Welcome Back!

You have Gifts for Good in your basket.

Checkout Now
Continue shopping for more gifts

Welcome Back!

Last time you were here, you were looking to help vulnerable children and families. Your support can save and change lives.

Donate Now
Learn more about our appeals

ChildFund Australia ambassador Julie Goodwin is in Uganda with her husband Mick to visit their sponsored child Hamad and learn more about ChildFund’s work firsthand.

Today we are travelling to Mbale, which is a town north-east of Kampala. We are going there to participate in some ChildFund projects in the field, before returning to meet our sponsor child, Hamad.

We begin the day by heading to the head office of ChildFund Uganda to meet the team behind these projects. Simba, the head of ChildFund in Uganda, speaks to us about the issues facing the Mbale area and what ChildFund are doing to address those.Once we have visited and seen these projects, I will post details about them. Before we leave the office Mick and I admire the unusual Jackfruit tree, upon which a jackfruit is cut down for us to try. It’s really sweet and lovely.

We get into our little bus, joined by Dan from head office. The trip is long. The day has started out quite chilly, but that soon gives way to humid heat once again. As we leave Kampala we see the biggest markets I have ever witnessed; it looks as though you could just get lost in there forever.

I have noticed that in Uganda (and these are general observations only), the men are all well-dressed. They wear long trousers and button shirts, even when unloading giant bunches of Matooke bananas off trucks or bicycling a load of wooden poles. I am told that there are some men who do not sport a close-cropped or shaved head, but I have yet to see one.

The women are also beautifully dressed and groomed. Their hair is a focal point, many with intricate braiding and colourings. Once again, this applies even to the women tending the cows by the side of the road and minding the tiny hole-in-the-wall shops.

Another thing that strikes me is, that everyone seems to live their life outdoors. This road trip is not just natural scenery and dwellings, it’s a living breathing documentary. Everyone is going about their business outside – sweeping, trading, harvesting, carrying baskets of fruit on their heads. (My “pinch-me” moment of the day is a beautiful woman, carrying a baby in her arms and one perfectly round cabbage on her head. Not in a basket, just sitting there on her head.)

 

After hearing about ChildFund Australia’s Start Strong, Stay Strong project in Zambia, the students at Kingston School in Medan, Indonesia were inspired to take action. Each grade decided to raise money in their own way to support children in Zambia.

Vicki, a teacher at the school and a long-time sponsor with ChildFund Australia, says: “The children were very moved by the statistic that about 300 children under five die every day [in Zambia] – this is the size of our school. They found it hard to believe that a child could die from a high fever, which they just go to the doctor for and take an aspirin. That put everything into perspective for them.”

Monica, Nicole and Ira are in Primary Five. They shared their experience with us:

“We, Primary Five students, started fundraising from October 2012 to help Zambia, especially the babies and mothers. We had a donation box and each of us donated money. P5N raised about Rp 1,000,000 ($100AUD) and P5E raised Rp 600,000 ($60).

On the 7th December 2012 we had a Christmas celebration and we had a bazaar, fundraising for Zambia. We sold toys, which we made ourselves at home, food and drinks made by us, and flashlights. Our total effort came to Rp 4,000,000 ($400).

We enjoyed donating and selling because it was so exciting and like our parents in real life! We also think this is a good thing because we helped mothers and children in Zambia. And we did it as a team.

We want to encourage more people to donate. Go Zambia! Start strong! Stay strong!”

The seniors at Kingston School also commented on the event:

“We had fun selling for the Zambian children and mothers. This was a great experience for us and it’s good to help others. We learned how to sell and appreciate teamwork. We hope that our donations will be useful to improve the health and education system there.”

A special thanks to Monica, Nicole and Ira for sharing this story with us, and to all the teachers and students at Kingston School for supporting our work – together you raised almost $3,000 to help young Zambian children have a healthier start to life. Thank you!

By subscribing, you agree to receive communication from ChildFund Australia.