‘The Mustard Seed Project’ is a fundraising group set up by Sally Squires and Jayne Henson, who both teach at James Peacock Infant School. The group’s aim is to build a school for children taught on an island in a Ugandan swamp.
First of all, we want to thank everyone who supported us at the Knickers for Knowledge Fashion Show, held at St Peter’s Junior School in March. We raised over £5,000 and took donations of hundreds of pairs of knickers and bras, which have been sent to the women and girls of Teso, Uganda.
The school is very nearly complete, so our focus has now moved to supporting children to attend, and giving them access to resources once they get there.
The Mustard Seed Project, in partnership with Shoe Aid UK, is asking for donations of useable pairs of shoes for the families we support in Uganda. Lee Todd from Shoe Aid writes that “walking barefoot should be a choice, not a hardship”, and that 300 million children worldwide are unable to purchase shoes which are necessary to prevent infection and injury. It’s recently been reported that a rare infection known as “mossy foot” has been found in Uganda, and preventing it is as simple as making sure everyone has access to proper footwear.
All types of useable shoes will be accepted, from flip flops to wellies, school shoes to slippers, ballet pumps to football boots. And don’t worry about the size – little kids grow up to be big kids, and parents need shoes too!
You can donate shoes to the Mustard Seed Project at the James Peacock School Summer Sizzle event on Saturday 17 June, or the St Peter’s School Summer Fair on Saturday 1 July. Alternatively, you can leave shoes in the drop-off points provided at both schools.
In other news, we’re delighted to announce that the pupils of James Peacock School and St Peter’s School Choir are recording their very first album! It will feature songs from the UK and Africa, and even a song or two from the children in Uganda that we support. We’re hoping that musical notes will translate to monetary ones, so we can supply the school with much-needed equipment for their new classrooms. If you missed out on pre-ordering an album, look out for them on sale at the school fairs in June and July.
Finally, our long-awaited website is now live. Please visit www.mustardseeduganda.com for the latest updates on our work. You can also find us on Facebook (search for “Mustard Seed Project, Teso, Uganda”) or follow us on Twitter @mseedproject.
Charlene Robinson