We had such fun last year walking around Virginia Water lake in Surrey to raise money for the water project. In December we hit the road to Ruhanga SW Uganda and walked for water for nearly two hours in the hills above Ruhanga. Those that could not join us asked if we could organise something local for that they could all join.

You asked and we have delivered!  To take part you need to download a sponsorship form by clicking on this link—

Virginia Water Walk Sponsor Form

Further details and joining instructions

This walk of 5K around the lake at Virginia Water, is in aid of Ruhanga Village Community Project. The walk will take place on 1st April 2012 at 1PM

I hope that together we can raise £2000  to build a long drop toilet block for the children of the village, This is really important as at the moment they do not have proper sanitation facilities at the School, for some 300 children. Not having this new facility increases their risk of contracting diseases like cholera.

Our sponsored walk will start by everyone meeting at the main entrance from the car park for Virginia Water Lake on the A30 next to The Wheatsheaf Pub. Please note you can park in the crown estate car park where normal car parking fees will apply, or you can park outside in local roads and walk into the park.

There are toilet facilities at the garage opposite the main entrance, or in the Wheatsheaf pub next to the main entrance, also there is a public toilet at the half way point around the walk at the polo grounds. I will be supplying a bottle of water for everyone at this point.

I would suggest that you wear good walking shoes, and appropriate clothing, it’s fine to bring your dog, just as long as it is under control at all times. This walk is all on tarmac footpaths so kiddies bikes and pushchairs should have no problem.

This is a fun walk not a race it does not matter if you finish in 36 minutes as our power walkers did last year, or in two hours that’s me I came in last, but, I had a wonderful time walking at a gentle pace with great friends.  So come on put your best foot forward and join me to make this a successful day not just for us but all the children who are relying on our help. Everyone over the finishing line will receive their own medal as a thank you from me for your help on this very special day.  And don’t forget your PICNIC as we will all celebrate getting around the course  by eating together at the end of the walk.

Hilary Browell contact No. 07825712460.

If you can’t join us please consider making a donation to our kitchen initiative

http://www.mycharitypage.com/ethnicsupplies

As the school grows new challenges emerge , that is nature of development work. Out latest challenge is we have outgrown our kitchen facilities and need a proper school kitchen to feed the growing number of children at school.

For many children at Ruhanga development school the meal they have at school is the only meal they have access to or they go hungry. Those that have food at home this food does not  meet their nutrition requirements. Our goal for this year is therefore to encourage children to attend school and whilst they are at school they will be guaranteed a nutritional meal. Currently our capacity to feed this many children is limited as we lack the space and equipment to do so. We are therefore looking to raise money to construct a school kitchen that will also have a dining room. I hope you can support our cause. To make a donation visit our charity page by clicking on the button below

or you can donate through our paypal page

I have been in Uganda for a month now – we have around 250 children aged 3-10 attending our Ruhanga Development Nursery & Primary School. Nursery School is registered and Primary almost completed all the required sections for registration

Most children have a uniform – thanks to kind donations of unwanted items from UK schools (black/navy skirts or pinafores, white shirts or poloshirts, black or dark grey shorts and royal or navy sweaters – proudly displaying a variety of different UK school badges – we leave those on for photos – but the shirts have our own RDNPS badge sewn on

Long sleeves shortened and trousers are cut to shorts by our resident sewing lady.

One young volunteer who recently left after staying  3 months put almost £5,000 of his own money & what he collected  from friends and family and hired large machinery to grade and level out the large school playing fields – formally it was impossible to play games etc – in another few weeks the grass we planted will have completely covered the area and they will be able to host football matches and so on

We have 7 classrooms completed and two more still need windows doors plastering and floors rendered for use at end of  January. All would like glass in the windows but that is not top of the priority list,

A second toilet block needs to be completed – the pit and down part is all done – ready for walls and roof.

Registration people said we also have to have a bigger headmaster /office room and we need more storage for games equipment

The water project is finished – we have somewhere approaching 20 taps in place and water at three schools and many hundreds of people are already benefitting

Now others on the edge of our area are requesting taps – and I am getting quotation – as there is plenty of water to go further afield.

At the Lodge itself – for those who may contemplate a visit – we have FLUSH TOILETS now we have water.

Volunteering is not just for Gap years – I am well past pension age as are a number of our other visitors and the cost of just £10 per day for all meals and accommodation  makes it an affordable possibility for a holiday with a difference

Older visitors also can enjoy a short safari to Queen Elizabeth national Park for an extra £200 – or even go on a gorilla trek if you are reasonably fit.

We had a Xmas party at the Ruhanga Development School  and then there was the Walk 4 Water and official Turning on of the taps.

The community came out and got involved, I really can’t begin to put in words what this all felt like.

