FALL 2024

A MESSAGE FROM REV. JOHN

We thank God for how far we have come in 2024. He has sustained us in this final school term of the year. We’re grateful to you for all the prayers, support and commitment that has enabled our partnership to have a transforming impact on the community here. With the many families touched through value-based education of their children, there is hope for the future.

Come October 11th, the Ordinary Level Candidates will begin their Leaving Exams. We will have a dedication service for all the Candidates (P.7, S.4 and S.6) on 8th October. We pray for confidence and great success upon them. 

We thank God for the established modern carpentry workshop at the school. When we see the quality products and students that are being trained, we thank God for the opportunity it is in the community. We have brought in some experts in upholstery to help produce furniture for sale. In the future, we hope furniture sales will help support the school. 

We recently had some University students from KSVS at school for a day-long visit to inspire their younger brothers and sisters to take school and life seriously. Among them were Kabegaare Shallon, Mugowa Hillary, Karamare Miriam, Ainembabazi Natasha and Nahabwe Golden. This is in keeping with our tradition because other students did the same while still students at university. We thank God for the resource that they are.



 We have already distributed over 1,000 cocoa seedlings to the community and are now preparing a bed with 500,000 seedlings of Robusta coffee to distribute to the community. This has proven an effective tool to fight poverty here and we believe that it’s a good way to empower households to support their children through school.

Have a blessed October.

Rev. Canon John Mulindabigwi

PIM coordinator Lakes Region & Director KSVS

Hillary encouraging KSVS students

Distributing Cocoa trees to community members

University students have returned to KSVS campus to share with students

The Fox and the Hound Ride 2024

On August 3, riders enjoyed pleasant riding weather followed by a fun gathering with food and drink at Two Hound Restaurant. This was our 11th fundraising ride and we appreciate riders who have returned multiple times as well as riders who were new this year. 40 volunteers from 1st Pres Church in Glen Ellyn helped with registration, greeting at the restaurant, and directing rides along the route.

A special shout-out to these special people…

• This year we were happy to welcome riders Angie Sutton and Joel Bebber as volunteers at the restaurant. We hope to see them on the trail next year!
• Dave Buckson was for the 11th year our sweep rider. He used to live in the western suburbs, but now travels down from Lake Geneva to volunteer with this ride. 
• First Pres Church youth and Youth Director Mike Henry came by the restaurant parking lot to help cheer on arriving riders. We appreciated the enthusiasm and joy they brought to the event.
• Many riders found additional sponsors for their rides, and others requested their employers match their registration fees. Among them they raised an additional $4000 for KSVS!

Because of the generosity of everyone, we raised $51,000 for KSVS this year!

Thank you!!

Until next year…August 2, 2025…mark your calendars.

WALK THE WILDWOOD

First Presbyterian Church of Portland, OR hosted our 3rd Annual Walk the Wildwood in Portland on August 10. This year a new 1-mile route was added to the 3.5- and 7.5-mile routes. Following the walk, lunch was served to participants at the park pavilion. 

For the first time we partnered with Got Sneakers, a recycling program, and collected 300 pairs of sneakers which contributed to the total funds raised this year.

A bonus this year is that the team was able to sign up 5 new student Champions supporting 6 students! Thank you, Champions…you are a blessing beyond words for your sponsored students at KSVS.

This year:

• We raised over $12,000 for a boys dorm for vocational students.
• 5 new Guardians agreed to sponsor 6 children.

Phiona and Henry, two 2020 KSVS graduates who have been studying for a national certificate in General Nursing at Mayanja Memorial Medical Training Institute, passed their final exams in July and will officially graduate soon. They were sponsored in their education by a Partners in Mission graduates funding program funded by PIM donors. They began their studies in July 2021. Phiona with a 4.13 GPA was the best performing student in the class.  

They are now waiting for the government to run advertisements in 2025 to recruit new nurses; medical personnel in Uganda are government employees. As they await graduation, they are volunteering at Rukunyu Hospital in Kamwenge District. Their involvement at Rukunyu Hospital has made a great impact among KSVS students and local people whom they have served in the hospital.

PIM is grateful for all who contribute to the Graduates Fund which enables KSVS graduates to attend university or vocational training.

Become a Student Champion and you will Be Part of the Larger Story that is emerging in Kamwenge



We hope you will consider becoming a Student Champion for a student at Good   

Shepherd Primary School or KSVS. It’s easy. Contact the Champion Coordinator at student@pim-africa.org and we will connect you with a student (girl or boy, primary or high school) of your choice.

For $40/mo or $480/yr, you can help a child get an education that will change their opportunities for a lifetime. You will receive letters from your student at least once a year, with the opportunity to write back encouraging words if you wish.

Click here to learn more. 

For more information or questions, email student@pim-africa.org

Campus News

There is much happening and new programs developing on the KSVS campus.

• Mushroom Farming. Mushrooms used to grow naturally in Kamwenge. As the population of the area grew and families began clearing land for their homes and small farms, mushrooms were forced out. This July, KSVS successfully harvested and prepared for sale their first crop of mushrooms. If growing mushrooms continues to be successful, they will become another crop that can create jobs, increase household income, and provide better nutrition for families

• Development of the Fish Ponds. For many years there have been ponds on the KSVS property. The agriculture department has now begun stocking and feeding fish. As they grow, there is the opportunity for tilapia to become a source of protein for the community.
• Refugee graduation. KSVS successfully graduated another class of refugee students in August. Through a government program, Congolese refugees from a nearby refugee camp attend vocational classes at KSVS to gain skills they can use when they return to the refugee camp. In addition to the skills, the students are mentored to become Christian leaders in their environment and hopefully when they are able to return home to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Congolese speak some French and a form of Swahili, so to enable effective teaching, some KSVS teachers are learning Swahili.

Prayer Requests

We value your prayers for Partners in Mission and the work on the campus of 

Kamwenge Secondary and Vocational School in Kamwenge!

• Pray for the staffs of Good Shepherd Kindergarten & Primary School and KSVS, that they continue to be effective in their teaching and training of students.
• Praise for 2 successful fundraising events this summer, The Fox and the Hound Ride and Walk the Wildwood. 
• Pray for the 17 new KSVS graduates who are attending university and vocational programs, as well as the 3 students who are returning to their programs. Pray their studies go well, that they persevere in difficult classes, and that the new students adjust to their new environments. Praise for the donors who have made it possible for these students to pursue higher education beyond KSVS.
• Pray for students to be focused on their studies and are able to see clearly what can be next.
• Pray for new needed accommodations on campus and for improvements and repairs in current buildings.
• Pray that the projects underway continue, that experiments lead to sustainability, and that the school is able to continue to walk through challenges on to success.