The Gramos International School is in Kisoga, District Kayunga, about 50 km north east from the capital Kampala.
Kisoga has about 6000 to 7000 residents, about 350 children go to Gramos International, about 100 of them are boarding pupils. (numbers before corona)
Even if the school is less expensive than others, many parents can't pay the complete fees at the beginning of the term and pay them by installments. Sometimes they can't pay anymore and the childs' education stops. There are also those that cannot afford to pay at all no matter which school.
With Covid the situation for the people has become worse. Many live by small jobs or by small self-employment and don't have any savings. As the public transport is forbidden now and the ban took effect almost immediately, many people are stuck at the places where they were working. Others are at home but can't work and earn money for food. The schools are also closed and there is distance teaching but again this is only an option for the wealthier people as the poor ones don't have computers or smartphones and often can't afford batteries for the radio where there are also channels for education. (why batteries? not everybody is connected to the mains power and even if they are, then there are frequent power cuts.)
For the children education is the only possible escape from poverty. Especially for the girls who get married at 18 and then give birth frequently.
We want that all the children of Kisoga have the possibility to improve their future in giving them a good and free education. It is possible to pay the school fees for one child or another but this is like a lottery. One child might be lucky but there are others who are not. However, if we pay the incomes of the teachers and staff, which would be less than €450/month then ALL CHILDREN can go to school.