From a Timber Shelter to a New Block: How YAEC Has Grown

When Mrs. Betty Nsungwa Byabakama opened Yes and Amen Education Centre on 5 July 2007, there were a few nursery children and not much else. Families in Nsanvu couldn't afford school fees, and she wanted to change that.

For years we made do. As more children came, classes met wherever there was room, including a shelter made of timber poles with a plastic sheet for a wall.

Bit by bit that changed. Brick classrooms went up and the walls filled with hand-painted maps and murals. Today we teach 136 children aged 3 to 12, and we have a new classroom block, a school farm and a rainwater tank for washing hands.

Much of it was paid for by ordinary people who gave what they could. Some gave once. Others sponsored a child, or came to visit and help. The amounts were often small, but together they built a school.

Our motto is “If others can, we can.” Looking back, we couldn't have done it on our own.

To everyone who has walked this road with us since 2007: thank you. You built this school.Everyone at YAEC

See the before and after photos →