Uganda Interns

This is an interesting project where students are interviewed and selected by other students then Rotarians, to have 3 weeks in a new environment helping disadvantaged children.

St Andrews Rotaract is a University-based club sponsored by the Club. It offers an annual summer volunteering and internship programme in Uganda in partnership with Kings' Norton International School, which was founded by Rotarian Dr Wilber Sabiti (senior lecturer and research fellow at the University of St Andrews) and his wife, Sylvia. This year students Chloe and Caitlin were selected to spend three weeks in the school as teaching assistants, working with children with varying additional support needs. They were also able to spend an additional week travelling. Chloe and Caitlin described how transformative their time in Uganda was, and how much they loved and appreciated staying in Wilber and Sylvia’s home: the welcome was warm and the food was delicious! The students each focused on supporting a different child. Caitlin worked with Francis, a P3 pupil with autism spectrum disorder, who struggled to stay focused during lessons. As a result of this extra support, Francis was able to concentrate for longer periods of time. Chloe worked with 14-year-old Ivan – a pupil in P6 with Down’s syndrome. By the end of the three weeks there was a noticeable improvement in his writing, reading and social skills. More generally, the internships meant that Chloe and Caitlin were able to immerse themselves in and gain a deeper insight into Ugandan culture in a way not otherwise possible. No internship programme would be complete without its challenges – in this case an Ebola outbreak that impacted travel arrangements and illness that resulted in an unscheduled stay in hospital – but all was well that ended well! Apart from teaching at the school, highlights included travel to Entebbe, Wakiso, Kampala and Jinja – the source of the Nile – and the wonderful sights and experiences involved. Chloe and Caitlin were able to share some beautiful photographs they had taken. They thanked the Club for this wonderful opportunity: they both found the experience truly transformative. Colin Mitchell thanked them for their inspiring presentation and reported that their work at Kings’ Norton International School had been greatly appreciated.