The Power of Popcorn

When a small group of students at Hullett Central Public School in Canada learned that some of their penpal friends at St. Peter’s Primary School in Uganda could not afford their school fees, they decided to help. They sold bags of popcorn and, in just one week, raised a remarkable $1,104.65 CAD.

The above students are part of a PenPal group at Hullett Central Public School. Their fundraising initiative raised over $1k CAD to help students at St. Peter’s Primary School who could not afford to pay their school fees.

That generosity will have a very real impact: 33 students at St. Peter’s will now be able to attend school for an entire term.**

The above students are from St. Peter’s Primary School in Uganda. Thanks to the generosity of students at Hullett Central Public School, these students were able to attend school for another term.

To put that into perspective, the cost of attending St. Peter’s is remarkably modest by Canadian standards. Tuition for one term is approximately $19 CAD per student. Tuition plus two meals each school day costs about $42 CAD. The money raised by the Hullett students works out to about $33.47 for each of the 33 students being helped which is enough to make the difference between attending school and possibly having to stay home.

There are many reasons why a family may struggle to pay even these relatively small fees. Most families in the area depend on farming and are at the mercy of weather, fluctuating crop prices and the increasing cost of transporting their produce long distances to market. More recently, fears surrounding Ebola caused many tourists to postpone visits to the nearby mountain gorillas. The resulting decline in tourism had a ripple effect throughout the local economy, leaving many people who depend on tourism without work. Uganda has been declared by the W.H.O. to be “Ebola free” now for many months.

The 33 students who will receive assistance were selected on the basis of need by a committee of St. Peter’s teachers and Parent Council Chair Krizanti Iraguha. Among them is a student who was recently orphaned. The Hullett donation will cover her tuition and meals for the remainder of the school year, as well as the exercise books and writing supplies she needs for school.

So, a bag of popcorn may seem like a small thing. But when enough people come together, small things can make a very big difference.

** St. Peter’s Primary School operates on a three term schedule. Term 1 runs from early February to early May. Term 2 runs from the end of May through to mid August. Term 3 runs from mid September through to early December. Classes are not in session in December and January.

Read the St. Peter’s Primary School Thank You letter.

Here is the transcribed text from the St. Peter’s Thank You letter sent to their friends at Hullett Central Public School.

August 20, 2026

Dear Hullett Central Public School Students and Teachers:

Greetings to you from St. Peter’s Primary School students who were helped on Tuition payment for our second term that is ending on 22nd August 2026. We hope this letter finds students, teachers and all your family members in good health.

We are writing to you and saying a BIG THANK YOU for paying our school fees. Really your kindness has made it possible for many of us to stay in school for this term which is ending in two days ahead from the above date. We were able to continue learning and work hard towards our future dreams.

Your generosity means more to us than just the paid tuition. It tells us that we are cared for even by friends we have never met in person. With our PenPal letter exchanges, we had already begun to feel a warm friendship with you which has ended up being more stronger.

It was a blessing to our school whereby students of our own age, and in a country so far away, thinking of us and helping to carry our education forward is something we will never forget.

We promise to make good use of this opportunity by studying hard, abiding by school regulations so that one day in the future we will be able to help others like you have done for us.

We hope our friendship continues to grow and you will always be in our thoughts, and we look forward to sharing more of our stories and progress with you in our next letters.

Once again, Thank you very much for your generous support. May God bless you abundantly.

Your Sincerely,
Student Names