It was ‘up, up and away’ when a school group from Mallow jetted out from Dublin Airport on the experience of a lifetime, to tropical Africa, last weekend. Teacher Donna Lyons and two of her teenage students, Caoimhe Sheehan and Rachel O’Connell from St. Mary’s Secondary School joined a group from Self Help Africa on the Irish charity’s annual study visit to Uganda. The Mallow trio were part of a group representing five Irish secondary schools which had been working on a programme of classroom development education activities with Self Help Africa over the past year. Their trip was the result of a programme of fund-raising undertaken by the school, with Caoimhe and Rachel chosen to partici-pate following interviews and assignments.
During the week-long visit the Irish group will travel with Self Help Africa to meet rural communities with whom the charity is working in Uganda. They will spend time with artisan craftspeople and learn how to make improved beehives, will discover the vital role that locally-based seed multiplication has to play in the lives of local farmers, meet student counterparts in a rural Ugandan secondary school, and see other activities being supported by Self Help Africa in the country.
A programme of cultural events is also planned, including a boat visit to Lake Victoria and the source of the River Nile. To find out more about the trip and the work of Self Help Africa visit: www.selfhelpafrica.org