'One Brick at a Time': Colleagues return from Skills Exchange
Workers from two housing trusts have returned to the UK after rebuilding four primary school classrooms and passing on their skills to apprentices in Uganda.
A team of eight maintenance colleagues from Chester & District Housing Trust (CDHT) and Halton Housing Trust worked with 18 apprentices and graduates in the town of Fort Portal in Uganda to renovate two local schools, rebuilding a library and teacher’s room, as well as the classrooms.
The team worked for three weeks in 30 degree heat to help local workers reconstruct classrooms which were damaged by an earthquake in 1994. They helped replace doors and windows, plastered crumbling walls and patched up the cracked floor.
This sustainable project has been developed in partnership with Liverpool Hope University and the Mountains of the Moon University in Fort Portal, Western Uganda, as well as the Volunteer Missionary Movement, a UK and Irish based charity. A Ugandan priest called Father Sebastian attended the launch of the project at the Ugandan Embassy in London last year. Father Sebastian’s bricks were used to complete the construction of the primary schools.
John Denny, Chief Executive of CDHT, said:
“The team’s hard work over the three weeks paid off; the change in the facilities is dramatic, from the earthquake damaged classrooms that have been untouched since 1994 to the new facilities, which include new locally made wooden doors and shutters, meeting local needs. This was a great opportunity for colleagues to meet the inspirational people of Uganda, to exchange skills and bring back what they learnt to the UK from the enlightening African environment. The team taught the Ugandan apprentices better techniques to plaster, which we hope will stay with them. Building on the success of this exchange, another team of workers will be going out to Uganda in September.”
Nick Atkin, Chief Executive of Halton Housing Trust, added:
""We are very proud of the work and the lasting legacy the team has left in Uganda. They have helped improve the lives of many people from the children and teachers at the schools to the workers they were training. The trip will also have given our team memories that they will never forget and provided what I’m sure will be life-changing experiences. The evidence from those colleagues who have undertaken similar work previously has been that the learning they have brought back will undoubtedly have a wider impact upon their colleagues. This in turn will help them to look at the way they deliver services to our customers in a new light. This is why the Trust is keen to continue to support this project."
Speaking on his return, Mike Statham, CDHT Learning and Development Officer, added:
“You can see what a difference we made; sitting at your desk you don’t get to see things like this. It was great to see something tangible at the end of the day, to have completed what we set out to do and hopefully to have made a difference to the children. The ‘One Brick at a Time’ philosophy is life-changing, delivering practical, real experience for the Ugandan trainees rather than classroom experience.”
Sarah Perry, CDHT Maintenance Technician, said:
“It was a mind-blowing and life-changing experience, which affected personally how I feel inside. When you are there you want to do as much as you can – we learnt a lot from the workers in Uganda. The whole experience of Africa was even more than I imagined – the Ugandan lads we were working with were great. I’ll be going over again – funding myself this time. We completed what was needed, but you can always do more.”
Martin Ambrose, of Halton Housing Trust’s Construction Services Team, added:
“I think we’ve made a big difference – not only in the work we’ve done on the schools, but also in passing on new skills to workers that will stay with them forever. We brought them a lot of new tools, which we were able to show them how to use and also trained them in areas such as plastering and painting. In return they also taught us some different techniques in plastering, which we will be able to pass on to our workers back in the UK.”
Ends: 701 words
For more information and photos please visit:
http://www.marketingprojects.co.uk/news/chester-district-housing-trust
CAPTION:
The CDHT team working alongside colleagues from Halton Housing Trust and apprentices in Uganda
Notes to editors
Chester & District Housing Trust (CDHT) is a dynamic and enterprising organisation at the forefront of delivering positive impacts in the communities with which it works. The Trust’s homes span six communities – Blacon North; Blacon South; Chester City Area; The Rurals; Lache and Handbridge; Upton, Hoole, Newton and Plas Newton.
Committed to the best principles of social enterprise with over 14,000 local customers in 6,200 properties and 53% of its 275 colleagues living within its communities, the Trust adheres to key commitments and principles relating to people, places, partnerships and performance which underpin the Vision to ‘create opportunity’, through its mission, ‘by doing the right thing’.
The Trust is about being transparent and accountable in everything that is done and to this end is one of the first organisations nationally to have established a Residents’ Board, with full delegated powers from the Trust Board, to direct services which impact upon their lives.
The Trust has a comprehensive development programme delivering over 330 new homes including the £12million regeneration of the Treborth Road area of Chester providing new homes for rent, sale and shared ownership, as well as a village green and wildlife habitats.
CDHT also provides services on a partnership basis, to a number of other customers e.g. Telecare services, TrustWorks Maintenance Services, Housing Options advice, waiting list management and choice based lettings to neighbouring local authorities and registered social landlords.
The Trust is rated as two Star excellent by the Audit Commission, has the highest possible rating from Telecare Services Association and is also credited Investors in People and is the overall Employer of the Year For Cheshire West. It has been in the ‘Top 100 Sunday Times best companies to work for’ for the last 3 years, reaching its highest position of 47th this year.
For more details please visit www.cdht.org or request a copy of CDHT’s Corporate Plan 2009-2014.
Halton Housing Trust is a housing association that owns and manages 6,120 homes in the Cheshire towns of Widnes and Runcorn. The Trust was formed in December 2005 following the transfer of homes from Halton Borough Council.
Halton Housing Trust provides affordable homes to rent, helps the homeless and provides support to older and disabled people – helping them live independently in their own home.
The Trust has delivered its £85 million Decent Homes Investment Programme 15 months ahead of schedule. This has paved the way to embark upon a £262 million investment programme to homes and communities up to 2015.
Halton Housing Trust is a not-for-profit housing association and is a Registered Provider with the Tenant Services Authority.
The Trust is committed to its vision of “Delivering quality and excellence for all”. The longer term aims and objectives are set out in its Corporate Plan 2009-12.
CDHT Press Contacts: Phil Brotherhood
E: phil@marketingprojects.co.uk M: 07884 493370
Jane Harrad-Roberts
E: jane@marketingprojects.co.uk M: 07785 395705
W: www.marketingprojects.co.uk T: 01244 330000
Return to Chester & District Housing Trust listings
> Return to Client Press Office
