Recently a team of 19 corporate volunteers visited our Suubi Complex, in Lubanda Village, Uganda. This came about after Laurence Webb, who established Helping Hand; a program that aims to re-use decommissioned PCs and laptops in a responsible and cost effective way, first provided Suubi with 8 laptops in 2009. Helping Hand has now donated over 8000 computers in 14 different countries. Each year Laurence takes a group of volunteers from large corporations, that have often donated IT equipment, to visit some of the projects that have benefited from this wonderful initiative. During this years trip, projects in Kenya, Uganda and Mali will all be visited by the group.
Much to the excitement of everyone in the village, the Helping Hand team planned to spend four days holding a variety of workshops across all age groups. So when they finally arrived on January 13th there were celebrations all round!
Having safely arrived (Top) the children from OMODING Primary School welcomed Laurence's group with traditional singing and dancing. (Bottom)
Gifts from the local community, including chickens, bananas and sugarcane were presented to the visitors (Top) before the Suubi Ladies and Children's music and dance group joined with the OMODING students to perform for them. (Bottom)
After touring around the facilities at the centre and a good nights rest, the volunteer team set to work the next day holding workshops. These included film making for some of the teens in the village, a business plan workshop which focused on establishing a coffee growing business for a group of 24 youth in the area, nutrition workshop for the wider community, career guidance for students and help with marketing for the Suubi Craft ladies. And while all that was going on, the teams computer guru, Damien, was busy networking six new laptops into the Suubi Health Clinic!
Ssemwogerere David showed the team around the Suubi complex, including a locally made water tank that is in the process of being built (Top) and the new banda which the volunteers donations had funded (Bottom)
Mark conducted film making workshops for the youth (Top) while Laurence, Yuri and Liz held business planning workshops. (Bottom)
Suubi Craft Ladies were helped with marketing strategies (Top) while Sally and Loretta gave career guidance to local students. (Bottom)
Katherine held nutrition workshops for the wider community (Top) and after a big day the 'Muzungus' (white folks) took on the Ugandans in a soccer match to unwind. (Bottom)
The following day the team visited OMODING Primary school, one of Suubi's partner schools, to check out their amazing school gardens. Although they have very basic structures and facilities, the school works incredibly hard to provide their students with an education that will lead them towards a better life. The team was so taken by the enthusiasm of everyone at the school that they returned a couple of days later to distribute books, pen and pencils which they had bought with them.
With follow up work shops completed, the team took a couple of days off to tour Queen Elizabeth National Park where they went on safari and cruised the Kizinga Channel. There was much excitement on the morning they were due to leave though; another new baby was delivered at the Suubi Clinic!
Laurence was introduced to the mother and new baby that timed their arrival perfectly!
After returning to Suubi a few days later, for a final farewell with the community, the team headed to Entebbe where they had a dinner an evaluation meeting with David. Everyone agreed that the trip had been a huge success, with many commenting that they wished they could have stayed longer!
A huge thank you to everyone who helped to organise and co-ordinate this wonderful visit to Suubi.
The team has now moved on to the project in Mali where we wish them well. We feel very sure they will stay in touch and follow, with great interest, the progress at Suubi.
A huge thank you to everyone who helped to organise and co-ordinate this wonderful visit to Suubi.
The team has now moved on to the project in Mali where we wish them well. We feel very sure they will stay in touch and follow, with great interest, the progress at Suubi.
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