“I want to make a difference to a small number of children in Uganda by providing them with a chance to go to school”
Charlene’s Blog 18th August 2009
Overview of March 2014 Uganda visit
“We went to prepare the way for the summer team trip and do some mapping around community health needs by listening to the communities and visiting their nearest health centres so that Rebecca could prepare health promotional programmes for delivery in Hidden Treasure, Kahara and Acholi Quarter (bead project) communities during the summer.“
As we listened to the women in all 3 communities we work in and visited their local health centres we were overwhelmed with the lack of basic health care provision that we take for granted in our communities. Especially in the slums and very rural situations such as Kahara, women die during childbirth and parents lose children under 5 years old to preventable causes. It confirmed the need for health promotion programmes around sanitation, immunisation, the prevention of malaria and HIV and support around maternal healthcare.
We are committed now that both schools are built to work with the schools and local health clinics to improve education and health provision for the communities we support.
Hidden Treasure Primary School
Today almost 300 children attend Hidden Treasure Primary school the school that Charlene fundraised to build. 100 children are sponsored at the school and it is amazing seeing what Charlene dreamt off flourishing.
Charlene’s Project continues the work Charlene started having now built a second school at Kahara in western Uganda. The work continues in both schools and in the Acholi Quarter slum in improving the education and health of children and women in both schools and local communities.
Kahara Primary School
The new school block is now complete and the borehole is bringing clean water to the school and local community. Work will soon begin on the community hall and teacher accommodation that we have been fundraising to build.
Rebecca facilitated a workshop with 150 women from the community during the March Uganda visit. The women said they usually deliver at home with the help of older women as the journey of 12 km to the nearest clinic is too difficult. Some die at childbirth. If they do make it to the clinic and need emergency transfer to hospital because of haemorrhage or obstructed labour they have to make their own arrangements to travel the additional 10km.
We discussed vaccination, deaths under 5 years old, testing for HIV and provision of antiretrovirals, mosquito nets and malaria treatment. We met both the District Health Chairman and District Education Chairman and had the privilege of officially opening the new classroom block, borehole and latrines funded through Charlene’s Project.
Acholi Quarter
We are thrilled to be able to support the women of the bead making project in Acholi Quarter, a large Kampala slum. These wonderful women make beautiful beads from recycled paper and sell these to make a little bit of money to feed their families.
We have brought home a supply of this jewellery and are selling it to raise money for these women. contact Janice if you can sell some.
Summer 2014
A team of 42 will be in Uganda this summer with Charlene’s Project delivering educational, health and hockey/sports programmes.
The team will also be involved in feeding programmes and humanitarian distribution of over 1 ton of clothing and equipment from Ireland to the people in these areas.
The team will be working in the schools and communities of Hidden Treasure and Kahara and continuing to support the women in Acholi Quarter.
OUR WORK HAS ONLY BEGUN