My name is Naomi Chapman and from the 16th of July I will be undertaking a volunteering placement with Volunteer Uganda.

I will be teaching English, Maths and Science at a school founded by the charity in the Kanungu district of Southern Uganda and also aim to enrich my placement by running extra-curricular drama and music activities. This is a region where poverty is high - 90% of the population subsist on less than $1 a day, and high fertility rates have led to a huge population of young people, with 52.7% of citizens of the region being under 18.

These factors, combined with a lack of teachers in the region mean that 70% of the population have no education past primary level, and so my placement will allow me to make a genuine contribution to the region whilst also immersing myself in another culture and learning new skills.

Volunteer Uganda is a UK based charity that is paired with a Ugandan charity called CHIFCOD that runs the schools. Together the charities have founded 4 primary schools, a secondary school and a sixth form college and have been entrusted to the running of a further 10 schools by the Ugandan charity. Without volunteers the schools would be vastly understaffed to the detriment of the local children's education.

I would be grateful for any donations you could make to help me reach my goal. All money is spent in the region on subsidising the cost of education for the students and supporting local enterprises such as the growing and selling of coffee at one of the schools.