MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2010

MVULE TRUST Annual Report

Susan Babirye, Cathy Watson, Josephine Abalo and Mary Achom Design and layout by Allan Dentine Bulamu

This Annual Report was prepared by

Acronyms and abbreviations

A-level/Advanced level:
Comprises grades Senior 5 (S5) and Senior 6 (S6), culminating in a Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE). Two passes at A-level are necessary for pursuing a diploma at a tertiary institution or a degree at university.

O-level/Ordinary Level:
PTC SS STI Comprises grades S1 through S4, and a Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE). O-level is necessary for pursuing A levels or a certificate at a tertiary institution. O-level examination results are ranked by division, with Division 1 indicating the best results and Division 4 the poorest. Primary Teacher College Secondary School Sexually Transmitted Infection

Tertiary institutions:
Non-university educational institutions for professions such as forestry, nursing, medical laboratory technician or primary teaching.

Vocational:
ARVs Training in practical fields such as catering, tailoring, brick-laying or carpentry. Anti retroviral drugs

HCT - HIV Counseling and Testing HTTI - Hotel and Tourism Training Institute NTC - National Teachers College UPE Universal Primary Education USE Universal Secondary Education PTC - Primary Teachers College NFC - National Forestry College

UCC - Uganda College Commerce UNEB Uganda National Examination Board STI - Sexually Transmitted Infection

Cover photo: Angera Musabyimaana has been funded by Mvule Trust for six years since her first year of high school, S1. From Kisoro, she will be the first in her family to complete secondary school.

MVULE TRUST Annual Report

Above: Mvule Trust beneficiaries at Seseme Girls School in Kisoro district attend a career guidance meeting. Bordering Rwanda and Congo, Kisoro has the highest survival rate of all the districts in which Mvule works: over 80% of girls that Mvule took on in 2006 are still in school and about to sit their A levels.

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MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2010

Mvule Trust Annual Report 2010

CONTENTS
Message from the Director Executive summary Mvule Trust areas of focus 5 6 7 8 9 11 13 14 18-19 20 20 21 21 21 22 23

Background on Mvule Trust Statistics of bursary holders Programme activites Secondary education Tertiary education

The Guardian 2009 Christmas Appeal Mvule Trust graduates The Hope Ward Grant to UWEC Finance Grant from Natalie Portman

Income and expenditure statement Further details

Above: In 2010 Mvule Trust started paying for young people, mostly girls, to train as nursery school teachers. Here Mvule Trust beneficiary Happy Masika instructs a child at the Kasese Nursery Teachers Training Institute. Mvule has funded Happy since S1 in 2006.

MVULE TRUST Annual Report

Message from the Director

December 2010 marked the end of our fifth year of work. Most of the girls and boys we took on in year one are now finishing secondary school or on a technical course. They are no longer the shy children that we met in 2006. The only young adolescents we continue to sponsor are exceptionally bright girls. In 2010 we found Akereje Maureen, the only child from Katakwi to score a Division One on the primary leaving exam (PLE) in 2009. We placed her one of Ugandas best national schools, from where she stands a good chance of gaining government sponsorship to university. As is the pattern, our best performers in 2010 were boys. Paul Anguria of Teso College was Sorotis top science student. At the same school, we also support Abraham Oluka, who sat the PLE three times, desperate not to leave education. He places among the top three students in his stream of 200 boys. Even if our girls are rarely top, we are also happy with them. We have profound experiential knowledge of how hard it is for girls from peasant families to excel academically, even in boarding school. Girls are undermined by constant reminders of their reproductive destiny, distracting offers from men, the bias against girls in science, and the pressures not to stand out: taking yourself seriously and not putting others first contradict ideals of worthy femininity. But this norm is changing, and the daughters of these girls will see themselves differently. Our female beneficiaries tell us that peers from primary school who did not get Mvule bursaries have three children by now. So for now we are pleased if our girls simply stay the course and become self-supporting young people. We would like to thank Arcadia for their continued astounding generosity in 2010. We spent over $578,000 of their funds in 2010, 69% of it on tuition fees. We thank The Guardian from which we received a large grant in June 2010. We thank district education officials, the Ministry of Education, school authorities and Straight Talk Foundation, which hosts us and helps our beneficiaries to manage their sexuality. As 2011 begins, we are designing a tracer study. We already know that out of the 856 students we funded through FAWE-U to start secondary school in 2006, 86% of the boys and 79% of the girls sat their O levels in 2009, a phenomenally high survival rate. But did the bursary make it more or less likely for other children in the family to stay in school? Many of these children came from communities where no child had ever completed secondary school. What have been the ripples of an educated girl or boy? We have many questions. We look forward to reporting on these in 2011-12. Catharine Watson Director
Above: Talking to Mvule students at Ugandas National Forestry College in early 2011.

MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2010

Executive summary
Having learnt from partners such as FAWE-U, in 2010 Mvule Trust undertook to manage all its bursaries itself. It supported 1183 adolescents and young people from impoverished backgrounds, who through education and hard work, hope to lift their families out of poverty. Fulfilling a promise to The Guardian 2009 Christmas Appeal, Mvule began the year with a race to locate adolescents in Katine. Sadly, by January 2010, the best performing girl in the subcounty had already been married off, having sat her PLE in November 2009. Mvule Trust contented itself by taking the 25 next best girls to boarding school and supporting eight girls in the one local secondary school, Katine SS. Life then settled into a busy but less urgent pattern of physically visiting beneficiaries at school, verifying their presence, counselling and mentoring them, procuring and providing school materials to them, and processing school fees payments. Mvule Trust provided sexual health sensitizations to its own beneficiaries as well as the entire student body at the Forestry College and Jinjas Hotel and Tourism Training Institute, reaching over 700 young people. It provided sexuality and life skills support to female beneficiaries in Teso and students at Lira Medical Laboratory School. It held career guidance meetings for its S6 students and some S4 students to help them fill out their crucial college and university forms. Mvule Trust paid for the construction of pit latrines and washing rooms for female students at the Forestry College. It also assisted eight orphans who actress Natalie Portman had encountered in 2007 as FINCA goodwill ambassador to Uganda. As in previous years, Mvule Trust donated to the International Hospital Hope Ward, enabling, among others, treatment of a Mvule student with facial paralysis and another with heart disease. Advised by IHK, Mvule paid for a baby with Down Syndrome to undergo open heart surgery in India, a procedure which is not available in Uganda. Finally, in December 2010, Mvule Trust donated 300 to Ugandas zoo for the care and upkeep of 272 wild African Grey parrots. They had been found, dehydrated and half suffocated, in crates in the car of a trafficker on the Congo border. The media coverage of Mvules donation led others to donate and galvinsed outrage about the illegal trade in animals.

Right: Mvule student Deborah Akiyai at the laboratory school in Jinja. From Amuria, her father was killed by rebels of the Lords Resistance Army in 2003.

MVULE TRUST Annual Report

Mvule Trust areas of focus

Most Mvule beneficiaries originate from the districts shown here in yellow. These periferal districts are particularly poor. Out of Ugandas 80 districts in 2009, the Mvule districts of Adjumani, Yumbe and Amuria, were 79th, 78th and 66th worst on a composite educational index. Nationally, 24% of 13-19 year olds were in secondary school in 2009, the latest year for which there is data. In Adjumani, the figure was just 9.5% for boys and 6.2% for girls. In the key Mvule district of Bundibugyo only 35% of girls who began secondary school in 2006 completed their O levels in 2009, compared to 63% nationally. In Mvule districts, most secondary school entrants are old for their year. In Kampala, 46% of students begin secondary at the age of 12-13, compared to 4% in Amuria, where 60% of S1 entrants are 15-16. In a context where girls normally marry by 16, this creates a perilous race against time. Over 100 Mvule girls have become pregnant or left school to marry since 2006. Ugandas educational indicators are slowly improving: in 2009, about 25% of children were completing primary school, up from 20% in 2006. Of those who complete the seven primary years, about 60% make the transition to secondary school. Of those that start secondary school, about 23% of girls and 30% of boys make it to the final year. Nevertheless, 75% of Ugandas population lives on less than $2 a day. Poor families rarely succeed in educating their children, despite programmes of universal primary and secondary education since 1997 and 2007 respectively.

MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2010

Background on Mvule Trust

Mvule Trust is a small non-governmental organization registered in the UK and Uganda. It focuses particularly on the education of girls and science-based courses such as agriculture.The core of Mvule Trusts program is providing bursaries, about 75% of which go to girls. Mvule Trust was established with a $5 million grant from The Lisbet Rausing Charitable Fund in 2005. Mission: To improve the lives of people living in rural Uganda by funding scholarships for young people, primarily girls. Vision: Mvule Trust envisions a cadre of young people who are educated, self-confident, self-sufficient and able to engage in sustainable livelihoods in their home areas. Since 2006, Mvule Trust has supported over 2500 students; provided sexual health sensitization; funded labs at three schools; stocked labs and libraries in 38 schools; installed energy saving stoves and solar power in two schools; and built latrines at the National Forestry College. Lessons learnt and challenges encountered since 2006 In 2005, Mvule Trust hoped to fund academically-gifted adolescents, particularly girls, in remote districts to make the transition to secondary school. This hope had to be tempered. There are gifted children in rural schools, but their primary education is so poor that their ability is rarely discernable from their national exam scores. Some districts where Mvule works register no Division One passes on the primary leaving exam. A second challenge was encouraging girls to study science. Only 7% of the 263 girls that Mvule Trust sponsored for A levels 2007-9 took science courses. The government struggles with this too. Despite a policy that offers 75% of government places at university to science students, the number of girls in Uganda taking sciences combinations at A level has fallen from 5163 in 2007 to 3355 in 2009. This has led to a decrease in girls on government sponsorship at university. Before the science policy was introduced, affirmative action had increased girls to 50% of the student body at Makerere. By 2010 they constituted just 39% of all Makerere students, and just 20% of medical students were female. We need a protracted campaign to counter the false belief that science is too difficult for girls, lamented a letter in The New Vision in March 2011. Secondly, science teachng should be made more relevant and attractive.

Mvule Trust is taking the long view on this, including funding young people to train as science teachers and preferentially funding girls to study science-based courses such as lab technology.

Left: a girl walks home bare footed from primary school. In 2011 she had a 70% chance of not completing the seven years of primary education.

MVULE TRUST Annual Report

1183 Bursary Holders in 2010

Secondary
O level A level

663
91 572

Tertiary

Technical/Catering Business Teaching Agric/Forestry/Env Nursing/Medical

503
29 36 163 95 180

University

21

602
O-Level Senior 5 Senior 6 51 449 102

O-Level Senior 5 Senior 6

40 3 10

Technical/Catering Business Teaching Agric/Forestry/Env Nursing/Medical

336

2 14 137 46 137

Technical/Catering Business Teaching Agric/Forestry/Env Nursing/Medical

27 22 28 49 45

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MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2010

Beneficiaries by gender

Distribution of beneficiaries by region

Enrolment per course, by gender and average cost per course per year
Level of education O-Level A-Level Agric/Forestry/Env Technical/Catering Teaching Nursing/Medical University Business TOTAL No.of Female students No. of Male students Total number of Students Average cost per student per year
UGX

Average cost per student per year

US$

88 345 68 22 151 156 12 24 866

3 227 27 2 12 24 10 12 317

91 572 95 24 163 180 22 36 1183

850,000 950,000 1,050,000 880,000 880,000 1,200,000 2,800,000 900,000

384 429 474 397 397 542 1264 406

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Above: St Marys Simbya SS in Bundibugyo, where Mvule Trust has been supporting students since 2006

MVULE TRUST Annual Report

Programme Activities

Above: Mvules Susan Babirye verifies its eight students at Mutanywana SS in Kasese.

Managing bursaries directly After four productive years of working with partners such as FAWE-U and World Vision, in 2010 Mvule Trust started administering all bursaries itself. This involved the substantial task of working directly with 140 educational institutions. By the end of 2010 Mvule Trust had 1183 students on its books. Of these, 56% were studying in secondary school, 42% at a tertiary institution, and 2% at university: 73% were female, and a third came from eastern Uganda. In 2010, Mvule Trust paid an estimated UGX1,097,641,070 ($495,549) in school fees for its beneficiaries, an estimated $419 per student. With Mvules total costs at UGX1,655,558,985 ($747,431) in 2010, the overall cost of providing education and support to its beneficiaries was about UGX1,399,458 or $632 per student per year: secondary and higher education is not cheap, even in very modest surroundings. Mvule Trust staff collected school fees bills during the school visits and processed the payments while in office. The fees bills were also sometimes delivered by schools to Mvule Trust office. Cheques were written in the names of the school and deposited on the school accounts. School fees payments are not made in cash. Verification trips In 2010, Mvule Trust conducted verification trips to all 140 institutions, meeting with all its 1183 students. The team verified students presence at school and traced some to their homes. Mvule staff collected beneficiaries bio-data forms, fees bills and receipts, and the index numbers of stuLeft: Straight Talks Charity Cheptoris listens to a girl at Amuria SS in eastern Uganda.

