Update from BHW Uganda Partnership Facilitators

Key People: Timothy & Janepher Kakooza

Katosi Community School and Chosen Generation School continue with promise. They provide vital education and support for some of the poorest of the poor in Katosi and Mbale Village. This update has been compiled following communications with Timothy via email, messaging, and calls.

Recent Events

Katosi Community School (UGA01a)

Timothy reports there are currently 543 children in primary and 488 in secondary at Katosi Community School; an increase in the role to 1,031 from our last visit in September 2025 at which time there was around 840 on the role. With more students, they are requiring more beds and mattresses, and desks. Timothy has advised the need is 125 desks, 105 mattresses and beds.

Timothy would like to develop a playground on the school grounds to assist the students’ development. He would also like to develop a science laboratory.  

Chosen Generation School (UGA01c)

This school currently has a role of 152 which is similar to when we visited 12 months ago. Most of the children come from Mbale Village which is a very poor fishing village some distance from the school where there are significant issues around health and sanitation, alcohol abuse, and broken families.

Timothy and Janepher’s adopted daughter, Fatima, runs the school and is the head teacher.    

Children attend the school from 8am until lunchtime, have lunch and then return home. Alongside their education, they are taught relational skills and Christian principles which are having a positive and encouraging impact on the home environments and village overall.   

The water bore and well is continuing to work well and continues to provide clean water for the school and local community. Previously children would have to walk 1 km to Lake Victoria to get water for the school each day which was an enormous task, given that the school also feeds all of the children during the daytime. The part of the lake that is accessed at Mbale Village is heavily polluted. The township, which sits right on the shores of the lake, has no sewage sanitation facilities at all which means that sewage is effectively being discharged into the lake at the same place as where water is being taken. 

There are a number of current needs which Timothy has highlighted: 
1) 55 desks and chairs
2) Kitchen (we previously saw where they cook food for the children and there are no facilities)
3) Library
4) Two classrooms
5) Water tanks for water harvest
6) Purification system for drinking water
7) Solar panels
8) Motorcycle for the childrens' pastor

Marisara Children's School

Even though BHW does not financially support Marisara Children’s School, it is testimony to the heart of Timothy and Janepher and their family, and the desire to help the vulnerable, abandoned and poor. It is another example of the amazing work they do. The site has abandoned or orphaned babies and 136 children in preschool to primary 3.

Farms

The drought has been long, and the gardens are drying out. Timothy reports that last season the farms were “65% fruitful”.  We have asked for some clarification regarding this but assume this is an estimation of its produce for the season. 

Timothy has advised they need money to pay for the farm workers. He would also like to have an operational maize mill and a motorcycle (Tukutuku) for farm harvest transportation.

We are awaiting further information from Timothy regarding the farm and its relationship to the school (feeding the children). We have also requested more information about whether Foundations for Farming principles are being utilised and whether further training would be beneficial given there are approximately 30 workers on the farm.

Current Issues and Challenges

The town is continuing to grow, and the roads are being improved. As part of this development, Katosi Community School's front main gate and perimeter wall are being affected. The local authorities have instructed them to remove the gate because it is too close to the road. They have also been asked to construct a new perimeter wall around the entire school to improve the security and protection of the school grounds.

Timothy has advised he would like to develop a playground to assist the children’s development. They have land but need resources to develop it.

Farms - the drought has been long and the gardens are vulnerable. Please pray for the rains to come. To solve this, they are believing for an irrigation system for the gardens.  

Prayer and Praise Points

1) Pray for rains to come and relieve the drought

2) Pray for provision of beds, mattresses and desks for Katosi Community School

3) Pray for provision particularly for desks and chairs, a kitchen space, library and more classrooms at Chosen Generation School

4) Praise that the borehole is operating well serving both Chosen Generation School and the community