In 2019 I travelled to Uganda with the EDUKID team to meet the schools and families that they work
with. Five years later I have taken a day away from work to catch up with the team and reflect on
how my trip to Uganda has remained one of the most important experiences that I have been a part
of.
My motivations for embarking on a trip to Uganda came from wanting to experience a different
country and their culture within schools and local communities. I spent close to 12 months
fundraising for the costs of the trip through car boot sales, jumble sales, and grant applications. I
learned through this time that the local community could be very generous and supportive after
learning about the amazing work that EDUKID do. I was able to raise all the money I needed to go on
the trip, a task that was even more enjoyable that I ever expected it to be.
My week in Uganda brought a range of emotions for laughter to tears! I met some incredible
children throughout the process, both children being sponsored by EDUKID and children that were
seeking sponsorship for education. Our focus of the trip was working with Special Educational Needs
and Disabilities (SEND) children. We ran workshops with them in reading, crafts and games. After the
amazing welcome ceremony that we received from the students and teachers, I wanted to get some
dance lessons from the children. We may not have been anywhere near as confident dances as the
girls at the school but putting some music on and following their lead was one of the highlights of
the trip.
As well as the school visits, we went to see a home for young vulnerable girls who had children but
no family to support them. This along with the visits to homes of the local children gave all of us an
in-depth view of what EDUKID’s money and work goes towards. Seeing the first-hand accounts of
how the children’s futures are benefitted by EDUKID showed us all how important trips like the one
we were on are.
After leaving Uganda I have always wanted to go back. My time fundraising for the trip inspired me
to apply to be a fundraising officer with a local charity in Kent while I was at university. With a similar
purpose, my time fundraising for Books2Africa reminded me again how important the work charities
do to improve the lives of children in poverty is.
When starting my Graduate job with Enterprise Mobility, I found that Enterprise as a company
provide a lot of support and time towards local charities. I was given the opportunity to take a day
out of work and volunteer with a local charity. The first charity that came to mind was obviously
EDUKID. I started the day attending an assembly performed by secondary school students about
their recent trip to Uganda. It was great to know that the children in the years after me have still
committed to supporting the children of EDUKID. The rest of the day I spent in the office learning
about what projects they were not working on. Including working on a grant application from the
Enterprise Foundation for a project in Peru looking to improve the educational lives of young girls
who live alone trying to navigate their way through childhood.
My next steps after spending the day with the team is planning when I can next take a trip with
EDUKID. Whether this be a visit back to Uganda or a trip to Peru to see the stages of the newest
project are, experiencing a part of the charity works again would be a dream!