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MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2010

dents in candidate classes. The staff also addressed social problems and issues of poor grades and lack of motivation to study. Mvule Trust staff did much counseling, offering emotional support to beneficiaries, such as Apuco Sarah, 17, a complete orphan from Kaberamaido. She said, I lost my parents at a tender age. Being the first born, I had to take on parental responsibilities. Although we stay with our grandparents, we lack parental guidance, particularly in the areas of morals, correct behavior and career guidance. I have no one to pour my heart to. One-on-one talks reassure and encourage young people like Sarah. Scholastic materials/transport & upkeep In 2010 Mvule Trust gave out about $4000 worth of educational supplies. For Guardian students, Mvule supplied 25 mattresses, 300 books (6 per student), 500 pens, 150 pack of pads, 22 mosquito nets, 28 pairs of gloves and gumboots and 46 overalls. Overall, another $34,000 was spent on transport and upkeep. Career guidance meetings In theory, every school has a career guidance teacher, but most rural schools lack the resources to counsel effectively. Students are often unrealistic, applying for courses beyond their academic reach. They almost always Above: Mvule students at Kilembe SS apply to top universities on their JAB form, receive textbooks, notebooks and a when they could qualify for excellent courses mosquito net each. on government sponsorship at other less competitive tertiary institutions. Upcountry students also know little about possible careers, having only heard of professions such as doctor, engineer and pilot. This lack of guidance deeply disadvantages them. Thus Mvule Trust held six career guidance workshops in 2010 in Kitgum, Gulu, Kasese, Kisoro, Soroti and Arua. Facilitors included principals of nursing, business and teaching colleges. The aim was to increase students awareness of the job market and minimize the number who make poor choices on courses. Participants asked questions such as, can a nurse upgrade to be a doctor? How many schools can I put on my form? And, how can I fill the form so that I get a government scholarship?

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Above: Mvules Josephine Abalo explains the intricacies of how to calculate A level scores and eligibility for university.

MVULE TRUST Annual Report

Below: Straight Talks Resty Nabwire leads a sexual health workshop at the Forestry College. Left: A Mvule student demonstrates how to use a condom.

Sexual and reproductive health sensitizations Mvule Trust tries to meet its beneficiaries needs for sexual and reproductive health (SRH) knowledge. Young people are often poorly prepared to protect themselves against unintended pregnancy and STIs. Thus in 2010, Mvule organized four SRH meetings for beneficiaries in Lira Medical Laboratory School, for the entire student bodies of the forestry college school and Jinja hotel school, and for all female Mvule students in Teso. I saw immediate change from these meetings, especially the Teso one, says Mvules Susan Babirye. The Katine girls were timid at first but, by the end, they were open. Failure to provide girls with the means to remain sexually healthy holds them back from benefitting from other investments they make. Also, the decisions they make about when and how many children to have will have consequences for population growth.

Secondary Education
Mvule Trust supported 91 students at O-level. Of the 51-O level students supported with Arcadia funds, 30 were from war-torn Kitgum, Pader and Gulu and 21 were from URDT Girls School, a school that uses a two generational approach, emphasizing parent involvement and the integration of exam subjects with skills in leadership, farming, entrepreneurship and life skills. In 2010, Mvule Trust gave UGX42,000,000 to URDT for the 21 girls in S4 and nine girls in S5, ending its successful partnership with URDT in December 2010.
MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2010

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In 2010 Mvule Trust had 572 students studying in S5 and S6 for A levels. Of these, over 200 were from the original cohort selected in 2006. One hundred of the 572 students were in S6 and completed their A levels in 2010.

Exam results One hundred and fifty one Mvule Trust beneficiaries sat O-level (51) and A-level (100) exams in 2010. At A level, over 65% percent of the Mvule Trust beneficiaries scored at least two principle passes, the basic requirement for university. Mvule beneficiary Paul Anguria from Teso College Aloet had Sorotis best science results with 22 points and plans to study electrical engineering. He was pictured in the local newspaper with other high-performing students: the headline reads I was picked from the village. Amos Kidega from St Josephs College Layibi got 19 points in physics, chemistry, biology and maths and should also attend university on a government merit scholarship.

