Dear well-wisher,
We are grateful to you for your continued support of OKAS Fund. It is because of your support that we have been able to continue our scholarship program and other projects at our beloved school, Old Kampala Senior Secondary School (OKSSS).
Your contribution, however small, makes a big difference in the lives of our sponsored students.
The school has remained closed for most of the year with the exception for the candidates taking the GCSE and A-Level exams. It is scheduled to reopen in January 2022.More...
We are grateful to you for your continued support of OKAS Fund. It is because of your support that we have been able to continue our scholarship program and other projects at our beloved school, Old Kampala Senior Secondary School (OKSSS).
Your contribution, however small, makes a big difference in the lives of our sponsored students.
Success Stories
We are always eager to hear about successes and achievements of scholarship students that OKAS Fund has sponsored. These stories bolster our spirits, and for our readers, they provide a welcome proof that their donations have paid off.
Here, in part, is a letter we received in August 2021 from the OKSSS Head Teacher, Mr. Mulomi James:
The purpose of writing to you is to update you … and report that all the OKAS funded students in Senior Four passed their final exams in Grade One… please find attached… They all intend to return for their A-level studies. On behalf of the parents, school management and myself, I extend our gratitude to OKAS Fund and fraternity for your assistance.
Namayanja Racheal Sanyu
Ssekamate Sharif
Kusemererwa Immaculate
Nakuya Lillian
COVID-19 Help to Non-Teaching Staff
Our school’s non-teaching staff, about 75 individuals (janitors, gardeners, security guards, cooks, etc.) were left without work during the pandemic, and therefore were not paid for almost a year.
Many had served the school for over 20 years.
Their plight is especially acute as they come from a poor background to start with. Not getting their wages means certain starvation for them and their families.
To alleviate their predicament, OKAS Fund teamed up with the local alumni group known as OKOSA and provided basic rations and some cash to each of the 75 individuals.
They were supplied with rice, beans, sugar, cooking oil, salt, and soap. The contribution was very well received, and they were extremely grateful to us.
The funds from our side came from a few individuals i.e., none of the funds received for scholarships or textbooks were used for this purpose.
We are very happy to report that the chairman and founding trustee of OKAS Fund, Arun Patel,
has written his memoirs.
Out of my way website
In his book Out of My Way, POLIO! Arun recounts major events from his life with wit and candor, covering not just the good and juicy parts, but also the downright unpalatable experiences.
Arun describes with great fondness his high school years at OKSSS and explains the motivation that inspired him to form the OKAS Fund charity.
To purchase the book, please visit his Amazon page:
Out of my Way, Polio
Please note, all proceeds from the sale of this book will go towards Arun’s two charities, OKAS Fund and Polio and Children in Need Charity.
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Appeal to Our Donors
The Covid pandemic has had a disastrous effect on the financial standing of many of the families of the OKSSS students. We at OKAS Fund would like to respond to this by offering a one-year scholarship to at least fifty students (even though we have been told that the number who deserve to be assisted would exceed one hundred!). These academically capable but financially challenged students will be assisted with their fees and scholastic materials. The selection of those fifty students will be done after a detailed review of their application, previous results, and consultation with their teachers by our coordinator, Cathy Bisereko. OKAS Fund can only support 30 of those students and hence is looking for support for the remaining 20 (average expected annual fees of £600 per student), that is, £12,000.
OKAS Fund has zero administration costs so every penny you donate goes directly to help these students.
We humbly appeal to you for your much-needed financial support.
Canadian donors, please visit: https://health-education.ca/ to get an official charitable donation receipt. After clicking on the ‘donate’ button, in the 'project' drop-down menu select ‘Old Kampala’ from the drop-down menu., select 'OKAS Fund'.
“Drop by drop a lake is filled; pebble by pebble a dam is built” - Indian Proverb
Compiled by Dinesh Dattani, Trustee, OKAS Fund