Currently sat at a very foggy Manchester Airport with the rest of the group feeling excited and nervous!
In this first blog we I tell you a little bit about what we are going to be doing in Uganda, along with the nine month journey that has brought us here!
Last year the opportunity to work in partnership with GMP and a Cheadle based charity called Retrak was advertised on the staff intranet giving two GMFRS staff members the chance to travel to Uganda to help some of the many homeless children living on the streets of its capital city, Kampala. So successful was the trip, that this year the number of opportunities had been increased and GMFRS has three staff going out to Uganda - myself Adam Postlethwaite, Laura Saidler and Philip Jackson - and five are going to Ethiopia later on in November.
Retrak is a charity that gives homeless children shelter, medical aid and education. They help them regain lost confidence, teach them to read and write and most importantly teach them life skills (such as farming, cooking and cleaning) that will make a huge difference to them when they leave the security of Retrak.
Where Retrak really differs from other charities is that its involvement does not end there! They actively reintegrate the children back into their families, giving the help and support that they need along the way.
Retrak runs on donations from the public and on monies raised by volunteers. Once accepted for the trip to Uganda each person was tasked with raising £2,000which helps fund the amazing work done by Retrak. This had been done in a variety of ways from bag packing to bucket shakes, quiz nights to canoe days! Everyone has their own way of fundraising and we have all helped each other out meaning we have already bonded as a team before we even fly off!
The opportunity to build relationships with GMP is also a benefit both on a personal and professional level. Many times we see them and work alongside them on incidents in high pressure or time critical situations. However, having the chance to talk to them on a social level and get to know the real them can only have a positive impact on our working relationships.
We have been allowed two suitcases each by the airline and so we have filled one suitcase with our own clothes and the second one with things for the kids. We have a collection of clothes, crayons, balloons, football boots, footballs, paints and anything else that can help make the kids’ lives better if only for a short while! Most of these things have been donated from local businesses, football clubs or friends and family - so we owe them a huge thank you!
While in Uganda we will be helping decorate the centres where the kids eat, sleep and play in as well as teaching basic first aid, fire drills and anything else that is required by the charity.
Each day we will be updating you as to what we have been doing and uploading photos as we go.
This is amazing opportunity that we have all worked hard towards all year and the group is determined to make the most of it, both in terms of personal experience and to help the kids as much as we can!
Anyway it's time to board our first of two flights today! Firstly we are flying to Amsterdam then on to Uganda via Ruanda so a very long day ahead for us all!
Until tomorrow...
Adam
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