Tertiary Education

In 2010, Mvule Trust supported 492 students in tertiary training institutions, of whom 93% are females. Twenty-nine students, of whom 16 are girls, are studying agriculture at Bukalasa and Arapai Agricultural Colleges. Thirty-six students are studying business, of whom 24 are female.

National Forestry College - Nyabyeya Uganda has lost nearly a third of its forests in the last two decades and runs a timber and fuel wood deficit. Above: Mvule students at the Uganda College of Commerce in Soroti. From L to R Anabo Agnes is studying procurement; Uganda needs foresters to reverse Angeno Grace, accounting and finance; and Acurot Matthias, this and fight climate change. In
business administration. Agnes and Grace were part of the original 2006 cohort.

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2010, Mvule Trust supported 51 students at the National Forestry College, 28 with funds from The Guardian and 23 with Arcadia funds: 33 were girls. Mvule spent a total of UGX 61,200,000 to cover the 2010 tuition fees. It also provided each student with a treated mosquito net, panga, hoe, gumboots, overall, mathematical set and scientific calculator. The entire group received six electric kettles to boil their drinking water. Thirty-seven beneficiaries graduated from the Forestry College on 19 November 2010. Mvule Trust organized a simple party to congratulate them. In 2010 Mvule Trust paid UGX18 million to construct

Above: Mvule students graduate from the Forestry College. Next page: the new latrines and the run down girls dorm.

MVULE TRUST Annual Report

five latrines and washing areas for female students. This unexpected decision was reached after visiting the college and finding that students were falling ill. The pit latrines that the female students had been using were inadequate and in poor condition. Every morning was tough because that is the time when the majority would use the latrines. With only two stanzas, we had no choice but to wake up very early, said Mvule beneficiary Akiteny Constance. Mvule Trust would also like to build a dormitory for girls. Currently some female students reside in a decaying former mechanical workshop and admission of more girls is constrained by lack of space. However, after a visit in 2011, it decided to wait until a renovation plan was prepared for the entire college. Teacher training Ugandas education system is burdened with overcrowded classrooms and a scarcity of teachers. Jobs for qualified teachers are in abundance, since the government plans to reduce the teacher pupil ratio to 1:40. Attaining a teaching qualification is a golden opportunity. Mvule Trust is supporting 13 students to train as nursery teachers,124 to be primary school teachers and 26 to be secondary school teachers. This brings the total number of students supported in 2010 to train as teachers to 163, of whom 151 (93%) are girls. As with conditions for female foresters at Nyabyeya, conditions for these trainees are not easy. Kaliro National Teachers College, which prepares teachers to work in secondary schools, is shown here. Its premises, built in optimistic modern style, are in desperate need of repair. One of the students at Kaliro NTC is Charles Okwii, who was featured in The Guardian (photo at left). Even with four good A levels, he did not get a government scholarship and had been at home for two years. Mvule Trust is now supporting him to train to be an agriculture teacher.

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MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2010

Above left: Charles Okwii as he was seen in The Guardian in November 2009. bove right: Charles at Kaliro NTC in 2010 flanked by Mvule peers Paul Amusa, who is training to be a physics teacher, and Helen Agonyo, who is training to teach history.

Health sciences Health workers are in short supply in Uganda. Only half of health posts are filled with qualified staff up country. Most care is delivered by nursing assistants. The doctorto-patient ratio stands at 1:18,000 and the nurse-to-patient ratio at 1:11,000. Most families cannot afford the high tuition fees for health courses - approximately UGX 6 million over two to three years. Mvule Trust is supporting 180 health students, 156 (87%) of whom are girls. Of the 180 students, 32 are studying lab technology, 141 are studying nursing or midwifery, and seven are studying to be clinical officers. Fifteen girls were funded to train as lab technicians, five as clinical officers and five as environmental health officers. In 2010 Mvule Trust recruited 124 girls and one boy who had passed their O-level or Alevel science examinations and had been accepted to nursing institutions, but did not have the means to attend. Eight girls and the one male were supported to train for a diploma in comprehensive nursing and one girl for a diploma in psychiatric nursing. The balance of the students are doing certificate courses in nursing. The young man that Mvule Trust supported is studying at Masaka School of Comprehensive Nursing. Ahimbisibwe Michael was about to drop out due to unsatisfactory fees payment. When Mvule found him, he was selling sugarcane to pay his fees. Michael is very bright but extremely needy, said school principal Alura Christine. He pays fees in small installments, and it takes him a lot of time away from school to sell the sugar cane. Muhindo Gorret is one of seven girls sponsored by Mvule Trust at Kagando School of Nursing. She enrolled in March 2010, but her father lost his job then was paralyzed in an accident. Her mother struggled to support her eight children from her harvest and borrowed from a money lender to keep Gorret in school. But I still had to drop out, Gorret says. Mvule paid her fees and Gorret settled down to read despite the disorganizations she underwent, notes Mvules Susan Babirye. Budesta Amongin, 22, the fourth born of 14 children, is the only child in her family to have completed secondary school.

