Montessori Outreach - From Chicago's North Shore to Africa Victoria Montessori School P. O. Box 528, Entebbe, Uganda      Christine Olanya works with a child at Riverwoods Montessori School As a result of travel in 1998 by Tony and Carolyn Kambich to Africa to work on Rotary Club humanitarian micro finance service projects, some of the Africans became interested in our Montessori approach to education.  In 1999, with the help of the Montessori community-American Montessori Society in New York, USA, Midwest Montessori Teacher Training Center in Evanston, Illinois, USA, Meca-Seton Teacher Education Center in Clarendon Hills, Illinois, USA, and the Deerfield/North Shore Montessori Schools, Illinois, USA, three Africans came to do their Montessori internship at the Deerfield/North Shore Montessori Schools.  In 2001, the Victoria Montessori School was founded by Christine and Joseph Olanya.    Christine and Joseph Olanya with Tony and Carolyn Kambich in Uganda With the help of the entire Montessori community, Northbrook United Methodist Church, Illinois, and Winnetka-Northfield Rotary Club, Christine and Joseph were able to lease an abandoned government building in Entebbe, Uganda to begin a Montessori school.  The renovation included repairing broken windows, repairing plumbing, bringing new electricity to the building, fencing the play yard, planting flowers, and decorating to make a homey "children's house" for the three to six year olds.  Local parents helped to build the furniture and some of the Montessori materials.  Many of the Montessori materials came as "Montessori shower gifts" from Montessori parents and teachers in the Chicago area. The opening of the original, leased Victoria Montessori School in Entebbe Uganda The initial leased building provided enough space for the first class of 30 children with a small room for further expansion.  With the popularity of the Montessori approach, the school has more than doubled in size. The lease was due to expire at the end of 2004; thus, the school made preparations to buy land nearby and expand and build a 5 room school as families wanted to remain in the school and continue their education into the elementary level.  The fathers were so amazed to see young children reading and doing mathematics and working independently.  At the ribbon cutting ceremony of the original school, government officials spoke, children and adults sang and danced traditional dances, and parents gave thanks and testimonials about their children's progress        Early stages of construction of the new Victoria Montessori School   Continuing the work at VICTORIA MONTESSORI SCHOOL Entebbe, Uganda For friends, students and organizations who wish to join in this exciting project and help create a new history for the children of Uganda,  you may help with any of the following: To complete the new building site:   Security fencing for the entire property $10,000   Classroom expansion & dormitory space $150,000 To continue the education of the children (many are orphans):   Montessori/School materials   Any amount is helpful!     Student Scholarships $480 per year   Teacher Training Scholarships (for Victoria Montessori Teacher Training Center in Uganda) $1200 per year   Teacher educator grant for 3 instructors to present elementary training program   $10,000   Local Contact:   or call Carolyn Kambich at (847) 945-7582 Uganda Contact: or write (for "pen-pals"): Lawino Christine Kijange, Director Victoria Montessori School P.O. Box 528 Entebbe, Uganda       ** A “pen-pal” picture may be obtained by contacting Christine directly in Uganda. DONATIONS Your donation, regardless of amount, helps tremendously!  If you would like to donate by credit card or e-check, please use the PayPal Donate button below.  If you would like to send a check, please click here to download the donation form (Adobe PDF format) and mail your check along with the form.  (If you do not have the Adobe PDF reader, please click here to download and install it for free). Thank you! PLEASE DO NOT SEND MONEY DIRECTLY TO UGANDA THROUGH THE MAIL!  (All contributions are securely transferred via bank-to-bank wire transfer). Here are some recent photos from Victoria Montessori -   Some of the surrounding area sights:   HISTORY “TIME LINE” of  VICTORIA MONTESSORI SCHOOL 1998: USA/Ugandan Rotarians develop “SEED” micro finance project in Uganda.   Conversation begins about Montessori method of education for peace with Ugandan teacher Lawino Christine Kijange.     1999: With the help of the Montessori community in the USA, Christine comes to the USA for Montessori teacher training during the l999-200 school year.     2000: Christine returns home to plan a model Montessori school in Entebbe, Uganda.     2001: Victoria Montessori School opens for 30 pre-school children in a renovated, leased building.     2002: Victoria Montessori School continues to grow.     2003: Land is gradually purchased nearby for a new school building for elementary students.     2004: New 5 room school opens for elementary children and refugee orphans from war torn Northern Uganda.     2005: The school continues to grow to 170 students.     