June 2025 Stronger Together
Nurse Naume
Buiga Sunrise Annual General Meeting & Community Elections
After facing many challenges, Buiga Sunrise CBO and the community members have taken it upon themselves to form committees to evenly distribute the weight of project responsibilities. An annual general meeting was held in June to nominate and elect candidates for the committees. The purpose of the committees is to identify local funding sources, with the long term goal of shifting the CBO from a model of international donor reliance, to a model of empowered self sustainability. We thank all our funders for standing by us as we continue to transition step by step.
In harmony with our continued efforts to promote local leadership, this newsletter has been prepared by the new Sunrise Communications Coordinator, Mr. Eric Olipa
Roles and Responsibilities of the Committees
Parent Committee
Communicates information from the school to the parents and caregivers.
Advises the headteacher and the staff welfare committee on parents views and provides feedback about school programs and activities.
Advocates for the need of all students to ensure they are receiving the support they need to succeed both academically and socially.
Collaborates with the headteacher to register members with the CBO.
Special Projects Committee
Drafts project proposals to raise local funds in support of Sunrise school according to the CBO’s overall vision and mission.
Makes recommendations for implementation of projects and monitors the progress of projects from planning to completion.
Develop strategies to address obstacles arising within the projects and makes timely decisions to keep the projects on task and within the budget.
Provides stakeholders with regular updates of project activities and relevant performance indicators.
Staff Welfare Committee
Ensures the school maintains high ethical standards, transparency and accountability according to its policies and procedures.
Conducts regular meetings to find out the expectations of the staff to promote their welfare and wellbeing.
Ensures staff members uphold the rules, regulations, and code of ethics of the school.
Works with the head teacher to settle staff disputes in an ethical way, to preserve the harmony of the school.
Budget Committee
Inspects cost estimates from the special projects committee to ensure they align with strategic goals and financial boundaries.
Evaluates and oversees resource allocation to ensure financial sustainability and success of all special projects.
Ensures budgets are strictly adhered to, according to guidelines and in compliance with the fund voucher processing system.
Receives invoices and receipts, reviews for authenticity and reconciles monthly reports with the Canadian accountant.
Staff Member of the Month
Meet teacher Nsenke Benafasiyo, a teacher of grade six and seven at Sunrise School. Benafasiyo’s point of interest is sharing knowledge with others. He has been teaching on a volunteer basis since February/2025 and we really thank him for all the support and mentorship he is giving to our students. One of the common statements from teacher Benafasiyo to our pupils is “Read like you are not going to die tomorrow.”
Student of the Month
Meet Kawala Aminah - she is one of the academic giants in our grade 1 class. What makes her outstanding is her ability to quickly learn new things and her passion for creativity. She is bright and ambitious, always excited and happy to be in school. Aminah’s dream is to one day become an engineer. We believe with persistence she will realize that dream ❤️
“You are born free to be anything you dream to be”.
Meet Nilmini Ranasinghe - Accountant Extraordinaire!
I am Nilmini Ranasinghe ~ I am a qualified chartered accountant with over 14 years of professional experience in the fields of accounting, auditing, bookkeeping and procurement. I hold a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, and a Master of Business Studies from the University of Colombo. Currently I am working as the Accountant of Ministry of Transport Highways Ports and Civil Aviation in Sri Lanka.
As the Accountant at Sunrise Centre Canada, my responsibilities include:
Preparing and maintaining cash books for two bank accounts operated by the Canadian charity
Recording all donations received by the charity and issuing receipts to donors
Maintaining records of funds disbursed to the Community-Based Organization in Uganda on behalf of Sunrise Centre Canada.
Preparing final accounts including a monthly Statement of Financial Position, Statement of Operations, Statement of Changes in net assets,
Statement of Cash flows and notes to the financial statements.
Completing the Annual Return and all related schedules in accordance with the guidelines set by the Canada Revenue Agency
As the Supervising Accountant of Buiga Sunrise Uganda, my duties include:
Verifying the accuracy and completeness of all fund vouchers submitted by the CBO in Uganda
Ensuring that each fund voucher is settled by providing supporting documents within a reasonable timeframe and maintaining detailed records for fund voucher settlements
Monitoring the revenue collection streams of Buiga Sunrise School, including term fees, uniform sales, examination fees, medical fees etc… and tracking the timely deposit of these funds.
Thank you Nilmini, we appreciate the amazing job you do every day!
““You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” ”