Above: Gorrett Muhindo at Kagando Nursing School.

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Right: Nursing student Aeecho Naome at, one of 22 students that Mvule Trust is finding at Soroti School of Comprehensive Nursing.

MVULE TRUST Annual Report

Below: Mvule students Barbara Atim from Amuria and Felicitus Akareut from Kumi at Jinja School of Medical Laboratory Technology. Graduates are hot cakes in the job market.

In her first year at Ngora School of Nursing, she was sexually harassed by her cousin who was paying her school fees and had to drop out. When her father pressured her to get married, she ran away to a sister in Amuria, where she heard a radio announcement about The Guardian scholarship. Mvule gave her a bursary, and she is now finishing her nursing course, ready to make a difference in the lives of others. At the School of Medical Laboratory Technology in Jinja, Mvule Trust supported 40% of the female students in the year one certificate class, making Mvule the second biggest funder of students at the school after government. Support to university students Less than 5% of children who enroll in primary school reach university. In 2010 Mvule Trust, using Arcadia funds, recruited 12 students to study for degrees. Seven are former Mvule beneficiaries who Mvule supported for A-levels in 2007-9. All 12 are the first in their families to reach university. In addition, Mvule Trust is supporting another 11 university students with funds from The Guardian. In 2010 Mvule Trust also provided a small stipend to former beneficiaries, who completed A levels in 2009, and are now attending university in Kampala. Each of the 34 girls and two boys receives UGX100,000 per semester. In addition, Mvule Trust meets them every semester to help them to handle their sexual feelings, resist negative influences, assume responsibility for their future and make the most of their studies. The girls main challenges are affording textbooks; adjusting to city life and its expenses; and sex and relationships. The meetings have made them more focused says Josephine Abalo, Mvule Trust Manager. We have recorded one pregnancy case, but this came before our talks and support. The girls are now confident and assertive.

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MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2010

At the end of 2009, Mvule Trust was chosen for The Guardian 2009 Christmas appeal. Over 4000 readers donated 292,600 to provide educational bursaries for Teso sub region. This enabled Mvule Trust to help 235 young people, 73% of them girls. The beneficiary identification exercise in early 2010 involved one-on-one interviews to assess applicants neediness and determination to study. Mvule Trust staff also guided them on courses that could gain them employment or a livelihood after completion. Mvule Trust enrolled 40 students to study at O-Level and 13 for A-Level. Thirty-six of the O-Level students are from Katine where The Guardian already had a project: 25 girls were taken to St Marys SS, Madera, a school in Soroti town. We realized that some had the potential to perform much better if put in a good school with boarding facilities. The home environment wasnt conducive for them to concentrate, said Mvules Mary Achom. Oluka Abraham (at left), the best 2009 PLE boy from Katine sub-county, thought P7 was the highest level of education he would attain. Fatherless, he decided to go to Soroti town and look for casual jobs. Mvule Trust and Guardian journalists physically looked for him in the slums. Now at Teso College Aloet, he says, I want to be a medical doctor and as long as I have the scholarship, nothing will stop me. During holidays I help my uncle with carpentry work and earn money to support my mother. Akereje Moureen, 13, the best 2009 PLE pupil from Katakwi, had no hopes of joining secondary school despite her excellent performance of a score of 11 on her PLE. Her parents are peasant farmers with no education. She says, Before being identified by Mvule Trust, my elder brother tried to look for money to take me to a secondary school but in vain. I am so happy to be at Tororo Girls School, and my future is promising. At school I shave other students hair. I use a comb and a razorblade to do it and receive UGX 300 per head, which I survive on.
Centre left is Maureen Akereje with two other Mvule beneficiaries at Tororo Girls School. In this photo, they have just received sanitary pads and other suppplies from Mvule.

