By:Sr Grace Candiru, MSMC

SAINT Kizito Secondary School is a Catholic founded institution under the parish of Our Lady of Africa, Mbuya, in Kampala City. Opened in 1997, it was in answer to the cry of poor parishioners, who could not afford posh schools for their children. And, hailing from underprivileged families and at times child-headed homes, many students could not concentrate on school.

Observing the trend, the school administration set out to find why. They visited many of the affected students in their homes, where they the outreach programme to help in getting the children back to class. By visiting the particular homes, the administration staff were able to find solutions to problems keeping the particular students out of class.

Many years later, the students have taken the programme up, for peer outreach. Through their various interacting clubs, they visit disadvantaged groups in different communities around their school, in a gradual campaign to prioritise education.

Mbuya Parish sets within a rich-man suburb. But, in the peripheries, stand single room ramshackle establishments passing for shelters of some of the poor. Families, mainly from northern Uganda, which has been ravaged by a 20-year-old conflict, live in those houses in this vicinity, surviving mainly on brewing local beer and casual jobs.

Seeing the abject poverty, widely differing in proportion to the affluent families, the Comboni Missionaries heading Mbuya Parish established the school to bring on board, also children of the poor.

Reaching out

When the school opened its doors to the pioneer students, it did not take the administration long to realise they had a big problem at hand. Many students went to school hungry, others drunk, while others were just in oblivion. For those with traumas of war, their ways were even more weird.
But, the staff, headed by Elizabeth Odyek knew theirs was to give the children meaningful education and nothing less. This could be possible only if they knew the background of each student.

With the then total population of forty students, the school embarked on an outreach programme that saw them visit the students’ particular places of abode. They then came up with a way of dealing with the children based on their findings.

Later on, through the help of Parish Priest Fr Joseph Archetti, they sought sponsorship for some bright students, with ample success. Further on, Archetti advised the administration to introduce some Church movements like the Catholic Charismatic Renewal and Young Christian Students, through which the students could participate in apostolate.

Now several years after, St Kizito SS students have taken up the outreach programme through these various clubs or movements. During school term, they visit less advantaged communities in and around their school and according to the school authorities the experience is making positive impact on them (students).

Among the communities visited is the Butabika Psychiatric Hospital, Nsambya and Sanyu Babies’ Homes, Naguru Remand Home, Mulago Referral Hospital and a home for the aged/disabled.

Sobering experience

The headmistress Odyek recalls their call Nsambya Babies’ Home, upon which a guardian of one of the students related that the girl was greatly impacted by the orphaned children. The student had never appreciated the love of her guardian until she saw the children who had been taken on by the home after abandonment.

“Aunt I thank God that you are there for me,” she apologetically said, according to Odyek. “That experience really sobered my student, making her appreciate what she has,” Odyek adds in praise of the programme.

A teacher, Winfred Ogwok, who is patron of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, appreciates the impact of school clubs. “I have seen members of various clubs readily offer voluntary service, unlike their counter parts belonging to no club,” she argues.

She also recalls that during a students’ visit to the remand home for juvenile offenders, she was overwhelmed by the students’ generosity. Many freely pooled their savings, before the school topped up for a gift for the inmates on remand.

“Even the generosity of students moved many of the young prisoners to tears. To me it was such a moving experience.” The students cleaned the Home, played with the inmates and also prayed with them before winding their visit.

John M Vianney Mitana another teacher believes the religious atmosphere makes the learning experience enjoyable. “The religious atmosphere has created a calm atmosphere that there is a cordial teacher-student relationship. The students have religious and moral values at heart.”

His group visited the Butabika, where patients sobering up, warned them against drug abuse. One patient told of how he left school at senior six due to drug abuse, which caused him a mental illness. Mitana reveals, “It was quite a teaching experience for the students.”

According to Patience Giramia, a student involved in the outreach programme elates in the membership. “In the past, I did not care about others, but this has changed because our members are always encouraged to help those who need help.”

