Upcoming for 2024

In 2023, John was able to provide the funds to build a second school building (a 30x36 4-room schoolhouse) for Praise God Primary School with the assistance of Alex.

The school has grown from 25 students in 2019 to 250 students today in 2023. In 2020, we helped finish an assembly hall which qualified the school for financial support from the government.

For the JSMF 2024 budget,  for school fee assistance for college and other students, the JSMF will provide $25,000. We continue to support half a dozen vocational sewing classes at six sites in Uganda.

Thank you for your prayers and financial assistance. 

After Action Report: Spring – 17 March to 30 April 2022

 John Skeel Missionary Foundation

101 Cherry Avenue, Winona Lake, IN 46590-1607

After Action Report:   Spring – 17 March to 30 April 2022

Dear friends,

I am happy to report that I have completed yet another successful trip to Uganda.  Covid-19 tests before, during, and after my flight.  A mask is required to enter most stores for the majority of my stay.

Special Projects 

#1.  Witnessed the completion of Remiigo Primary School NEW steel roofing project to their chapel - 50’ X 100’.  They currently have approximately 500 students in grades 1-7. This school is located about one mile west of our Vocational Carpentry Center in the village near Ibanda.

#2.  We completed Alex’s NEW 12’ X 16’ living accommodation’s building. He has worked for us for the past 12+ years and is our on-site caretaker for the carpentry school.  He is now married with a wife and two children. We are very happy to be able to have him around.    $1,500 

#3.  We made significant progress on this year’s project – a  stand-alone 4-room school building that is 36’ X 36’ at the Praise God Primary School one mile west of our Vocational Center.   Last year Joan only had 50 students and 5 teachers.  This year she has 50 children in the first level class alone and added a 6th teacher.  We completed phase 1 and 2 before I left Uganda to return to the States.  That means we still have to complete phase 3 and 4.  Phase three will mean that we install the 4 steel doors and 8 - 36 inch by 48 inch wood shutter,  plus the install  the steel and cement “ring beam” that we use to keep the roof intact when there are high winds and rain as we are at 5,400 feet.  Phase 4 will be when we add the 7 – 36’ X 6’ wood trusses.  They will be built on site on top of the building walls (currently at 7’) as they are too heavy to lift – about 300# each.  We hope to complete this school building project early next year.  $4,000 this year

Student school fees assistance

Iganga:  Hanns Isabirye and his Methodist Church.  We continue to be assisting 10 girls with school fees all three terms – about $500 per year.  In 2023, we are planning to add 6 female college students for two semesters per year –  an additional $1,500 per year.

Kabale:  Hope Reception Sewing School: run by Michael and Patience for the past 16 years.  We continue to offer assistance for the teacher and building rental  –   $2,500 per year.  They have 20-25 mostly girls that are instructed on how to use a Singer treadle sewing machine and Brother knitting machine.

Additional individual students:

Brian - Iganga primary school - $250 per year.  (He had 18 months of medical treatment for severe club feet that was provided by CoRCU children’s hospital in Kampala that was paid for by us)

Irene - Kabale catering school - $450 per year.  We paid for her 6 years of secondary school.

Mercy, Mark, Patricia – Ibanda Primary school - $1,200 per year for classes+ room and board

Rebecca – second year of Sewing / Catering school (three terms per year) – Ibanda, $300 per year.

Elizabeth K - Sarah school of nursing Mbarara - $1,200 per year.  She will start her third year this August 2022.  We paid for her 6 years of secondary boarding school.

William M - Kampala University, western campus.   Bachelor of Physiology (physical therapist).   This is a three year program.  He will start his second year this August.  -  $ 2.500 per year for tuition.   There is an additional amount for room and board to live on campus of $900 per year.

Vocational training programs:

Voien Carpentry School – Ibanda: teachers

    Johnathan - $1,200 per year,    Alex - $1,200 per year

Gomba Sewing School – Kabalasokii:  rent and teachers assistance 

    Barbara - $900 per year

Godfrey – Director of Education - $350 per year

Respectfully submitted,  

John Skeel

Annual Report December 2019

John Skeel Missionary Foundation
101 Cherry Ave, Winona Lake, IN 46590-1607
Fall Trip Report - November 13, 2019

We thank everyone for your continued prayers and financial support. I believe this has been our best year ever.  We have been able to financially assist over 100 children with school fees or vocational training this year. This includes three College students, Celina, Primary School teacher degree; Caroline, Secondary school teacher degree as Arts hand crafts instructor and Enorine, just finished her third year, first semester to become a CPA.  Rita, one of our previous students who completed her dental hygienist program five years ago will begin a five year Medical school degree program in August of 2020 to become a periodontal surgeon.

