After months of connecting the students of St. Mary’s Primary School in Goderich, Ontario, to the arts, culture, and daily life of Uganda, Einstein Rising Canada took a monumental step. We made our first visit to Bulidha Primary School, marking the official launch of our pilot Sister Schools Project.

Bulidha Primary School is nestled in a rural region of Uganda, about four hours east of Kampala. Life here is challenging: the school has no electricity or running water, a reality shared by the surrounding homes. An outdoor kitchen serves as the heart of the school’s nutrition, and students begin their day by fetching water from a nearby borehole and pump.

The lack of resources is stark. For students in may classrooms there are no desks, tables or chairs. Instead, students sit on the dirty concrete floor, balancing notebooks on their laps. While English is the mandated language of instruction in Uganda, most students at Bulidha speak Lusoga at home and are still building confidence in English. As a result, teachers must translate much of the curriculum, adding another layer of complexity to an already difficult learning environment.

These challenges take a visible toll. During our visit, we noticed a sharp decline in class size as grade levels increased. While the lower grade level classes each had over 50 students, the Primary 7 class—preparing for their national exams—had only four students in attendance on the day we visited. It was a sobering reminder of the barriers to retention.

Our mission was simple yet meaningful: to connect Sister Schools from across the globe.  We delivered video messages, letters, school supplies and gifts from the students of St.  Mary's Catholic School in Goderich, Ontario, Canada to the students of Bulidha.  In addition we gave 25 SeatPacks (donated by friends and family back in Canada) to the students in Primary 3.  The SeatPacks each had a printed message from a St. Mary's students.  Our hope is that with the support of our donors and the encouragement of their new peers in Canada, the students of Bulidha will have both the tools and the motivation to stay in school, build their English proficiency, and pursue dreams of becoming doctors, nurses, teachers, and lawyers.

The joy of the visit was immediate. When we handed out SeatPacks and school supplies to the Primary 3 students, the room filled with smiles. The children were thrilled with their new colored pencils, notebooks, and paper, and immediately began creating artwork to for us to back to their “brothers and sisters” in Canada. They even took the time to teach me a few phrases in Lusoga to pass along.

Lusoga English
Timu tulumbe - Team let’s move forward
Mwebale Inho - Thank you so much
Tuli Basiimu - We are appreciative
Tusigale bamikwanho - We remain friends
Tubendha Inho - We love you so much

After our language lesson, we gathered to share refreshments, and the students treated us to a spirited performance of traditional songs and dances. One song was composed especially for their new friends in Canada.

In every way, our first visit to our first Ugandan sister school exceeded our expectations. Moving forward, we will continue to monitor the program’s impact through regular visits from our partners from Building Tomorrow and Zetu Africa. We’ll also facilitate ongoing exchanges of messages and well-wishes to ensure the bond between Bulidha and St. Mary’s continues to grow.

A heartfelt thank you to our Building Tomorrow Fellows, and Zetu Africa, for helping bring so many smiles to Bulidha Primary School. Thank you to everyone who donated to our Sister School Program—especially the students of St. Mary’s Catholic School in Goderich, Ontario, and the Chadwick Family, whose generosity made 16 SeatPacks possible.

And above all, thank you to the students and staff of Bulidha Primary School for welcoming us with such warmth and kindness. We are looking forward to what we will build together next.

~ Derek Lobo
March 18, 2026