John Gasston, a former Ross-on-Wye Town Councillor, has been in Uganda for the past six months running a vocational training centre, which gives the people living there a chance to gain the skills they need to improve their lives.

John, along with his wife Sue, have been working in East Africa since December 2001. John explained they “felt a calling to go.”

When they first went out, John told the Ross Gazette they immediately realised that their church had been paying money to a con man, when they had been led to believe they were paying money to an orphanage. So John and Sue changed their plans and took on the work themselves.

They built the New Rock Primary School in Kampala, and set up feeding programmes, which would mean that the children who attended school would receive at least one decent meal each day. John said that attendance at school tripled after this feeding programme was introduced.

In 2003, John and Sue visited the Ssese Islands, these are an archipelago of islands, on Lake Victoria in Uganda. The area has become a tourist hot-spot for its natural beauty, but John explained that life can be difficult for the locals; HIV is rife, and there are instances of child abuse and witchcraft.

John and Sue have established the Maranatha Gateway on Sozi, one of the islands. This is a vocational training centre, which is attended by young adults. The majority of adults living on Sozi have little education. John explained that running a classroom based course for people with little or no education, is not the best way to teach them. Instead, the teachers at the centre have a practical, learning-by-doing approach, where carpentry, bricklaying, building, basket making and jewellery making can be taught.

Eight students can currently being taught at the centre, and they learn by completing several two-week modules.

John has also recently been to visit Namutumba, a Ugandan village which is twinned with Ross-on-Wye, to see how the twinning project has developed and helped the village.

John said he visited a number of projects sponsored by the Ross Namutumba Link Association (RNLA), which uses funds from its charity shop in Henry Street.

One of these projects is a fish farming initiative with Joel Mubi. Joel currently has four ponds which are supplied with water from a natural spring. John met Joel and gave him some advice on how he can further improve the sustainability of his fisheries.

He also saw a number of other assets that have been sponsored by various voluntary groups around Ross-on-Wye, such as the water pump, donated by Ross Lions, and the maternity unit, provided by Ross Rotary Club.

He commented that there are ten schools around the Ross-on-Wye area, which are linked with ten schools around Namutumba. He said this model was working very well, and could be used throughout the country, linking UK?schools with African schools.

John gave a report about this visit to the meeting of Ross Town Council on Monday, December 14th.

John and Sue have taken volunteers out to help them with their charity work in the Ssese Islands, which are about 200 miles from Namutumba.

John explained that while the students are safe and protected throughout the duration of their visit, they are not molly-coddled, and still get a chance to see the real Africa, where they meet Ugandan families, see the slums, but also get a chance to see the points which draw in the tourists, and have some fun.

If anyone is interested in joining John and Sue out in Uganda, to help with their projects, or if you would like to make a donation, email Sue, [email protected], or telephone 07809 679117.