My experience of Uganda
Elisha Tolhurst • February 9, 2016
My name is Imogen Cooper and I am the daughter of Parenta Trust Chairman Andrew Cooper. Last year we took a trip to Uganda with the charity to visit some schools and communities, and open the newest build funded by Parenta Trust.
From the moment that I stepped off the plane into the hot, humid air of Uganda, I was struck by the comparative simplicity of the lives of the people around me. Driving down a wide, dusty main road (but certainly not what we’d expect of one) we were flanked on either side by modest huts, crumbling buildings, and stacks of furniture for sale – people’s homes, workplaces, and careers. In the heart of the capital city of Kampala.
It’s hard to truly appreciate everything you have until you are in the presence of people who have nothing at all. It was when we visited the rural communities that I experienced this overwhelming feeling first-hand. The people we met there greeted us with open arms, songs, dances, and even a short play – we were treated like royalty! And when we distributed the clothing donations, the sincere gratitude that could be seen on every face was humbling to behold. I could never have expected to see a Ugandan community in the incredibly genuine, authentic light that I did on this trip.
The defining day of my trip to Uganda was when I had the privilege of meeting Maureen and Robinah, the two young twin girls that my family and I sponsor, and being able to give them some gifts. We met them at their school – Good Shepherd Nursery, funded by Parenta Trust in 2014 – and even the sight of the two of them in their school uniform was a wonderful thing to see. The girls looked happy and healthy, and the knowledge that our sponsorship had a positive influence on their lives was very rewarding for us as a family.
The foremost memory I will keep with me from this indescribable journey is that of the people’s smiles. Since my return I have been asked many times whether it was a very difficult experience for me, and while it was an undeniably emotional one, these emotions were very rarely negative. How could I feel sad for people who were so happy with their lives and what they had? I spent every day of my trip smiling almost uncontrollably because the sheer joy of every person I met seemed to spread into me as well, and will remain with me for a very long time.
Over 230 additional children to receive an early years education in Rwanda each year
Parenta Trust, the charitable arm of the Parenta Group of Companies is thrilled to announce the construction of its sixth school in Eastern Africa, to complement the existing five schools in Uganda. This new initiative will provide quality education, care, and hope to 200 orphaned and disadvantaged children, all under the age of 6, furthering Parenta Trust’s mission to contribute to vulnerable communities across Africa. "We are delighted to announce the building of our sixth school in Eastern Africa," said Allan Presland, Founder of Parenta Trust and Chairman of Parenta Group. "Our commitment to providing education to children in disadvantaged communities has only grown stronger over the years. With this new school, we will be able to positively impact the lives of even more children, giving them the tools they need to succeed and thrive”. Parenta Trust has a proven track record of building and developing schools in Africa, with the existing schools looking after and educating up to 1200 children concurrently. By expanding into Rwanda, Parenta Trust seeks to strengthen its ties with the local community and engage with stakeholders to create lasting, positive change. The new school will be in Bikamba village in Kajevuba cell, Ntarabana sector. This is an area of stone quarries and sugarcane plantations which leads to children starting work at a young age and in turn facilitates the vicious cycle of poverty in the area. Parenta Trust firmly believes in the power of collaboration and aims to work closely with the Rwandan community and its partner on the ground in Africa, Fields of Life, to uplift the lives of these vulnerable children. The new building will be constructed alongside a holistic programme which includes providing sanitation, a sustainable feeding programme, teacher training, a well-thought-through Early Childhood development curriculum and will work together with local government and the Church of Rwanda. Allan Presland continued; “Parenta Trust continues its commitment and mission to keep building new schools in East Africa to transform communities and the lives of desperate children. We are currently raising money for our seventh and eighth schools and we invite individuals, nurseries, schools, corporations, and organisations to support this transformative project through donations, sponsorships, and partnerships. Together, we can make a significant impact on the lives of disadvantaged children, providing them with the hope and opportunity they need to shape a better future.” About Parenta Trust School Parenta Trust is the charitable arm of the Parenta Group of Companies, which includes Parenta Training – the largest provider of apprenticeships to the childcare sector in England, and Parenta Software, a leading provider of childcare management software. The Charity was formed in 2015 and seeks to transform lives for orphaned and disadvantaged children in areas of abject poverty. https://www.parentatrust.com/sponsor-a-child www.parentatrust.com For media enquiries, partnership opportunities, or donation information, please contact: Gail James: PR & Communications Marketing Manager, on +44 (0) 1622 824372 or Gail.James@parenta.com
