Team Uganda
Most people dig deep into their pockets when it comes to giving to charity. But a group of Year 11 pupils are going that extra mile – all 4,000 of them, to be exact. In July 2010, ten Hull Collegiate School pupils will be flying out to the Kanungu region in south west Uganda where they will be teaching children at Kirima Primary School as part of a charity project organised by CHIFCOD.
The boys and girls from Hull Collegiate School, aged between 15 and 16, have been fundraising since September 2009 to raise enough money to pay for their trip. They have also raised enough funds to give a substantial donation to the primary school to help fund educational equipment and facilities.
Hull Collegiate School has been connected to the area for some time and Great Lakes Senior School, where Kirima Primary School children move onto for secondary education, has been beneficiary of Hull Collegiate School’s fundraising activities during the past academic year.
The idea to go out to Uganda and provide a physical impact came from History teacher, Mrs Susan Wynn, who believes it is essential that young people fully appreciate different cultures and the extreme poverty in which many people live.
“I hope this project will not only enable our pupils to increase their understanding, but will instil in them a desire to be life-long fundraisers for the CHIFCOD Schools in Uganda. I hope that, through this, our school can develop a genuine partnership with them.” Calling themselves Team Uganda, the Year 11 pupils built a fundraising plan and put together fact-filled presentations which were screened to the Senior School during assemblies to create awareness of the project. A representative from CHIFCOD came into Hull Collegiate School to talk to the pupils about the opportunities available, for both the Hull pupils and the children in Uganda.
“In Kanungu, only 34% of children have their own shoes, only 2% possess the basic necessities for life such as soap and blankets, only 58% have access to drinking water and 320 children die from malaria every day,” says 16 year old Tom Brown. “We are going to Uganda to give the children of Kirima Primary School the chance to enjoy activities which we take for granted, he continues.
The pupils will be taking money for basic necessities like mosquito nets and also school equipment such as paper, pens and books. They will also be taking their skills, acquired through their time at Hull Collegiate School.“
"I wanted to join Team Uganda so that I could help other people who don’t have very much or who are not as privileged as we are,” says 16 year old Tess Lari. “We can learn much from going there and it is important that we understand about other cultures.”
Team Uganda researched information for their presentations and printed T Shirts which they wore at all the fundraising events, including the Christmas Fair. It provided unity within the team and also helped raise awareness about Uganda for the younger children lower down the school, for example when the pupils organised discos for the Year 6 and Year 7 pupils. The pupils are continuing to raise money this term by organising a Cantabile, an Evening at the Races event at school and bag packing days at local supermarkets.
The pupils will be flying into Entebbe and then spending a night in Kampala before travelling by road down to Kanungu, crossing the equator on the way.
“I crossed the equator by land during a family holiday in Tansania last year,” says 16 year old Esme Smith who will be flying out to Uganda this July with her Team Uganda friends. “We went by jeep and stopped at the marker, where we took loads of pictures. You never think about being on the equator until you’re actually there; it’s a bit surreal.”
However, whilst Team Uganda will have perhaps one of the most rewarding and unique and experiences of their lives, they are not going out for a holiday and for personal benefit, but to volunteer their services in a place which truly needs it.
“I would like to do charity work during my gap year,” continues Esme. “I realised that I wanted to make an actual impact whilst in Uganda, so that I can bring back my experiences and encourage others to help as well.”
The majority of the pupils will be working as a classroom assistant where they will take groups for singing, reading, art and drama. The more sporty ones will be taking sports activities and coaching sessions and will be setting up a school Sports Day, something which doesn’t happen in Ugandan schools but is a regular feature in UK schools.
Not many pupils realised just how different school life in Uganda is to their own in the UK before they started this project. Water is fetched from tapstands that are located around the village and most cooking is done over a fire. Children have to work very hard: they collect water and wood, graze the animals and work in the field, often working 3 or 4 hours before going to school.
The ethos is summed up by 15 year old Natasha Scott who says, “This is not just a normal school trip but will be an experience which will stay with me for the rest of my life. I’m going out to help the school children with their Maths and English. It is important to me that I can help them as they don’t have what we have.”
Principal, Rob Haworth says, “This is experiential learning in its true sense. These pupils have worked hard to be able to afford the trip and then to enjoy a rich and life-enhancing experience.”
