CHARITIES WE
SUPPORT
'EVERY VOICE MATTERS'
COMMON VALUES
One of the principal values that underpins how we act as a community is the way we work together to help the less fortunate in a way that celebrates their human dignity.
We do this in a wide variety of ways. Our principal focus is the Emmaus Partnership Project where St Edward’s is part of a Development Partnership dedicated to putting clean water into 22 Primary and Secondary Schools in the Masaka District of South West Uganda. Each year we organise a number of sponsored events to support Emmaus including the popular Walk for Water.
Every year, pupils, parents and staff work together to collect large amounts of non-perishable foodstuffs and assorted Christmas treats for the Trussell Trust, a nationwide organisation that helps families experiencing severe financial hardship to feed themselves at Christmas. It is an opportunity for our community to show solidarity with those in need.
During the academic year pupils in English and RE take part in Amnesty International’s ‘Write for Rights’ campaign, challenging governments and international corporations responsible for the abuse of human rights. By doing this we celebrate human dignity and the right of all for just treatment and respect.
The Emmaus Project
The project involves funding the construction of 20,000 litre water harvesting tanks at 22 Masaka schools. When the project is completed in 2025, it will have delivered clean water to over 10,000 school children in 22 schools; children of all denominations and faiths.
Population growth has stretched water and sanitation services, with millions of Ugandans now lacking access to safe water and improved sanitation facilities.
The increased impact of climate change in recent years added to the economic effects of the pandemic with a significant number of Ugandans forced to buy water from vendors at exorbitant prices, and a history of subsistence farming is also contributing to rising poverty levels.
The project is being delivered by a partnership between the Masaka and District Land Care Chapter (MADLACC) in Uganda and WaterHarvest, a UK water-harvesting charity based in Winchester who have so far provided 85% of the funding and employ the lead project engineer in Uganda, Mr Dan Kilimani. The Emmaus partnership which links the 33 Clifton Diocese schools, has provided the other 15% of funding. The lead UK school is St Edward’s Roman Catholic SEMH school in Hampshire.
All funds raised will be donated to WaterHarvest, a charity registered in England & Wales, No. 1127564
Make a donation
We're currently raising funds for Phase 6 with 14 tanks in Kiwanyi Primary School and the St Mary’s Vocational Institute. Our project focuses on the installation in selected schools of large 20,000 litre water harvesting tanks built by local contractors. Marram / sand bricks are made in a mould and pressed and dried in the sun to create the structure which is then encased in concrete.The water harvesting tanks bring many benefits. Having clean water in school helps improve pupil health, reduces time lost from classes and attendance rates rise and importantly frees girls from procuring water to attend lessons. Our impact data from the first seven schools where work has been completed cites examples of girls now able to attend school five days a week. The project started in mid-2023 and to date (April 2024) 33 tanks are meeting the needs of 3,265 pupils and teachers in seven schools.The project’s engineer in Uganda, Mr Dan Kilimani and the Chair of the local NGO, Mr Mathias Wakulira of MADLACC have noted evidence of significant social, cultural and health related changes. Nominal rolls have risen in all schools with new staff being employed in some schools tocater for the higher numbers. Most significantly, the evidence shows that many girls are now receiving education for five days as a result of the construction of the water tanks in schools. The transformation wrought by simple access to clean water is profound and augurs well for the future.
Make a donation
We're currently raising funds for Phase 6 with 14 tanks in Kiwanyi Primary School and the St Mary’s Vocational Institute. Our project focuses on the installation in selected schools of large 20,000 litre water harvesting tanks built by local contractors. Marram / sand bricks are made in a mould and pressed and dried in the sun to create the structure which is then encased in concrete.The water harvesting tanks bring many benefits. Having clean water in school helps improve pupil health, reduces time lost from classes and attendance rates rise and importantly frees girls from procuring water to attend lessons. Our impact data from the first seven schools where work has been completed cites examples of girls now able to attend school five days a week. The project started in mid-2023 and to date (April 2024) 33 tanks are meeting the needs of 3,265 pupils and teachers in seven schools.The project’s engineer in Uganda, Mr Dan Kilimani and the Chair of the local NGO, Mr Mathias Wakulira of MADLACC have noted evidence of significant social, cultural and health related changes. Nominal rolls have risen in all schools with new staff being employed in some schools tocater for the higher numbers. Most significantly, the evidence shows that many girls are now receiving education for five days as a result of the construction of the water tanks in schools. The transformation wrought by simple access to clean water is profound and augurs well for the future
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Fratelli Tutti, Brothers & Sisters
“As teachers in Catholic schools, we believe passionately in the collective integrity and power of young people; a power that can be harnessed and brought to bear on some of our planet’s most pressing challenges,”.
“The work that the diocesan schools are doing as their part of the project is about living out the values of Fratelli Tutti; it’s about a preferential option that empowers children themselves to break the cycle of poverty and to tackle some of the effects of climate change; it’s about working together on something that lives out in a practical way the concept of Faith in Action.”
LEADING THE DIOCESE
St Edward’s School is leading 31 other schools in the Diocese of Clifton in our Emmaus Partnership Project. Alongside the International Tree Foundation (ITF), we, at Emmaus, are committed to helping 23 primary and secondary schools in South West Uganda to install 12,000 litre ferro-concrete water harvesting tanks. These will provide essential drinking water, as well as allowing the children of these schools to irrigate the tree nurseries that the ITF is going to fund. The Emmaus Project is helping to create sustainable economies in the 23 school communities by training children to plant, nurture and harvest native species fruit and medicinal trees. The children themselves will be responsible for helping their teachers, parents, and peers create a means of breaking the cycle of poverty in their areas. This is not charity: it is all about empowering brothers and sisters in Uganda to achieve financial security in a Developmental Partnership of equals. We hope that all parents, staff and pupils will feel inspired to help achieve the target of bringing life-changing water supplies to our friends.
STEWARDSHIP
St Edward’s is not just an excellent school which enriches the academic lives of our pupils and staff: it is also a community that empowers our pupils to take an active role in helping to challenge the worst aspects of climate change and global poverty. We have planted over 1,500 trees on our grounds, constructed an oak-tree nursery of over 475 trees, begun to cultivate wild flower meadows, bring a Walled Garden back to life and cleared woodland. Through this work, we enable all involved to act as stewards for the beautiful environment we have been entrusted with.
