It began
with a dream
Fr. Julius Turyatoranwa, the founder of St. Patrick Nursery & Primary School, has been inspired by his humble beginnings as a child born in Uganda, in generational poverty. He is one of ten siblings, three of whom dropped out of school to enable Julius to have tuition for seminary high school. His dream has been to give back, to enable Ugandan children of similar backgrounds to become inventors and innovators by providing them a quality education. While earning his PhD in Educational Administration at Illinois State University, Fr. Julius also worked on obtaining land to be the site of a premier boarding school in Uganda.
From dream to Reality
Fr. Julius shared his dream for the school with friends in Central Illinois, especially at the parishes he was serving: St. Patrick Church in Washington and St. Monica Church in East Peoria. Fundraisers were organized, and donations started to add up - - enough to begin the project. In late 2017 the school site was cleared. In 2018, with thousands of bricks made by hand, all of the Phase 1 buildings were constructed. In February 2019, over 300 students began classes in the brand new school.
Along Came Covid...
At the start of the 2020 school year in February, there were 528 students enrolled: 273 boarding students; 158 sponsored by people throughout the U.S. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, all schools in Uganda were shut down; students were sent home in March 2020 after only 6 weeks of school. However, on October 15, 2020, primary schools in Uganda were opened for P7 (7th grade) students, so they could finish their school year and prepare for the national advancement test: "Primary Leaving Exams" (PLE). Support staff, the P7 teachers and administrators, and our P7 students returned to campus, working hard. All 25 of our P7 students took their exams in March 2021. They did exceptionally well, and their overall scores ranked our school #2 of the 100+ schools in the district. Throughout 2021, classes were allowed to return on a staggered, intermittent basis, as Covid levels went up and down. Students continued working on the levels they began in 2020, eventually covering most but not all of the subject matter. They were all promoted to the grade level - - with 2021 declared a "lost school year."
From Covid to Resurgence...
In January 2022, when Uganda schools were allowed to open, many schools didn't. Some had been converted to housing or other businesses during Covid. Since there are no national Unemployment benefits in Uganda, most school employees – and some students – had to find other ways to earn a living. However, BHIK-U had been able to continue salaries for all of the school's employees, and continue to meet construction goals, during the crazy Covid shutdown. Our school was ready for the school year to begin!
St. Patrick Nursery & Primary School began the 2022 school year with over 800 students and 41 teachers. Structures had grown as well: St. Francis of Assisi Auditorium and additional housing for teachers were almost complete by the time the students entered the campus. Throughout 2022, capital improvements continued, providing everyone at the school the very best living conditions.
Picture above: St. Francis of Assisi Auditorium
By the beginning of the 2023 school year, attendance was 853, including 550 boarding students. Sponsorships paid for 206 of those students. During the rest of 2023, a 3-level Library was constructed, the final building on the campus. It houses a library, a teachers’ resource center, a computer lab with 50 computer stations, a performing arts room and lodging for several staff members.
The popularity and the excellent reputation of the school continued to grow. The 2024 school year brought us 900 students, eager and hard-working. The Primary 7 class performed the best ever, with 61 of the 70 students scoring in the top division (out of 10 divisions) in their Primary Leaving Exams, and the other 9 scoring in the 2nd division. One of our sponsored students, Patricia Ahabwe, achieved the highest score in each of the four tests, putting her in the top .05% of 800,000 P7 students in Uganda!
The 2025 school year enrollment at St. Patrick Nursery & Primary School hit 923. 62 of our graduates who were sponsored at St. Patrick's attended secondary schools with the continuing aid of sponsorships; 191 students attended St. Patrick's with sponsorships, for a total of 253 sponsored students in 2025.
Many of the students in the class of 2025 had attended St. Patrick Primary School all through their primary years. They accomplished great scholastic heights: 73 of the 77 graduates attained Division 1 (highest) scores in their Primary Leaving Exams; 4 scored in Division 2. THREE students achieved a perfect score! The school was ranked number 30 out of the best 1000 schools nationally.
School founder Fr. Julius Turyatoranwa said:
"We attribute this success to not only our PHD (Prayer, Hard work and Discipline) slogan but also to the overall direction of the school, the curriculum, the administrative staff, and the teachers. Our community of supporters from the USA continues to be our great motivation and inspiration to ensure we graduate students who are holistically prepared for success."
2026 enrollment at the school reached 1,076 students. The largest grades, P1 through P5, were each split into 3 classrooms. BHIK-U is committed to increasing the number of sponsorships every year. 20 student sponsorships were added for 2026, bringing the total sponsorships to 274: 185 primary and 89 secondary. When enough new sponsors don't step forward, BHIK-U pays for the “new” sponsorships out of general funds until more sponsors step forward.
With increased enrollment over the years, the need for better water pressure became obvious. An elevated water tank on a tower has been engineered, approved, and constructed on high ground, thanks to grants from two charitable foundations. 60,000 liters of water will be pumped into the tank from existing wells, and be distributed through gravity to key facilities within the school.
Picture above: Fr. Julius Library
All of this has been achieved thanks to the kind generosity of so many supporters, the dedicated work of our all-volunteer Board of Directors, and the grace of God, who constantly surprises us with His blessings.
BHIK-U
Building Hope in Kids - Uganda (BHIK-U) was Incorporated as a nonprofit in April 2017, and received its 501(c)(3) approval in December 2017. BHIK-U is dedicated to building and supporting "St. Patrick Nursery & Primary School" in Uganda.