Her counterpart Vicky Akullu says she was careful not to indulge in drugs abuse for fear of running mad. At Butabika, she listened to a young lady who abused drugs and ended up at the psychiatric hospital.

Behavioral Change

Akullu is proud of the Behaviour Change Programme, which she says is unique to St Kizito. Through it, new students are initiated into school, at the beginning of every term so that it does not conflict with academics.

Another club is that of the Focolare Movement. Members say they are encouraged to dress decently; to love others and help those in need. Last year the group visited Mulago Referral Hospital, where they presented in-patients assorted gifts, besides consoling him.

 During the visit, Millicent Kabalisa, 16, could hardly comprehend the hope for those in the Cancer Ward. “In spite of all the pain, they would smile, yet I find it hard to smile even if I am suffering from headache.”

For Christine Kyohairwe, membership to a club has bolstered her inclination to prayer for the sick. But, more so, she stresses, “Club activities help us to relax our minds as, it is not healthy to be in books all the time.”

With their goal; “To make the Student World a Better and Happier Place,” members of the Young Christian Students (YCS) often entertain, share and pray with the people they visit. One of them, Rachael Nakayima, says involvement in the movement has improved her leadership skills.

She completed senior six at the school, where he joined the YCS Movement while in senior two. Nakayima challenges; “Sometimes we think it is the religious to help the needy yet it is everyone’s responsibility to do that.”

Reaching the Parents

Meanwhile the school administration continues its outreach programme, with some modifications. Other than visiting each student’s home, considering the enormous school population now, the administration takes to meeting students and their guardians, depending on a case.

In one incidence, a male student used to be very destructive both in and out of school. He would wet his bed, dress shabbily and shouts unnecessarily. The School attempted different solutions to no avail to him.

With all channels exhausted, the disciplinarian dismissed him from school. “They sent him to bring his father, but thrice the father would just abandon the boy outside the school gate and disappear. The administration, however, was intent on seeing the father.

When he finally came, they discovered that the child came from a broken family. He lived with his stepmother, who blamed him for everything that went wrong at home. His father on the other hand never defended him for fear of conflicting with the wife.

So, the unruly behaviour was a defence mechanism on the part of the boy.

But, after that encounter, the father resolved to help his son. Today, the boy does not wet his bed nor gets destructive. “He is one of the most behaved students and can hardly be seen lousing, but busy with studies. He seems to be making up for all the time he lost,” reveals the headmistress.

Integral Education
As to what encourages staff to this programme other than concentrating on the only the teaching role, Odyek says, “Our basic concept is that when you educate a someone you educate the whole person.”

She further says, “We believe that when you take care of the intellect, you must care for the physical and the spiritual being – embrace the upbringing of the child in totality.” Odyek adds that they try to help students to be valuable to society.

Hence, when students join St Kizito SS, the ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ of the school are charted out to newcomers. More importantly, however, there is an initiation programme for newcomers and at the close of every term, a retreat through which they get orientated to the system, is conducted.

Bringing teachers on board

Then teachers too are brought into the system, but, are told from the onset that their work is just complementary as issues of petty indiscipline are handled by student counsellors. However, when a matter is beyond their comprehending, it is referred to a professional counsellor hired by the school.

For initiation, teachers joining St Kizito are sent for spiritual formation courses to enable them help students both academically and spiritually. The School, on its part adopts a non-violent attitude towards students.

For example any child found in the wrong, has a right to be explained to the mistake at hand, other than using the stick to hit them into defiance. They also try to find ways of sustaining peace and according to Odyek, the formation of clubs/movements was one of the ways for maintaining a peaceful environment.

Meanwhile, each of the clubs/movements has a parent like figure in the person of a teacher, consulted by students where a need arises. The students plan all the activities of their club in consultation with the animating teacher.

They draw up common visit programmes to avoid collusion with academics, hence Sundays being opted for the outreaches. It is believed visits enable students to get acquainted with the society.
On their return, they are encouraged to share through testimonies. Some do it with documentary literature, some of which is a coveted pamphlet titled ‘My Turning Point’.