St. Catherine’s College Students visit Uganda 

On Mission Sunday, 22 October, a group of eleven students and two teachers set off for Uganda as part of the H.U.G. (Help Uganda Grow) project that has linked St. Catherine’s College and the Uganda /Kenyan Province for the past 4 years. Sister Carmel Flynn was the person who not only organised the trip but acted as an experienced mentor to the girls, having worked in that Province herself for over twenty years.

For the St. Catherine’s girls and teachers it was a wonderful experience. I had arranged to meet them for coffee on Wednesday 22 November to hear all about the visit, but due to Angela Healy’s sudden death, R.I.P. I had to cancel the arrangement. However I asked the girls to write me a few lines about their trip, so what follows are some impressions I gleaned from their writings.

The Armagh Group had one main objective, namely a tiling project in the showers used by the children (aged 4-16 years) in our boarding/Primary School at Kyamusansala. To this end they prepared themselves by learning the technique of tiling and grouting in a local Tile outlet here in Armagh. So  having had a hands on experience of learning on the job, they set off for Kyamusansala, with their tile cutters, trowels, and tile spacers, as well as other bits and pieces of equipment which they had heard would be appreciated in the Kyamusansala Primary School, run by the Society in Uganda.

Making my mark!

On being asked to sum up briefly what this experience in Uganda meant to her, Nadine had two words to describe it, ‘Absolutely Amazing!’ She then goes on to describe the objective. ‘The task in front of us was to tile the showers. The walls were painted a grubby mustard colour, so we were going to tile the walls so that they would look better. As well as cutting out the necessity of constant painting, the finished job looked much better with the tiles covering the walls. The feeling of leaving the place knowing that I left a mark of our school there that was done by our hands was overwhelming. I feel privileged to have been part of this.’

The warmth of the people made a big impression on the girls. Their hospitality knew no bounds. They put themselves out to welcome them, often out of evident poverty.

The children won all hearts! They made such a fuss over their Irish friends.  The St.Catherine’s girls were impressed by their singing and dancing, as well as their friendliness towards one another and the way the older girls looked after the younger children.

Briege found ‘there was never a dull moment in the convent! The nuns were so much fun….it was great too the way there were other visitors staying in the convent.’ So the hospitality went down well!

An abiding memory that Orla kept ‘was the visit to Josephine’s family in  her home to see the way some people live in Uganda.’ She has also kept memories of ‘driving through the city  and seeing the lives of others and comparing them with life in Armagh, and realising how lucky we really are.’

Although the tiling was hard work, the Armagh girls pulled together, and ‘we did ourselves proud. It made it easier knowing that we were doing something to help the school in Kyamusansala and the children who have come to live and learn there. We had two hour shifts in groups of three which meant that everyone pulled their weight each time we went to tile.’

Each of the girls said it was a very worthwhile experience. One went so far as to describe it as ‘a life changing experience.’ Was there any particular image that stayed with them?  ‘I think it had to have been the image of the whole school coming out to greet us on our arrival.’ They were quite overcome by the spontaneity and warmth of the children.  The time passed all too quickly and the Armagh students came away deeply moved by what they had seen and heard. Quite a few said they would be interested in going back. Many of them commented on the warm hospitality given them by the RSCJ community and the interest they showed in them. For Michelle McCartan and Patricia Byrne, the two teachers who accompanied the girls, it was also an unforgettable experience and they saw their students in a different light. Amongst  other things they were particularly impressed by the manner in which they pursued their goal. 

All in all it would appear to have been a very successful trip. But without the forward planning, attention to detail, and endless patience of Sister Carmel Flynn, the project could never have been realised. Thanks Carmel for the massive investment of time and energy invested in this.  It was, as one of the girls said, ‘the chance of a lifetime”.