It is hard to believe that a lady sitting in our church hall, here in the South of England watching the band, ‘Lock, Stock and Barrel, could be drawn to the shoeless plight of so many children in the villages around Kisoro in SW Uganda, but she was! Playing on a loop on a large screen behind the band were photographs of Emily, the Emily Collins School, the attending children and some who are still hopeful of being sponsored! This kind lady spotted the dilemma and immediately pledged enough money to buy all 80+ children a pair of shoes to wear to school. The ground the school is built on contains a high percentage of volcanic rock and is therefore very sharp for young tender feet, even to those Africans who have been used to going barefoot for much of their lives.

Measuring the feet, travelling almost 500 km to Kampala to buy the shoes, fitting them to the children. It was a huge, time consuming, labour of love by Martin Duhimbaze and his team.

However, as you can see from the smiles on the faces of the children, her generous donation and the endeavours of the teachers at the school and the staff of Our Father’s House Ministries have been very well received!

Now they all have shoes they can safely dance and play with absolute freedom.

You may also like…

Temporary roof cover – July 2025

Until they can complete the first floor they can't really start building the second floor so they needed a temporary protective roof to cover the stairwell. Somehow they managed it by using some spare bricks from and earlier project and topping it off with some newly...

read more
Edging closer everyday – July 2025

Edging closer everyday – July 2025

Nearly there!! They’ve almost completed the internal toilets…. Wow! Well done everyone they look impressive!! All we need now is to raise the money to buy and install septic tanks Then they can use them!  It is going to be a big and expensive project 😱 [gallery...

read more
Almost there! – June 2025

Almost there! – June 2025

They never stop working at the Emily Collins School. The internal toilets are almost ready for the sanitary ware, doors and windows to be installed. Now we need to find the money for the septic tanks so they can use them [gallery...

read more
Inspiring view from the School – June 2025

Inspiring view from the School – June 2025

Martin sent me these photos this morning because the school is looking smart and tidy. And, of course, with the two nearest volcanoes visible this morning the view from the top of the school is even more inspiring.

read more
Technology boost! – May 2025

Technology boost! – May 2025

Technology is so important for the development and efficient running of the school but it is also important to be able to introduce the children to it too. So a new desktop has been delivered and because a regular supply of electricity is not always forthcoming…a...

read more
Almost there – May 2025

Almost there – May 2025

Apparently it was a bigger job than expected but now it is almost finished! Transformed from bare bricks and holes in the ground to plastered, tiled, plumbed in, including squat stances and euro toilets! What a transformation, I can’t wait to see the final result!!...

read more
Safety First! – May 2025

Safety First! – May 2025

It was vital to complete the installation of these balustrades to ensure that the school is safe for the children, staff and visitors. So well done everyone, sponsors, builders, welders, painters and of course the staff. I think they look quite cool too…...

read more
Digging the septic tanks – April 2025

Digging the septic tanks – April 2025

It is back-breaking work digging in volcanic ground! The guys are doing well though. They’re digging two deep holes in which to put the septic tanks. Toilets may not be a very exciting topic but the finished articles will be very exciting… especially when you need...

read more
Share This