This February twelve people from Guildford visited Mukono, including Emily Thornberry M.P. who opened the Sallie Thornberry Memorial Library in memory of her mother, Chairman of the Link at its inception in 2003.

This newsletter illustrates some activities and projects of our members which we would like to share with a larger audience.

Two secondary schools, Lutengo United and Mukono High are each Linked and we witnessed the distribution of two tons of mainly science text-books to these schools and to the library.

Seven primary schools are Linked. Some of these Links have now become deeply integrated into the lives of both schools and some Guildford schools support their counterpart by addressing basic needs of the school and its community. For example, Worplesdon Primary School funded rainwater harvesting at Mukono Boarding school. St. Joseph’s Primary School bravely held a joint Sports Day with the Mukono Children’s Home, where the Head promotes running to give his orphans self-esteem and which has led to scholarships to secondary and further education! Kevin Gawley head of St. Thomas of Canterbury and three of his teachers spent time at Busenya Primary School—a return visit to that of Jacob and Christopher in the snow of January 2009.

The Royal Surrey County Hospital is working towards an intellectual Link with staff at Kawolo Hospital, and the Sports Department at the University of Surrey is making an impact.

The Guildford Institute restaurant has collected several hundred pounds which will be used to start smallholdings in selected Link schools to improve the children’s diets and to teach farming skills.

We met up with the four successful students, originally from Lutengo United, who are currently sponsored to attend universities in Mukono District, to discuss their progress and to give them a square meal. We hope this scheme will attract other sponsors as there are many talented students who also have the potential to make a great contribution to their society.

We hope that you or your organization will wish to contribute in some way, for example by donating books or by sponsoring environmental projects.

We have many supporters but only 70 members! If you would like to become a member or have not yet paid your 2010 subscription, please download the membership form from our website www.guildford-uganda.com or sign up at our Guildhall Reception on Monday 17 May at 7 pm. The minimum subscription is only £5 but more is welcome!

Tamsy’s note from the Chair

The Guildford Mukono Link Newsletter - April 2010

Sallie Thornberry Memorial Library

Sallie’s friends contributed to a fund enabling a lasting tribute to be created in Mukono. Mukono Town Council agreed that a library would be appropriate and this was opened with typical Ugandan exuberance in February in the presence of her daughter, Emily Thornberry MP, and many of Mukono’s political elite.

The Library is housed in a beautifully restored period building provided by the Kabaka (King) of Buganda. In addition to many speeches, local school pupils drummed and danced with great energy. Four trees were planted and named by Emily and Johnson Senyonga the Mayor of Mukono town as well as by Tamsy Baker and Jim Rattray on behalf of The Guildford Mukono Link. While Emily planted hers in memory of her mother the band played the Red Flag, Sallie’s favourite tune.

I visited our partner school, Busenya, during half-term

with Amy, Erica and Mark. We were made incredibly

welcome by everyone we met. The school has class

sizes of 80+ and the Reception class is held in a

ramshackle building no larger than a garden shed; home life is tough and AIDS and malaria are

commonplace in the community and yet the children

are happy and enthusiastic and it was humbling to see

the sacrifices the staff and parents are making on the

children's behalf. Our partnership with the school

is beginning to make a real difference, and the parents

of Busenya particularly wanted me to thank everyone at St Thomas’s for the generous support that has been

given to Busenya to help make it a really good school.

The teachers who accompanied me worked extremely

hard to share their skills with teachers and children

alike, and were excellent ambassadors for the school.

KEVIN GAWLEY

Water Projects

Easy access to fresh, clean water is taken for granted in the UK. However, as is well known, it is very different throughout Africa.

The environment fund, established from a private donation topped up by the staff at Guildford Borough Council has enabled a well and pump at to be constructed at Lutengo United Secondary School, two 8,000 litre rain water harvesting tanks at Kizoto Primary School and restoration of the nearby community bore hole. These will be a tremendous help to people in those communities.

Susan Wamala, Head of Mukono Boarding School, was delighted with the four 10,000 litre rain water harvesting tanks provided by Worplesdon Primary School.

Busenya Primary School was just as pleased with its borehole generously constructed by a supporter of St Thomas of Canterbury Primary School.

St Thomas of Canterbury visit to Busenya

Page 2 The Guildford Mukono Link Newsletter - April 2010

MOSQUITO NETS - I am very

grateful to Colin Davies who

has persuaded his company,

Syngenta, to donate 700 mosquito nets to the Busenya

project and pay for the

transport. These will make a

significant difference to the

lives of the families at the

school.

Holy Trinity School has established close links with Namawojjolo Primary School which will be sustained this year with reciprocal visits in April and June.

Holy Trinity sponsored a project to provide 30 girls and 2 boys with uniforms, lunch, books, pens etc.

Through a Holy Trinity contact Namawojjolo received eight indestructible computers. Both gifts are enormously appreciated and have helped make Namawojjolo very popular.