Austen- volunteer coordinator

With the water out of the way our attention turned to a great need that most of us in the west take for granted access to a toilet. As I explained in this post on BIRDS ON THE  BLOG  our girls are getting to that age when they need a toilet of their own and without which they will drop out of the the education system altogether. Without an education the  girls’s choices are limited almost always to an early marriage, being trafficked into prostitution and a life of poverty.

This problem is not unique to Ruhanga and according to the 2.6billion people worldwide are without a toilet. But it need not be this way and with direct action we can make a difference one community at a time. Our effort in Ruhanga is already under way and a few people have heeded our call to provide a girls’s toilet at the school, to join them please make a donation at http://www.mycharitypage.com/ethnicsupplies

Volunteers at Ruhanga School

I don’t know about you fol but it does seem to me that Xmas appears to come earlier and earlier each year. A few days ago I saw a woman with gift wrapping paper and my heart sunk! Is it that time of the year again I asked? I could help but wonder too how super organised she must be if she is already wrapping gifts! And the clocks haven’t gone back either! Phew!

Anyway that concentrated my mind a little- The children’s Xmas Christmas party is on 2 December 2011 and I have not done much by way of prep work! We had such fun with the children last year as you can see from the photos so we can’t let them down. The children laid on a concert for their parents, a local councillor visited and addressed the parents about the importance of sending children to school, supporting the school teachers as well as the spread of HIV

A Xmas party for 280 children isn’t cheap even in Uganda, so wonder if you would please help us out by making a donation. To make a donation please click on the donation button below

We would love to have you join us to and the day after you can take part in our #walk4water campaign

before

We are making real progress at Ruhanga Community development school this what the school looked like a few months ago!

School Play ground

As you can see in these photos the roof has gone on,  and work on the play ground has started.

School Play ground

We need to provide 1 more classroom to accommodate 25 children and finish off that playground by February 2012 when the new term starts.  Please help us get there by making a donation however small. We need to raise £2000

Thank you

Walton on Thames Travel Lodge  Ashley Park Road Walton on Thames Surrey KT12 1JP at 4:00PM. There is no need to book just turn up. The nearest train station is Walton on Thames 28 minutes from London Waterloo (you can also come via Surbiton, Clapham Junction and or Wimbledon). The hotel is across the road from the station.

village children carrying water

Why Attend

We will take on a journey to Ruhanga SW Uganda so you can catch up with our work and learn first hand the impact of that work from the people behind the scenes and those that benefit from what we do.  You will also hear about the future of the project and perhaps help shape it

We look forward to seeing you there

It is with regret that we announce the death of Ayebazibwe Witness (pictured with her twin) a 4 year old girl from Ruhanga Development School.  Witness   was hit bya car on 13th September 2011 and died instantly, she was nearly home but as she crossed the road a vehicle speeding through the village hit  her and the driver failed to stop.  Her mother is part of our women’s group that make and sale crafts and this happened right in front of her crafts stall!

Twins Ian and Witn

Witness was a bubbly and likeable girl  with a bright future ahead of her and here is as a Flower girl at a wedding in the village only a few weeks ago.  We are saddened by her passing.

Witness as a flower girl at a wedding last month

What makes this death more tragic is that this is the 8th  child that has died on this stretch of the road and we understand that you have no plans to install traffic calming measures in this area.  We would be grateful if you would please reconsider this decision for you see 2 years ago a father of  these girls http://www.birdsontheblog.co.uk/our-girls/ was hit by a car in the same spot leaving 6 children without a father and a wife without a husband.

What will it take to improve Road safety in this par of Uganda?

To our friends and well wishers a fund has been set up in memory of Witness  the details are here http://www.mycharitypage.com/InMemoryOfWitness&cp=1#donations

Please join us on the ‘Walk for Water’ in Ruhanga on 3rd December 2011 from 10:00am.

Funds are being raised to continue with the installation of a new pipeline to supply fresh mountain water to the villagers of Ruhanga, in SW Uganda. Participants are invited to take the guided walk to the source of the water located in the beautiful hills above the village, and see some of the construction already completed.

After this 1-2hour hike there will be a BBQ at Ruhanga Community Development School, with the chance to meet local villagers and school children who will benefit from the pipeline once it is completed.

The walk is organized by UK registered charity ‘Let Them Help Themselves Out of Poverty’, both to raise money and awareness of the great distance folk in Ruhanga have to travel to access clean water.

In June 2011 I and some of volunteers went out to Uganda and covered this trail and you can see how we got on in these two video clips

1. Bottled water (min 1litre)

2. Walking stick or pole if you are at all unsteady on rough ground

3. Camera to remember the fantastic views!

4. Camping facilities will be provided in the school grounds

5.A good pair of Walking boots

6. sun lotion

Or visit their website directly:

http://lethemhelpthemselves.eventbrite.com/