I guess everyone is back to their normal routine after the excesses of Christmas?
We have gained a number of new sponsors over Christmas but even before the new school year begins we still have children from last year waiting for someone to find them. Sponsorship is only £3.50 a month and if your own child chooses one he/she can email an occasional letter to the children out in Uganda, and we will endeavour to get a reply back. They will also have their name on the website and receive a sponsorship certificate. Do you know any children who would really not miss 90p a week from their pocket money????
My goal for this coming year is to help Denis provide more opportunities for the youth of Ruhanga to have easy access to affordable Vocational Training and learn how to start up and run a small business for themselves. Many of the youngsters in these rural villages are orphans or they come from very poor farming families and a large majority of them will never find paid employment even if they were to complete senior school, as jobs in the area are almost non-existent.
Thanks must go to all who donated their time and money over the past year; we are now about to open Phase One of the Vocational Training Centre, which initially comprises a toilet block and two workshop-style classrooms for teaching Computer Skills, Tailoring and Bicycle Repairs.
The next Phase that we hope to open later this year is for teaching Catering Skills and Motor Mechanics. As Uganda Lodge and the training facility is on the main highway that runs between Kenya and Congo there is frequent traffic passing by. Once a coffee shop/snack bar and a vehicle servicing bay and workshop are built, they will start to bring in an income and become self-sufficient as well as enabling us to keep tuition fees to a minimum without ongoing funding. Foundations are already in place for the catering section thanks to donations collected here.
To help get these new buildings completed , we will take part in a major Ugandan FUNDRAISING event on 24th May – we are inviting supporters to join in the Uganda International Marathon. Initially we have been offered FIVE places for International runners and our Director Denis will be joining them.
Here is the Official Press Release: UGANDA MARATHON Run for Community Projects in Ruhanga
We’re honoured to have been offered five places at the first ever Uganda International Marathon taking place over the bank holiday weekend on May 24th 2015. There will be a discount for all runners racing under the Uganda Lodge banner and the fundraising you do will go directly to the new projects Denis has been working on.
Our runners will receive a £50 discount making the 6 days in country, including the race, transfers, accommodation & food come to £345. You’ll be staying with local families, marshaling a children’s race (the children will then return the favour and be handing you water for your rather long jog), visiting projects that some of the fundraising is for, and generally joining in the pre-race fun and excitement.
This is a marvellous opportunity to boost the fundraising capabilities for our Ugandan Director Denis Aheirwe and all those at Ruhanga and we would be honored to have people run for us. If you can’t run then by all means walk and if a full marathon is too far then they also have a half marathon and relay (4x10km) race option as well. So there is no excuse…..
If you book now I have seen return flights to Uganda (Entebbe) as low as £450 but they are going fast. You can return home immediately after the race but ideally travel on down to visit our projects in Ruhanga (www.ugandalodge.com), do some volunteering at our School and Medical Centre and join Denis on a safari to QE national Park or go trekking to spend time with the rare mountain gorillas. Ideally we are hoping that each of our runners can raise £1,500 or more so we can start to build an additional workshop-style classroom and offer more vocational training to the youth of Ruhanga
For more information go to www.facebook.com/ugandamarathon and then email me to ask any further questions or to register your interest. You have until mid-February to sign up and pay an initial deposit.
Please pass this info on to any contacts you have in sports and other clubs etc who may like the opportunity to run a marathon for us – Its often hard to get a place in a big marathon so now is your chance – it really will be a wonderful event and I’d love to have a team out there.
I am returning to Uganda in a couple of weeks time so will be able to get more photos and updates and update you on what is happening in both Ruhanga and Kasenyi.
Have a Happy New Year and do contact us if you can offer any help with admin, fundraising and general marketing and promotion work.