Establishing Koindu College:
Last September we opened a new vocational centre in Koindu, a town in Sierra Leone on the border of Liberia and Guinea. The local village chief has provided rooms rent–free and, to date, 25 students are enrolled training in catering. Many of the students are like Martha, who aged 17, has virtually no schooling due to difficult family circumstances that forced her to leave home and attempt to fend for herself. All of the students hope that securing a vocational skill will provide them with an opportunity of employment and the possibility of changing their lives.
Manufacturing in Mukongoro, Kumi:
In October we were able to provide schools with washable sanitary pads made locally in Cân y Goleuni vocational college, Mukongoro. Currently supported with funding, the micro-business employs 7 tailors, most of them graduates from the college, and aims to produce enough pads to support Teams4U’s commitments in the area, plus making pads, schoolbags, liquid detergent and soap available for sale. We are very grateful to generous donors from Wales, including Wrexham based company DTCC, for funding sewing machines and the training from franchise “Days for Girls” in the manufacture of the pads.
Government Invite:
We were honoured to be the only NGO represented from the Teso region (which comprises 8 districts including Kumi) at the Ugandan Ministry of Education’s Menstrual Hygiene Management day on 28th May. It was a privilege to speak for our Develop with Dignity project and discover more regarding how the country is nationally handling Menstrual health.
Kumi Guesthouse completed:
The T4U guesthouse in Uganda is now finished and has already hosted 4 teams! The house is spacious with 5 en-suite bedrooms capable of accommodating up to 20 people. Having this space has significantly helped team-life, providing space for briefings and team-exercises.
Schools Link Program:
As part of our commitment to Global Citizenship Education we have partnered 4 schools in Wales to 4 schools in Uganda. We look forward to seeing how this relationship benefits pupils in all participating schools.
Fostering & Adoption Training in Belarus:
Our chair of Trustees, Nick Pengelly, and his wife Sue, travelled out to Belarus to run a training seminar on “Supporting families and children”. Nick and Sue have been fostering in the UK for over 11 years and were invited to share their experience and knowledge, particularly around assisting children with childhood trauma and/or with additional learning needs to 15 adoption specialists from Social Services.
“Based on the presented methods, techniques and practical experiences of Sue and Nick Pengelly, in all regions of the country specialists from the National Adoption Centre have begun developing practical skills and presenting theoretical materials for specialists in the field of child welfare and foster services.”
O.Glinskaya, National Adoption Centre, Ministry of Education, Republic of Belarus