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The work has been commissioned by the Uganda Safety Council (USC), a charitable organization which is supported by the Ugandan Government. The USC has been formed in response to concerns in Uganda over basic health and safety standards. A large percentage of Ugandan children are sent to boarding school, as it is often more economical for children to board than to travel by bus or car to school but there is a particular concern over safety in boarding schools as there have been a spate of very serious fires resulting in a high death toll.
Consultants Dr Alex Hills and David Black will be travelling to Uganda this month to assess health & safety standards in schools and colleges across the country, taking into consideration the setting of standards to limit numbers in dormitories and assessing ways of evacuation.
However, it won't be possible to just take UK standards and impose them, as Alex explains,
"There is a huge chasm between what is needed and what is actually possible to enforce; in fact, for the foreseeable future, the Uganda Safety Council will not have law enforcement statutes behind them. However, it will be possible for us to make a huge difference by using our experience and offering professional advice and of course, training, as we will be establishing a "Train the Trainer" course with a representative in each school and college, responsible for the health and safety of that environment ."
Alex has first hand experience of working with schools in Uganda; for the past two years, he and his wife have spent their holidays doing voluntary work for the international charity, 'Food for the Hungry', which was founded in 1971, as an international relief and development organization (featured right).
We will keep you informed of this exciting project on our website and in our newsletter. | 
