9 boys. The pupils are required to remain within the school grounds at all times, and classrooms have been requisitioned to serve as boys’ and girls’ dormitories. The children were allowed to return home to their families for Christmas but are all are now back in the ‘Uphill bubble’. Many of the teachers have remained close to the school during the COVID pandemic, either teaching Primary 7 or delivering the Home Schooling programme.
Despite the restrictions, the Uphill build team remained busy during the lockdown period and completed some important new projects whilst the school was closed. Click on the image below for our anniversary video, showing how school has developed over the past 12 months:
We hope that life will return to normal as 2021 progresses – both in the UK and in Uganda. In the meantime we will continue to fundraise as best we can so that we can support the life of Uphill Junior School for the pupils, staff and pigs!
Tags: 2020 in pictures, Anniversary, The Uphill Trust, uganda, Uphill Junior School
