For the past 4 years New Build Uganda has been carrying out an annual school building project in deprived rural areas of Uganda, eastern Africa. Made up entirely of volunteers, both British and Ugandan amongst others, The New Build Uganda uses the links established by the Food For Thought programme which has been operating in Uganda for 7 years. These factors allow The New Build to work in close co-ordination with local authorities and the local community so they can be proud of the completed buildings and continue to maintain and develop them long after the British volunteers have left.  All the money raised is spent directly on the building work in Uganda, so every pound makes an impact.

 

Set up by Mark Errington and Richard Britton in 2003, The New Build Uganda raised enough money to put a roof on a school in Kyamukoona, Mubende district, in 2004. This school was originally built by Ugandan parents who did not have enough money to complete it themselves. Mark and Richard both visited Uganda to help with the build.  After the success of this project The New Build 2005 was more ambitious and constructed two, completely new, blocks of 3 classrooms which now function as a Vocational Training Centre in Amuru district, northern Uganda. Once again this project was a great success and the following two projects in 2006 and 2007 completed teachers’ houses and primary school classrooms in Mubende district, central Uganda.

Northern Uganda is often seen as the area that most requires aid due to the devastation caused by 21 years of civil war.  However, there are already a significant number of NGOs operating in the area and many school building projects.  This is not the case in the rural areas of Mubende, which have received little attention despite the fact that they remain deprived. New Build Uganda has therefore decided to focus on Mubende.

 

 

 

Throughout the previous projects it has become apparent that the school children are not the only people to benefit.  The majority of building materials are bought locally at source to the benefit of local businesses, the volunteers (both Ugandan and non-Ugandan) benefit from the skills they learn and the cultural exchange that takes place through working side by side and living together, the local community experience a new sense of motivation when the foreign volunteers arrive and no one ever forgets Ugandan food!