Wednesday 26th September 2018
Mrs Broomhead MBE and Peace enjoyed lunch with the children, before going to view the magnificent pumpkin which the children had grown. Peace then helped prepare the hockey equipment ready for a competition the following day.
As afternoon school started we all sat with the children while Peace updated the children on the arrival of the Goats in her village. The school had received photographs of the children with the goats, the viewing of these provoked many questions. The children were able to understand from Peace how different life was for the children in a Uganda village; they saw the different types of housing, the uniforms, the way all children- boys and girls must have their hair cut to a length of 1 inch (2 ½ cm) If they came to school with hair longer the teachers would cut it. The 10 Goats (8 female and 2 male) had been given to the poorest children. There was a small amount of money remaining so they used that to buy poultry.
The goats will be used to raise kids or kill for meat which they will sell to raise money to pay for their school fees.
Peace said THANK YOU to the children and talked about the Christian values of loving one another and giving. The children have been living out these Christian Values. Peace quoted ‘God loves a cheerful giver and to love and love one another.’
The children through their questions learnt how hard life was for the children, especially for the girls. Often only the boys from a family will be sent to school and the girls will stay at home to help with the chores. This is something which Peace is trying to change; she is promoting the importance of equality.
The children wanted to name the goats, this they did in their house teams. The results are- Male- Mars and Billy; Female- Greta, Gina, Milly, Paula, Misty, Poppy, Coco, Alexa. We hope that the head teacher at the school will organise the naming process so, going forward, we can monitor the progress of the goats and the children.
What can we do next to continue our support for the children? – We are hoping, with the community, to raise funds for “Education Packs”. These will then be given to Mrs Broomhead who will see the Uganda Netball team and Jocelyn our contact, when they play a Test series against England in December. We have also heard from the school and understand that there were 20 children in need so the children will now raise funds to buy 10 more goats so that all the children will be supported.