FICA Mbarara Celebrates its 5 Year Anniversary
- Abigail Baleke
- Feb 14
- 3 min read
On the 24th of September 2024, FICA Mbarara celebrated its 5th year anniversary. For those in the FICA community that have walked the journey with us know that FICA Mbarara’s fifth anniversary is definitely something to write home about! This is mainly because Mbarara and generally the western region for a long time was such an untapped market with no international schools.
Notably, FICA Mbarara is the first international school in Mbarara and the western region. Although we had some ‘international’ schools in the region their focus was on the fact that they are open to international students from various countries outside Uganda, not in the actual sense of implementing an international curriculum.
I remember most of the first walk-in clients we got, always had this comment ‘what’s a school without a blackboard?’ And the talk would go on and on, to unravel the mysteries of this new curriculum in the minds of a community that was so traditionally tied to what they were used to.
Nevertheless, God had an abundant provision of His grace, and that is what sustained the vision bearers in times when it was very difficult. Especially when staff numbers were more than student numbers and when the expenditure was way above the income of the school.
The directors do admit that at one time, the road was very challenging but they kept their focus on the Author and Perfector of their faith, the Lord Jesus, and were able to sail through somehow.
One of my most profound memories was during a parents’ prayer meeting, one of the parents who got up after prayer and said the Lord had given him a vision of a full school parking lot with some cars finding it difficult to find where to park inside. We all laughed just as Sarah did when she was told that she would bear a son at 90!
We could not imagine how this would be possible, considering where we were then, and how unpromising the situation was. Amazingly, as we write this, God has grown our student enrollment to more than 200 and yes! The once empty car parking lot is now overflowing! Praise be to the Lord God Almighty who is faithful to His word.
Pr. George and Dr. Gillian Kasirye are the passionate founders and directors of Friends International Christian Academy, which started ten years ago in Kyanja, Kampala. With time, God impressed it upon their hearts to extend their educational ministry to Mbarara, and establish a new campus.
God showed them His desire to reach the hearts of the grandchildren of the fathers of the spiritual revival that had its roots in the western part of Uganda. Although they did not know how this could happen, God connected parents from Mbarara, whose children were studying at the Kampala Campus, who helped them fulfil this goal.
One of the most instrumental parents God used at the time was Bishop Nicola Tayebwa, who introduced the directors to the current premises occupied by FICA Mbarara, and also used her networks to reach many.
At the heart of the FICA vision, is a couple that is truly dedicated to seeing families flourish, children delivered through their ministry, and graduates with academic excellence uncompromised!
There are many highlights and key milestones that stand out when we talk about FICA Mbarara on its fifth anniversary including:
Increasing student enrollment from 8 to 250.
Constructing a new lunch shed
Opening up Migisha Pre-school campus
Creating capacity building programs for staff members
Opening up the Boarding section, for students, 10 years and above
Setting up the Independent Living Program
Increasing staff enrollment
Setting up different mentoring programs for students, parents and staff
Increasing the number of learning centers
Holding our first ever High school graduation
Participating in national and East African Students Convention
Winning the Pearl of Africa Civic Award inter schools pitching
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