Since 2001 the children at Poynton’s Vernon Junior and Infant schools have been raising money for the needy children and adults in Kamuli, Uganda. The fundraising has helped in so many ways. For example, it has built two houses, a crèche and school rooms, supplied goats and a goat house to a blind man and his family, provided food for needy families, shoes for several of the children, lots of mosquito nets and hundreds of text books for the school. Many of the children were also able to go on lifetime trips to Lake Victoria and the River Nile.
Poynton resident Gerry Hambridge has made regular visits to Kamuli and through this has established a close relationship between the children at Vernon and the children in the schools of Kamuli. The children and teachers exchange letters and favourite songs.
The first challenge for the newly amalgamated Vernon Primary School has been to raise funds for a new school in Uganda, St James Primary and Orphan Care in Kamuli. Gerry Hambridge will be working at this school when she returns to Uganda on 17th November for a month’s voluntary work. St James’ serves an area where all families are very poor and where many children are orphans.
Joanne Glimmerveen, Headteacher at Vernon Primary School said “Gerry recently held an assembly reminding us all of our past fundraising achievements in Uganda, as well as talking about new ways we can help the children even more.”
Mrs Glimmerveen added “We decided to do a Sponsored Spell, learning words connected to Uganda. We hope to build and equip a new classroom and library and also buy some new beds and mosquito nets for the children, who currently only have mats to sleep on. Their needs are many, but we are sure that over the next few years we can help to improve their lives.”
Gerry Hambridge said “It was wonderful to see how excited the children were about the Sponsored Spell and to know that the money raised will put smiles on many faces in Kamuli! To date, monies raised from the Sponsored Spell are in the region of £546, which is just fantastic”.
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| left to right are Mrs Glimmerveen, Year 1 pupils Cameron, Jodie, Nathan and Aimee and Mrs Hambridge holding resources such as a number-line and 'recycled' pencil crayons which will go to the children at St James’. |
