School without borders

Most of us remember high-school summer break as a much-needed respite from essays and exams, during which our only objective was banking as much time as possible poolside with friends. Not so for a particularly precocious group of 12th-year students at the English International School of Prague (EISP). They chose instead to spend part of their summer break volunteering at a high school in Uganda, having spent most of the previous school year fund-raising to the tune of 500,000 Kč, money they used to purchase science equipment, textbooks and classroom technology lacking at schools in the East African country.

Four EISP students spent one week at Arua Public Secondary School in Northern Uganda, where they taught classes, built sports facilities, went on safari, made new friends and, most importantly, learned that even small gestures can have an enormous impact on their fellow students struggling with tremendous obstacles to get an education.

"We bought laptops and desktop PCs, projectors and screens for the projectors, as well as science equipment like microscopes and oscilloscopes," said 12th-year EISP student Šimon Vydra, explaining that the PCs had to be purchased in the capital Kampala after the students arrived because they were too heavy to bring on the plane.

His classmates Martina Pařízková and Robert Samwell say their principal had contacts in Uganda and introduced them to teachers at Arua Public, with whom they corresponded while they were fund-raising in order to find out exactly what type of equipment was needed. EISP students held events like quiz nights, a spring party and sports tournaments to raise the required funds, and also got support from private sponsors.

Although the economy has recently experienced growth, Uganda is still one of the poorest countries in the world, and the region's poverty was evident in the conditions in which Ugandan students study.

"We had some pictures of the school before, but when you see it with your own eyes, it is really shocking," Pařízková said.

Faculty sponsor Jason Kucker, who accompanied the students on the trip, explained that some of the school's buildings are the legacy of dictator Idi Amin's push to expropriate Asian properties in the 1970s, and have not been upgraded since.

"They've got concrete floors, and the concrete is wearing away from people walking on it," Robert said. "Everything needs renovating."

The students' shock at the school's poor conditions was balanced, however, by their pleasant surprise at the hospitality and kindness of the people they met at Arua Public. The teachers were thrilled to have them and invited them to their homes for dinner. The Ugandan students, though a bit shy at first, quickly warmed to the visitors with the help of an activity that transcends culture: sports.

Stars of the EISP basketball team back home, Vydra and Samwell were anxious to get on the court with students at Arua, and when they learned the school didn't have the facilities, they rolled up their sleeves and built them from scratch.

"The lines were from burnt engine oil, the poles were pieces of wood and the backboards were planks of wood," Vydra said of their makeshift court, which piqued the curiosity of the Ugandan students who joined them for a few matches when it was complete. "The kids loved it. At one point, there were 10 people playing and about 200 gathered around to watch. It was something totally new for them."

"I think sports really bond people," Samwell added. "Through sports we got to know them a bit better as individuals."

In addition to the basketball court, one of the most helpful contributions EISP students made was the projectors, because with a student population of more than 1,500 at Arua Public, it would be too difficult to get microscopes for every desk, but with a projector, Pařízková was able to use a single microscope to show slides to the whole class during the biology lesson she taught.

The fund-raising and trip to Uganda were part of a volunteerism requirement built into the curriculum for 12th-year students at EISP. In years past, students have participated in similar projects in Romania and Macedonia, but this class was so impressed by their experience in Uganda, they plan to encourage the class below them to continue with Arua Public in the hopes that EISP can build a long-term relationship with the school - and possibly even bring students and teachers to Prague in the future. The students also said they feel like their work is unfinished, because Arua Public still lacks basic infrastructure like reliable electricity.

"Now that we have the experience and materials, it will be a much more attractive project for sponsors," Vydra said, as his classmates nodded in agreement.

Samwell added, "Next year, the whole thing has to be on a larger scale."

Emily Thompson can be reached at
ethompson@praguepost.com