You Can Help....

To find yourself just below the Equator, in the shadow of snow-capped mountains, delivering some of the first computers a Ugandan school has ever seen--that is an unforgettable experience.  To cross the Nile in a ferry boat, to volunteer at a rhinoceros sanctuary, caring for these endangered giants…   Experiences like these transform students and do genuine good where it is truly needed.  

Watkinson School has a record of doing good in the world. Service travel is our way to make the world a better place, and to create life-altering experiences for students who accept the challenge.  Over the past ten years, we have made connections in Cambodia, Mexico, The Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and Ghana, and of course, right here in Hartford.

Now we are adding a new service-learning adventure: Uganda.  A group of students and teachers will spend 15 days in this beautiful, welcoming East African country.  We will travel to the remote Southwest, in view of the Virunga mountains, to teach primary school students how to use computers. We will hike through a rainforest to track wild chimpanzees, and visit a savannah populated by giraffes, elephants, antelope, lions and leopards. For four days, we will volunteer at Ziwa rhino sanctuary, to help maintain roads and fences, and to learn from the staff who guard the last white rhinos in Uganda.

Rural Uganda is one of the poorest places on earth.  Like most African nations, it has experienced colonialism, war, and corruption.  The scars of its tragic past are still visible.  But it is also a country determined to develop in a way that benefits its people.  Our service mission is to help Uganda--to help educate its children and protect the health of its ecosystems.  Our students will certainly make a difference in the lives of dozens of Ugandans, and will learn for themselves how to serve others and learn from them.

School Supplies: We are collecting basic school supplies to bring to the schools we are teaching at. Pencils, pens and notebooks are welcome. The size and unique covers of small 50 page American notebooks will be pretty novel to Ugandan children!! A box will be placed in the Front Office for all donations. Bring in by our departure date, Wed March 5th!!

PC Laptops: Have an old PC laptop laying around the house?? We are also collecting working laptops to bring to add to the ones already brought by UCONN doctors last month. We will be teaching students and teachers basic computer skills. Functional PCs with charging cords needed, and be sure to erase all files. Contact Dr. Andy Aavatsmark (andrew_aavatsmark@watkinson.org) to arrange a drop off...again by March 5th!