Posted by Sharon Schendel on Jun 04, 2017
John Kirkwood (left), founder of Lord Meades Vocational College (below) and Tofta Educational Trust (TET) and TET Field Officer Peter Kalibbala (right) visiting from Rotary Club of Jinja, Uganda
We were pleased to welcome as our guests Peter Kalibbala and John Kirkwood from the Rotary Club of Jinja in Uganda. Mr. Kirkwood told about the organizations he founded, Lords Meade Vocational College (LMVC), and the Tofta Education Trust (TET), which supports the school.  Mr. Kalibbala has been in Rotary for two years and serves as a TET Field Officer. Mr. Kirkwood has a long history in Africa- in 1976 he taught at a secondary school for disadvantaged boys in Kenya, and in 1987 he moved to Uganda where he was a principal of a technical institute.  His mother, Janet, instilled in him the mindset that “with privilege comes responsibility”, and both LMVC and TET are the legacy of his mother’s teachings. 
 
TET works with LMVC to provide education opportunities for up to 800 economically disadvantaged children in Uganda. Students at LMVC can develop skills and receive vocational training. Since 2000, TET has provided scholarships to more than 1,500 LMVC students.
 
Rotary International has supported LMVC since 2006 through matching grants to provide educational resources. Several clubs in District 5340 have partnered in Global Grants to supply LMVC with textbooks and scientific equipment, in addition to installing wells to ensure that the school has access to clean water.