From 24 to 28 June 2020, teams in both two- and four-wheeled vehicles will travel 2,000 miles through eight countries, traverse the Alps and negotiate the winding roads of the Furka Pass. This annual five-day adventure involves camping under the stars and taking part in challenges - before reaching the final destination of glamorous Monaco. All funds raised from the rally go towards building pre-schools for children in need of a quality education in deprived areas of the world. Parenta Trust founder and trustee, Allan Presland said: “The Maidstone to Monaco rally never fails to disappoint. It’s a fantastic way to bring people together for a great cause and have loads of fun along the way. Motorbikes, as well as cars, are welcome and all two and four wheel enthusiasts unite on this five-day journey of fun, laughter and exploration. We already have a few teams signed up who had such a fantastic adventure last year that they can’t wait to do it all over again! “The support we receive every year is nothing less than astounding; but we are always looking for more people to get involved, so we are appealing for more teams to come and join us and help us with “the drive to build a school”! From this year, Parenta Trust, working hand-in-hand with Parenta Group, is aligning itself with the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development , in particular Goal No. 4, Quality Education which sits perfectly within Parenta’s values and ethos, allowing greater synergy between the training provider and the Trust. Find out more about Parenta’s alignment with Global Goals. Click here to find out more and to sign up for Maidstone to Monaco rally! About Parenta Trust Parenta Trust supports disadvantaged children across the world by providing quality pre-school education. It was founded by Allan Presland in 2013 after a life-changing trip to Kampala in Uganda. The stark reality of poverty and lack of education for pre-school children hit him hard on the day he found a young girl on a rubbish tip on top of a cemetery in an area known locally as ‘Kosovo’. She was scavenging for food and Allan found it heartbreaking that she clearly had to fend for herself to even find food let alone be given an early years education. He returned to the UK to set up a charity, leveraging his existing network of contacts in the early years sector and his ambitious quest to build one pre-school per year began.
During their five-day escapade, eleven teams in Parenta Trust Rally travelled through eight countries, traversed the Alps and negotiated the winding roads of the Furka Pass in some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded. They camped under the stars and undertook various challenges along the way, before reaching their final destination of Monaco - all in aid of “the drive to build a school”. After the teams had returned from their expedition, we spoke to Parenta Trust founder and trustee, Allan Presland, and first time rally participant and Parenta Software Developer, Luke Liddell.
Early years education charity, Parenta Trust is calling for teams to take part in a ‘road trip of a lifetime’ – the Maidstone to Monaco Rally. From 26th to 30th June 2019, ‘petrol heads’ in both two- and four-wheeled vehicles will travel 2,000 miles through eight countries, traverse the Alps and negotiate the winding roads of the Furka Pass. The annual five-day escapade encompasses camping under the stars and taking part in challenges - before reaching the final destination of glamorous Monaco. All funds raised from the rally go towards building pre-schools for children in need of a quality education in deprived areas of the world. Parenta Trust founder and trustee, Allan Presland said; “The Maidstone to Monaco rally is a fantastic way to bring people together for a great cause and have fun along the way. It’s growing in size year-on-year and our 6th rally, in 2019, will be opened up to two-wheel vehicles, not just four. So now, car and motorcycle ‘petrol heads’ can unite on this five-day journey of fun, laughter and exploration. The support we receive every year is nothing less than astounding; but we are always looking for more people to get involved. We already have quite a few teams signed up – but the more the merrier - so we are appealing for more teams to come and join us and help us with “the drive to build a school”! “Every day I feel privileged to have the opportunity to play a part in the crucial task of giving children in deprived areas of the world an early years education. Our 5th school will open in early 2019 and in addition, funds raised from the 2018 Maidstone to Monaco Rally and our two charity balls, means that we are now finalising funds for our next school. Together we can raise enough funds to continue building a new pre-school year on year. With every pre-school we build, we can give on average another 200 children the opportunity they deserve to have an early years education – come and join us for an automotive adventure!” Parenta Trust, which supports disadvantaged children across the world by providing quality pre-school education, was founded by Allan Presland in 2013 after a life-changing trip to Kampala in Uganda. The stark reality of poverty and lack of education for pre-school children hit him hard on the day he found a young girl on a rubbish tip on top of a cemetery in an area known locally as ‘Kosovo’. She was scavenging for food and Allan found it heartbreaking that she clearly had to fend for herself to even find food let alone be given an early years education. He returned to the UK to set up a charity, leveraging his existing network of contacts in the early years sector and his ambitious quest to build one pre-school per year began. Further information on the Maidstone to Monaco rally can be found here .
