• 27 April 2015

Charlene’s Project to begin working in Guatemala

Dickie Barr, Charlene’s dad and parishioner of Magheralin and Dollingstown, brings us the latest news from Charlene’s Project:

We have often mentioned Charlene’s diaries and journals and all the plans she had for Uganda and beyond.

In 2010 after the Haiti earthquake Charlene enquired about building a school in Haiti alongside her plans for Hidden Treasure in Uganda. At that time responses to her enquiries were negative. Over recent months particularly as God was closing the door to a summer Uganda 2015 team, we have prayerfully revisited this dream of Charlene to develop work in Central America. We have explored the same model as we have developed in Uganda of commitment to long term partnership with local communities through education and primary health promotional development with the emphasis on long term relational partnership between community and Charlene’s Project.

The doors have opened to the possibility of partnership with 2 remote villages in the mountains of Guatemala. We are travelling out to Guatemala during the summer to explore taking this forward and value your prayers very much as this progresses. We will keep you updated.

News from Uganda

It was so encouraging to hear the outcomes from the P7 2014 exams at both Hidden Treasure and Kahara in Uganda.

Pastor Eugene at Hidden Treasure Primary School reports: “Good news! All our P.7 candidate students 2014, passed very well. 4 with grade one and 11 with grade two. All of them have highly qualified for senior secondary education. A great blessing for the community”

The P7 results for Kahara Primary School too are very impressive. The pass rates this year have been exceptionally good, with all 21 of P7 pupils passing their P7 Leaving exams in 2014. 15 of these pupils achieved a Division II result. Enrolment has risen by 28% and attendance rates have been consistently high.

At Hidden Treasure the new boys latrines are completed and the Christmas gifts that went out to all the staff and children included new shoes for the children. 100 children continue in the Sponsorship Programme and all the children are fed in school daily.

Kahara Hall
Kahara Hall
At Kahara the community hall (right) and teacher accommodation has been completed as has the school kitchen. We have commissioned staff training for Head Teacher Bernard and Aaron one of the other teachers. The maize sheller is bringing in a little income for the school and we hope to purchase a maize grinder soon. The first 25 children within the sponsorship scheme at Kahara have been linked with sponsors. Victoria, the school Chairperson, has reported back that the Mamma Packs have been all distributed to pregnant women and to date all deliveries have been successful with no maternal or baby loss. (women have to provide Mamma Packs at delivery – many previously could not afford to do so with increase in risks of infection to mother and baby)

Kilwara Primary School
The building and development work is commencing on Kilwara Primary School, not far from Kahara and will be completed over 2–3 years thanks to the money raised at the Big Festive Fry. This will be the third Charlene’s Project school and we are excited with its proximity to Kahara Primary School as it allows further community development, collaboration between schools and progress towards long term education goals.

Teacher Training
We have commissioned collaborative work with the teachers from Kahara, Kilwara and 3 other neighbouring schools in the local vicinity of Kahara and Kilwara Primary schools with the hope that good practice will be shared and retention to P7 (especially of girls) will increase right across the Kahara/Kilwara community. We still hope and pray that eventually there might be a secondary school for the children of that community.

Container to Kahara/Kilwara
We are planning to send a container with medical and educational equipment to Kahara during 2015.This will allow our desire to support the local community around primary health needs and the Dikka health centre that serves the local communities of Kahara and Kilwara.

Acholi Quarter Beads Project
The girls in the Acholi Quarter Beads Project have received the Sewing Machines we purchased for them and training has started so that will soon be able to make sanitary pads and other materials to sell locally. They will also be able to supply our schools with these materials that are so badly needed. We have organised training of the girls in the project around a successful Savings and Loans Programme .
These wonderful girls cannot raise fees for secondary education and have to drop out of school. We are working with Youth Sport Uganda to sponsor some of these girls to get them through their secondary school education. If you would like to sponsor one of the girls, please contact Janice. The cost is £25 per month.
 
In everything we do in Charlene’s Project we value your prayers, support and love. Thank you for helping us in our small efforts to impact those in need. Please do continue to keep in touch with us around all that is going on in Charlene’s Project and watch for updates via Facebook.