Total Excellence Centre boosts funds for firefighters charity to help ex-child soldiers in uganda

Manchester based training consultancy Total Excellence Centre, is boosting the funds of a firefighters’ charity to enable a team of volunteers, to deliver a fire engine and help ex-child soldiers in Uganda.

The trip to East Africa is one of a dozen organised by Staffordshire Emergency Services Humanitarian Aid Association (SESHAA) since it was founded in 1995 and will cost over £36,000. The cost includes shipping two fire-fighting vehicles to Kampala (Uganda); one fully equipped vehicle will go to the town of Impigi and one water carrier will be taken for use in a water provision project for several Aids Clinics in the area.

Michelle Mercer, Managing Director of Total Excellence Centre, said; "We provide training to the Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service and heard about their charity and the successes over the past 13 years in Bosnia, Albania, Poland and Malawi. Their work is amazing, they have trained over 500 volunteer firefighters in countries where they are often untrained and ill-equipped to do their job. We’re absolutely delighted to be involved in this project directly by making a financial donation £3,000 in cash along with donations of clothes and toys from other people we know and work with; it’s our way of trying to make a difference."

A team of four representatives of the charity visited Uganda last year to assess the needs and how they may help. They submitted a proposal to the charity for consideration and they have now agreed to complete a number of projects including the refurbishment of an Aids Clinic in Nsumba and training ex-child soldiers in Gulu as part of their rehabilitation.

Further work is planned within Nsumba School, which is populated with approximately 450 primary and 600 secondary school children. Many of these children are orphans with approximately 350 living throughout the year at the school. The school itself has no electricity, running water and the classrooms are in desperate need of repair. A 20 strong team of firefighters and support staff from the emergency services will be providing hands-on practical help along with basic trauma care advice and training; skills the volunteers use here in the UK as part of their everyday job.

Chairman of the charity, Alf Wilson, said; "The money so kindly donated by Total Excellence Centre means that SESHAA can continue to help in countries such as Uganda, this will go a long way toward the Uganda project including the Refurbishment of the Children’s Aids Clinic. Our work next year will be followed up by a third visit to the country to assess the value of the work we do and if it is proving successful we will offer further help in the future."

...they have trained over 500 volunteer firefighters in countries where they are often untrained and ill-equipped to do their job.""