A great opportunity arose in July when Clare Jefferies, a teacher at Nailsea School, Somerset let us know that her school was being completely rebuilt. Most of the equipmentwould have to go somewhere other than into the new school before 28th August 2009.
OurDeanery in the Bristol Diocese has a close friendship with three of the most northerly dioceses in Uganda - Nebbi, Kitgum and Northern Uganda. Kitgum is the poorest and it was decided to send equipment out to that diocese. As a result two church secondary schools, Rev. Jabuloni Issoke Memorial College and Archbishop Janani Luwum Memorial College (just near where Archbishop Janani Luwum is buried) will be the recipients of hundreds of chairs, tables, bookcases, computers, sewing machines, 350 boxes of books of all kinds, footballs, biros, pencils, etc...
Someone generously underwrote a portion of the projected cost (8000) which spurred us on in faith to take up this great opportunity. We bought a 40ft container (much valued in Uganda) and arranged shipping. Parishes in the Deanery were asked to contribute; some were very generous as were individuals in St. Peters, Henleaze. We could not have done anything without Chris Perry, the Facilities Manager at the school, whose enthusiasm and expertise oversaw the packing and loading on two days in late August by a squad of enthusiasts of all ages from two churches. The container will go via Mombasa, then on to Kampala andfinally to near the Sudan border, to Kitgum. It should take about two months.
Ali Vowles of BBC TV Points West came with a cameraman to do a piece which went out the same evening. We are grateful to Nightingales, Removals of Weston super-Mare for donating some boxes and to Chris Merson of Dynamic International, the shipper, who was very efficient and patient with those not used to moving containers!