A young Rotkreuz volunteer has been working in Uganda

Student Emelie Link is involved in a special educational project in south-western Uganda. She is passionately committed to helping children in the crisis-ridden Kasese district.
 

In the period between her bachelor's and master's degrees in English and Political Science at the University of Zurich, 23-year-old Emelie Link from Rotkreuz is using her time to work on a project that is close to her heart. She has become actively involved in the Worth a Haven Foundation.

The organisation was founded in 2014 by a Ugandan nurse named Masika Calvin. On the organisation's website, she explains that her goal is to promote affordable and sustainable self-help initiatives to improve human life and alleviate suffering. The primary school she founded under ‘Worth a Haven’ comprises three nursery classes and five primary classes, and provides accommodation for 20 orphans directly in the school building. The facility is located in the Kasese district in western Uganda, an area on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo – a region marked by armed conflict, natural disasters and poverty.

This May, Emelie Link travelled to Uganda for the first time, for a stay of two months. But how did this commitment come about? She had previously talked extensively with an acquaintance about volunteering, and then gained her first experience in a retirement home. ‘But  I actually wanted to work with children, because that suits me better,’ she says.

So she turned to the Swiss Red Cross and became a tutor for children from low-income families, which she has now been doing for four years. During the semester break, she also wanted to do an internship with the Red Cross, but there were no vacancies at the time. But she then came across the ‘Workaway’ platform, a portal for volunteer work abroad, where she discovered ‘Worth a Haven’.

She felt a little overwhelmed when she arrived in Uganda, she recalls. This was not only because of the poverty, but also because of the cultural differences: "The school buildings were unfinished, and no one seemed to care. The way things are organised in Uganda is more chaotic than in Switzerland," she says. She described how she was greeted warmly and quickly accepted by everyone, but was pretty much left to her own devices. Ultimately, however, she found her feet thanks to other volunteers.

During school hours, she was able to teach English, maths and sports. As she arrived in May during the school holidays, creativity was required at first. ‘I had to come up with something myself to keep the children occupied,’ she says. The orphans stay at the school during the holidays, and they quickly became bored. So here first project was to create games out of wood.

Among other things, Emelie Link has been working as a tutor for the Swiss Red Cross for four years
All the teachers at the Worth a Haven primary school wear the same shirt               Photos: Stefan Kaiser
Emilie Link feels at home in Uganda
The Ugandan children are already grateful for a new pair of sports shoes
The girls at the orphanage sleep in a schoolroom              
The Ugandan children are already grateful for a new pair of sports shoes           Photos: Zvg/ Emelie Link

She felt warmly welcomed by the children from the very beginning. ‘They didn't even know my name and already called me “Auntie”,’ says the student. She was deeply touched by the openness of the people: ‘Everyone came up to me, talked to me, showed interest. I was particularly impressed by their generosity and mutual consideration: for example,when we bought fruit or cake for the children, the children always carefully set aside a piece for those who weren't present at the time.’

Several projects at once
There were also less pleasant aspects. The student noticed that the pupils were being beaten. ‘Together with other volunteers, we sought a meeting with the headmaster and convinced him to ban physical violence,’ she says. The ban was enforced and a contact point for the children was set up. The teachers signed a contract stating that any violation of the ban would cost them their jobs in the event of legal proceedings for violence.

She also strengthened the connection between the school and the organisation ‘Doctors Without Borders’. Emelie Link wanted to ensure medical care, and a medical team now visits the school regularly to talk to the children about mental health and issues such as bullying.

Her latest project is the construction of a solar water pump. ‘Previous volunteers bought a large piece of land, but there was no water,’ she explains. The school needs to be able to feed itself as much as possible through agriculture, as buying food is currently one of the biggest financial hurdles. The 23-year-old wants to change that. With the help of private donations, she has already been able to finance the construction of an irrigation system.

She will be returning to Uganda soon
Emelie Link will return to Uganda in August. ‘The systems are currently being installed. I will visit the fields, take photos for our donors, and we’ll then start ploughing pretty soon.’
She will also be tackling a new project. The girls at the orphanage sleep in a classroom at the moment. ‘But the school is growing and the room is needed for lessons due to the increasing number of pupils,’ she explains. So she will be helping to build a new dormitory.

From living in Uganda, she learned that ‘We can actually live much more simply than we imagine’. She got up between seven and eight in the morning, walked up to an hour to school, and then taught or organised hikes and games. The children enjoyed cooking with her, even if the food offered little variety – ‘It was completely normal to eat the same thing every day.’

They always showered with cold water, and when there was no water coming out of the tap, they washed themselves from a bucket. Electricity was not a given either, and dirty clothes were washed by hand. But Emelie Link said you quickly get used to these changes.

Without donations, however, the children lack many things. It's not just about money, but also donations in kind. ‘They’re delighted with sports shoes, dolls or new clothes,’ says Emelie Link. She emphasises how important it is to share information on social media. The more attention a project gets, the greater the chance that something can really change.
 

Donations can be made on Emelie Link's donation page:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/spendenhilfe-waisenkinder-uganda
or directly via the ‘Worth a Haven’ website:.
https://www.worthahaven.com/donations