Bishops DOwn Primary School 

We chose Awamu as our international charity because this social enterprise project enables children in the slums of Kampala, Uganda, to get the education and skills they need. These will be vital to their future and earning potential.

We saw that women help orphaned and vulnerable children in their communities to find family, food and medicine. Essentially, we wanted to show our appreciation to these incredible, selfless, hardworking women and enable them to help the children in their care.

In addition, we enjoy listening to podcasts, produced by these young people, and after listening had really interesting discussions.

The videos on the Awamu website, keep us up to date on developments and individual journeys and we especially enjoy the singing and dancing.

Learning about their kitchen gardens in Uganda and how these spaces provide food, education, skills and income made us want to help even more. We are happy that we are helping people to help themselves. We grow vegetables and fruits in our allotment, too! So we learn important life and cookery skills. Furthermore, we also make craft and learn woodwork, tool use and outdoor skills.

A percentage of all profits, raised from items sold in our seasonal shop, go towards supporting Awamu. Best selling items last year were: pickled beetroot, onions, lettuce, radishes, cookies and cupcakes, lavender bags, chilli jam, wooden ornaments, sculptures and wreaths.

Last month several children from Sutton Valence Primary School were presented with a trophy as Overall Winners for Nature Conservation in Kent and Medway (for primary and secondary schools), for all the work we do to help the environment and different communities. We will continue to be inspired by Awamu and the people it helps and we are excited about possible future projects. Awamu means ‘together’, and together we really can make a difference!

Gabe Knudson & Eloise Avard, Year 5  (aged 10)