Charis Communications

January 2010 Report

Teaching and termites

Trevor Howard

Sometimes our consultancy work fits in well with our overseas travel. This January, whilst Hugh and I were in Uganda, my education assessments fitted well with his preaching engagements and our joint oversight of some of Cornerstone Christian Centre’s projects.

Muyenga High School

Christian Family Helpers is a project which Cornerstone Christian Centre has been associated with for over twenty-five years. Hugh has been advising them ever since the link was established but I have been advising on education in different ways for eleven years and, more officially, providing external educational assessment for the last three.

This year our evaluation involved meeting with the Head Teachers of Christian Family Helpers’ primary and secondary schools in Kampala and the Directors of two associated primary schools, one of which is about to move into new premises. As Christian Family Helpers also supports some of the more needy students at its schools through a sponsorship scheme, we also met with the Christian Family Helpers’ Social Worker and Administrator.


Trevor with primary school head and his deputy		Giving gifts to sponsored children

Wooden classrooms at
Kampala Pupils' Schoo

Our inspections take in everything from teaching equipment to premises. With some of the wooden class rooms, it is a challenge to keep abreast of the repairs in the face of the termites. On the main sites most of the wooden buildings have been replaced with brick – more than a match for the termites teeth!

As our trip this year was relatively brief, I was unable to inspect the schools at Kakumiro in the west of Uganda. We were able, however, to spend some time with the architect who is working on designs to submit for a newly acquired school site at Bwama near the equator.


Holes left by termites underneath the window		New buildings for Triumphant School

Other consultancy work I have been involved in this month stems from my responsibilities within Churches in Communities International, which is the churches and ministries network I serve as International Co-ordinator and Inter-faith advisor. Much of my work here during January has been involved in securing appropriate Free Church representation on the Religion and Belief Consultative group of the Human Rights and Equalities Commission. On a number of occasions churches of all denominations and none have been hard-pressed to send representatives. I would value your prayers for this kind of work as it does have a bearing on government policy.