Suubi Centre Update Blog

Two preliminary rounds for our Music, Dance and Drama Festival, which is conducted annually for Suubi's partnering primary schools, have been held over the last two days. Fifteen schools in total gathered across the two consecutive days at Namulanda and Kyembazzi Primary Schools. Each competing school performed a composed song, a skit, creative and traditional dances to reflect this years theme of "An educated community is a transformed community.” It was fabulous to see students, teachers and the wider community enjoying the high stand entertainment, while at the same time learning more about the importance of education. 

As usual, the traditional dance performances were a favourite with everyone who had gathered to watch.

The colourful dance costumes of Lubanda Islamic P/S students were a stand out at the first preliminary round held at Numulanda P/S.

The performers from Namugongo P/S were lucky to have many of their fellow students there to cheer them on.

Each song that was perform conveyed the message, in its own individual way, about the importance of how education can transform a community.

It was a tough job for the judges to choose which schools to send on to the finals.

After two wonderful days of entertainment four schools, from each preliminary round, were eventually selected to compete in the finals, which will be held at Suubi Secondary & Vocational College on November 6th. From Group A, Namugongo P/S, Bright-Light P/S, Lubanda Islamic P/S and St.Jude Lwagulwe P/S were selected while Group B saw Save The Child P/S, Makondo P/S, Hope Buremere P/s and Kawerimidde P/S make their way through to the finals. All of these schools were very excited to be selected and they are now busy practising as the wait for finals day to come around.

Cancer Screening & Family Planning Outreach Held At Suubi Clinic

This years MDD theme of "An educated community is a transformed community” also gave Suubi Clinic staff the opportunity to educated the community about the importance of family planning and cancer screening. It was an ideal chance for them to promote the two day outreach that was being held concurrently at Suubi Clinic, in collaboration with Pace/Profam. 

The outreach saw 79 women turn up to be either screened for cervical cancer and/or take on some form of family planning. Patients were treated by Suubi Clinic staff, Arinda Alad and Kayiira Robert and overseen by an expert from Profam/Pace. The turn up was a wonderful result and there is already discussion of when another session can be conducted for a large number of women associated with our good friends at St Jude Training Centre. With Pace/Profam subsidising the family planning and cancer screening service, the cost to each lady is a mere 1000 shillings (approx. 38c). This makes the collaboration between Suubi Clinic and Profam/Pace extremely worthwhile and is sure to benefit many of these rural women in the future.

The number of women who turned up for the family planning and cancer screening, held in conjunction with Profam/Pace at Suubi Clinic, was very encouraging.

Suubi Clinic's Arinda Alad with one of the 79 patients seen across the two day outreach.

It has been fabulous to have Meri and Oriol from ILIKEMYSOCKS back with us to work with the Suubi ladies knitting group during August. The ladies certainly have come a long way since they first began learning to hand knit under the trees in the Suubi compound, a little over twelve months ago. It is amazing to now see them hard at work, in what is becoming a thriving business. 

Meri began teaching Suubi ladies the art of hand knitting during July/August 2014.

This year a dedicated space within the training hall has been set up where the ladies work each day to produce a variety of beautiful baby garments.

Winding the wool from hanks is now far easier after Meri bought a special machine for the knitting group this year. 

We are enormously proud of the Suubi ladies for their hard work and commitment to learn this new, and often challenging skill. But their hard work has paid off; it is very exciting that Meri will be taking a large number of garments back to Barcelona with her and they will soon be on sale via their website. 

In addition to the ladies knitting it is also very exciting to see the Suubi Secondary College students learning the new skill of making beaded bracelets. With a market already established in Australia, for the Suubi ladies craft, we will soon be adding the students bracelets for sale. This will give them another realistic way to help pay for their own education. 

It is wonderful to see the SSVC students learning skills beyond the academic classroom work; this gives them skills for self-reliance. 

The volunteers from Setem, Spain were happy to be able to teach the students new bracelet designs during the current holiday vocational program.

Some of the beaded bracelet designs the students have made.

So be on the lookout for both of these fabulous hand made items for sale on both sides of the world. Whether you chose to buy a beautiful hand knitted baby garment or beaded bracelet from the SSVC students, is the perfect way for you to help Suubi community members to help themselves. Perfect!