Dinner and speaker at the Baron

After a tasty meal and a bit of business, overseen by President Elect Ivan Jones, we settled down to hear from the inspiring Di Cosgrove. Her involvement with primary school education in the Masindi region of Uganda started in 2003 when she and 15 other teachers travelled to the country under the "Global Teachers" scheme. What she saw of the conditions that the children were living and learning in, the area being very poor and families surviving by subsistance farming, made her want to make a difference there. Education is the best way out of poverty and although the children were learning something, sitting in rows and learning by rote, she felt that more could be done. So with the support of the Ugandan Government, and keeping within the Ugandan curriculum, she set up the Red Earth charity in 2006 to encourage higher quality teacher training. 

Over the subsequent 12 years she and her two colleagues ( the latter who spend the majority of their time living in Masindi )  have set up a number of initiatives including encouraging teachers to work with materials they have available to allow the children to interact, learn, create and discover, something they had not done in the past. Once teachers have completed their training course, they are then able to go out to remote areas and teach others. This is all working towards a sustainable system of teacher education within the limitations of Ugandan Education department and available finances, which are limited. Di has set up a nursery in Masindi for local preschool children but also for preschool teachers to learn by example. Di has also encouraged the setting up of an early childhood development course based around the nursery facilities. 

There is so much more the charity is involved in and you can read more on the Red Earth website plus see wonderful pictures and short videos of the difference the charity has made the communities in the region. Many thanks Di for an inspiring talk today!