Uganda Lodge Newsletter February 2015



I have just returned to Ruhanga and already see changes at the project from when I left before Christmas.

The new school year began this week and as we have now opened a Primary 7 we are receiving a lot of new students of all ages requesting places at Ruhanga Development School. To cover this and keep our fees very low we need a lot of new people to sponsor children for us – its just 90 pence a week per child and you can choose one here www.sponsorachild.co.uk/children-needing-sponsors Please help to support our work in supporting the disadvantaged families and many orphans in this rural area.

All of you who have volunteered at Ruhanga, given us a donation or used to sponsor but have dropped out for one reason or another please consider setting up a new monthly standing order for £3.50 – details on the downloadable form or email me direct ann@ugandalodge.com Your payment  will  go through our UK registered charity so Gift Aid can be claimed and all of your money goes directly out to our school in Uganda as the admin is all done by volunteers.

Denis is now building new dormitory accommodation to help both boys and girls with their studies, as if the older children are still sleeping at home they are expected to do many chores before and after school. Many of our children are orphans or come from vulnerable families so our sponsorship scheme benefits them massively.

Both Computer and Tailoring lessons have started on a small scale at the new Vocation Training Centre across the road from the school and Guest House, and students are happy that we have sewing machines and computers in use, and the toilet block will soon be completed,  thanks to LTHT and support from the Hastoe group.

The McNeil Medical Centre is doing well and they are now admitting overnight patients and have a weekly Dental Clinic thanks to Dentaid. They had their first birth a couple of weeks ago and the Mum has decided to call her baby boy McNeil after our generous funders.

The Uganda International Marathon being organised at the Equator on 24th May is still open to entries. We have three runners for Uganda Lodge confirmed so far (Jordan, Sophie and Sean) and I would like to find another two to make up a team of five. You can just run for half the distance or make up a team of four for a relay. The organisers have told me that flights are still available with Turkish Airlines £349 return – that is incredibly cheap for UK to Entebbe.

Our volunteer numbers are low at the moment so now is the time to book – and once here its just £15 per day full board, with the opportunity to join one of Denis’s memorable safaris for under £300.

If you have already volunteered in Ruhanga please tell your friends, send your photos and experiences up to Original Volunteers and COME BACK AGAIN!!!   You will be most welcome.




Failing that, please can you help Denis to  continue with his Community plans by donating now  to help complete the school dormitories or organise a fundraising event  in order  to  enlarge on the newly opened vocational training centre. All ideas welcomed.

Over the past months I have been given many donations of school uniforms and clothes, shoes books etc for our very successful mini-markets out there but I have run out of volunteers to take a bag so I cannot get them out at a cost-effective price. Do you have any contacts in a courier company or shipping agency that might like to support us and send them out for free?

Thank you for reading about our projects – we will send more updates soon.

Ann McCarthy and Denis Aheirwe