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Under the Guardian grant, Mvule Trust is working with 14 tertiary institutions (including Arapai Agricultural College; Grace Early Child Development Center; Mbale School of Hygiene; Ngora Nursing School; St. Aloysius Core PTC; Soroti School of Nursing; St Kizito Technical Institute; and UCC Soroti) and Busitema University of Science and Technology and Kumi University. Caroline Akello was featured as as wanting to become a baker in The Guardian. She completed her course in 2010 and now works in a hotel in Moroto as head of food and beverages, earning UGX200,000/month. I did not continue after my O-level.My guardian could not afford the fees. But Mvule Trust enabled me join the Hotel and Tourism Training Institute for a certificate in pastry and bakery. I was the best in my class. I am very grateful, she says.
Above: Alaba Racheal, one of the 22 girls at the hotel and catering college. Six have already completed their one year certificates in baking. Below: Alice Oriokot as she appeared in The Guardian, suffering from social isolation and hopelessness at home with no prospects of continuing in school after her O levels. Now, seen at right, she is a student at Ngora Nursing School, purposeful, optimistic and surrounded by friends.

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MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2010

Mvule Trust graduates Over 350 Mvule Trust beneficiaries have already graduated with certificates or diplomas in health sciences, agriculture, forestry, vocational courses and teaching. Many have jobs. I am really grateful to Mvule for a good future rendered to me, wrote Miriam Akello, (right) who graduated in forestry in 2009. I work with an NGO, VEDCO, and earn UGX490,000/month. My life has changed because I can support myself and my siblings at school. Mvule forester Kanueri Josephine wrote, I am so indebted to Mvule. Since I completed my diploma, I have volunteered with National Forestry Authority. I now have a contract with a carbon project in North Rwenzori Central Forest Reserve to grow 25 hectares of trees. I will be paid 250,000 UGX per hectare. This will lift me out of poverty. Many Mvule health science graduates have found employment. Dorcus Adong from Jinja Nursing School now supports her mother and siblings by working in a private clinic, earning UGX140,000/month. James Eleku (below), who trained as a lab technician, now works at the prestigious Uganda Virus Research Institute, earning UGX450,000 ($200) per month.

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Grant from Natalie Portman For the fourth year, Mvule Trust extended support from actress Natalie Portman to eight children from two families, plus one boy, Nicholas, who lives alone. The funds covered school fees, food, home visits, and Nicholas transport to and from the health unit where he replenishes his ARVs. The cost per child was $2 a day. Four of the children completed their O-levels. Irene, who had dropped out of school before Natalies intervention, obtained a catering certificate. The other two children were helped to stay in primary school. The beneficiaries are deeply grateful to Natalie. No matter what is happening in my life, I am able to purchase books and continue with my edu-

MVULE TRUST Annual Report

cation, said Julius, whose mother is living with HIV. The saddest story was Nicholas, who sold off his candlemaking machine from Natalie and joined bad groups. Mvule made great effort to counsel him. Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) Mvule Trust donated 300 for the upkeep of 272 parrots at UWEC in Entebbe. These endangered birds, rescued from traffickers at the Congo border, will be released into forests. International Hospital Kampala - Hope Ward In 2010, Mvule Trust donated $5000 to the Hope Ward at IHK to meet the costs of a bed, which is monetised at UGX75,000/day. This helped pay for patients admitted in 2010, of whom a third were children, many of whom would have lost their lives or suffered terribly without treatment. One third of the patients were suffering from Kaposi Sarcoma, an HIV-related cancer. Mvule referred two beneficiaries: Reuben Muhindo from Rwenzori HS who suffered Bells Palsy and a female student with a heart problem. In addition, Mvule Trust covered costs for a baby that IHK referred for open heart surgery to India.

Below left: Dr Julius Kyaligonza, manager of the animal department at UWEC, shows the crates in which the parrots were concealed. Right: some of the parrots, slowly regaining their strength.

Finance In 2010, Mvule Trust had a total income of UGX2,635,093,175, of which Arcadia provided UGX1,738,653,175 and The Guardian UGX 896,440,000. Total expenditure was UGXUGX1,655,558,985, of which Arcadia funds accounted for UGX1,280,540,807 and The Guardian UGX375,018,178. The shilling weakened precipitously against the dollar between the time the 2010 budget was made ($1=1900) and the end of 2010 ($1=2400). At an estimated exchange rate for the year of $1=2215, Mvule Trusts income was $1,189,658 and its expenditure $747,731. Funds received from The Guardian are being held back to ensure that Mvule Trust can pay for students entire courses in 2011 and 2012. Substantial Arcadia funds have also been carried forward into 2011 and are being spent with care to ensure that students can be funded in subsequent years. Some need to study up to 2014. Mvule Trusts overheads are exceedingly low. Exactly 80% of funds in 2010 went on school fees, supplies for students, meetings with students and field work. When the salaries of project staff are included in costs, just 13.8% of Mvule Trust expenditure goes to overheads, management and administration.

