Thirteen years ago a group of Northamptonshire Scouts spent three weeks in Uganda, searching for a venture that they could fund and sustain. They discovered Outspan School.

Outspan was the local primary school in the slums of Bwaise, close to Uganda’s capital city Kampala. There, the families lived in poverty and unemployment was agonizingly high. There were very few facilities and water-borne diseases and HIV were rife.

The trip was led by Dean Smith, now Scout Association Regional Commissioner for the East Midlands, and his wife Carole Stephenson were among the Northamptonshire Scouts visiting Uganda.

Mrs Stephenson told the Evening Telegraph that Outspan School was “in a slum area so there were open sewers and kids running around barefoot. It was what you would expect Africa to look like.”

The school consisted of a termite infested wooden building with a corrugated iron roof, the doors and walls were missing. There were not nearly enough seats for the children – some sat on rickety wooden benches and others sat on straw mats which were thrown onto the floor. Some children even had to stand at the back, leaning on the wall to write.

Mrs Stephenson spoke to the Evening Telegraph, giving context to the children’s plight. “In Uganda education is not free; they have to pay for it. Only the eldest child will go to school and the others work at home. We had been there for three weeks and on the last day we saw this school.

Northamptonshire Scouts wanted to raise money for a charitable project in which the benefit of education would be incorporated. By coincidence, the UK Scouting Organisation was running a project called Unite in the African Country which enabled children to be immunised against a number of diseases and so the trip to Uganda was arranged.

Dean Smith, who is also a Detective Chief Superintendent with Northamptonshire Police, said: “We were looking for a development project to become involved with and when we first saw Outspan, we fell in love with it.

The Scouts made a start by raising funds for a brick building to replace the decrepit wooded ones at Outspan. Added support was also provided for the work by generous donations from individuals, businesses and county scout groups. Since the project started in 1995 Outspan School has changed beyond recognition.

Nabule Mary has been able to go to school because Oundle Scouts have been sending money to Bwaise. She has now successfully completed her schooling and has gone to university to study accounting, which would never have been possible without the help of the Scouts.

Joe Charlton, 11, of Oundle Scouts, commented to the Evening Telegraph: “We each have a box and we collect 2p and 1p coins and put them in the box. Our money goes to help Nabule Mary in Uganda so she can go to school. “I feel happy about it because it is helping someone to have a good schooling and a better life.”

Nine-year-old Josh Waddup said: “It is quite nice to think Nabule Mary will have a chance to go to school and hopefully get a job.”

Another scout added “It will help her to get a job and earn money, which not many people can do in Uganda.”

Outspan School is thriving. The school is now an inspiring brick building and the head teacher has further plans to expand. Pupils of Outspan are also flourishing, with excellent exam results of 100 percent of pupils passing the exam to qualify for secondary school. The pupils now wear purple and white uniforms to match the colours of the World Scout emblem in recognition of the support it has received from Northamptonshire Scouts.

Mr Smith added, “We have built up a bond of trust with the school over the years, advising and supporting it. It is wonderful to see children who were pupils there when we first became involved now going to university.

There are about 425 pupils at Outspan and more than 40 of them are sponsored as a result of this project. To add to this, thousands of pounds of funding “There are 425 children at Outspan and more than 40 are sponsored thanks to this project, as well as the thousands of pounds of funding raised bought books, pencils and contributed the general running of the school.

Mr Smith finished by saying, “This is now a school with a fantastic atmosphere that helps fulfil a huge desire for learning in the area. Outspan is a credit to the continuing involvement of Northamptonshire Scouts and businesses and people in this county.”