MONTHLY FOCUS

    

       

Last year was particularly productive for HTS and ACTS its supporting charity. Much has been achieved in increasing the size of the school building, and widening the range of ages of students.  More needy young people will have a better chance to raising themselves out of poverty through higher education and job opportunity.

The building of two dormitory buildings that was started in 2024 is now completed, allowing boarding students to attend. This was all made possible as a result of an unexpected individual donation. The new buildings have 20 bedrooms each with 4 beds, as well as the necessary showers and toilets, so they are obviously the envy of other schools. The build was not without its challenges. There was, and still is, a shortage of fuel in Burundi, so it was difficult to source lorries and drivers during the construction. Fortunately, Georgette made contacts that allowed the work to continue. Some construction faults were found and corrected, and water and power supplies improved, so the school can now use the building as intended.

As a result, the school now has some year 7 pupils, as well as boarders, so it has meant more teachers have to be employed.  The rates of pay throughout the country are rather low, so many qualified teachers are going abroad, and the BBC has reported it is reaching a crisis situation.  At present HTS is adequately staffed, and able to pay them enough to make the job attractive. The staff get daily meals from the school, as part of their pay, even though food prices are above normal. The school has recently been able to buy rice and beans for the next few months.  The school is also able to use its grounds to grow some food, helping a little in the near famine conditions. Although the school needs a nurse to look after the boarders, the cost would be impractical. A qualified nurse would expect to be paid far more than a teacher.

The school continues to achieve very good results in the National Exams, and intends to concentrate on high performance, so the school’s reputation attracts further boarders.

Within the school the Bible group is as dynamic as ever, and outreach activities with the local community are encouraged. The students themselves are mainly responsible for planning these events.  The school has also been able to help and become involved with a new venture named TWAM (Tools With A Mission).  This is a Christian charity that collects tools in England to be refurbished into tool kits that can be used in this part of Africa. Herridge is able to help in this mission, by becoming a base from which the equipment can be distributed. This has meant that the entrance gate has been made wider, so lorries can access the compound. The students benefit indirectly as many of them are from families who are involved in agriculture.

Burundi is a country dependent on subsistence farming, and was fortunate in that last year’s rain came as expected, so that those with land were relatively well provided. The majority of others are suffering from job losses, high prices for food and fuel shortage. There are also refugees from the DRC who are coming to Burundi without money, and making more demands from the poor resources. The country still has difficulties with its neighbour Rwanda, so that the border is restricted, and militant groups are kept away.  With these various challenges, HTS has to make many compromises to exist on a limited small budget.

In better conditions, with more resources, the school would benefit from things like: