Update

2 and a half months on from my trip to Uganda and I have received a letter from Dorothy, who I am now sponsoring with Lauren to board at the school. I have also received the go ahead from Project Director, Dr James Kimera Ssekiwanuka to name his organisation in my blog, so now seems like a great time for a follow up post.

The organisation I was volunteering with was CALM Africa. Anyone interested can read up on them here: http://calmafrica-ug.org/index.htm

The are primarily a child advocacy project, performing assessments where reports have come in of child abuse, neglect and extreme poverty - and then staging interventions where deemed appropriate and necessary. They also run a school called Jolly Mercy. Many of the children there are sponsored by volunteers who have met them on outreach visits, such as I did with Dorothy. More information on the school is available here: http://www.jolly-mercy.net/

In addition to this CALM have a vocational skills school that runs where money allows and the senior members actively lobby the government for child rights legislation changes and educate on child rights as well.

They're very busy people!!

There have been a few cases that people have been asking about, so I've gathered some updates.

Kizimula

Kizimula received his glasses a couple of weeks after I arrived home from Uganda. He will now be able to earn again and feed his wife and grandchildren.

Mariam

Lauren funded an emergency pack for Mariam after I left Uganda. This included mattresses, jerry cans, mosquito nets and other essentials. CALM have also managed to get the police involved and Mariam has been assured that she will be able to stay in the house where she lives with her children.

I believe that there is an ongoing sanitation problem as her latrine was full when we visited, causing serious health concerns every time it rains. Hopefully I'll have the opportunity to check on Mariam when I return and a latrine could be something that donations could help with.

Dorothy

Dorothy has now been boarding at Jolly Mercy for 2 months, sponsored by myself and Lauren. We received a letter from her last week. She seems to be doing so well and is much happier. I am very much looking forward to seeing her in February.

Musa

Unfortunately as my bank is suspicious of me withdrawing cash in Uganda (unreasonable if you ask me), I had to send the money for Musa's treatment from the UK. This was a long frustrating process that took around 2 months. However, the money has now arrived and Musa is being treated in Katalemwa - the disability centre near his slum. I am very eagerly awaiting a full report and confirmation that his wheelchair has been made, but am just so happy that he is finally being treated.

In addition, his mother has been accepted to a women's group made up of Katalemwa mothers who are working together to earn money for medication and food.

What's Next?

I am booked to return to Uganda in February and will be taking my boyfriend, Leckie along with me this time. I have been so overwhelmed with the support than many of you have offered after reading my blogs and will be asking for donations this time around.

My boss has already donated our prize for the award we won and pledged the help of our department for fundraising, but every penny/cent helps. 

A little closer to the time I'll be sending out a message asking if anyone would like to contribute, but am happy to take early pledges if anyone is keen to get involved now.

For an idea of what your donation would end up going to:

Kizumula's glasses cost £70

Musa's 1 month treatment, medication, purpose made wheelchair and toilet seat cost around £200

Mariam's emergency pack cost around £70

Dorothy's complete school pack (which includes matress, mosquito net, shoes, etc) and first term of school boarding (which includes lessons, food, counselling etc) cost £180

A latrine costs around £200 to build

I would be able to provide an account of what exactly your money went to, see to it that it was spent in a sustainable way and ensure that none of it was absorbed in administrative costs.

Thank you to everyone who followed my progress whilst in Uganda and who opened up their hearts to the people I met there.

Day 14 - Conclusion

I was collected from the volunteer house at 5:30 this morning to go to the airport by Martin and Boscoe.

It was amazing to see that despite still being dark Uganda was well and truly awake. I tried to explain to Martin that if I went to the train station from my house at this time at home I may not see a single other person. He said he would be very afraid in that situation.

Everyone keeps telling me to "tell your boyfriend I want to meet him". "Bring him to Uganda" Martin kept saying this morning and Joseph wants me to pass on that there is a feast waiting for him here (seems like he knows Leckie already).

So what have I managed to achieve in the short time that I've been here?

• Allowed a man to see again well enough to return to work, support his disabled wife and feed his 3 malnourished, orphaned grandchildren.
• Sent a severely unwell boy with epilepsy and cerebral palsy for 1 month's rehabilitation treatment, including purchasing a purpose built wheelchair and toilet seat that will save his mother pain and give him more independence.
• With Lauren, send a girl who is being neglected and used for labour by her stepmother to boarding school for the next 3 years. During this time the organisation will carry out parenting lessons with her stepmother.
• Search engine optimise the organisation's website, hopefully attracting greater numbers of volunteers directly to the organisation.

