PONT - a partnership to fight poverty

Western mail article

Here is a link to a Western Mail article regarding the trip to Uganda by medics in November 2012.

S4C programme

This January S4C will be showing Newid Byd, which is a programme following 4 young people involved with volunteering on projects in Uganda. This includes a project involving a Pont school, which was to design and paint a library in the primary school, as well as helping to teach the children at the school how to read and write.

‘Newid Byd’ is broadcast on Monday January 7 at 5.30, and will be a series that runs for 8 weeks.

Multi-disciplinary Team returns from Uganda

One of the largest PONT teams to date visited from Uganda in Novermber 2010, for a week of intense activity. The team was made up of 24 professionals including six engineers, five GP’s, four midwives, 3 ambulance staff, 2 hospital consultants, a nurse, and the Chief Medical Officer for Wales.

The central focus of the team was to launch an innovative pilot ambulance service, using a combination of pushbike and motorbike ambulances. These will help evacuate emergencies out of the remote mountain villages in the Mbale region, which is twinned with Rhondda Cynon Taff. The idea for the ambulances was developed by Paramedic Julian Newton and his team, who had witnessed on previous visits mothers losing their lives in labour after being carried to hospital on the back of a bicycle.

Eyewitness Reports of Mbale Landslide Disaster

A BBC article detailing the effects of the recent landslide in Mbale, and PONT's response to the disaster.

Please Help Landslide Disaster Appeal

Eyewitnesses speak of parallels with Aberfan disaster

Following heavy rains on March the 1st 2010, landslides devastated large parts of the Bududa area of Mbale. Over 300 people are missing or dead, including over 100 children trying to return home from school. More than 2000 people have been left homeless and without any means of making a living or providing for their families. They urgently need your support.

Ambulance Service Launched in Mbale

After 2 years of preparation PONT has helped launch an ambulance service in Mbale. You can read about this exciting development here.

Tackling climate change in Mbale

One million trees will be planted in Mbale in an effort to counter the effects of climate change in the region.

The project is one of the first fruits of the relationship between Wales and Mbale which has grown out of the PONT link.

You can read about it on the BBC web site here.

Further information on Bududa Landslide

On Monday March 1 2010 there was a major disaster in Bududa district, which is part of the region we are twinned with in PONT. For several days there was torrential rain. A 200m wide landslide occurred that destroyed 3 villages. The weather had already made many roads impassable, with the result that nearest remaining usable road access was 4 or 5 hours walk away. Consequently it was not possible to get large mechanical equipment to the area, so digging had to be with bare hands and shovels.

Due to a swollen river children were unable to complete their journey home from school earlier. They took shelter from thre rains in a building, which was then taken in the mudslide. This has a particular poignancy for us because close to Pontypridd is the village of Aberfan. There, in 1966, a coal tip slid down on top of the primary school and wiped out an entire generation, bar a couple of survivors. Not something we would wish to have in common with our partner community.

University honours founders of PONT

Tuesday 15th December:

The University of Glamorgan today presented the Chancellor's medal to the founders of PONT in recognition of their contribution to the fight against poverty.