supported by Butler University

On a Friday morning in June 2009, 180 students made their way into the new BT Academy of Kiyamba for the first day of school, and to their relief, they didn’t even have to sneak in.  In the week preceding its opening, community members putting the finishing touches on the Academy noticed an increasing number of students eagerly finding their way into classrooms just to draw and write on what they’ve long considered a luxury—chalkboards.

Now they are doing it all day long thanks to the Butler University students who put it on the hearts of their campus community to make education a possibility for communities in and around Kiyamba, Uganda.  Through their incredible awareness and fundraising activities, raising over $45,000 in just one year, the BT Academy of Kiyamba now provides space for 325 children to receive a primary-level education.

Consistent with BT’s cost-sharing model, the community of Kiyamba, Uganda volunteered approximately 25,000 hours of labor to construct the Academy, made of all local supplies, including over 50,000 hand crafted bricks, local timber and other aggregate materials.