Jinja Centre
Jinja is a small but busy town with bars, restaurants, supermarkets and nightclubs around 80km east of the capital city, Kampala. It was the industrial centre of Uganda but has declined in importance since its heyday in the 1970's. It is the capital of the Busoga region and the local language is Lusoga though, in the town, Luganda is also commonly used. The people are called 'Basoga', warm and welcoming but with a reputation for being very 'laid-back'. Recent surveys of school success in Uganda put Busoga very low in the acheivement table
There are many charity organisations from Europe and America working in this beautiful town and it is a popular tourist destination which boasts the original ‘Source of the Nile’ and has action sports like white-water rafting and kayaking, bungi jumping, quad biking and horse riding. It is a much more cosmopolitan location than the rural Buswale centre.
Work in or around Jinja
A number of secondary schools around the town, have kindly agreed to work with volunteers. Native speakers of English help class teachers to improve language use, while any volunteer who speaks English and has an interest in other subject areas such as sport, maths, sciences or art would be welcomed as class assistants. Volunteers should not be worried that they need to be experts – what is needed is enthusiasm to help the students, a willingness to assist the class teacher and a respect for the school culture and ethos. The placement provides a great opportunity for volunteers to do worthwhile work and interact with Ugandan students and teachers while enjoying the facilities of this pleasant town.
Placements
Jinja College - a boy’s secondary boarding school founded by the Catholic Church with an excellent reputation on the outskirts of the town. This secondary school teaches students up to ‘A’ level and is one of the top performing schools in the country. The college will consider volunteer assistant teachers across the whole curriculum.
Kiira College Butiki – another boy’s secondary boarding school with an excellent reputation 14 kilometres from the town centre teaching up to ‘A’ level (pre-university) It was founded by the Busoga Kingdom with the intention of providing education for Busoga boys but now accepts students from all over Uganda.
Parvatiben Muljibhai Madhvani (PMM) Girl`s School (Uganda) - a girl’s secondary school of good repute founded by a Ugandan Indian family. The school illustrates the mixed religious nature of Ugandan schools, founded for Muslim girls and still very popular with them but presently having a Catholic nun as the deputy head-teacher. The school is within walking distance of the town centre and is interested in volunteers across the whole curriculum, especially in sport
Mother Kevin Senior Secondary School, Walukoba – This is a Catholic founded mixed secondary school about 3 km. from Jinja town centre. It caters more for local students in the area and is a good school but not prestigious like Jinja College and Kiira College.
Jinja Senior Secondary School
This mixed secondary school is known as ‘The Mighty School’. It is truly massive with around 4,000 students teaching up to ‘A’level (pre-university). It has a mix of day and boarding students, is very close to the town, and has a formidable reputation for sport.
Handicapped School, Bugembe - a school for physically and mentally handicapped students a few kilometres from Jinja in a big African township called Bugembe. The treatment of handicapped children in Uganda lags far behind the West. There is little government assistance for these students, their families or schools. This day school is run by the Ursuline Sisters and the work is challenging but much needed. Most visitors to the school come away with a great admiration for the work of the staff.