LAUNCESTON students have had the experience of a lifetime after travelling to their partner school in Uganda.

Nineteen students from Launceston College, alongside three members of staff, travelled to Bunjakko Island Vocational School in Uganda this summer.

The trip was completed thanks to fundraising by the school.

During their travels, it was all hands on deck as the Launceston students helped with numerous projects at Bunjakko including the refurbishment and building of more toilets for the girls, as well as pumping the current toilets. In addition, they helped to paint the interior and exterior of the staff quarters, made and planted raised beds and painted the school boat.

Many hours were also spent in the design and technology classroom learning new skills and creating items using the sewing machines, which were funded by Launceston Rotary.

Students even assisted with some lessons on girls' health and how boys can be allies to girls, alongside distributing donations, which included toiletry bags for every student and staff member. The group also visited local homes in the area to deliver care packages of food and other household staples as part of an outreach programme and presented 53 scholarships to the Ugandan students, meaning that they have their education costs covered for the next year.

The students also made some time to enjoy a boat ride on Lake Victoria, one of the African Great Lakes and to visit the equator. A daily highlight was the singing and dancing that took place every evening, with the students reporting that the noise was often deafening!

Mr Matthew Thompson, principal at Launceston College, said: “I hope to instil a real sense of adventure in Launceston students and trips like this do exactly that. Not only do they introduce our young people to an entirely different way of life, they leave a long lasting impact, with one staff member commenting that the experience has changed the students forever.

“I am so proud of the kindness and enthusiasm our students demonstrated during their time in Uganda and they should also be proud of themselves for helping to support the educational goals of the children of Uganda.”