We’re giving up paid work for a year! We are off to Uganda to work for a Charity called Red Earth Education where we will be working to improve the quality of teaching and learning in deprived areas around the Masindi district, in the North West of the country.

Over the past 5 years, we have been very fortunate to have worked in great schools which have afforded us a multitude of opportunities to develop our skills as teachers. We now feel that we can put these skills to good use and make a difference, somewhere where the standard of education is less developed and less privileged.

The purpose of Red Earth and also ourselves as Red Earth representatives, will be to empower local teachers.This will be using our experience to provide in school support and coaching to teachers as well as providing training to deliver exciting, interactive lessons to classes of often 100-300 children. We will also be team teaching, observing and finding ways to use the local resources to aid the classroom learning environment.

Red Earth believes that rather than providing resources, supporting the development of teaching skills is the best way to support local ownership of developing good practice in teaching and learning and is the best way to ensure sustainable improvement into the future.

The charity currently is working with around 60 schools but at present there are only 2 members of the charity working there full time, Lynne and Ronnie, who set up the charity. We will therefore be joining the team and hoping to offer much needed support and human resources.  Please take a look at the Red Earth website and see for yourself the fantastic work that they do: www.redeartheducation.co.uk. Also look at (and Like) their Facebook page, which is regularly updated.

Those of you that know us will know that we are both incredibly passionate about education and for both of us, working for an educational charity is something we have always wanted to do.

We are lucky that the charity will provide us with somewhere to stay and food, but we will be receiving no income for the whole working year. We are therefore hoping to raise some funds to cover the cost of our flights and other small expenses. Any additional money raised will go directly to the charity to help fund their projects. We have been saving but we need your help!

On 8th September we will run the “Maidenhead” half marathon in order to raise the money needed. Please donate generously; your donations will go directly to help hundreds of young children who deserve the wider opportunities offered by a better education.

Please help us!

p.s The children and schools featured in the photographs are supported by the charity.