Big Festive Fry in aid of charity

Starting at 7.30am there will be a mouth-watering breakfast served until 12noon at Dollingstown Church Hall.

Everyone is welcome and it will help make a difference to a variety of projects in Uganda organised by Charlene’s Project.

Charlene’s Project is a charity passionate about Uganda. Founder Charlene Barr suffered from Cystic Fybrosis, but she didn’t let that stop her fundraising for Hidden Treasures School right up until she died aged 20.

Last year’s Big Festive Fry in Dollingstown raised the money to drill a borehole at Kahara Primary School in western Uganda.

Dr Dickie Barr said: “A borehole was drilled at Kahara in February. The new water source is expected to meet the water demands of the school and neighbouring school community.”

Work continues on the school building as school numbers increase dramatically The 2013 school term started in Uganda in February. In Kahara, in February alone, the school registered 220 girls and 190 boys (410). The school attributes this dramatic increase to the new infrastructure and the good performance of the P7 candidates last year. The new classroom block will scale down the pupil to classroom ratio from 106:1 in 2012 to 58:1 in 2013.

The projects were inspired by Charlene who had visited Uganda with her family in 2008. What she saw and experienced affected her and made her increasingly determined to make a difference. When Charlene had to drop out of school the following year due to failing health and needing a lung transplant she made the decision that she would raise money to build a school in Uganda so that children there would get a chance of an education.

Sadly Charlene never saw Hidden Treasure Primary School but her work continues and a second school in a remote area of western Uganda, Kahara, has been built and two communities are being transformed.