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Robin Galan; A Man Who Flew Miles to Rescue Ignorant People of Sitabaale

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16 years a go, Robin Galan was surfing his own stuffs on internet when he landed on a mysterious “call for help” 

“Help me build a community school for the people of Sitabaale,” the call by a one Burhan Mubiru read in part.

Galan, the only volunteer, responded to this call and flew to Uganda, straight to Sitabaale village in Kiwenda, Nansana Municipality.

Today, with the help of Galan, Mubiru managed to construct the Tasaaga schools, an original wooden structures plan have turned into permanent structures, Galan has flown to Uganda for the last 16 years to ensure everything is moving on well.

In 2008, President Museveni launched the Tasaaga schools, which is offering education to the Underprivileged communities in Sitabaale and their neighbors today.

“When i landed, he got overwhelmed with the place and saw that the wooden structure was not fit for the school that would last years,” Galan said during an interview with our reporter.

At my arrival, I found Galan participating in the painting of one of the newly constructed blocks of the schools. 

Galan (L) eating a meal with other school directors.

“I found a letter from Burhan on a website called idealists in 2007, I am not sure if it’s still there but it simply said we need a school and I couldn’t find any other opportunities that could challenge me so I came to see Burhan and see if things were legitimate,” he said 

“I stayed for a couple of weeks and when I decided that I liked the man and things were above board, I started building. I think he thought we were going to do a wooden structure but I got a little carried away. I left after the building was complete. It was after six months,” he added.

Galan pose for a photo with pupils and footballers of Tasaaga schools.

Unlike several times when volunteers usually come in teams, Galan explains  why  he did come alon

“I wanted to do things with a planning permission, architect and legitimate. It was two months of planning and learning how things work and four months of construction,” 

“When I came, I just saw what there was and decided what was needed but it’s never enough. Never enough time for money. I know what we need and what I dream of and it is what I am going to aim for now. I am going to dedicate more time and more of my life to catching up with where we have fallen behind,” he added

Galan says he is a builder at home amongst other things and “when I do a job I like to do it right,”

“Temporary measures are not good. Building castles made of sand and get knocked down. This building alone takes a lot of maintenance, the climate is severe so every year when I come back we do a bit more building, more painting and decorating and still a lot more to do,” 

Tasaaga School was commissioned by president Museveni in 2008 at the presence of Robin Galan

On what drives him to do this kind of work, Galan said,

“The inspiration I guess comes from wanting to share. If you have a big plate of food and the man you are seated next to has got nothing, the food doesn’t taste very good but when you share it then you both enjoy your meal. What I could accomplish back in England or France or Spain with the means that I have is not very much because I am not a rich man and here, at that time things were a lot cheaper than now and I built the school for the price of a second hand car. So there was something I could accomplish in six months,” 

Annually, Galan return to Uganda. He explains, “when I left, I realized the school is not just a building. It’s the teachers, the parents, the director, the lightning conductor, the toys, the amusements, everything,”

Galan (Extreme Right) together with Popular Artiste Edirisa Musuza alias Eddy Kenzo and Mubiru the proprator of Tasaaga schools

“So we had obviously first many problems and I have been coming back ever since because I had work too and I fell in love with Uganda. This is my country now. This is where my best friends are and the people I admire the most. I hope to move here. I have responsibilities back home but I have been coming once or twice a year,”                          

Funding

I wanted to Kno whether Galan personally funds the school. In his response, he said,

“I am not a rich man. The problem is that when you are a Mzungu everybody thinks you are rich,”

Galan pose door a group photo with teachers of Tasaaga Schools

“I feel like in sixteen years we would have been able to do more but we struggle, we struggle, we struggle. Ever since the pandemic happened, things have been so backward,” 

So far on progression, Galan feels like what they have inside their broken down buildings is a real functioning school that gets good grades.

“We have success stories and I feel that when I am here. I feel a little bit of satisfaction when I see the children actually learning because that’s what the school is for,”

Challenges 

Since 2007, Galan has been coming to Uganda, he highlights some of the challenges he has and still facing.

“Sometimes it’s hard raising the funds. The bills are very high these days, the food and teacher’s salaries. I feel like we are at a self-sufficient stage,” he said.

Galan painting a wood of a classroom block

Galan said that during the pandemic,  together with his friend started a UK charity and started trying to raise more funds which he said is hard now because there is a “hole in Mzungu wallet,”

“Our economy is not good and unfortunately two weeks ago our biggest donor passed away. She was the mother of my friend so I have to work very hard now to try and find funding to replace that but what it has resulted in is that we have a good dynamic whereby we are self- sufficient as far as the running of the school,” he said.

Galan painting one of the classroom blocks

“We have a planned extension because our visions are bigger than this. We need more dormitories, we need better housing, we need plaster paint everything, we need to expand in both directions and the secondary school is currently being helped by the American friends of Tasaaga. It’s always been a struggle to find a way to fund it and it’s always been touch and go and now that our biggest donor has passed away, we need to find a different direction,” he added.

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