MARCH 2006 - SOFT POWER EDUCATION NEWSLETTER

Dear All

2006 has us looking forward to another busy and exciting year. Soft Power Education managed to raise over £100,000 last year through the continued support of visiting overland passengers, independent long term volunteers, groups of hardworking students, the commitment of individuals who have set up standing orders, inspired donors and ex-volunteers who have returned home to fundraise.

Our 5 year project of refurbishing the 20 government schools within the local sub-county looks set to be broken ahead of schedule and we are ticking off the work being carried out at the schools at a remarkable rate…..new classrooms are being built, underground water catchment tanks have been dug, magnificent teaching aids have been painted and other projects have been finished. To put you in the picture read on.

Bufuula Primary School
Hands of Help, a group of 16 Aussie medical students raised a phenomenal amount of money for Soft Power. Prior to their arrival in November 2005 they hosted various events, one included guest speaker and author Bryce Courtney. Their funds and manual labour have seen the refurbishment of a 4 classroom block at Bufuula P/S and the interior and exterior painting of classrooms with inspiring teaching aids. With the rest of their funding the final block of condemned classrooms will be refurbished by Soft Power’s team of builders.

Butiki Primary School
With the help of 5 AV volunteers Butiki P/S has had a face lift. The school has been painted and the start of murals and teaching aids on the interior walls has begun.

Buyala St Pauls Primary School
With further funding from Robein Groep we have begun to build this school another new 4 classroom block.

Kyabirwa Primary School
With a group of family and friends from Suffolk (UK) who volunteered via Face Africa we have returned to Kyabirwa, one of the very first schools Soft Power worked at many years ago, to paint teaching aids on the classroom walls. This is also a project long term volunteers have worked at over the last month.

Mutai Primary School
Emily Jackson, a 15 year old American kayaker, raised money for Soft Power by donating her winnings from 2005 to the charity. She visited Jinja with her family in January 2006 and with her donation we have been able to start refurbishing the school’s last condemned classrooms.

Nsuube Primary School
We have moved to the second part of this school and are on the verge of completing the final 7 classrooms. With the support of Robein Groep we have completely refurbished this building and with the help of overland passengers and long term volunteers murals and teaching aids are being painted inside every classroom.

Wakitaka Primary School
Wakitaka has more than 1,222 pupils and although it has over 24 classrooms, the majority are either condemned or in a desperate need of renovating. For those of you who volunteered at Kibibi Primary you would recognise the headmistress Milly – she did such a good job with Kibibi that she has been transferred to Wakitika. With the support and donations raised by ex-volunteer, Bob the Girl, we started working here in January 2006. Bob has been running the site with the help of local builders and volunteers. This is a long term project that will see various groups working here during the summer months.

Kimaka Community School
In partnership with telecommunications company MTN we have completed the construction of a new 3 classroom block for local community school Kimaka. They have also provided funds for a water catchment tank and 60 school benches. MTN are keen to improve the community schools within Uganda and have asked for Soft Power’s support in this venture.

Tanzania – Special Needs Unit
We have built a 3 classroom special needs unit at Arumeru Primary School in Arusha, Tanzania. This exciting project has been facilitated by donor Cory Barra who approached Soft Power asking for our assistance. Ex-volunteer Calum Maine (aka Fraggle) is running the site with a team of Tanzanian builders all of whom are doing a great job.

Education Centre
In the middle of the cleared banana plantation stands the Education Centre. Funds for this project had dried up towards the end of last year – to really crack on we needed a large injection of money. However, at the start of February 2006 we received over £5000 from Gordon Durward. This crucial donation will enable us to put on the roof and fit the windows. Momentum is picking up as ex-volunteers Dave and Nic, who have just returned from their adventure around Africa, are going to be running this site for the next 12 months.

Medical Clinic
Soft Power Health’s Medical Clinic finally opened on 18th January 2006. The clinic is assisting people from the local communities who have minor injuries, ailments and malaria. They offer a consultation, including treatment, for 5,000ush – which is around £2. Doctor Jessie is currently back in the USA raising further funds and awareness for the clinic whilst leaving the malaria follow up and research in the hands of long term volunteers Erin, Erica and Dustin.

Volunteers – Past and Present
A very big thank you to Dr John Weir who carried out research in the communities surrounding Kyabirwa offering eye tests. His results were shocking if not fascinating as no one had ever been tested before. His wife, Catherine, helped at the pottery and their donation came via selling pots of homemade honey. Ex-volunteer Bethan Dear has returned to host an educational play within the schools using pupils from Kivubuka Primary. Olivia Davey raised a great donation and when her and Ozzie Sarah aren’t climbing mountains they’ve been organising sporting workshops within the community.

Abi, Susanna and Larissa stayed with us for many weeks running drama workshops and helping with the overland truck groups. Catherine Ross came to see that her block of loos at Buyala St Pauls were still standing and Frazer, his sister Anna Simpson, Kellie, Melinda, Trudi, Geoff, Heidi, Yvette, Jim and Mr George Everest – thank you for your support and hard work. And thank you to Susie Jones who came to volunteer with her husband Mick – she has agreed to being our UK fundraising co-ordinator as Jackie Smith’s returned to Uganda to take on the role as our Development’s Manager.

Groups of Volunteers On Their Way
Later this summer we are expecting over 50 dedicated volunteers from Leeds University who will be working within the schools on various refurbishment projects. Another group of AVA’s are coming, as well as the usual Madventure Team. Towards the end of the year Hands of Help want to send over more volunteers and I’m sure we will be surprised by other inspired student groups.

Please continue to help us to make a difference to the children’s educational facilities and lives here in Uganda – why not come and volunteer, set up a standing order or forward this email to people you know who are keen to see positive changes happen….Soft Power Education leaves more than just footprints.

Thank you & best wishes

Georgie Higginson
Projects Manager