Annabelle Chauncy School for Life Foundation Interview

Annabelle Chauncy School for Life Foundation Interview

A country girl who grew up on a sheep and cattle farm in Canyonleigh in the Southern Highlands of NSW, Annabelle Chauncy attended a small primary and secondary school before moving to Sydney to study at Sydney University.

Having completed her undergraduate Arts/Law degree, gaining some professional experience and meeting Dave, she made the decision to invest her legal knowledge in the non-profit sector and specifically School for Life Foundation. Annabelle's passion lies in building relationships, managing events, sponsorships and business development.

Question: What is the School for Life Foundation?

Annabelle Chauncy: School for Life is a non-profit organisation which myself and co-founder David Everett began in 2008. We have built a primary and vocational school in rural Uganda called 'Katuuso'. The school sits on 10 acres of land and currently consists of 4 classrooms, 2 health rooms, outdoor shade shelter, reception, storage area and 10 toilets. We provide clean drinking water, health care, nutritious meals and employment opportunities to the entire community and it is a school run by Ugandans for Ugandans.

Our Foundation's vision is expansive, and at School for Life Foundation, we believe that 'education is everything'. It is the most sustainable way of positively changing a person's future and mobilising them from the cycle of poverty.


Question: What inspired you to being the School for Life Foundation?

Annabelle Chauncy: Dave and I first travelled to Kenya and Uganda in 2008. Despite everything we had read and heard about Africa being a continent full of disease, poverty and war, what we found was a place full of hope and inspiration. Uganda in particular is a place full of amazing people who have the desire to develop and grow. In Australia we have the saying that someone is generous if they give you the shirt off their back, in Uganda, people would welcome us into their homes with such warmth and generosity, feeding us before themselves with the very little that they had. It was this raw human care which was incredible to witness. In addition, I used to teach about 100 children from the floor of a mud hut every day, using only a scratched out blackboard. The children did not have pens, pencils, shoes or uniforms but every morning they would arrive at dawn excitedly because they had the opportunity to learn. That for me was a huge inspiration.


Question: Can you talk about your past education and roles that lead you to begin the School for Life Foundation?

Annabelle Chauncy: I grew up in a country town called Canyonleigh south east of Sydney. I attended a small primary school called Sutton Forest Primary where there were 4 children in my year, 26 in the whole school and my Mum was my teacher. It was such a small, nurturing environment. I went onto boarding school at all girls' school Frensham where I learnt the value of service above self. Frensham has an incredible community spirit, valuing learning and helping others in the community. It's motto 'in love serve one another' was strongly instilled in me there. After high school, I studied Arts/Law at Sydney University. I majored in government and international law with the view to giving something back in the community. Part way through my degree I deferred for 6 months to travel to Africa and it changed my whole career path and future. When I came back I was determined to use my law degree to create a non-profit organisation and change the lives of those less fortunate. I undertook some more programs with Soft Power Education and Hands of Help (2 more NGOs) to gain more hands-on experience in Africa, I then teamed with Dave and a Board of Directors to create School for Life Foundation.


Question: What's a typical day like for you at School for Life Foundation?

Annabelle Chauncy: My role within the organisation is to run the Australian operations. I travel to Uganda three times per year but I am in charge of anything from business development, fundraising, marketing, media and events for the Foundation. A typical day is spent travelling all over Sydney, meeting with different individuals who are trying to help us, potential donors, pro bono branding and marketing teams, lawyers and more. I also speak frequently at conferences, to high schools, community groups and corporates about our work in Uganda, its importance and also to motivate others using my story and experiences to make a difference in the world around them.

Question: Can you talk about the fundraisers School for Life Foundation holds?

Annabelle Chauncy: Our biggest annual fundraiser is the Black Tie & Barefoot Ball. This is held in May/June each year and is the lifeblood of the organisation. Over 650 guests attend from all over Sydney and NSW, coming together to celebrate with an African theme, lots of great entertainment, auctions, raffles and music. The event has raised us $100,000+ 2 years consecutively and enables us to continue and expand our operations at Katuuso. The ball isn't your average fundraiser, rather it is interactive and guests are given Havaianas, bongo drums and asked to get involved in games on the evening. This year, the event is on the 26th May at The Westin. We aim to host 800 guests and we are delighted to have funny lady-of-the-moment Julia Morris as the MC.

Our events are geared towards a wide ranging market, generally 25 - 50 year olds and are pitched at reasonable prices so to maintain involvement across different milieus. Our other fundraisers include a bi-annual Ladies Lunch and more frequently movie nights. This year we are also hosting a luncheon for Melbourne Cup day at The Newmarket Stables in Randwick. It will be a Spring Carnival theme and hopefully a good option for corporates who are interested in giving back a little this Melbourne Cup day as they celebrate with their staff.


Question: How can Australians help the School for Life Foundation?

Annabelle Chauncy: The easiest way that Australians can assist us is by making a donation towards our work. We are always looking for child sponsors. For just $50 per month ($1.65 per day or $600 per year), you can get involved in our work and make a positive difference to the life of a child. In addition, we always need help organising events; with administration, marketing and media and we take volunteers on the ground in Uganda for over 6 months, particularly those volunteers who have a background in education.


Question: What do you enjoy most about being in Uganda?

Annabelle Chauncy: I am continually inspired to do more when I travel to Uganda. I enjoy seeing the difference we are making to a whole community when I visit the school and every day that I go there, I feel inspired to work harder to achieve more. It is an incredible feeling of pride and love, mixed with determination, passion and enthusiasm.

Uganda as a country is a different world to Australia. You stick out like a sore thumb and certainly receive a lot of attention however the people are very respectful and welcome you into their homes with open arms. I guess the biggest thing I enjoy is the realisation that small amounts of money go a long way to making big differences there. You can feed 120 children 3 meals a day for $1200 a month, and educate a child with high quality education for $600 a year, it's quite amazing!


Question: How many volunteer does the School for Life Foundation have?

Annabelle Chauncy: We have a team of 3 volunteers on the ground in Uganda overseeing the operations and construction at Katuuso. We also have over 30 Australians helping here in Australia to mobilise ticket sales for events, organise prizes and donations for auctions, assist with child sponsorship and administration. Our Board of 6 Directors provide us with time and advice pro bono and have been pivotal in steering the organisation to success.

Question: What has the School for Life Foundation achieved so far?

Annabelle Chauncy: To date, Some of the highlights include:
Providing employment to over 30 Ugandans including 6 teachers, 2 cooks, 2 maintenance staff, security and a team of builders.
Providing 77 children in pre-Primary and Primary 1 with high quality education in a safe and positive learning environment.
Providing 3 nutritious meals per day to all staff and students at Katuuso.
Provided clean drinking water to the entire community.
Providing a free health clinic to the entire community, giving treatment for malaria and other diseases, testing for HIV, nutritional guidance and counselling.
Conducting a range of extra-curricular activities with students and the local community, including end of term assemblies, a school sports day, a talent show and Christmas celebration.
Completing stage 2 of construction on site, including 2 classrooms, 2 health rooms, a reception and storage area which will be complete in January 2012.
Increasing enrolment to 120 students for 2012
Providing special needs education to children with disabilities and learning difficulties in a nurturing environment, with a low teacher pupil ratio.


Interview by Brooke Hunter