LASU
Drawing & Visual Expression
Storytelling & Imagination
Movement, Performance & Embodied Learning
Understanding the Natural World
Community, Culture & Shared Life
Making, Building & Practical Skills
Lumen Animae School in Uganda
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Lumen Animae School — Uganda
INTRODUCTION
This initiative was developed and led by Masha Vasilkovsky ז״ל as part of Lumen Animae Studios’ extended educational work. Through weekly online sessions, the program connected a team of artists and educators with a community of children in Jinja City, Uganda.
The work was grounded in a humanistic approach to education, where learning unfolds through attention, creativity, and shared experience.
The work was grounded in a humanistic approach to education, where learning unfolds through attention, creativity, and shared experience.
CONTEXT
The program took place in Jinja City, located on the northern shores of Lake Victoria in Eastern Uganda. Within this environment, a local teaching community supports children growing up in conditions of economic hardship and limited access to formal education.
The initiative formed in response to an existing structure of care led by two educators, Sylivia and Richard Seruwagi, who provide daily support and learning opportunities for children from their community.
Sylivia & Richard Seruwagi
Sylivia and Richard are educators and community leaders working directly with children in Jinja City. They live with their family while supporting a group of 28 children between the ages of 4 and 18.
Richard works as a choir conductor and choreographer, organizing music, dance, and theater programs in local schools. Sylivia is an early education teacher. Together, they have built a sustained environment of care, learning, and cultural engagement.
Richard works as a choir conductor and choreographer, organizing music, dance, and theater programs in local schools. Sylivia is an early education teacher. Together, they have built a sustained environment of care, learning, and cultural engagement.
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Sylivia and Richard Seruwagi with their children — Jinja City, Uganda
Photo from a program session,
Jinja City, Uganda, shared by the community.
FIRST STEPS
Beginning in February 2022, weekly online sessions were established with the group of children. The program was supported by contributions from the extended studio community, which made it possible to provide essential equipment for participation in remote learning.
These sessions formed the foundation for an ongoing exchange between the children, local educators, and the broader teaching team.
These sessions formed the foundation for an ongoing exchange between the children, local educators, and the broader teaching team.
CURRICULUM
Rooted in real life, the curriculum developed as an open field of learning, integrating visual art, storytelling, environmental awareness, and foundational studies of the world.
Rather than separating subjects, the work was approached as a continuous exploration of life, where observation, imagination, and understanding developed together.
OUR TEAM OF EDUCATORS
The program was supported by a network of contributing educators, including a child psychologist, pedagogical specialists, agriculture specialist, an occupational therapist, and a theater director.
Each brought a different perspective into the process, expanding the range of experience available to the students.
STUDENTS
Our classroom participants included a group of 30 children, forming the youth performance group ROOTS. Through weekly sessions, the students engaged in drawing, storytelling, movement, and collaborative activities.
The work developed through participation, continuity, and shared attention, forming a space where learning and creative expression could emerge together.
The work developed through participation, continuity, and shared attention, forming a space where learning and creative expression could emerge together.
LASU
Drawing & Visual ExpressionStorytelling & ImaginationMovement, Performance & Embodied LearningUnderstanding the Natural WorldCommunity, Culture & Shared LifeMaking, Building & Practical Skills