Africa v the World

Since returning from Uganda I have been trying to come to terms with the poverty gap between that country and anywhere else I have visited. What also baffled me was the availability of mobile phone technology in every corner of the bush yet a total absence of running water, electricity or basic healthcare. Technology had arrived but without all the benefits that it is meant to bring.  Santa came, but he left no presents!

I came across a TED talk by Hans Rosling which helps explain the inability of Africa to catch up with the rest of the world despite the massive economic and technological growth which has taken place since 1960. Its also highlights the power of data and the real barriers which exist to true global development.

(There is an interesting clip about Ugandan child mortality about 13 min in)

If you are interested in development, watch this.

A week in Uganda

Seventy days from now on the 7th of June 2009 I will be joining a team of traders and management from Rushmere Shopping Centre travelling to Uganda to help build a prinmary school in the jungle.

Our vision is to provide the children of Kibaale (a small village about a hundred miles west of Kampala in the Fort Portal District) with the facilities and equipment needed to help them build a brighter future for themselves and their family while making a sustainable and long term difference to the lives of these children.

After nearly three decades of civil unrest, Uganda is picking itself up. The infrastructure is developing and the economy is growing faster than any other African country. Education is a source of opportunity in Uganda and enrolment is up to 70% across the country. Despite these great achievements progress, in rural villages such as Kibaale, is not as rapid. There is an eagerness to learn but a lack of resources make it difficult to give the hundreds of children who live in the village, the quality education that they so desperately need.

In Kibaale the existing school which is made from wattle and mud is susceptible to all the forces of nature. Wind and rain can effectively destroy this temporary structure and ensure that many children are out of education until it can be rebuilt or alternative arrangements can be made.

A good education delivered within a permanent school structure gives hope. It offers the children of Kibaale the chance to make a better life for themselves and their families.

The opportunity to attend a “real” school, will give the children of Uganda a sense of belonging, the opportunity to meet people whom they may not normally meet and learn skills that they may not normally learn.

This week long building blitz will put to good use a range of skills from the volunteers, not only in terms of construction and heavy labour, but in terms of retail and other associated activity that the local community will benefit from. This blitz will culminate in the volunteers’ attendance at the topping out event.

This project is designed to be self-sustainable, therefore we hope there will be the opportunity for volunteers to return to the community and see first hand how the processes that are in place have progressed.

I’ll be blogging from the ‘Pearl of Africa’ and really cannot wait to get there.

We are of course fundraising. If you would like to donate please do so here.