About Uganda

The Ssese Islands

The Ssese Islands consist of 84 islands in Uganda’s Lake Victoria. They are inhabited by fishermen who came to the islands from all over the country when fish became a major export industry in the last two decades. They are transient communities with many social problems. The islands form an administrative District which is divided into 6 sub-counties. The 3 islands (Bubeke, Jaana and Buyange) where HUG is working form Bubeke sub-county and are the furthest east of Ssese’s islands (next stop Kenya). These islands are about 2 hours boat ride from the main island. Because of the distance from District HQ they have been neglected in terms of services such as health, education, vetinary, police, agricultural assistance and recruitment to posts based there is difficult.

The Schools

Bubeke Primary School has 120 children and is developing a boarding section for the children from Buyange who have no primary school and cannot travel on a daily basis. The boarding facility is at present very basic but there are District funds to upgrade them. We work closely with the headmistress, Grace Atim who has been at the school for several years. There are 7 classes and the children’s ages range from 6 to 15.
Jaana Primary School has 80 children all of whom live within walking distance of the school. The school has suffered from a shortage of teachers and no head teacher but a headmaster has now been appointed. There are 7 classes and the children are aged between 6 and 15.

Buyange nursery school is the only school on the island and caters for P1 and P2 children who are too young to board in Bubeke. It was set up by retired teacher Eliphas Kakande 3 years ago. It is currently run from his small sitting room. Children start nursery at the age of 4 and P1 and 2 cater for ages 6 and 7.