🌻 The Sunflower Schools Project Uganda Connection
St Joseph’s School is proud of its strong, ongoing partnership with the Sunflower Schools Project in the Kayunga District, Uganda. This connection embodies our school’s commitment to our Catholic Character, global citizenship, social justice, and servant leadership.
Our Journey of Connection
Our special link with Uganda began in 1998 when Rev. Father Maurice Kigoye visited our parish in Morrinsville.
The relationship was significantly strengthened in 2014 when former teacher Pauline McLeod and her husband, Bill McLeod, visited Uganda. Pauline taught for four weeks, supported by reading materials and sports clothing donated by St Joseph’s.
In 2016, Pauline initiated the Sunflower Schools Project to promote literacy across a cluster of six primary schools in the Kayunga District. Since then, the McLeod family has made yearly visits, and St Joseph’s has continued to provide donations. Recently, this has included purchasing devices to enhance teaching and learning opportunities for the Ugandan students.
There are 6 schools that are part of this project.
Mother Theresa, Kangulumira RC and ABC are close together — within a 1 km walking distance of each other.
Maligita and Victory are about 5 km further along the main road to Jinja.
AGNES SCHOOL is 2 hours’ drive from the others and is a very poor school. On a map it’s hard to find. Buguri is the closest town, about 12 km away. Here there is power to charge phones. To find it on Google Maps, search Buguri. It’s about 26 km from the Kenyan border.
The other schools do a Google Maps search for Kangulumira. It’s on the Nile River and about 30 km from Jinja, where the source of the Nile starts.
About the Sunflower Schools Project
The project is dedicated to supporting literacy and education in the Kayunga District.Â
- It promotes literacy across a cluster of six primary schools, providing resources and opportunities for improved learning.
- The initiative has supplied thousands of children’s books and established libraries in each school. Many of these books were written by Pauline McLeod herself.
- The project continues to thrive under the leadership of Mr. Charles Muwangala, Principal of Maligita Primary School, the lead school in the cluster.
- Pauline’s efforts have also included training local grandmothers to teach reading to volunteers in Uganda, empowering them to support school reading programmes and even run a preschool.
Deepening Our Partnership
Our bond with the Sunflower Schools Project is maintained through regular contact and professional development, including recent student and teacher Zoom calls.
Recent Visit and Future Mission
In late 2024, St Joseph’s School was honoured to host a delegation of distinguished visitors connected to the project, including:
- Her Honourable Rose Akello (Prime Minister’s delegate and Minister of Ethics and Integrity)
- Dorothy Hyuha (Australian High Commissioner)
- Bazil Morrison (New Zealand Commissioner)
Â
The leadership team is planning to further strengthen this “Living Mission” by sending two staff members to Uganda in 2026.
This proposed visit aims to:
- Deepen existing partnerships with the Ugandan schools
- Explore how to further support their literacy and classroom needs
- Address urgent classroom supply issues directly
- Investigate meaningful ways for greater student involvement in the mission
Â
Why This Matters…
This partnership broadens our students’ horizons and inspires them to become compassionate and engaged citizens of the world. It teaches our students a genuine understanding of global citizenship, social justice, and servant leadership. We are reminded of our privilege and are committed to supporting our global neighbours through faith and service.
