Over 200 students are set to benefit from the completion of the construction and furnishing of classrooms at Buhandagazi Primary School in Rukungiri district by MTN Foundation today.
Located in Buyanja sub-county in Rukungiri District, Buhandagazi Primary School is a community institution founded by Buhandagazi Church of Uganda in 2015 to extend access to quality education closer to the children in the area.
Enoth Bijoki, chairman school management, Buhandagazi Primary School narrated that the school was struggling to mobilise resources to complete construction of the classrooms intended to create learning space for the children.
“We did not have sufficient funds to construct the requisite classrooms. Once in a while, we had well-wishers set up classes but the progress was not fast enough. As a result, children had a poor learning environment with makeshift chairs borrowed from the church for them to sit and learn. In cases where the students were more, some would sit on mats or on the floor and study,” he recounts.
In 2021, MTN Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of MTN Uganda embarked on a project to improve the school’s infrastructure to create an enabling learning environment for the students.
Through this project, MTN invested UGX60million in the completion of the construction of 6 classrooms and one office for the staff which involved roofing the classrooms, plastering of the walls, installation of doors and windows as well as painting and furnishing the office and learning spaces.
According to Andrew Tusubira, the MTN Regional Commercial head for Western Uganda, who was representing the MTN Foundation, MTN’s decision to improve Buhandagazi Primary school’s infrastructure was informed by the school’s vision which is synonymous with MTN’s key business pillar of creating shared value to attain sustainable societies.
“With school fees averagely less than UGX20,000, Buhandagazi Community Nursery and Primary school was formed with the vision of extending access to affordable education to children in Buyanja sub-county to enable them forge a future that would guarantee an improved livelihood for their communities. Amid the heightened cost of living today, it is important to support institutions that extend quality social services at affordable prices. At MTN, achieving sustainable societies through shared value is one of the business’ core pillars which resonates with our belief that doing good for society enables us to do well as a company,” he said.
Tusubira added: ”We are supporting Buhandagazi Primary School to enroll even more children and create an enabling learning environment in order to realize our shared goal of ensuring access to quality education for the people of Buyanja sub-county to cultivate a promising future,”
Appreciating MTN Foundation’s support to the school, Canon Mary Zaramba Buhandagazi School Chairperson Management Committee urged people to support MTN for its impact in communities.
“Now the journey has started from 5 students to 201 students from baby class to primary five going to primary six. I wish to call upon everyone to appreciate what MTN Foundation has done for the Buhandagazi community and encourage all of us to use MTN services like mobile money, airtime, internet bundles. MTN Oye! May the good Lord protect you and give you the vision of helping us even more,” she appreciated.
Bijoki said that they now expect even more children to enroll for studies on account of the improved learning environment and eye-catching physical structures.