As to our special projects, we continue to assist Irene and Julias with their 5-year old son, Brian with medical treatment for his club feet at CoRSU hospital in Kampala. Meanwhile Irene and Brian are staying with our Catholic family, so they can walk to the hospital for Brian’s weekly appointments. Brian had 2 surgeries the third week of February 2019 to correct his left foot. He is now walking on his own without any assistance. He still will need one more surgery on his left foot In March of 2020. He was fitted with special shoes and will come back for adjustments at CoRSU.

I continue to support Servants of the King and Kemper Crabb, PhD and ordained Anglican Priest with his Christian church building/remodeling projects in Uganda.  Together we dedicated 10 new buildings in NE Uganda.  At each of these locations, I read from the Bible and reenacted the parable of the Good Samaritan to demonstrate how we are called and make decisions to help other people. As I tell this story, various children and/or adults participate in the skit.

Some of you remember my friend, Mark Ndinyo and his family.  He graduated from Seminary with a Masters in Divinity at the end of May.  In June, Mark and his family returned to their home in Kenya.  In the past 24 months we assisted Mark with funds, so he was able to complete his new home on his grandparent’s 25 acre farm in Kimillili. We also contributed $2,000 to assist with the purchase and installation of 10 steel trusses for a new sanctuary (60’ X 90’) for Mark’s Baptist church in Komquia, Kenya.

As for our forestry program we planted 50 more eucalyptus trees. We purchased two adjacent pieces of land on the opposite side of the road.  Some trees are doing better than others.  The orange trees all seem to be doing well.  Trees in their second year of growth are now producing fruit.  Only half of the Masuzi trees made it to the second year, as some had too much sun. This is the second year for 30+ new coffee trees. They are now anywhere from 1 to 3 feet tall.

We’ve made significant progress on both buildings. On building #1, we painted all of the walls and ceilings of every interior room, installed glass in all of the metal frame windows and doors. We installed three interior doors and finished the floors to three of the five rooms. On building #2, we built and installed 3 trusses and iron roofing to the classroom on the right side of the building.  We installed 2 - 48” X 80” metal doors to the center storage room (20’ X 14’) and made wooden shutters for the 4 – 48” X 48” window openings. The tool room (5’ X 14’) has a 5’ X 14’ steel metal door and 2 metal windows with glass for light.

The two vocational schools that we support by paying instructors, building rental (Kabale), or providing the buildings (Kanyata village, 15 km east of Ibanda) are doing very well.  The Sewing classes in Kabale currently have 19 girls.  Our new instructor’s name for Hope Reception Center is Pheonah.  The Carpentry class has shifted to our new building #2, where they have their own space for classroom and work space.  Additionally, they have a separate tool room where they can lock up and secure their tools. They have a second room where the lumber and building projects, such as twin bed frames and dining room chairs are stored. In 2018 we began with 10 boys and added 8 additional boys to the class in 2019.  Johnathan, our master carpenter, is the main instructor.  He’s assisted by Godfrey and Alex. He now has a wife and a 5 month old baby girl that live on site.

The banana and Matoke trees still are all doing well and provide Alex enough food for his family. He also has been successful in growing beans, cassava and potatoes, Irish sweet and yams.  Last year he planted peanuts that they roast in a pan on an open fire.

We provided funds for a small church – 20’ X 30’ in a remote village in NE Uganda that has about 35 members. We have photos of that church and its members.  We also worked on St Noah CC. We replaced 2/3rds of the wood trusses for that church in 2019.  In March we will be at the same location for about two weeks to complete the remaining roof trusses install new steel main entrance and new door frames for both side entrance,  as well as paint the interior walls and patch the floor.  Photos of this renovation will be included in next year’s annual report.

We are partnering with Bishop George Turyasingura of Ruwenzori Diocese on several projects, building a church in Kamwenge and paying for Fortunate’s S-5 school fees in 2020.

Respectfully submitted for John Skeel Missionary Foundation,

John Skeel

Students & Projects for 2020-2021

Students that we assist with school fees in 2020
& Special Church projects for the next 24 months
Updated: December 2019

Kampala, Uganda
• Rita –Makere U Medical School in 2020 – specialty dentist periodontal surgery
• Enorine Abeho (22) – a senior at Kyambogo University – CPA degree
• Irene (16) in S-4, Mum, Noeline, brother, Francis (5)
• Noeline was our ‘patient representative’ while Brian and Mum were at CoRSU
• Joseph,  a mechanic – recently found a job in Dubai, Saudi Arabia
• Mariah, a Massage therapist is also in  Dubai, Saudi Arabia

