In 2018 I was lucky enough to be invited to join a group of volunteers on a trip to Jinja in Southern Uganda. The people of Uganda make it a very special place, radiating friendliness and warmth, so much so that I returned the following year with another group which included my husband. All the volunteers, as well as giving our time, pay for our own flights, accommodation and living expenses which puts money into the local economy and ensures all funds raised go directly to the charities we work with in Jinja, which are Softpower Education and Hospice Jinja.
Uganda is one of the poorest countries in the world and approximately one in five live in extreme poverty. Before travelling to Jinja the volunteers did various fundraisers and collected clothes, which is where The Hub helped out by being a donation center for clothes drop-off. The clothes were distributed at Namalere Primary school, with an enrollment figure of about 500 students and the remainder were left with Softpower, who run pre-schools and a Special Education Needs programme across the Jinja district. Softpower distribute the clothes on school sports day as prizes and also as Christmas gifts for the children. Clothes are also given to family members of some of the Hospice patients in the care packages given out by the Hospice team.
Thank you to everyone who donated and thank you to The Hub for your assistance.
Attached are some photos of the children, some wearing local jerseys
Anne Laffey
