Dad on mission to help youngsters in Uganda

Ian Richardson, who runs schools digital company Schudio Ltd, is travelling out to Uganda next week to help build a school for children with special educational needs.

The edtech (designing and manufacturing learning resources) innovator will be part of a team headed up by British charity Mission Direct working in Rukungiri, where Kitazigurukwa School is located.

The SEN facilty has been built next to the mainstream school and Ian said: “Children with special needs are usually shut away but the staff have been out looking for the children and have set up dormitories as well.”

Ian’s young son Arran, has Down’s Syndrome and has been his inspiration for the trip.

He added: “I had wanted to go to Uganda since I was a teenager but it never happened. Then my wife mentioned the idea to me without even knowing the history and the first thing that came up was this project for the SEN school, which was fantastic.”

So the wheels were set in motion and he has been busy raising money to help fund the project.

Ian, who lives in Treales, near Kirkham, has been visiting the schools he works with, designing websites, and has been bowled over by the support, with pupils from Wesham CE Primary donating items like pencils, notebooks and other essential items for the trip.