Sustainability. It’s the buzz word in charity and non-government organisational circles. I could talk a lot about it, the misconceptions, the realities, but that’s not the purpose of this post.
The excitement I’m feeling right now is the buzz of activities going on in Uganda with READ for Life whilst I’m here in Australia! Our Ugandan supervisor Lajara Beatrice, assisted by our US volunteer Kelsey Stiers, are doing smashing jobs leading our READ for Life team into the new year.
This month alone there is:
- a large three-day phonics introduction training planned for teachers travelling from all over the country (I think 50 teachers are already registered)
- a training for blind teachers in a professional development camp right now! This is something new for us and something I’m really excited about. How to help blind teachers teach blind children how to read. I will share more about this one soon.
- Sending one of our trainers to Mbale, in Eastern Uganda, to co-facilitate a phonics training and help to strengthen one of our new satellite sites (recommended by the National Government).
There has been a flurry of messages between my phone/laptop and our Ugandan team, but I’m thankful that I can leave this important work in their hands. We still have a long journey to go, and a lot of planned mentoring for this year, but this is one important step in our growth. So as I have a dip in the river, slunk down into the armchair at the local movie theatre on Australia’s east cost, and tuck into some much-needed cheese, I reflect on how my absence is in fact empowering.
Dan and Jodes... in Gulu, Uganda 