Ft. Portal School

Deacon Larry Oney – Mission Trip to East Africa 2017

Deacon Larry Oney, president of Hope and Purpose Ministries, traveled to Uganda, East Africa in January 2017 for many outreach activities.  While in East Africa, Deacon Oney also traveled to Ft. Portal and met with Fr. Mushabe. Fr. Mushabe told Deacon Oney of the need for a permanent school structure. There are no public schools in Uganda and very few private schools.  During their discussions, Deacon Oney committed to helping Fr. Mushabe raise the funds needed to build a school for the children of Ft. Portal.  

During the 2018 Mission to Uganda, East Africa, the school was dedicated while Deacon Larry Oney and the Hope and Purpose Ministries’ Team were there.  Below are some pictures of the school being built, along with the pictures and videos from the dedication  event. It is our great pleasure to announce that the school is up and running and it is already up to 700 students.  This elementary school is up to 5th grade; however, next year, they will be adding 6th grade. This school is just one way that we are spreading hope and purpose around the world.

The construction of the classrooms is intended to:

• Improve the quality of education, increase the children retention in school.
• Give dignity to the children who go through St. John Paul primary school.
• It will stop the disruption of rain during wet seasons and dust during dry seasons.
• It will enable children to experience the love of God and have pride in the hope and purpose that God has destined for each of them.
• The school building block will also enable the school to be allowed to register with the government and be allowed to offer education services.
• It will also create jobs to the workers.

Ft. Portal School Facts

There are no public schools in Uganda.  This school will be one of the few Catholic schools in the area.  There will not be any indoor plumbing at the school, running water, or electricity.  The water will be from a tank.  Without the tank, the children would have to walk several miles for drinking water.  At this time, we only have benches for the students, not desks.  This is an environment where the wage is $500/year for the average family.

At this time, we have built a three-room classroom block with a roof, a kitchen, separate latrines for teachers and students, and installed two water containment units.

If you would like to partner with us to help finish building the school in Ft. Portal, please visit our Donation Page. Please be sure to list the Ft. Portal School Project when filling in the form. Thank you for your support. We will be updating this page throughout the construction phases.