Journey into Africa

Lauren Vane

The sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders at Carden Conservatory

listened attentively to a presentation by Huntington Beach’s Rebekah

Conley, a student at Brethren Christian High School who spent last

August in Uganda.

On a table in the front of the room were several artifacts that

Conley, 17, brought back from her trip: a drum, a bag and a letter

opener. After Conley shared her experiences, the students were ready

with their questions.

“What city had the most sicknesses?”

“Does it get hot there?”

“How did you communicate with them?”

Children at Carden Conservatory, a private school serving grades

Kindergarten through eighth, are learning about Uganda because the

school recently launched a charity drive with Reach Out Mbuya

HIV/AIDS Initiative, an organization that provides support to those

affected by AIDS in Uganda. Specifically, the school is donating

money to the Initiative’s Operation School Fees Program, which allows

children whose parents are living with AIDS, to have access to

education.

“It’s helping people in a country that needs to be helped,” said

Kevin Miller, 11, of Huntington Beach.

Michele Martz, an assistant director at Carden, said people living

with AIDS often have to choose between healthcare and their

children’s education. The cost of providing education for one child

is $100 per year. Martz said that fee covers school for a year, and

provides a uniform and one hot meal per day.

In one day, the middle school students raised more than $1,000,

enough to sponsor at least 10 children, Martz said.

For the students at Carden, working with Reach Out Mbuya is an

educational experience. They are learning about AIDS, Ugandan

culture, native wildlife and the educational system. They are also

gaining a bit of business knowledge, learning how to fundraise and

develop actual business plans for how they’re going to raise money,

Martz said.

The sixth- and eighth-graders assembled themselves into small

groups and brainstormed fundraising ideas. Holding a raffle seemed to

be a popular idea. Kacy Dalton, 13, of Los Alamitos, thought that

raffling off a surfboard would be a good idea.

So far, the idea of contributing to an AIDS charity has received a

positive response among students.

“The children are so enthusiastic about it,” Martz said.

However, the extent to which AIDS is discussed depends on the age

of the students. Martz said that AIDS is not discussed in the lower

grades because they are too young and the material is not

age-appropriate.

In kindergarten, for example, the students are participating in

raising money and learning about different kinds of animals that live

in Uganda. In first grade, a classroom bulletin board features

African masks and other artwork.

The Reach Out Mbuya program is based in the Mbuya Parish community

outside of Kampala, Uganda, and is directed by Father Joseph

Archetti,the parish priest. Dr. Margarethe Juncker is the project

coordinator.

Martz first heard about Reach Out from her father and decided the

program was a good fit with the school, which picks a charity each

year for the student council to work on.

Martz said this program gives students an opportunity to make a

difference in the world and explore another culture.

Martz said she was attracted to Reach Out because it is a

grass-roots organization without any large financing behind it.