The “Saint Paisios” primary school was founded in the Diocese of Jinja and Eastern Uganda, marking a new stage in the relationship that has developed in recent years between Larissa and the Buyente region, which has received the unofficial name “village of the Larissaians” .
At the center of the effort is the Holy Metropolis of Larissa and Tyrnavos , under Metropolitan Ieronymos , in collaboration with the Orthodox Missionary Association “Path of Love” , which supports projects of education, social care and ecclesiastical ministry in the region.
The start of the work was not a given. Bureaucratic difficulties delayed the progress of the project, however, the efforts of Bishop Silvestre of Jinja and Eastern Uganda, in collaboration with the residents, allowed the obstacles to be overcome and construction to begin.
The new school is not a stand-alone building project, but an addition to an infrastructure network that has already been created. The “Stergioulis Orthodox School Children’s Center” operates in the area, which was created with the assistance of the Stergioulis family, the “March of Love” and donors from Larissa, and hosts approximately 140 children .
A well has been dug next to the school facilities, while the creation of a kindergarten has also been completed. In the same context, medical care actions were organized, with examinations of children, workers and residents, as well as the distribution of medicines. For the children of the area, access to education remains inextricably linked to basic needs such as food and clean water .
The presence of the Metropolis of Larissa is not limited to material support, but also acquires a strong ecclesiastical character, as the local community develops around the Holy Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior and the sacramental life of the Church.
Bishop Silvestros recently visited Larissa in order to personally express his thanks to Metropolitan Ieronymos and the president of the “March of Love”, Sotiris Mountzouri . During the meeting, he presented the progress of the projects and their importance for the daily lives of children, noting that young students now have access to clean water, milk and education, while also learning about “living water” through the Mysteries.
The Metropolitan of Larissa was informed about the progress of the new school and the needs that still exist, confirming the continuation of the project.
In the summer of 2025 , a missionary team from Larissa visited Buyente, where group baptisms of about a hundred people , from young children to adults, were held. The school students welcomed the visitors with songs. New group baptisms are planned for this summer, in which the sponsors will be faithful from Larissa — a development that is gradually transforming the relationship between the two communities into a spiritual kinship .
In the “village of Larissa”, as noted, the footprint of this relationship is not measured only in classrooms, wells and school desks, but in the children who can now drink clean water, go to school and grow up within a community that does not feel alone .
