A County Fan Making a World of Difference
County fans are a generous lot, on the whole. Present them with a good cause, whether it’s support for a local hospital, tickets for fans who can’t afford to get to games or help for the homeless in the borough and you’ll be amazed at the generosity of the response.
One fan in particular has made tireless efforts on behalf of those half a world away who have almost none of the things we would consider the very basics: Keith Mills. Keith is a County fan of long standing, having watched his first match at Edgeley Park in 1948.
Keith and his wife Jeanette were the founders and the driving force of Forever Friends of Uganda, a charity dedicated to helping children in Uganda to get an education that would otherwise be beyond their reach.
The couple were teachers with a UK government scheme in Uganda in the 1970s when Idi Amin seized power in a military coup. The school where Keith and Jeanette worked was in Amin’s home village and Keith recalls meeting the dictator there twice and marvelling at the way the school head could order the President around, not something many people could get away with in those days.
A third meeting came at a football match Keith had refereed; he was summoned to the presence but to his relief Amin only wished to thank “Mr. Referee” for his officiating. Things eventually became too hot in Uganda for anyone of European or Asian descent, leaving Keith and Jeanette with no option but to leave the country.
The next phase of their life together found Keith and Jeanette in France, looking after tourists in Normandy. Keith is a dab hand in the kitchen, with a cookery book to his name, and fell naturally into catering for their guests.
It was a programme on Radio 4 that began their involvement with schools in Uganda. It told the story of George Ssenyonga, who had received no formal education but was determined to help the children of his home village, Bubebbere. Using funds generated by buying cars in Dubai and selling them on, he’d built a very basic primary school, wooden walls and a tin roof.
Later, by selling the electrical business gifted to him by his employer who was forced to flee the country by Amin, he was able to build a secondary school to allow local children to progress even further. Inspired by George’s story, the Mills decided to celebrate their joint sixtieth birthdays by returning to Uganda to tour the places they’d known during their time there.
That plan went to pot on the first morning when they were met by members of the Dream Scheme charity, the rest of the holiday being taken up with visits to various projects including the Little Angels Primary School at Bubebbere.
Returning home to Normandy, Keith and Jeanette decided to raise funds by holding a village fête. Attractions such as a craft and farmers’ market, a car boot sale, a bar and horse rides, live music and even a Guess The Weight Of The Donkey competition, raised a total of 1,000 Euros.
This success was a double-edged sword, however; the locals insisted that what Keith had intended to be a one-off should become an annual event. This meant putting things on an official footing, which led to the creation of a charity, Les Amis d’Ouganda. When the couple finally decided to retire and return to England, they were determined to continue their support for the children and this led to the creation of Forever Friends Of Uganda.
That was over twenty years ago and the charity has since gone from strength to strength. The following list is just a sample of their achievements over the years:
- They currently have 130 children being sponsored. Over the years many more have gone to be become doctors, teachers and lawyers.
- The original school has been renovated and a new primary school has been built six miles away at Bulumbu, allowing more children to be taught without a gruelling walk every day.
- Supported a secondary school, Golden High School, so children can progress from the primaries and on to university.
- Helped to found the Little Angels Children’s home to support vulnerable and orphaned children.
- Provided a water supply to Bubebbere and later, in conjunction with another local charity, Wilmslow Wells for Africa, did the same at Bulumbu.
- The Covid 19 lockdown was a massive challenge. Violence and sex attacks against girls was rife and to help keep them safe and earn a little money, a skills centre was developed.
- Staff rooms are now available at both primary schools, the one at Bulumbu recently suffered earthquake damage but this has now been repaired.
- Supported the Wisdom Football Academy at Maganjo. The academy has particularly benefited from County kits provided by County fans and the club itself.
Keith sees the main aspect of his role as raising the funds necessary to continue the charity’s work. The ultimate aim is to make the Ugandan operation self-sufficient but in order to do this they need to attract more paying pupils from richer areas to support the schools, thereby allowing the poorer village children to be subsidised.
The main source of money for the time being is sponsorship but, such is his personal commitment, at the age of eighty-four Keith recently completed a sponsored walk from Sheffield to Stockport. A more visible fund raiser as far as County fans were concerned was the evening at Bask where Fraser Horsfall and Lewis Bate were interviewed by Steve Bellis. Fraser was an ambassador for Forever Friends at the time but having moved to Blackpool, he’s since handed that position over to Joseph Olowu.
Unfortunately there has been a change of emphasis within the club’s Community Trust recently, which means that the charity have not been able to hold a bucket collection before a home game, so sponsorship has become even more important than ever to make up the shortfall. Sponsors receive photos, school reports and occasional letters from their child, giving their donations that important personal touch.
It’s important to note that all the money donated goes to the charity; anyone who travels out to see progress in Uganda at first hand pays the travel costs from their own pockets. Sponsorship of a child at primary school can cost as little as £7 a month, but other packages are available to cover school uniforms or to allow a child to attend secondary school. If you would like to know more, there is a Forever Friends Of Uganda Facebook page packed with information and photographs.
For more information or better still, to become a sponsor, please contact Keith Mills at foreverfriendsofuganda@gmail.com.
Article by John K. Bilsbury