A BRACKNELL woman with a big heart for Ugandan families has been recognised for her charitable work by the King in his latest list of appointments of the Order of the British Empire.
Jean Ajin, 77, is delighted and surprised to have been awarded an MBE for her work with the Mityana Charity, her involvement in which began in 1994.
That year a vicar from St. Sebastian’s Church in Wokingham visited Mityana with the charity Send a Cow, a group that was sending Friesian cows to Uganda to provide milk for undernourished children.
When the vicar returned, he shared his slides with staff and pupils at St. Sebastian’s Primary School where Jean was deputy headteacher.
“I was so moved by what I saw,” said Jean, “and I felt I had to do something to help the children.”
Inspired by the vicar’s experiences, Jean, her staff and her pupils developed a keen interest in Mityana, connecting with a local school in Mityana and sponsoring a few of the children.
“I managed to get six people to sponsor a child each on my return in 1995, and worked hard to get more people involved,” she said.
By 1997 she had founded the Mityana Charity, to co-ordinate her efforts and developing projects.
The organisation is dedicated to alleviating poverty, and to fostering sustainable development in Uganda.
Jean first visited Mityana in 1995.
AIDS was a serious problem.
Many parents died, leaving their children to be looked after by older family members, or in orphanages.
“Schools often taught over 80 children in a classroom, and learning involved a lot of repetition,” remembers Jean.
“Children clung to their pencil, even at playtime.
“It was the only one they had.”
In three decades, as well as improving access to quality education, the Mityana Charity has worked to enhance maternal and infant healthcare services, strives to ensure access to clean water and proper sanitation facilities, and educates communities on their fundamental rights and freedoms.
“People have been so generous in supporting us over the years,” Jean said.
More than 1,000 students have passed through education in Mityana, with several of them getting degrees.
“The charity has grown beyond what I could have dreamt,” she explained, “and we have been able to build health centres and maternity blocks, as well as providing water systems and latrines for schools.”
In February, Jean will lead a group to Mityana, and hopes that her companions will be able to experience first-hand the impact of the charity’s work, as they visit local schools and health centres, spend time with sponsored children, and explore the culture and daily life of the Mityana community.
Jean also hopes her visit will inspire more people to support the people of Uganda through her organisation, and invites sponsors to provide £25 monthly to educate a primary school aged child, or £15 a month to sponsor a grandma caring for her family’s orphaned children.
“The people in Uganda have very little and are always smiling and welcoming,” Jean said.
“I hope that during my February trip my companions will be able to see the true meaning of ‘love thy neighbour’.”
For information, and to sponsor a child or a grandma, visit: mityanacharity.org
