This was a girls’ trip like no other for School for Life supporter Rebecca and her daughters Amelie and Lila. Farewelling her husband and older son as he embarked on his final-year exams, the trio headed off for an inspirational journey to Uganda that would change their lives for good.
Rebecca and her family are passionate about the transformative power of education which motivated them to become part of the School for Life community and sponsor a boy called Kennedy.
Amelie, Lila, Rebecca and Kennedy at Mbazzi Secondary School
When the opportunity arose to visit Uganda through the School for Life Travel4Good program, Rebecca said they felt the experience would enable her and her children to see first-hand what life is like for children in developing countries, but in a safe and structured way.
“My husband and I think it’s very important for our children to understand that not everyone in the world has the same advantages as we do here in Australia. We believe we should do what we can to help people who are less fortunate than we are, and we want our children to do the same,” she said.
After arriving to a very warm welcome on the ground in Uganda, the group headed off on a tour of a government school to gain a better understanding of the current education crisis in the country.
Rebecca said they were filled with shock and disbelief at the conditions the children and teachers were faced with. “The classrooms were literally falling down – some of them didn’t have roofs and each class was crammed full of children. It was not a safe environment for the children to be educated in and it was hard to see how much the children could learn in these conditions.”
Government-run schools in Uganda are not free meaning many children do not go to school as they simply can’t afford it. Uganda has the world’s youngest population and currently only three in ten children finish primary school.
When Rebecca and her daughters arrived at the School for Life Katuuso School, the contrast was immense, and they soon realised how incredibly lucky the children were to be at that school.
“The difference between the government school and Katuuso School was like night and day. It was a real eye opener.”
Rebecca saw first-hand the difference her support makes not only in the classroom but in the broader community.
“The primary school kids loved teaching us how to make soap, shoe polish and knitted goods. We learned that School for Life teaches the children these skills so they can use them to contribute to the family income.”
Rebecca and the girls learned that Hannah, age 10 had persuaded her parents to invest in the materials needed for making soap and she now proudly produces and sells her own liquid and bar soap which is helping to support the family financially.
“School for Life doesn’t just help educate children, it also teaches the kids life skills which enables them to make money and therefore help support their family and the wider community. It was lovely to see first-hand how this initiative at the schools is making a real impact on the lives of people in rural Uganda,” Rebecca said.
Other community initiatives that are having a positive impact include the borehole at Mbazzi Primary School which allows people to come into the school grounds after school hours to access free clean drinking water and vocational skills training helping local women become seamstresses to gain financial independence.
During the Travel4Good experience, Rebecca and her daughters were invited to visit some of student’s houses and see their home life first-hand.
“Seeing the conditions that the children live in was confronting and upsetting at times. The houses were often make-shift buildings with no electricity or running water and some of them had up to eight people sleeping in one room with no proper bedding. Most of the kids would only have one meal a day if they didn’t go to the School for Life.”
Rebecca recalls meeting a student Collin who walks to school every day with his little four-year-old cousin – a gruelling six hour round trip. She said it was heart-warming that despite the many hardships the students face, they felt lucky and grateful to be at the schools and to have a place where they feel safe and supported and that gives them hope for the future.
“We met one beautiful boy, David who showed us around one of the primary schools and you could tell he was making the most of everything that was being offered to him. He had big plans! It was just wonderful to listen to him talk about his dreams for his future and to realise he had a chance of fulfilling these because of the work of the School for Life Foundation.”
One of the happiest memories Rebecca and her daughters have is of the primary school kids playing with the bubbles and balloons the family brought from Australia.
“They were just so happy and smiley, the laughter was contagious. Taking selfies together with the kids was a lot of fun. They loved looking at the photos of themselves and thought it was hilarious when Lila and Amelie put snapchat filters on the photos!” Rebecca said.
As the trip was drawing to a close, Rebecca said they were not ready to say their goodbyes.
“On our last day having to say goodbye to the children was heart-wrenching. I don’t think we truly realised what an incredible impact the whole experience had had on us until the moment we had to leave. The children, the teachers, Brenda, Janepher and the people we had met in the wider community - so many inspiring people doing such amazing things. They touched our hearts in so many ways.”
And what would Rebecca say to someone considering Travel4Good experience in the future?
“Without a doubt, we would recommend! We were concerned about traveling to Uganda (especially as my husband and son weren’t coming) but we needn’t have been. We felt perfectly safe at all times. The local people were incredibly friendly, and the School for Life staff were all wonderful at looking after us.”
The shared parent-child experience is a unique and special aspect of Travel4Good and Rebecca said that Amelie and Lila definitely came away realising how lucky they are, but more importantly, they gained so much more out of it than that.
“Amelie and Lila came away having had a priceless experience. Something they will never ever forget. They met some extraordinary and very inspiring people who I think will have a massive impact on what they decide to do with their lives in the future.”
Reflecting on the lasting impact of her Travel4Good experience, Rebecca said; “I think we are still processing everything that we saw – there was such much to take in. But it was inspiring and without a doubt, life-changing for all of us.”
Ready for your own Travel4Good experience?
We are so grateful to all our supporters for sharing in our purpose and we would love for you to join us on a future Travel4Good adventure to see the lasting impact education provides!
If you would like to be part of this once-in-a-lifetime immersive experience for you and your child click here.
