FRENCHTOWN - Kaiden Romney and Hank Rugg from Frenchtown are about to make a difference in people’s lives across the globe.
“We’re going to Uganda. There’s a small village there called Kawango and they have a secondary school there," Romney told MTN News. "They have 350 students that go there but they’re going to the bathroom in just pit latrines.”
The government told the school that they could not continue with their enrollment unless they better their facilities. So the kids are losing the ability to go to school. That’s where Engineers Without Borders come in.
Romney continued, “Our goal is to try to give them flush toilets so they can increase their enrollment.”
The men understand the importance of education from their time in Frenchtown Schools to their collegiate careers at Carroll College. Now, they're ready to help other students have the same opportunities to learn and grow.
The club at Carroll has been working with Uganda since 2016. They connected with the Kawango community through The Julius Foundation which has ties to the Diocese of Helena. Father Julius, the foundation's inspiration, created Holy Trinity Secondary School where the engineers do most of their work. Due to COVID-19, this will be the first Uganda trip for Kaiden and Hank.
“I’m excited to just interact with the people there. In the past, they’ve said a lot of them like to play games and stuff like that. They have some board games specific to Uganda that we probably haven’t encountered here in the United States," Rugg shared.
Romney said, “I’m excited to see the excitement around us coming because I hope that we bring a positive influence when we come.”
This trip is just an assessment for the building project next year. The Carroll team is laying the groundwork by checking out conditions.
“Next year we’re hoping that we can figure out, we’re looking at alternative ways that we can, we’re using like possibly soak pits or facultative lagoons, but we really want to see a rain catchment system to be able to power their flush toilets,” Romney explained further.
They want to tell Frenchtown and other local students that they can make a difference in their own unique way; all you need is passion and kindness.
“If you just have the desire to help somebody you can,” encouraged Rugg.
To learn more or to donate to the trip go to https://support.ewb-usa.org/fundraiser/3604149
