About the project

Cherish has had a long and fruitful association with The Agape school for orphans and underprivileged children in the slums of Kampala Uganda. The Agape primary school was founded by Pastor Patrick Musoke in 1997 as a joint venture between the local church and community. Patrick came to England to look for funding to get his vision off the ground and the Lord led him to Irene Moses who founded Cherish and was running the charity at the time. She was able to provide Patrick with the capital to start the school.  We are pleased to be able to provide support for Patrick and his worthwhile project which has blossomed into a thriving school and Church.

Pupils at the school pay minimal or no fees and receive a free lunch in addition to their lessons, which are currently run in six different subjects.  By supporting Agape primary school we can provide aid where it is most needed and is most effective.

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The people involved

The school provides education for over 200 orphaned or very poor children many of whom have lost one or both parents to AIDS.  There are 10 qualified teachers and three non-teaching staff.  Patrick has great vision to advance and move forward the Agape primary school project.   He has made several visits to the UK to publicise and update supporters on the work of the school and church.  This has included speaking engagements in Nottingham, Ripley, Derbyshire and elsewhere.  Richard Bedford – one of our trustees – has visited the school and more recently we commissioned an independent report from a contact visiting the area. 

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How you can help:

We hope to help Patrick by providing as much support, both monetary and in prayer, as we can.  Cherish to increase its support to assist with the school's expansion plans. The school is desperately in need of more textbooks and teaching equipment. Shortage of office and computer equipment is also a significant problem.

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Latest news from the project

Agape Primary School has ambitious plans for the future. It has recently raised funds to purchase its own plot of land and hopes to undertake a substantial building programme enabling it to admit more children and expand its curriculum by a further four subjects.

Here are the concluding comments from a recent independent report on Agape.

“In my opinion, the Agape School is a viable project to support – its objectives are noble and its achievements thus far are admirable. The staff are committed and pro-active making the best of the little they have. It is fulfilling the biblical injunction to look after orphans and the fatherless. They encourage the pupils to strive for excellence regardless of their background. Patrick Musoke is dedicated to the vision of the Agape school providing this service to the community.

“I thank the Cherish Trust for sending me to visit the school and I encourage them to continue to support the project.”

The latest Agape newsletter is available here:

Agape newsletter October 2008 (700kb PDF)

Agape newsletter September 2005 ( 869kb Word file)

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Context

Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa with a total estimated population of about 31 million people.  It is one of the fastest growing economies in Africa.

According to the World Bank:

• Uganda has the most youthful population in the world with children below 15 years constituting more than half of the population.
• Education enrollment at primary level increased dramatically from 2.6 million in 1995 to 7.2 million in 2007. 
• However, "the high drop-out rate and quality of education remain a daunting challenge."
  

" Nearly half of the estimated 2 million orphans are orphaned due to AIDS, with the total expected to rise to 3.5 million by 2010." (Unicef)

Quote

He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people.   Psalm 113: 7-8

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