In October 2009, Charlene wrote a piece for this website giving the history behind and outlining her vision for Hidden Treasure. Her words at the end seem so appropriate – always a visionary she saw the goal and kept running towards it, regardless of what lay ahead.

1. Charlene can you tell us about the School, where it is, how many pupils go, its history – things like that.

I had been in Uganda with my family in March 2008 and had seen how little the children there had. We had visited quite a number of schools and I saw how difficult it was for children to get to school and to be able to complete their education as a result of the dreadful poverty and lack of adequate schools for pupils to attend. I saw classes that had over 100 pupils per teacher and I saw the totally inadequate books and equipment. I also saw situations where children came to school in tattered clothes, having walked miles without breakfast and with no lunch provision at school. There were so many things I saw that we take for granted in our schools in this country.

I was due to go to Uganda this year again with my family but my health problems prevented that. I sent the family on to pick a school for me to build. They looked at a few possibilities but chose Hidden Treasure Primary School. When I saw the pictures and realized how little the children and the community had I knew it was the right choice for me to support.

Hidden Treasure Primary School is in Maya, Wakisa District, Kampala, Uganda. Hidden Treasure is a Primary school, currently with only about 85 pupils in a very needy rural part of Kampla. The school is housed in a wooden shack which is being eaten by termites. The children are from very needy homes, some of the children are orphans as a result of HIV/AIDS or previous conflict in the north of the country.

My goal is to raise the £70,000 to build a block building for the school so that more of the children in this needy community can get a basic primary school education. I am advised by Fioelds of Life, the organisation who will build the school for Charlenes Project that over 200 children will be at the school within 2 years as it will provide an education for many others in that needy community.

2. Can you tell us why we should donate to this project?

When I decided to build a school in Uganda – I never thought I would be in contact with so many wonderful people who would help me fulfill my ambition. I launched Charlene’s Project in August 2009 and my target continues to be to have the whole £70,000 necessary to build Hidden Treasure Primary School raised by summer 2010. A lot of people said it was not possible – but I believe it is. I would love even to be able to continue fundraising beyond that target as there are so many needs in the area where I am building the school – there are a lot of orphans as a result of HIV/AIDS and as a result of the war in the north with many people having been displaced in to and around Kampala.

Already a number of people have donated money to the project and others have organized coffee mornings in their church or home. Some people have gone without birthday or other anniversary presents and collected in lieu of presents for Hidden Treasure Primary School. A good friend has organized a Word Search – it is still available on the link if you want to sell some for me in your church, your local school, your work or even to your friends and your family. Again I have a connection with Santa and the Big Man in Red agreed to help me fundraise last Christmas which went a long way to reaching the target!

I also have collection boxes if you want to put one in your local store or collect your own coins to help me raise the money – just drop me an email and I will get one to you.

Please email me if you have any other good fundraising ideas or you are planning to do something as I can share the idea with others via this site. We need to keep the momentum going so that we get the money necessary in the short time we have.

/*For any more information on how together we can make this all happen – email me at charlene@charlenesproject.org .*/

Thanks for helping me fulfill this dream.