Fr. Simon Peter Kyambadde, a native of Uganda, attended Mundelein Seminary near Chicago. After completing his doctoral work he returned to Uganda — but since 2000 he has come back to the U.S. each summer to serve as a visiting priest at St. Joan of Arc in Evanston, IL. From the very beginning, a strong relationship formed between the people of SJA and this extraordinary young priest.
As the people of St. Joan of Arc learned more about Uganda and the villages Fr. Simon Peter ministered to, they sought ways to help. Initially they donated shoes, mosquito nets, and blankets. Soon after, enough money was raised to build wells for clean, accessible drinking water. The people of Evanston began to see the impact they could have across the world.
Simon Peter’s bigger dream was to make a more lasting impact on the Ugandan people he served. He believed the answer was education. The vision for St. Joan of Arc Day and Boarding School was born.
Back in Evanston the next year, Simon Peter recruited several parishioners for seed money to begin the project. Despite long odds, his vision and resolve saw an initial school building completed. In February 2008, with an enrollment of 214, the doors opened for Kindergarten to Primary 5. To cement the relationship, the school was named St. Joan of Arc Day and Boarding School, Mawuuki.
With each annual visit, Simon Peter spoke of the great need in Mawuuki and the clear success of the school. Support from SJA Evanston, along with his contacts in the Kansas City Archdiocese and the greater Chicago area, enabled the school to cover operating expenses and expand its facilities. Each year, SJA Uganda grows its campus and its impact on the community.
With overwhelming demand for quality education, SJA Uganda has grown to 860+ children, is rated best in Gomba District, and ranks in the top tier of elementary schools in Uganda. The campus now includes classroom buildings, a meeting hall, a new kitchen building, three faculty housing units, and dormitories for both boys and girls.
Looking to the future, SJA parishioners formed a separate non-profit foundation — Arc of Hope — to support Simon Peter’s initiative and solicit support from a broader base of donors.
While SJA Uganda is led by a Catholic priest and is proudly a faith-based, non-governmental initiative, the school serves its whole community — including St. Athanasius Parish, a significant Muslim population, and non-Catholic evangelical Christians. Arc of Hope and St. Joan of Arc Uganda share a mission of social justice: to change lives through education.