Villagers in some of the most deprived areas of Uganda have received a special gift from Sheffield Wednesday during a student’s missionary trip to the country.
Olivia Hull, along with her grandparents, travelled 4,000 miles from her West Midlands home to the city of Mbale before handing out Wednesday shirts to unsuspecting residents in rural regions.
Residents in the poverty stricken village of Buwlasi - a community nestled in the mountains with extremely limited access to clean water and fresh food - were overwhelmed with their gifts.
For her grandparents this was one of many trips to the country, however, for Olivia it was her first and she wanted to mark that by giving something back to the people she’d meet.
The twenty-year-old, currently studying occupational therapy at Oxford Brookes University, decided she would like to distribute football shirts after hearing that Ugandans love football and would be extremely grateful to receive clothing.
After telling staff of her overseas plan during a trip to Hillsborough to watch the Owls in action, the club was soon in touch to donate an assortment of shirts for the cause.
“Sheffield Wednesday very kindly got in touch and offered to donate several shirts and kits, which was a wonderful gesture and one I am very thankful for,” said Olivia.
“In the pictures you will be able to see a group of people in the shirts my grandparents and I handed out during our three-week trip to Uganda. These people are from a particularly deprived area and it was clear to see that receiving the shirts meant a lot to them.
“On behalf of all the people we met in Uganda I would like to say a huge thank for the donations – they are now all wearing their new Sheffield Wednesday shirts with pride!”