Gayaza Old Girls Launch Shs7 Billion Drive to Expand School Chapel
Gayaza High School’s old girls have launched an ambitious Shs7 billion fundraising campaign to expand and improve the school chapel, bringing together generations of former students around a project rooted in the institution’s history, faith and community.
The fundraising drive reflects the growing role of alumni in supporting the development of educational institutions in Uganda. For Gayaza High School, the chapel is more than a place of worship. It is part of the school’s identity and has served generations of students through prayer, reflection, worship and important school occasions.
The Shs7 billion target is intended to provide the resources required to expand the chapel and create a facility capable of serving the school community for years to come. The campaign also gives former students an opportunity to contribute directly to the continued development of an institution that played an important role in their education.
Alumni fundraising has become an increasingly important source of support for schools, particularly for projects that require substantial investment beyond ordinary operational budgets. Former students can bring together financial contributions, professional expertise, networks and institutional knowledge to help their former schools undertake major development projects.
For Gayaza Old Girls, the chapel campaign is also an opportunity to reconnect different generations of the school community. Former students who studied at the school decades apart can contribute to the same project, creating a shared sense of ownership and continuity.
A fundraising target of Shs7 billion is substantial, making community mobilisation central to the success of the campaign. Large projects of this nature are rarely financed by a single donor. Instead, they depend on many supporters making contributions according to their ability while encouraging others to participate.
The campaign demonstrates how alumni networks can become powerful fundraising communities. A former student may contribute financially, organise a fundraising activity, introduce potential supporters or simply share the campaign with friends and fellow alumni. Each contribution can help build momentum towards the wider goal.
For WeFundraise, initiatives such as the Gayaza Old Girls chapel campaign demonstrate why organised digital fundraising can be valuable to schools, alumni associations and community organisations. A clear fundraising goal gives supporters something tangible to rally around, while digital platforms can make it easier for campaigns to reach people beyond their immediate physical communities.
The project also highlights an important principle in fundraising: people are often more willing to give when they understand what their contribution is helping to achieve. A clearly defined development project provides supporters with a visible outcome and creates an opportunity for them to become part of the institution’s future.
As Gayaza Old Girls work towards the Shs7 billion target, the campaign will depend on the strength of its alumni network and the wider community around the school. If successful, the project will not only provide an expanded chapel but also leave another lasting mark on an institution whose history spans generations of Ugandan women.
The campaign is ultimately about more than raising money for a building. It is about preserving a shared legacy, strengthening a school community and giving former students an opportunity to invest in the institution that helped shape their lives.