SEDCU’s founders are Jan (Janet) and Ben (Bernard) Herdan - a retired teacher and a semi-retired public sector leader who are also parents and grandparents and who love to explore the world. In 2011 they visited Uganda for the first time and were given a warm welcome by people they met. They visited a number of schools in the South West of the country and saw at first hand the challenges of educating children in rudimentary facilities and with tight budgets. The financial burden parents faced to educate their children was very apparent. So often children are withdrawn from school to work at home, for financial gain, and lose the opportunity to pursue secondary or tertiary education. Jan and Ben were so inspired by the people they met, and by their commitment to the education of their children, that they came home determined to do something to help.  They recognised that they were in a position to provide some support to enable a few disadvantaged children to attend school and realise their potential. Jan and Ben began on a purely personal basis to support some of the children they had met, and in conversations with friends, family and colleagues they found that others would be interested in getting involved. After returning to revisit the schools in 2013 they decided to put things on a stronger footing and established this charity. Jan and Ben visited the schools and children again in 2015, 2017 and 2019 - in the latter case accompanied by two other SEDCU trustees. This has confirmed and reinforced their commitment and they are working closely with schools and communities to achieve the charity's objectives. The next visit was planned for 2021 but had to be postponed due to the pandemic and other factors, and finally took place in March 2023. The plan is now to resume biannual visits if possible.