2006: Christine is awarded the Ursula Thrush Peace Seed Grant by the American Montessori Society in New York.  She begins forming “Peace Clubs” in Uganda.   Two more classrooms are added to the new school building.  Refugee orphans are sleeping in the store room.  DORMITORY SPACE IS NEEDED.     2007: Christine and her husband Joseph are invited to New York to be part of the American Montessori Society’s “Global Forum” at the United Nations.   The Victoria Montessori Teacher Training Center officially opens in April.   Christine is awarded a scholarship to continue advanced Montessori training in Chicago, USA during the summers of 2007 and 2008.   A cistern is built to collect rain water for the bathrooms at the new school. The new kitchen building is under construction.   School website is created by Red Mesa Design to give broader exposure to new Montessori education for peace in Uganda.     2008: Newly built small building opened in February to house upper classes; library/learning center; office for Victoria Montessori Teacher Training Center   "Volunteer Guest Teacher Program" initiated  with 0-3 Directress Sheri Minter from Nashville, Tennessee, helping teachers and children in the new 2-3 year old classroom in February  2008   Volunteer guest teachers, 3-6 Directress Heather  Braaten and 3-12 Directress & Administrator Susan Ennar from Washington State, assisted  the older children and teachers in May 2008   Security gate at school entrance is completed   Original leased building in park is vacated in December 2008, and playground is relocated to main site     2009: Two more classrooms are under construction in early 2009     2010: In January, “Volunteer Guest Teachers/Trainers”, Rosann and Peter Larrow, Montessori Opportunities Inc., Ohio, USA, provide Montessori elementary and preschool workshops for staff.    “Volunteer Guest Teachers”, Lisa Kambich, Celeste Courtney and Carolyn Kambich, Deerfield Montessori Schools, Illinois, USA, help in the pre-school classrooms.    The new classrooms open February, 2010, for two Montessori 6-9 year old classes.   Construction of two second floor classrooms is in process for two Montessori 9-12 year old classes for 2011   The library floor is tiled.  More tall bookshelves and a reading table and chairs are added, awaiting book delivery from Bookfriends International, NFP   Two more gravel pathways are constructed to link to the new building.      2011: Victoria Montessori School celebrates ten year anniversary and now has a five building campus.    Third floor of elementary building is completed.   New playground with 12 ' PVC geodesic dome climber  for the elementary students.     2012: Larger school buses bought for growing student population.  School population grows over 400     2013: New expanded kitchen built with dining pavilion replaced small kitchen     2014: New enlarged multi-age playground replaced small blue preschool playground    Volunteer Guest Teacher Kathe Streeter form Marquette Montessori Academy, South Bend, Indiana, USA worked with the teachers and students at VMS       Fundraising efforts for Ugandan children at VMS...   We would like to express our gratitude to all of the individuals and their affiliations who have given and continue to give their time, energy and resources to help create this dream to build a new future of peace for the children of Uganda.  In addition to all of the individual "well wishers", we would like to thank the following organizations for making a difference in the lives of the children:       Victoria Montessori Web Designer:         Red Mesa Design, Mesa, AZ.   www.redmesadesign.net               Montessori Organizations:         American Montessori Society, New York, N.Y.         www.amshq.org         A.I.M.S. (Association of Illinois Montessori Schools)   www.illinoismontessorischools.com         Midwest Montessori Montessori Teacher Training Center, Evanston, IL www.mmttc.com         Meca Seton, Clarendon Hills, IL.  www.montessoriECA.org         Montessori Opportunities, Inc., Norwalk, OH  www.montessori-opportunities.com       Schools:         Montessori Academy, Montgomery, AL.   www.montessorimontgomery.com         Deerfield Montessori Schools (4 sites), Riverwoods, IL.   www.montessori-schools.com         Country Meadows Montessori School, Gurnee, IL.    www.cmmontessori.org         Creative World Montessori School, Inc., LaGrange, IL.         Alexander Graham Bell Montessori School, Mount Prospect, IL.    www.agbms.org         Rogers Park Montessori School, Chicago, IL      www.rpmschool.org                    Skokie Montessori School, Skokie, IL.   www.skokiemontessori.com         Media Children's House, Inc., Ashton, PA.   www.mediachildrenshouse.com         Montessori Children's House, Providence, RI.    www.montessorichildrenshouse.org         The Boyd School (5 sites), Reston, VA.   www.theboydschool.com         Starlight School, Danville, CA   www.starlightschool.com         Countryside Montessori Schools, Charlotte, N.C.  www.countrysidemontessorischools.org         The Learning Tree, Seattle, WA    www.learningtreemontessori.com           Nature's Classroom Montessori, WI    www.nciw.org/Montessori.htm         Montessori Centre, Nashville, TN   www.montessoricentre.org         Dubuque Montessori School, Dubuque, IA  www.dubuquemontessori.org       Organizations & Companies:         Rotary Club of Grayslake, Grayslake, IL.         