USW signs partnership agreement to strengthen community links between RCT and Mbale

The University of South Wales (USW) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with international aid charity PONT to strengthen educational and community links between Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) and Mbale, Uganda.

PONT, or Partnerships Overseas Networking Trust, is a volunteer-led charity based in RCT that works with organisations in Uganda to tackle poverty and support sustainable development.

The agreement builds on the 20-year partnership between the two organisations, during which time the University’s staff and students have contributed to projects relating to nutrition, public health, climate change, disaster resilience, education, and sustainable development.

The signing, which took place on Monday 12 October at the University’s Treforest Campus, formally recognises the long-standing partnership and establishes a roadmap for future collaboration in areas including community health, engineering, education, and environmental sustainability. It provides framework for the two organisations to develop new opportunities for knowledge exchange, research, student engagement, and community-based projects that will deliver sustainable benefits for communities in Mbale.

Geoff Lloyd, Co-ordinator for PONT, said: “PONT is not an ordinary charity, but rather a town-twinning partnership. From the outset, we sought to build links between institutions in Rhondda Cynon Taff and Uganda, including USW.

“Since then, many USW colleagues have helped to form PONT’s volunteer core network, and more than 500 USW students have travelled to Mbale to contribute to a wide range of impactful projects. Signing this MoU with USW is a major step forward in our 20-year partnership with the University.”

Professor Louise Bright, Chief Commercial Officer at USW, said: “At its heart, our relationship with PONT is a friendship, one that has grown over twenty years through shared work, shared visits and a great deal of mutual respect between people in Wales and Mbale. 

“What makes PONT’s approach so special is that it’s led by the communities themselves. Our staff and students work alongside local partners to help them build the skills, knowledge and resources to sustain their own progress long after a project ends. I’ve heard so many of our students describe their time in Mbale as life-changing - they come home with a completely different view of the world, and often a new sense of what they want to do with their lives. 

“Signing this agreement is a proud moment for USW. It’s a commitment to this friendship and to everything it will achieve in the years ahead.”