Derby Schools Visit to Uganda

Pauline joined local students to take the money from an extensive fundraising campaign in Derby for some Uganda schools.

After months of fundraising a group of Ecclesbourne and Allestree Woodlands school teenagers accompanied Pauline and £12,000 to Uganda to buy building materials and give them to poor rural communities to build several classrooms and a hall in two local schools.

Pauline at one stage had to carry huge wads of local currency strapped to her body to carry it safely to buy the building materials. “I looked rather fat for a while”, said Pauline, ”as there were a lot of notes to hide under my clothes!” The materials were bought from businesses, operated in the main by local women. “The businesses are run by women, because I don’t think they trust the men to do it so well” she said.

The team travelled with a local politician and a local driver and guide from the Real Africa company. Before they left the group were able to see their projects get underway. The Derby teenagers were able to meet up with Ugandan students, socialise, join their classes, and were entertained by a play about equality of opportunity in Ugandan Schools written and performed by the pupils, who also danced and sung for them. What surprised the Derby youngsters was that the issues of the Ugandan students were just like those of Derby, and they were even working on the same academic syllabus for work. There the similarities stopped, because the difference in resources was huge – and humbling to see.

When recalling the experience Pauline said “Apart from the huge satisfaction of seeing our money going such a long way in a worthwhile cause, I was so pleased that the Derby students could see for themselves how another culture with much fewer resources was able to work. We had a lot of fun together and want to keep up the links with Uganda in the future. The school hall building is going to be called “Derby Hall” so I am going to Uganda next year to be at the opening ceremony”.

Being welcomed by students at Mirembe Secondary School which was the school we helped in 2007. You can see behind the students the classrooms we helped to finish last time.

Mirembe Secondary Schools buildings completed since our last visit.

Mirembe Secondary School clearly showing the water butt we bought because the closest water is half a mile away.

The finished inside to the classroom. When we saw it two years ago it had brick walls, rubble for a floor and we paid to complete it and the science laboratory we built we also furnished and supplied all the equipment they needed to be able to teach science.

Our students with Mirembe Secondary School Head boy.

The inside of the school at Kiringo where up to 115 students sit.

Students and members of the local community standing under the tree which serves as a second classroom when the weather is fine at Kiringo.

Below: Outside at Kiringo Secondary School with Dr Michael Bayigga MP, our students and students from the school.