From church choirs to school recitals, singing and dancing in Uganda are almost always accompanied by drums. Even the nursery school students are learning how to tap out a rhythm on small drums. Drums also accompany the choir during Sunday Mass—when they echo through the airy assembly hall, the sound is really incredible.

Musical instruments have to be maintained, and drums are no exception, particularly with the regular use they get here at the schools and churches in Nkokonjeru. In anticipation of several upcoming performances by the school children, a man skilled in making and repairing drums visited the Stella Maris campus, which is among the schools in the CARITAS child sponsorship programs. 

A local artisan repairs drums at Stella Maris Secondary School, where many supporters of CARITAS sponsor a child.

To work on the drums, the artisan uses a variety of tools, including a hammer, pliers, and several picks. The man in the background is the campus security guard.

The drums come in all shapes and sizes, but are made of the same main materials – wood and cowhide. The wood is hollowed out and covered with cowhide on both ends. Strings, also made of cowhide, hold the top and bottom surfaces together.

  Dan, a student in Top Class at St. Anthony Nursery School, practices playing a drum. St. Anthony is another school in the CARITAS child sponorship programs where one can sponsor a child.