Sometimes things happen you simply cannot ignore.
I regret having to draw your attention to a tragedy that happened just two weeks ago at a school for blind children in Uganda.
One of the dormitories caught fire, killing eleven children in their sleep and severely injuring 6 more children, one of which unfortunately passed away a few days ago.
This terrible news caught my attention through an article in my local newspaper, mentioning someone from my town who visited the school just weeks before the disaster, and has now started a fundraiser and is returning to the school to provide support.
Please take a look at the news items from africanews and UBC Television Uganda, and the fundraiser (it is mainly in Dutch but scroll down for a summary in English)
The contact details of the school are shown in the picture above, but I chose to donate to the fundraiser as I am 100% confident our donation will find its proper way to the school through the people organizing it.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
P.S. Should you wish to donate, no need to tip GoFundMe when going through the payment process, as they already receive 2.9% from your donation.
March 10, 2023 – update from the fundraisers
Dear all,
Pascale and her grandmother Hennie are back in the Netherlands (after a stay of 9 days at the Salaama school for the Blind in Kisoga Uganda). Thanks to your contribution, the Weebale Foundation has been able to install an extensive water system. Two large water tanks now supply the sleeping places, the houses and the toilets on the school grounds with water. Each building now has its own tap, so that the children and teachers no longer have to walk far to fetch water.
A local foundation has built a memorial site, in which a music temple is central. The names of the deceased girls will still be in braille, with their photo, in the appropriate places in the memoriam.
A library is also being built.
A large telecom company will soon demolish the burned building (unfortunately it is still there) to make way for a new girls’ dormitory with separate bedrooms. Now the girls sleep under the supervision of a caretaker in other buildings on the site. The smoke detectors you brought along hang in every room, sometimes even 2 in 1 room! The government has ensured that fire extinguishers are installed in various places.
In short, a lot has been done!