Winnetka/Northfield Rotary Charitable Foundation, Winnetka, IL    www.wnrotary.org         Northbrook United Methodist Church, Northbrook, IL.   www.northbrookumc.org         Educational Sounds & Images, Beavercreek, OH   www.esii.cc         Alison's Montessori & Educational Materials, Jamaica, N.Y.  www.alisonsmontessori.com         Wild Colonial Corporation, Providence, R.I.         Montessori for Everyone, Streamwood, Illinois    www.montessoriforeveryone.com         Thanks to our many volunteers, 100% of your contribution goes to the Victoria Montessori School !     Photos from Victoria Montessori School - Entebbe, Uganda (click individual photos for larger view and download options) click here to view or print the index page for all of the photos click here to download all of the photos in high resolution (zip format, 35.6M) click here to download all of the photos in web resolution (zip format, 1.28M) Building Photos   In 2006, The New School Building now has 7 Classrooms Director Christine's Office in The New School Building Our Rotary Friends have helped in many ways Lead by Example         The old School Kitchen is being replaced in 2007 Original Aluminum Security Fence still needs upgrading to ensure the safety of the children               Classroom Photos - Students   Students on the Patio of New Building which includes elementary children Gradation with Cylinders - Preschool children using the Montessori materials Friends and Fun Counting w/Number Rods at age 3     Using Addition Strip Board at age 5 Peace and Hope Using the Hundred Board at age 4 Teacher Demonstrating "Cylinders" to 3 year olds       Carrying Red Rods at age 3 to learn about length Helping Classmates Learn letters and phonetic sounds Lunchtime at the Pre-School             Outdoors   Pre-School Playground at original building Pre-School Playground at original building - The new building still needs play equipment Termite Hill Near Playground Care of plants helps children to nurture life           Peace Program   The Peace Program lead by Christine Victoria Montessori Faculty 2006 Elementary Dancers Eye-Hand Skill Relay   The Peace program is headed by Director Christine, who was awarded the Ursula Thrush Seed Grant in 2006 by the AMS.  The program included singing, drama, sports events and the planting of "peace trees" to care for.  Other local schools also participated.   Teamwork - Passing Water AMS Peace Seed Project 2006           Teacher Training   New Education for Peace Geography Movable Alphabet Word Building     Language Discussion Youngest Participant Tea Break         Training Workshop in December 2006 with Carolyn Kambich from USA and Director Christine Kijange.  In 2007 the Victoria Montessori Teacher Training Center in Entebbe, Uganda officially opened to provide Montessori teacher training at the 3-6 year old level in Uganda.  Plans are also in progress to offer Montessori teacher training at the 6-12 year old elementary school level in Uganda.  A grant for $10,000 is being sought to bring 3 teacher educators to Uganda.

UGANDA, AFRICA   *Christine Olanya:  Director of Victoria Montessori School, Uganda and 2006 Recipient of the URSULA THRUSH PEACE SEED GRANT is working on forming “Peace Clubs” in the schools of Uganda, in addition to helping to educate refugee orphans from Northern Uganda.     ******************************************************************************  Uganda  CNN’s Inside Africa draws attention to Uganda’s “Night Commuters” New York, 27 June 2004 – CNN Inside Africa is a half-hour weekly television program which provides global viewers with an inside look at political, economic, social and cultural affairs and trends in Africa.  On 26 June, Inside Africa featured a comprehensive report on Uganda’s “Night Commuters”.  These “commuters” are Ugandan children who leave their homes each night, from fear of being abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).  At sundown the children hurry along the road to Gulu, a town in northern Uganda, to seek safety from the rebels in public shelters. Because of fighting between government and rebel forces, more then 1.6 million people in Uganda have been forced to flee their homes.  An estimated 12,000 children have been abducted since 2002.  They are forced to fight for the LRA… “This is a serious example of how war is conducted by adults, but children bear the brunt”,  said UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy during the broadcast. Inside Africa also considered other aspects of the humanitarian emergency in northern Uganda. Camps for displaced people are exposed to frequent LRA attacks, and HIV infection rates are on the rise.  “The humanitarian crisis is growing, not getting smaller”,  said Ms. Bellamy. ****************************************************************************** Further Reading.... "Let My People Go" - The forgotten plight of the people in the displaced camps in Acholi