Couple are real bricks with mission to help village in Uganda

By bhargreaves belinda hargreaves belinda.hargreaves@thepostandtimes.co.uk

A COUPLE are going to Uganda to teach and help improve water supplies for villagers.

Natasha Mellor and Carl Mace, both aged 19, will be travelling to Ruhanga on November 4 to spend seven weeks in the village.

As a qualified bricklayer, who used to work for Amos Developments, Carl will extend an existing well with the help of villagers as well as pass on his skills of the trade to residents.

Natasha will be teaching English in the village school.

The pair are no strangers to travelling, having spent a gap year in Australia last summer where they worked in bars.

The trip to Uganda has been organised in conjunction with the Ruhanga Community Development Network, a community-based organisation which is registered with the Ntungamo District Government Office and was formed in 2007 by members of three villages in Ruhanga Parish, South-West Uganda.

Natasha said: "We went to South East Asia on the way back from Australia and spent six weeks in Cambodia.

"We spent a day in an orphanage and it was quite emotional."

Carl said: "It was inspiring what we saw and I just wanted to stay at that orphanage to help the children."

Both Leek born-and-bred and former Westwood College students, the couple have been back in the Moorlands since the end of August.

Natasha is working behind the bar at The Engine Room while Carl is working in telesales in Hanley.

Natasha said: "Family and friends are being supportive of our trip to Uganda.

"I am looking forward to helping people.

"The teaching experience will be great as I am thinking about becoming a teacher."

Natasha and Carl, who live in Orchid Court in Leek, are self-funding their trip to Uganda but are also fund-raising for cash to be used for the building materials for the well.

As well as a sponsored pub-crawl from Endon to Leek on Friday evening, the pair are hosting a raffle at the Engine Room's Halloween Party on Saturday, October 31.

Local businesses – including Over The Rainbow, The Retreat, Biba and The Naz – have chipped-in with raffle prizes.

Once their forthcoming trip to Uganda is over, the pair are already planning where to go next.

Carl said: "We want to go to South Africa next year, we would love to be able to go all over the world."

Anyone wishing to sponsor Natasha and Carl can call the couple on 07503 267155.