With Christmas just around the corner and Black Friday weekend upon us (23rd to 26th November), why not sign up to Amazon Smile and make even more of a difference to Parenta Trust? Amazon Smile is a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices, and shopping features as Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on Amazon Smile and select Parenta Trust as your chosen charity, the Amazon Smile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of what you’ve bought to Parenta Trust. More information can be found here – please help us by registering. Happy shopping!
Parenta Trust is now in its 5th year and we are happy to announce that our 5th school will be complete by early 2019! The Komoret Nursery School in Nakapiripit, Karamoja is part of a brand new school community project and phase 2 of the build includes the nursery school funded by Parenta Trust. With every pre-school we build, together, we can give on average another 200 children the opportunity they deserve to have an early years education.
Registration is now open and teams have already signed up for the road trip of a lifetime – the 2019 Parenta Trust Maidstone to Monaco Rally. Don't miss this great adventure, register today! From 26th – 30th June 2019, we will travel 2,000 miles across 8 countries in our ‘rally’ cars and motorbikes and finish in Monaco with a celebratory night out! All proceeds from this fundraiser will go towards building our next pre-school.
The first was held in Maidstone at the Great Danes Mercure Hotel in September where a sparkling fun-filled evening was had by all. The second was held at the Hilton Bath City Hotel in October where guests enjoyed a wonderful dinner, took part in party games and danced the night away, all in aid of such an amazing cause. Some fabulous prizes were donated to the silent auctions, including a signed rugby shirt from Bath Rugby Club. An incredible £7,000 was raised, with all proceeds going directly to help provide an early years education to the children who need it most. A very special thank you to both Suzi Presland and Amanda Presland for their tireless work organising these two events – no mean feat!
Participants in an annual car rally, organised by Parenta Trust, have made a triumphant return to Kent after a journey of over 2000 miles in just 5 days. The drivers assembled at Parenta headquarters in Maidstone on Wednesday 27th June to begin their epic adventure, which lasted until Sunday 1st July. The rally – now in its 5th year – raises vital funds to build pre-schools for children in deprived areas of the world. Teams are tasked with finding a car costing no more than £350 to complete a ‘road trip of a lifetime’ through Europe. Travelling through 8 countries, teams must negotiate the winding roads of the infamous Furka Pass, camping and undertaking various challenges along the way. Their final destination before returning home is Monaco, where there is a traditional celebratory night out to mark the end of the rally. Parenta Trust founder and trustee, Allan Presland said: “What a fantastic and emotional journey! We are enormously grateful to all the people who joined us on our 5th rally and, of course, to those who sponsored those taking part in what was 5 days of adventure and excitement with plenty of fun and laughter along the way! “We had our fair share of car breakdowns…mostly my car, as usual! We had an amazing response from the European authorities throughout our journey – in particular the Border Guards and Police in Belgium – they even asked if they could get inside my car for a photo opportunity! We were given a special escort at one point; and as we approached the Mont Blanc tunnel the guards looked officious but when they saw the furry banger cars and realised we were participating in a charity rally, they laughed and joked with us and were very supportive. “Every day I feel privileged to have the opportunity to play a part in the crucial task of giving children in East Africa the chance to have an early years education. We have raised a significant amount of money from this rally and we’re on target for the £14k we were hoping for. Fundraising work will commence for our 7th school early next year; and the funds raised from this year’s rally help to build our 6th school. Our 5th school - in honour of former Parenta head of marketing and trustee of the charity, Dan Carlton, who sadly passed away in December 2016 – will be ready by Easter 2019 and we very much hope that Dan’s parents who participated in the rally for the first time this year, will be able to officially open it. “We have two more fundraising events to look forward to this year, both slightly more glamorous than a car rally! Two black tie charity balls - one in Maidstone and one in Bath – a great way to end a successful year of fundraising with wonderful food, drink, dancing and of course, the obligatory charity raffle!” The charity was founded by Allan Presland in 2013 following a life-changing trip to Kampala in Uganda. Whilst there, Allan witnessed a young girl scavenging for food on a rubbish tip on top of a cemetery. It was in this moment that the stark reality of poverty and the lack of education for pre-school children in Africa struck him. Upon his return to the UK, Allan set up the Parenta Trust with the aim of providing high-quality early years education to children in disadvantaged countries. With the help of his contacts, he started an ambitious quest to build one pre-school per year. With four schools completed in just four years, April 2019 will see the opening of the charity’s fifth pre-school in Uganda. Find out more about sponsoring a child in a Parenta Trust school here .