The President of Uganda’s son and Senior Presidential Advisor for Special Operations, Maj. Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has sponsored Bridge International Academies pupil Kitty Joyce Mary Elijah and her Bridge teammates to represent Uganda at chess. The trio will participate in the African Schools and Individual Chess championships which will be held in Zimbabwe’s capital Harare this month.

Maj. Gen Kainerugaba’s spokesman, Maj. Chris Magezi, visited Kitty’s school, Bridge Academy Nsumbi and presented her chess team with full sponsorship support for the event, witnessed by Bridge Academies staff and the Treasurer of  Ugandan Chess Federation.

Maj. Magezi toured the school, watched Bridge classes in action, and played a game of chess with 6-year-old Kitty Joyce Mary.

“Maj. Gen. Muhoozi learnt about Kitty’s ambitions through a fundraising campaign on Ugandan social media. He decided to help these young stars to achieve their dreams of playing chess at an international level. These children will make Uganda proud in Zimbabwe.” Magezi said.

Maj. Gen. Muhoozi is a well-known sports enthusiast who has continuously supported different talent across the country. “Maj. Gen. Muhoozi is moved by talent. These children have the ability to reach their maximum potential. He did not want them to regret that they were never given an opportunity.” Maj. Magezi added.

For his part, Prossy Nsereko, the School Leader at Bridge, Nsumbi extended his appreciation to Maj.Gen. Muhoozi for reaching out with the offer of sponsorship. “We are so humbled by this sponsorship. Maj.Gen. Muhoozi has answered Kitty and her teammates’ prayers. Our pupils have won several tournaments in Uganda and have been training really hard. Participating in the African Schools and Individual Chess Championships was just a dream. But, now it is a reality.” Nsereko added.

Bridge pupil, 6-year-old Kitty, has become a rising star in the Ugandan media after her chess prowess impressed everyone who played against her.  “I am so happy that I will be taking part in the chess tournament in Zimbabwe and be able to play other children across Africa. I am so proud to be representing my school and my country.”  Kitty said.

The Treasurer for the Uganda Chess Federation, Isaac Munanira, described the sponsorship as a boost to the game of chess. “What Maj. Gen. Muhoozi has done is a shot in the arm for chess in the country. We are really grateful for his contribution to the game. These children have earned their place to participate in the tournament. We are optimistic that they will shine at the international championships and make Uganda proud.” Munanira said.

Three Bridge pupils will play at the African tournament in Zimbabwe. Kitty Joyce Mary Elijah will play in the under 7 category;  Wasswa Paul Kervin who will play in the under 11 category and Muwanguzi Patrick Elijah will play under the 9 category. All are pupils at Bridge Nsumbi, Uganda.

[ENDS]

Notes to editors:

For further informaiton contact:

Solomon Serwanjja
Public Relations Manager, Uganda
Phone: +256 774380945
Email: solomon.serwanjja@oldbridge.mc-staging2.net

Kitty and her teammates are available for Interview.

Photographs are available of Kitty and the VIP the visit.

Kitty came to the attention of the Maj. Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba after a campaign across social media supported by NBS.

The film that first made Kitty famous in the #MyBridge campaign is available here.

The package from NBS showing Kitty’s chess prowess, which caught the attention of Uganda, is here.

Kitty has won several tournaments including the DICODA Junior Chess Championships where she won gold and the Premium Junior Chess Championships where she won silver.

The social media hashtag is: #ChessforKitty

Bridge International Academies teaches chess as part of its co-curricular activities and has a fully-fledged chess school club.  You can watch more about Bridge’s co-curricular activities here.

About Bridge

Bridge believes every child has the right to high quality education and works in partnership with governments, communities, parents and teachers to deliver education to over 100,000 children in underserved communities across Africa and Asia. Bridge uses in-depth teacher training and support, advanced lesson plans and wireless technology to provide pupils with a meaningful and life-changing education.

Globally, there is an education crisis. Around 263 million children and young people are not in school and the number of primary school aged children not in school has increased. Bridge is committed to helping tackle this through a data driven, evidence based approach that delivers strong schools and a great education for all.

You can follow Bridge on:

Twitter: @Bridge_UG
Facebook: Bridge International Academies Uganda

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