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Segawa & Job
Job, Rev. Kim and Segawa
Nansana Community Primary School
Nansana Community Primary School is a combined day school and boarding school for orphans and other vulnerable children. Some families that can afford the normal tuition rates pay for their children to attend this school, as it is considered a much better education than that of the public schools. Other families cannot even afford the shoes, lunches, books, pencils, and uniforms required to attend public school, and turn to Segawa for help. He never turns a child away. Nansana is a bustling suburb about twenty minutes from the nation’s capital. Right now, there are 226 students attending Nansana Community Primary School.
Extreme High School Namayumba
Segawa is also the director of Extreme High School Namayumba, a coed boarding school in a rural town about 40 minutes away from his primary school. The school is constantly expanding to meet government requirements and to fulfill the needs of the ever-expanding student body. Today, there are 174 students at Namayumba. Because Uganda was colonized by the British, their school system mirrors the English one with high school consisting of six grades.
Extreme High School is becoming more and more well known for its choir. It is incredible. It has performed at many large venues in Uganda and last year was invited to perform in Poland. It may very well turn out to be the next Watoto choir.
The very first class of students graduated from secondary school at Extreme High School Namayumba in November.The job market in Uganda is even more challenging than in the U.S. and students need additional education or training. Most students cannot afford the cost of a university education in Uganda, so Segawa is looking into more cost-effective options in China and India.
Extreme High School Namayumba is not just a school … it is truly “a home for every child.” There are now 174 students who call Extreme High School home. This surge in enrollment is a testament to Segawa’s generosity and the hard-working nature of the children who put themselves through primary school so they can attend Extreme High School. But the growth has put a tremendous strain on the housing and food budgets. Only 44 students are currently sponsored and more sponsors are desperately needed.
Segawa and Job's Story
Segawa and Job’s generosity is even more meaningful when viewed in light of their own stories. As a young child, Segawa saw his father brutally murdered by government soldiers and he was sent away to live with an uncle and 60 other children. Soldiers also took Job’s father away, never to be seen again. As young men, both Segawa and Job became leaders in their community and in the local Boy Scouts, bonded by their similar struggles and desire for change. They have remained devoted friends ever since.
In 2000, one of their friends died of HIV/AIDS and left three children in Segawa’s care. Soon after, two more children were given to Segawa to raise. Desperate to provide for the children, Segawa turned to his uncle who gave him his garage to use as a school. With Job’s help, Segawa opened the Nansana Community Primary School with five children. Over the past decade and a half, their school of five children has grown to two schools which serve 400 children.
Segawa and Job serve as father figures to all the children in the community. The students call them Uncle Segawa and Uncle Job, but they are much more than that. They take the children to the clinic when they are sick, know each child’s name and story, encourage the students to succeed and scold them when their grades slip. Segawa writes songs and directs the choirs of both schools, and still makes time to help the other schools supported by Heart for People. These two men are an inspiration to us all.
Segawa on the new school farm land