Last year the Link had a dream to initiate a ‘sports project’ in Mukono – imagine our delight a year later to enter the gates of Mukono High School on the first afternoon of the Trustees visit ….. to be greeted by a wonderful multi sports afternoon involving over 200 children of different abilities - girls and boys and a team of staff, parents, volunteers and spec-tators who were organizing the event!

The PA system was deafening, the pitches were still stony, the marquees had been erected to offer some respite from the sun for the visitors, most teams had an impressive ‘strip’ identifying the different schools and most of all there was talent and huge enthusiasm for the games and the opportunity for photo shoots. We were expecting low key football semi finals; Luckily, we just about had enough medals and prizes to go round !

Jim and I were amazed - especially as last November the project still had not moved forward despite the support of the Director of the famous Kampala Kids League (KKL), Trevor Dudley,- who had inspected the pitches in February 2009 and offered his support to start a community sports programme in Mukono. Since Christmas a drive from the Heads of Mukono High and Mukono Boarding - and especially a focus from all the PE staff in all the link schools based in the town - have ensured that the project of sports leagues for all children will be a reality in the near future.

The philosophy of inclusion and truly mixed teams has not yet been fully realised but the offer of planning workshops and further training from KKL, which can be financially supported by the Link, will help create fun and sport for all children.

Please look out on TV for the Kampala Kids League at the World Cup and for articles in the press about the Junior Tournament which is part of the overall programme in South Africa. Jim, Tony and I met some of these impressive young players who started in the leagues for fun and now represent Uganda ! Exciting stuff ! SALLY EDIE

MUKONO KIDS LEAGUE has lift off !

Page 3 The Guildford Mukono Link Newsletter - April 2010

WHAT HAS FAIRTRADE TO DO WITH THE LINK? - seemingly, nothing, until you consider how funds have been raised for the building of Lutengo United School.

It begins, however, with the extraordinary story of one man`s vision. In 2000 Edward Kaweesi with a group of young people decided a secondary school should be built in Mukono. The students made bricks and started building; by the time roofing and windows were needed the Link was aware of the school but had few funds to contribute. Sues Knight and Wilbraham then invested their Fairtrade surplus in the construction of six classrooms and a girls` dormitory at the school.

With the backing of GBC, their church in Shalford, St Mary`s, was happy to direct Fairtrade funds to Lutengo and has since welcomed Edward and other Mukono visitors. Fairtrade products from Traidcraft`s range are now sold in Shalford, Cranleigh, Guildford and all points in between! Profits, additional to the funds guaranteeing small scale Fairtrade producers’ income, are now sent to the school in Mukono where new dormitories will provide students with safety, security and a greater chance of success in their education

If you buy Traidcraft goods at Guildford Farmers` Market or in churches and schools around the area, or at the University of Surrey, you will be helping secure the future of one of Mukono`s main secondary schools.

For more information contact suerwilbraham@talktalk.net or www.traidcraft.co.uk

Sue Wilbraham

The Guildford Mukono Link, Charity number 1111069

59 Chantry View Road, Guildford, GU1 3XU

Log on to: www.guildford-uganda.com to find more photos and information about the link

Back Page Story Headline

English Workshop

English is the universal language in Uganda and is therefore a prerequisite for access to education and much employment.

The quality of English teaching was perceived to be variable in our Linked schools and many Primary teachers were keen to attend a workshop to learn successful techniques and methods.

Susan Wamala, Head teacher of one of our Linked schools was persuaded to submit, cost and run a suitable course.

Susan was able to report back in person at our September 2009 supporters’ meeting in Guildford as she was visiting her Link school, Worplesdon Primary. The week’s ‘Teaching English’ workshop designed for 24 teachers from 12 schools had expanded to 46 teachers from 14 schools! Officials and the press had been invited to record the occasion. Significant benefit from the Link was thus seen to spill over into other schools in the area.

Science Workshop?

Our primary Linked schools similarly see the need for a ‘Science Teaching’ workshop. It would be useful for science teachers, often working in isolation, to share their ideas and expertise and maybe assemble sets of simple equipment to illustrate key concepts, for example a globe mounted at an angle and a wind up torch to explain the seasons. Perhaps some items of equipment would be more easily accessed in the U.K. However, a syllabus, funds and a keen coordinator would be required for such a major undertaking.

Reception 17 May 2010 — Please join us

The Guildford Mukono Link is holding a reception at 7 pm on Monday, 17 May in the Guildhall, Guildford — all are very welcome. You will hear reports of Link activities over the past year including one from Alison Hall, the founder of Seeds for Development, a charity that helps struggling farmers.

The Sallie Thornberry Library is a large building capable of housing many more books than the Link has so far been able to provide. If you have any good quality books you are willing to donate please take them to Tamsy Baker, 32 Harvey Road, Guildford, GU1 3SE. If your organisation would like to collect books from your supporters, please phone Tamsy Baker on 01483 560,462 for a suitable box.