Sacred Heart students, parents and alums in the United States have been supporting the African school project in a variety of ways — including “buying” bricks at 60 cents apiece. “I see Sister as a modern-day Philippine Duchesne,” said Angie Doerr, who gave a reception for Sr. Bamwine in St. Louis in late April for parents and friends of Villa Duchesne.

Education of girls is “crucial” in Africa, said Sr. Bamwine, who holds bachelors and masters degrees from Loyola University in New Orleans. “It’s one of our greatest needs right now. Girls just don’t get the same opportunity for education as boys. If there is any chance for education in a family, most parents give the chance to boys.”

A local donor has given 26 acres for the new Sacred Heart school and a farm.

Sr. Bamwine noted that AIDS has left nearly an entire generation of orphaned children in Africa. Girls without families are often forced into compromising and degrading relationships. As a result, "AIDS is likely to have the final word on a girls' educational experience," according to a brochure about the new school.

Although the Ugandan government in 1977 declared universal primary education for girls as well as boys, educational opportunities are severely constrained because of overcrowded classrooms and a shortage of teachers and schools. Only half of women over 15 can read and write.

Sr. Bamwine believes strongly that better education for young women will mean fewer wars, better conditions for children, and will ultimately change the world. Besides, she said, “It’s our charism — to give love through education.”

Construction is underway for the first phase of the project, which will cost $600,000. Sr. Bamwine hopes the school will eventually enroll 500 students. Her goal is a well-built school, “one that will last a long time,” like the school buildings in Europe and the United States.

The Uganda-Kenya Province consists of 63 nuns, 70 percent of them natives and the rest from several countries, including the United States. Of the 63, 26 are in various stages of formation, Sr. Bamwine said.

Other Sacred Heart schools in Africa are situated in the Congo, Egypt and Chad. In the Uganda-Kenya Province, RSCJ serve as teachers, administrators and staff members in three schools, two operated by dioceses and one operated by the government.

Sr. Bamwine’s itinerary includes visits to St. Charles, Mo.; St. Louis; New Orleans; Houston; San Francisco; New York; Greenwich, Conn.; Chicago and Omaha, Neb.