Day 3 – A School Built on Hope
Meeting the children of Amatsiko Preparatory School was a day to remember
Table of Contents
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect as we drove back into Kabale to visit Amatsiko Preparatory School. I’d heard so much about it. I’d seen the photos. I’d helped behind the scenes. But nothing could have prepared me for the feeling of standing there, in the middle of it all, surrounded by the children whose lives this school is changing.
We began the day in the school office, where I met the headteacher and the finance director—who had her six-week-old baby with her. In Uganda, there’s no childcare like we have in the UK. Mothers simply bring their babies to work and carry on. Some of the female teachers had their little ones with them too. It’s a reminder of how incredibly strong and adaptable these women are.
Alex told me how the school came to be—not as an orphanage, but as a way to support vulnerable and orphaned children without removing them from their communities. He’d seen what happens when orphanages lose their founders. The support ends, and the children are left adrift. Amatsiko (which means hope in the local language) is different.
They board 60 children and work closely with local churches to identify those most in need. The children come from all backgrounds, but the aim is the same: give them education and a sense of belonging. Both Alex and Alphonse take that to heart—each of them cares for extra children in their own homes. The idea of family here is fluid, generous, and powerful.
Ten Years of Impact, and a Dream for More
Amatsiko School celebrated its 10th anniversary last September. Today, it feeds and educates over 400 children a day. But the buildings are temporary—made of wood planks, open windows with no glass, and corrugated iron roofs. They rent the land and the facilities are minimal, but the energy is full of life.
They now own a plot of land nearby and dream of building a permanent school: a double-storey building with a library, staff room, offices, ten classrooms, a separate boarding house, a playground, and a sustainable teaching garden.
It’s ambitious. But if anyone can do it, it’s this team.
We toured the school grounds, and I was surrounded by children during break time—wide smiles, loud laughter, and so much joy. Their happiness was infectious. I visited the modest staff room with plastic chairs, the small and dusty library, and the outdoor kitchen where the cook prepares porridge over open fires for 400 students.
But it was the Peace Garden that stole my heart. Planted and maintained by the children, it’s more than just a school garden—it’s a symbol of care, of contribution, and of hands-in-the-soil education and of course what they grow and reap, they also get to eat.
Period Pants, Proud Smiles, and Big Questions
By the time I returned to the office, 76 girls aged 9 and above had gathered to meet me. Through a translator, I explained who I was, what I did, and why I’d come all this way to bring them period pants. Thanks to a fundraiser I’d set up and the support of Nixi Body founder Kelly Newton, every girl received a set.
They were shy at first—some embarrassed—but quickly warmed up. They asked if they could wear them like regular underwear. Whether they needed pads too. Most had never heard of tampons. But what mattered most was the look in their eyes when they understood: these are for you, and they mean freedom.
Freedom to go to school. Freedom to play. Freedom to not be afraid of their bodies.
It was magical.
Magnetic Signs, Passionate Teams, and a Village Like No Other
While I was in the school, Alphonse had taken the car to be cleaned. That’s when we attached the magnetic Amatsiko Tours signs I’d brought as a gift. They looked amazing. The team was thrilled. Unlike other companies who use flimsy stickers, these felt professional, special—like a statement of pride.
From there, we headed to the Amatsiko Tours office, where I met the full team: passionate people with a love for tourism, birding, and Ugandan history. We talked about creating a small museum to draw visitors into their office space. We shared ideas for collaborations, partnerships, and what the future could hold. Big dreams. Bright minds.
Lunch was a local buffet at the Pearl Hotel—matoke, sweet potatoes, fresh beans, stewed meat. The flavours of Uganda, shared over stories.
The Climb to Buzaniro: Where Hope Grows
Then came the long, bumpy drive along what the locals call “massage roads”—Ugandan slang for pothole-ridden tracks. We climbed higher and higher, past children carrying water cans and villagers walking along the roadside with bundles of potatoes, charcoal and wood balanced perfectly on their heads.
When we finally reached Buzaniro, I didn’t know what to expect. I definitely didn’t expect the entire village to turn out to welcome me.
As I stepped out of the car, children surrounded me—smiling, curious, cautious. I lifted my camera to take a photo, but they flinched, unused to the sight. Then I turned the screen so they could see themselves, and their squeals of delight were everything.
I was led to a simple shelter—part town hall, part gathering place—where I was introduced to the chairman, the vice-chairlady, and more local leaders. Benches were brought in and the whole village gathered around. Each gave a speech in my honour. I wasn’t prepared for this kind of welcome. I did my best to return the gratitude in a few heartfelt words, translated into the local language by Alex.
And then the dancing began. A man and several women rose to perform a welcome dance—one older woman, in particular, leapt so high with such joy, I could hardly believe her age. The whole village radiated warmth, pride, and strength.
Homes Transformed by Clean Water and Fruit Trees
After the celebration, we visited three homes in the village.
At the first, a young girl proudly showed me how she could easily pump water from their newly installed rainwater tank—a simple device that now saves families from 4-hour treks up and down steep hills just to fetch water. In the same garden, we saw fruit trees, planted to provide food and prevent soil erosion.
In the next home, they showed us their rabbit hut—a pair of breeding rabbits had multiplied into many. They’d eaten some, sold others, and now had an additional source of income and nutrition.
The final home was painted, well-maintained, and had its own brick kiln—made possible, they told me, by the access to clean water. You could feel the shift. Poverty was still there, yes. But so was pride. So was progress.
🌍 Travel Tip of the Day: Give with Dignity
- Ask communities what they need before donating—solutions that come with them, not to them, are always more sustainable.
- A $250 (£185) water tank, a fully furnished and stocked rabbit cage $275 (£200) or a $3 (£2.20) fruit tree can change a family’s life.
“The smallest things done with great love can make the biggest difference.”
💛 Personal Reflection
Today showed me the power of small beginnings. A simple school in temporary buildings. A water tank on a hill. A rabbit hutch. A handmade bracelet. A single pair of pants.
Everything matters when it’s done with love and intention.
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