Carlow charity plays part in providing new primary school in Baale, Uganda

THE Carlow-based voluntary project UgaIrish, which significantly contributes to sustainable development and education projects in Ugandan communities, can now boast the crowning glory for its part in providing a splendid new primary school for one such African community.

The sod was turned on the St Brigid’s Primary School project in Baale, Uganda on 1 August 2025.

Last month, the first block of three new classrooms welcomed its first pupils to St Brigid’s – an historic day for all concerned.

Baale is a refugee fishing community on the shores of Lake Victoria in equatorial Uganda.

The new primary school, located on the outskirts of Baale, replaces the area’s Little Angels National School, which was one of the key UgaIrish projects of recent years.

Attendance at St Brigid’s is growing rapidly and is expected to reach 300 pupils in the near future. To meet this demand, additional infrastructure will be required and plans are already underway for the construction of a further three-classroom block.

This represents magnificent progress in the educational status of Baale.

The ethos of UgaIrish is based on trust, partnership and the belief that, long-term, change happens when communities are supported, not directed. The voluntary group from Carlow is of the firm belief that lasting progress only takes root in countries like Uganda when local people are fully invested, empowered and equipped to shape their own sustainable future.

Siobhan Kinsella, Cloydagh, Carlow, a retired teacher, is founder member and CEO of UgaIrish and remains the driving force behind the project.

Siobhan has, since she first visited Uganda in 2006, had the backing of a large team of volunteers from Carlow and surrounding counties, who have made a number of trips to Uganda, working alongside communities in the east African country to support access to education, healthcare, food security, housing and sustainable agriculture.

She established the UgaIrish charity in 2008 and the organisation supported an orphan village until 2012. It was in 2013 that Siobhan and the Carlow volunteers first visited Baale.

Siobhan’s vision for the overall Uganda project had, from the start, the full support of her husband Austin, a retired lecturer at the Institute of Technology, Carlow. Austin was treasurer to the voluntary project. Sadly, he passed away in October 2017 following an illness.

The 1 August school sod-turning was a result of education emerging as a crucial area of focus for the community of Baale.

The Catholic diocese in which Baale is located owned a significant block of land a few kilometres from the community and agreed to allocate a portion of it for school development. Benefiting from a more flexible planning and building environment, progress moved quickly.

A local architect was commissioned to design a fully integrated school campus, including classrooms, sanitation facilities, staff accommodation and agricultural land to support both education and food provision.

In addition to the work of UgaIrish, the diocesan involvement provided funding and management support, parents committed to fundraising and modest fees, while a local bamboo plantation contributed practical resources.

So it was that 1 August 2025 represented a major milestone – a historic and celebratory day for the community, marking the birth of St Brigid’s Primary School.

Every donation, large or small, made to the UgaIrish project is deeply appreciated – the Carlow charity has no full-time staff. Every cent from donations go to support the work of the Uganda project. Anyone wishing to donate can contact Siobhan Kinsella by emailing siobhan.mary.kinsella1@gmail.com.

The annual UgaIrish fundraising walk along the banks of the River Barrow will take place on Monday 4 May.

The walkers will assemble at 11am at the town hall car park and it will end at Barrow Brew in Milford, a distance of approximately seven kilometres. Support would be appreciated for this worthy cause.