This year, in response to a request for tools to teach science at Gayaza Cambridge College of St. Mbaaga, a high school in Gayaza, we were able to provide most of the items the school needs to teach biology, chemistry and physics to their students. This school, which received a borehole water well earlier, is now academically excellent, with most students passing national exams for admission to university! Despite this outstanding record, the principal, Dr. Kakinda Frank, told us that they were unable to teach science because they lacked the tools to teach labs. Quench and Connect contacted VWR, a national supplier of science equipment based in New York and asked for their help to get science teaching supplies to this school in Uganda.

We are extremely happy to report that the VWR Education division donated many of the needed items and shipped five pallets of supplies to Kampala, all skillfully coordinated by Ms. Nol Vaché, Marketing Communications Manager. VWR has made it possible for the teachers to teach science for the first time in Gayaza, with tools such as beakers, cylinders, microscopes, molecular models, and models of human anatomy, such as a skeleton, heart and brain. VWR Education plans to continue their support this year to provide reagents and other tools needed for the teaching labs. The Fall term began on September 3rd in Gayaza, and the students in the Senior 5 class are now learning biology and physics, with chemistry coming next. In September, we visited the school and met with the science teachers. Ms. Gail Massey, a biology teacher from Coronado High School here in San Diego, came along with us to talk directly with the science teachers (see the picture). She brought a very large notebook filled with lesson plans for teaching biology, physics and chemistry labs and left these plans with the teachers. She has also generously offered to share her considerable experience in teaching science labs with these teachers through ongoing e-mail communication. The students and teachers at Gayaza Cambridge College of St. Mbaaga are grateful to VWR Education for the chance to learn science!!