Registration

This week, the Uganda National Examination Board finally released the Senior 4 exam results that determine whether or not a student can move onto the Advanced Level of secondary school. As the Timothy Girls College is specializing in the A-Level program, we've been waiting very impatiently for these results to be published so we can actively recruit students.

In order to target the demographic most likely to send their daughters/nieces/cousins/sisters to our school, we arranged to set up a table at the entrance to Garden City Mall in Kampala for this week. We've spent 3 long days there and many people have stopped and expressed interest in what we're doing.

Garden City is where the well-to-do Ugandans as well as many expats do their shopping and there is also a cinema and an entertainment centre there as well. It's a very busy place and we've had a variety of interesting things happen in the three days we've spent there. Here is a taste:

• the wife of the national Leader of the Opposition walked by the booth, but I have to admit, I noticed her Prada bag before I noticed her. I assumed it was a knock-off until one of our staff told me who she was. (she didn't stop to chat)
• one of the President's daughters was shopping for a while (again, someone had to tell me who she was, and she didn't stop either)
• I recognized one of my former students from Canada as he entered the mall. We were very surprised to see one another!
• Our school logo has a key depicted on it, and as Uganda anticipates presidential elections next week, people are really noticing our logo. Turns out that one of the major parties uses almost the identical image as the symbol for their party. We are quick to reassure people that it's a coincidence and that we definitely are not making a political statement in our logo!
• We wondered why a couple of British tourists were taking photos beside the banner advertising our school, until we gathered that one of the guys' names was Tim...
• The national Commissioner for Agricultural Planning stopped and talked to us for quite awhile and gave us lots of farming advice. Most helpful!
• A lovely, vivacious woman was so impressed by our project that she took extra brochures to put up at her very large church and said she'd also promote the school on their radio station for free.

We still have about a day and a half to go, and we're hoping for lots of registrations to come in during that time. However, I'm sure that as we continue to sit at the table there will be many more interesting people to meet.

our banner (I apologize for the problemmatic apostrophe!)

A scene from an African mall. Cleaners filling jerrycans from the decorative fountain.

We asked for a power connection in order to plug in the laptop...
this is what was rigged up for us.

some of our staff manning the booth

The hard-working promotions team! 3 of our teachers, our headmistress and an intern who is majoring in Public Relations at university have spent the last few days convincing people to enroll students. Thank you team!