Pupils from an Angus high school are to visit the home of an HIV positive Rwandan genocide survivor that they raised money to build.
The “life-changing” trip to the African country this summer will be the fourth time students from Carnoustie High School have travelled there to see how their efforts have benefited people.
Religious education teacher Jim Bell has been the driving force behind the movement since 2003 and, such is the success of his fund-raising efforts, he set up a charity, Level8Projects, to deal with the increasing flow of money.
A total of 11 students and staff will fly out to Kigali on June 20 for the 10-day trip, with the aim of gaining experience of Rwandan culture and visiting projects they are helping to fund.
Mr Bell said, “I have been focused on Rwanda since 2003, in terms of fund-raising, and in the last few years the school has got on board. This will be my third visit to the country but the first time we have gone out with school pupils only. I think the experience will be life-changing for them, and that wouldn’t be putting it too strongly.
“Not only has Carnoustie High School supported the project, but a tremendous awareness has been built up within the community itself.”
The group of eight fourth years will be staying in an area set up for western tastes and the local caterers can even supply chips for those missing the comforts of home. Each day the youngsters will visit some of Level8Projects’ current work sites and the class will also tour genocide sites where over 800,000 people were killed in 1994.
Carnoustie High School has had a significant involvement in Rwanda since 2006 and was the central point for the fund-raising that took place across Angus for the Bugesera Project from 2006 to 2008. Young people raised over £21,000 in that period, adding to a final total of over £80,000 from the local area.
The charity has built 11 houses in the country, three of which were named after Carnoustie High School, Arbroath Academy and Arbroath High School in recognition of their contribution.
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Following the Bugesera Project, a further £73,000 was raised for a Vocational College in Kigali, currently under construction. It will give disadvantaged young Rwandans an opportunity to acquire skills which will dramatically improve their life prospects.
One of the more unusual stops on the journey will be at the Kigali Ballet School, which received over 80 pairs of shoes from Angus Performing Arts last year.
Mr Bell said, “We have raised over £160,000 so far and all of the money goes straight to the cause. The people at the other end wire the money out in instalments so we know it is getting to the places where it needs to go.
“A lot has been raised through young people at schools and a huge amount has come in through sources like churches and the Rotary Club.”
The expedition will be assisted by maths teacher Joe McCall and business studies teacher Claire Meldrum. Each participant has collected £1435 to pay for costs.
Previous trips took place in 2007, 2008, and 2010 and this year eight American students and teachers from Carnoustie’s partner school in Jackson, Mississippi, will also be attending.
The trip has several objectives, but top of the list is raising awareness of global poverty issues, health care and educational needs. It is hoped the youngsters will be impacted by living in such a radically different culture and be able to share personal experiences on their return.
Mr Bell said that through visits to Rukumberi Secondary School, the Vocational College and Ballet School bonds between the two communities will be strengthened further.
Level8Projects is committed to building a unit sponsored by a family in Angus and to be called Granny Callison’s Bakery, and an emergency housing shelter for at-risk street children, to be called Smythe House, funded by a company in Carnoustie.
A small-scale orphanage paid for by Omni Instruments in Dundee is also in the pipeline, as well as 18 houses being renovated and made fit to live in.