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MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2010

INCOME FOR MVULE TRUST

Arcadia The Guardian TOTAL INCOME EXPENDITURE FOR MVULE TRUST

Amount
1,738,653,175 896,440,000 2,635,093,175

Exchange rate

2215

Activity
School Fees Support to beneficiaries School visits Sexual health workshops Career guidance meetings Northern Uganda student support Field Trips to Teso Administration costs-telephone,newspapers Vehicle maintenance Staff costs (salaries, medical, insurance) Capital items Bank charges Travel to trustee and forestry mtgs Travel for Christmas appeal and gratuity Audit fees Petty cash Directors salaries net Directors salaries - PAYE Payment of advance rent to STF Payment to IHK TOTAL

ARCADIAUGX
869,680,920 46,176,850 49,946,877 28,582,400 7,784,250

Guardian UGX
227,960,150 39,136,200 14,925,110 20,515,600

TOTAL UGX
1,097,641,070 85,313,050 64,871,987 20,515,600 28,582,400 7,784,250

Total Dollars
495,549 38,516 29,288 9,262 12,904 3,514 4,626 3,758 6,877 44,811 953 1,074 2,338 3,922 9,741 470 35,000 15,504 13,679 15,646 747,431

21,576,950 5,781,678 11,599,345 61,225,567 1,360,500 1,949,000 5,177,580 3,167,420 10,247,120 1,040,000 77,525,000 34,341,300 30,300,000 34,655,000 1,280,540,807 375,018,178 5,519,500 2,542,868 3,632,800 38,030,000 750,000 429,000

21,576,950 8,324,546 15,232,145 99,255,567 2,110,500 2,378,000 5,177,580 8,686,920 10,247,120 1,040,000 77,525,000 34,341,300 30,300,000 34,655,000 1,655,558,985

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Audited accounts will be available on the UK Charity Commission website later in 2011.

MVULE TRUST Annual Report

FURTHER DETAILS
Mvule Trust governing document: Charitable Trust Deed signed between the two founders and three trustees on 1 March 2005. Directors: Catharine Watson and William Pike Trustees: David Bowes Lyon (Chair); Richard Dowden, Joel Kibazo Principal office: 25 Ross Street, Cambridge UK, CB1 JBP Auditors Carr Stanyer Sims and Co. Certified Public Accountants PO Box 6293, Kampala, Uganda Tel: 256-04140258458 Bankers Stanbic Bank Crested Towers, Corporate Branch PO Box 7131, Kampala, Uganda Barclays Bank PLC Pall Mall 2 London, UK Solicitors Lex Uganda 8th Floor Communications House PO Box 22490, Kampala, Uganda Tel: 256-0414-232733

Taylor Wessing Carmelite 50 Victoria Embankment Blackfriars, London EC4Y 0DX, UK Tel: 44-0-207-300-7000 Arcadia Sixth Floor, 5 Young Street, London, W8 5EH Tel: 44-0-207-361-4900 UK Charity Commission Number: 1111410 (22 Sept 2005); Government of Uganda NGO Certificate of Registration: S.5914/6093 (28 October 2005)

To read more about Mvule Trust or to donate, visit www.mvuletrust.co.ug

The Mvule Trust team

Mvule Trust employs two part-time staff to follow beneficiaries in Gulu, Kitgum and Pader. At right is Mvules Christine Lamwaka, counselling a Mvule nursing student. Martha Adong works for Mvule in Kitgum.

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MVULE TRUST Annual Report 2010

From left to right: Fred Mwesigwa (transport officer) , Patricia Amito (finance support), Josephine Abalo (programme manager), Mary Achom (data officer and counselor), Cathy Watson (director) and Susan Babirye (project officer)

Mango season at Ngora High School, where Mvule trust has 19 students at A level and one at O level.

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A Mvule in northern Uganda. This endangered tropical hardwood is called Iroko in West Africa. Its botanical name is Milicia excelsa. Photo credit: Mira Nair.