Pupils dress to aid school in Uganda

Paremata School teacher Heather Haswell says volunteering at a school in Uganda was the best thing she’s ever done.

She has a constant itch to help others, but it wasn’t until her grandson was born that she followed through on her dream.

‘‘I’ve always had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to volunteer,’’ she said.

‘‘But I thought, ‘If I’m going to volunteer, let’s go somewhere I’m needed’, and Africa had a really big pull.’’

She contacted Global Volunteer Network in Lower Hutt.

The organisation gave her a contact in Uganda and she planned a solo trip for September 2013.

After an arduous 40- hour journey, Haswell made it to Lugazi, a town of about 35,500 in central Uganda.

She stayed with the director of three schools in the area, including the one she volunteered at.

‘‘I stayed with Valance and his family for four weeks. It was really humbling, and they really looked after me,’’ she said.

‘‘ Every morning I took a motorbike to Kitoola Village, to what they call an ‘outback’ village school.

‘‘They have no electricity, no power, no resources... there isn’t anything at all.’’

Many of the 250 students have only their mother or father to look after them, but for some, they don’t have either parent.

‘‘ Everything is done on a blackboard, and the children have just a little book and a pen – in some classes just a slate,’’ she said.

‘‘The kids have nothing – no backpacks, no shoes. But they’re still very happy kids.’’

She realised the school was very dependent on outside donations, and when she returned to New Zealand, she was full of ideas to help it.

As well as raffles and other fundraising, Paremata School has just held its second cultural day, when children dress up in clothes linked to their cultural background for a gold coin donation.

But Haswell said lots of pupils were happy just to help out whenever they could, some even giving up their pocket money for Kitoola School.

‘‘They might give me 50 cents, or $13 from the family. It’s sort of a constant kind of thing.

‘‘ We’ve also had some generous contributions from the Paremata community.’’

Haswell has sent about $4500 to Valance so far.

‘‘I have an account called the Circle of Hope. As soon as it hits $1000, I send it over.’’

Valance uses the money for improvements for schools, fixing wooden shutters, building doors and roofs, and plastering.

Haswell plans to return to Uganda next July, when she hopes to see the difference her efforts have made.