Volunteering

Do good all over the world; do good for the sake of others! Not for a heartfelt thank-you from someone nearby who hears you. ©

At the end of October 2019, I took part in the Russia–Africa Summit. While attending the session on Science, Education and Innovation for Economic Development, I had the opportunity to meet Uganda’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Elioda Tumwesigye.

After talking on the sidelines of the summit, we came up with a joint volunteering project. We agreed to arrange for books to be delivered to a school in Uganda.

Putting the project into practice proved much harder than we had initially expected. Books are a very heavy cargo, so either shipping them is extremely expensive or diplomatic channels have to be involved. I had to contact the Embassy of the Republic of Uganda in Moscow. Minister-Counsellor Mwebaze Gideon Rutazindwa became actively involved in resolving the logistical problems, and only then did things get moving.

Together, we selected books that children would enjoy. We also chose the school they would be sent to – Don Bosco Primary School in Mulawa, Kira Municipality, in Uganda’s Central Region.

At the end of February 2020, the books were delivered to the school as part of a humanitarian mission.

I will probably never know what became of the boys and girls who were fortunate enough to read those books. Nevertheless, I believe that discovering them became one of the turning points in their lives.