Trustee Charlotte is getting famous

Trainee solicitor (and Trustee of Helping Uganda Schools)  Charlotte Brinsley has helped to launch a scheme providing families with free legal advice while giving law students work experience.

The 25-year-old works in the Manchester office of Russell Jones & Walker, which is now owned by Australian law firm Slater & Gordon.

She has teamed up with the Manchester College of Law to set up a service at the Family Legal Advice Clinic, Openshaw, Manchester.

It will see two students from the College of Law meeting members of the public each week to discuss their family law issues, such as divorce or child custody matters.

The students will then take their notes back to the RJW offices, where lawyers will discuss  the best initial advice to give.

They will also be trained in writing letters to the families they are advising.

Charlotte is herself a former College of Law student and played a key role in setting up the scheme.

She said: “As a student, the one thing that I really needed was practical work experience and this seemed like a perfect opportunity to give students the chance to meet clients while being supervised by the team at our offices.

“Originally I was going to carry out the pro bono work myself but this way I think more people will benefit.”

Paul Roebuck, pro bono co-ordinator at the College of Law, said: “This important new service will not only help the students to hone their practical legal skills but also instil in them a sense of responsibility to those in society who are most in need.”

Charlotte will qualify as a solicitor with RJW next September.

Red Cross Training at St Zoes

St. Zoe Secondary and Vocational School is a fully registered Red Cross Link for both Secondary and Primary Levels. Having undergone a Basic First Aid Training last year, the patron through the school administration organized Standard First Aid training for both the teachers and students that passed the basic. The training purposely was intended to equip the participants with basic first aid skills that can help them handle common health emergencies that happen to them before they are taken to the school nurse and finally to the nearest health centre. The common health emergencies at school include; fainting, nose bleeding, unconsciousness, headache, bleeding, injuries, fractures among other. The training was attended by 64 participants including 3 teachers and 1 school nurse.

Training objective.

To build confidence in participants with knowledge and skills that can help them to handle common health emergences that happen among children.

Training materials used.

A collection of materials were used during the training to facilitate the learning process. These included,

·       first aid kit

·       CPR dummy

·       Chalk

·       Blackboard

·        Mats

·       Handout

·        Bandages

Topics  covered.

A number of topics were covered basing on the Standard First Aid Syllabus and the Training Needs Assessment conducted shortly before the training. These included,

·       Introduction to first aid principles

·       Basic life support(CPR & Kiss of life)

·       Casualty assessment and management

·       First aid kit & its contents

·       Excessive bleeding

·       Epistaxis

·       Poisoning

·       Wounds and their care

·       Seizures in children

·       Burns ad scalds

·       Stroke

·       Transportation of casualties

·       Emergency child birth

Course assessment.

The participants were subjected to a written assessment to check on their level of knowledge of common health emergences acquired during the training. Similarly, a practical assessment was also conducted in groups to check on individual competence and skills when handling a given health emergence during a real life aspect of an emergence. Results were recorded and participants who scored 50% on average qualified to get their certificates of competence in Standard First Aid.

Disability but not Inability!

Today we heard some great news from a rather special school which you have all helped to build. The Good Shepherd School for Children with Special Needs at Fort Portal.

There are 120 children attending plus another 25 or so who come are part of a school outreach programme.

Before Good Shepherd most of these children would not go to school because parents could not see any value. As one parent told us "I used to think she was so stupid that she could gain nothing"
But in November this year some of our Primary 7 children will be entering the National Primary School Examinations. This was unheard of a few years ago. We may not be able to change all the world but supporters have certainly changed the world for some great kids.

Many of you have remembered to change your regular monthly donation to our new Cooperative Bank but some have forgotten. We are trying to move away from Barclays and if you need help or have lost the details please contact HUGS.