Kazo Secondary School –
• Elizabeth Kemanzi (19) S-4 Orp. - sister to Alex wants to be RN
• Joyce Nahwera (21) – S-4 Orp. – niece to Godfrey
• Enoch Tumuhimbise (17) – S-4 – son of Godfrey
• Raymond Tumwesigye (16) – S-4, Oxford  SS, son of Godfrey
• Hilda Natweta (15) – S-3 – daughter of Johnathan – Peas Noble SS
• Gloria daughter of Johnathan –  M-Toma Vocational School  
• Daphine Musoki (17) – S-3 (both parents reportedly died in a 2016 auto accident)
• Methodist – S -3  - St Andrews SS
• Asaph – S-2  - St Andrews SS

Ibanda town - Ibanda Integrated Primary School
• Hannah Komugisha (35 - Foster Mum - parent to five of our children in Ibanda)
• Patricia Nambuya (7) – P-2 - *day only  
• Mark Niwasiima (14) –  P-4  
• Mercy Akankwasa (13) – P-5   - *day only  
• Rebecca Ankunda (Shannon) – P-7   - (Aunt Peace Butera)
• Tabitha Kankunda (Mellon) – P-7 - (Aunt Peace Butera)

Bishop George Turyasingura
• Fortunate - S-4 she is an exceptional student - first in her class every yr.

Voien Vocational School
• Johnathan – Carpentry and Construction Instructor  
• Godfrey Atuzariiwe, Director of Education – Transport children to school. Cover Medical treatment for children when needed.
• Alex Atuhaire (22) – apprentice/Maintenance manager to Vocational School – (older brother to Elizabeth Kemanzi – she will begin nursing school in January)
• We have 17 students in our carpentry class #101 and #102 as of September 2019

Kabale – Hope Reception Center VTC
• Building rental assistance –  16 day students
• HRC-VTC Instructor Pheonah salary assistance
• Kasheija Jacob S-2 -  assisted since he was 4 – wants to be pilot
• Joseph – S-5 - Mbarara Secondary School
• Shalome – S-1 - Kabale Primary School
• Shama – P-1 - Kabale Primary School
• Pheonah started her own clothing Boutique in Kabale in 2018.
• Isabella is a medical records  clerk at the Church of Uganda Hospital, Kabale
• Patience (director of HRC-VTC) is one of two state directors for Compassion International. In 2018 we celebrated her receiving her Master of Social work diploma in August   (we provided her with tuition assistance).
• Michael is the chaplain at Church of Uganda Hospital, Kabale

Kabale – Bishop Kivengere Secondary School

• Promise - S-2 special student -  Nominated by the school headmistress
• Nasasira Grace – S-4 – she was sick most of 2018 is repeating S-4  
• Bridget Kemanzani – S-4 – wants to be a  Registered Nurse
• Blessing – S-5 – Nominated by the school headmistress
• Markline Nanshemeza (13) – P-6 – father deceased

Iganga Methodist Church - Hanns Isabirye, pastor
• Celina Kisayke –  Primary School Teacher, Bishop Mayango College, Iganga
• 8 - Primary students & 2 Secondary school from Iganga Methodist church
• John Peter Isabirye – Mbale University – major in Civil Engineering
Note: We assisted Hanns in obtaining his undergraduate degree in 2006.
He is a graduate of Seminary in Malaysia in 2015.

St. Barnabas Secondary School - Loyce and Peter
• Loyce (mother to twin girls – 3yo) - secondary school instructor in geography and geometry. Peter (husband to Loyce - secondary school instructor in agriculture)
• Caroline – Bishop Mayango Teachers College - Wants to teach crafts in SS

Kiruhura - Hill Top Vocational Training Center
• Nixon continues to not only be the instructor. He is now running the school without any financial assistance from us.  He currently has 17 students that include 5 young men.
Maria Karungi (67) owns the land where Hill Top is located.  She lost her 47 year old son to cancer and her 107 year old father, both in October 2017.  We are assisting her by paying for school fees for 4 of her grandchildren. Funds from Pleasant Plain Presbyterian Church paid for Hill Top Vocational School building in 2009.

Special Construction Projects – 2019-2020

St. Michael Catholic Church – Kayanga Village (ongoing – 2019-20)
• We continue to offer assistance to Priest Leonard with improvement to his   sanctuary – we have already given 10 new church pews, painted interior of the sanctuary, placed “15 Stations of the Cross”, a statue of Mother Mary,     a  statue of St. Michael and a rosewood crucifix.  ( all by  Stephen Swartz)

Bethania Catholic Church – Lubaale Village  (Gomba Dist) - 2019-2020
• Per the request of Priest Welalisi and his sister, Barbara, we will be replacing 10 existing roof trusses on a 50 year old Church – 30’ X 60’ plus replace the door frames of all entrance doors.  We will also repair and refinish the cement floor.   Estimated cost is $3,000 including 30 days labor.

Bishop George Turyasingura – Ruwenzori district – 2019-2020
• Assist Bishop George with the completion of a small Church of Uganda, north of the town of
Kamwenge.  Estimated cost, $2,000.