If I had been unable/unwilling to contribute financially I would still feel that my trip was worthwhile, having contributed in the following ways:

• Made the organisation aware of search engine optimisation.
• Made the organisation aware of Kiva, perhaps starting a partnership that will allow them to provide loans to great numbers of people in need.
• Blogged about my experience, raising awareness and potentially attracting further volunteers.
• Bringing the organisation's attention to the ease of treating cataracts. They now say that they seem them all the time.

All in all, I would thoroughly recommend that anyone come to Uganda. You don't have to have money or any special skill set to be able to help. Your presence, ideas and fresh perspective on the issues faced here is more of a help that you could possibly realise before you arrive.

I'll definitely be returning to Uganda. Joseph's sister works with victims of sex trafficking and child prostitution. They aren't really set up for volunteers, but I am hoping to be able to gain some further insight in to what they do, as well as continue my work with this organisation.

Having worked with the organisation now I can't say a bad word about them, the way they work within the community or the way they spend donations. As such, I will be collecting donations before my next trip in February, to spend in the above manner. If anyone would like to make a contribution or would like the name of the organisation I was working with please get in touch.

Day 13 - Culture, Politics & Unfounded Suspicion

I had my first lie in in who knows how long this morning. The man next door started singing at 7am but I managed to stay in bed until almost 9!

Ben came over this morning and got talking about all things Uganda.

He was telling us about Ugandan marriage. This is a very formal process. The first stage is an introduction. The woman's aunty must initiate this as the man will never speak to the direct family before this state. He is also expected to remain quiet throughout the introduction. The aunty then has to approve of him for the engagement to move to the next stage.

The second introduction involves a gift/payment to the father of the potential bride. They call this the 10,000 shillings, though in reality it can be anything from a bible to a car. In the north of the country the standard price for a bride is 10 cows. If a man is late to the introduction he will also be fined. The father must approve and will give the man a signed letter giving his daughter over for the marriage to be official.

A man can unofficially be married to a woman and have children, but will have no rights if the father signs her over to another. Also, any children born out of wedlock belong to the woman's father and will be factored in to the price for when she does get married. For example, the father may seek 10 cows for his daughter and an additional cow for each of her children.

The letter from the father also allows the husband to take another man to court in the case of adultery. The penalty for this was put in place a long time ago and was a lot of money then. It's either 6 months in prison or 600 shillings. This amount is so low that anyone would be able to find the money.

If the husband has any issues with the marriage he is to refer to his wife's aunty as a sort of marriage counsellor.

The whole family play a really important part in raising children. Girls are sent to their aunty's to be raised and shaped in a  way that she deems suitable. Boys are sent to an uncle who bears the same responsibility. That family will also send their children to siblings to raise and so on, until it's difficult to tell which child belongs to who. With the large size of Ugandan families they will all come together once a year, introduce any new children and get to know each other. This helps to prevent siblings accidentally marrying.

After this Ben got talking about our small appetites. Apparently we have been given mzungu portions (smaller) and yet we still feel like we have eaten so much. The Ugandans have mountains of food and will gradually eat through this without speaking. Ben says this is because they will often eat only 1 meal a day and may not know when their next meal is coming so have developed a habit of eating as much as possible while it's there.

Ben then somehow managed to seamlessly change the topic again without drawing breath. This time it was politics. It was odd to learn that Uganda has a president, a prime minister and a king.

He spoke of the relative peace that exists now and their newfound freedom of speech. Ben recalled a different time during the 80s where people could not speak their mind and would be murdered for doing so. People were thrown to the crocodiles during this time for political crimes and so any were bundled in to trucks never to return.

Relative to the bloodshed of those days, the corruption of today's government seems marginal. However, corruption does kill in it's own way. Funds intended for hospitals and aide go missing, never to reach their intended recipients. This causes lack of life saving resource and people die as a result.

We heard a story about someone who had been pulled over for speeding. As the man was wearing professional clothing the police didn't dare ask for a bribe. What happens with this in Uganda is that you are taken straight to court to be tried, with no preparation time or warning. The man was found guilty. The punishment for speeding is 6 months in jail or 300,000 Ugandan shillings. This is a lot of money and if you can't pay then you go straight to jail. Thankfully this man had the money and was free to continue on with his day, but were late for their meeting.

Ben had managed to talk for around 3 hours now in his Morgan Freeman-esque voice. While it was all very interesting, my attention span just isn't that long.

Later in the afternoon we headed to the internet cafe so I could check in to my flight. On the way home a man started to follow us. I'm not sure if he was drunk or a little unstable. As he followed other people shouted for him to leave us alone. Eventually we lost him by entering a supermarket, walking up one aisle and duck/running down another straight out the door again. This was much to the amusement of all the local children. It's tough looking so different sometimes as you are always going to attract the most attention, including the undesirable type.

The experience made us all a little jumpy. On our inevitable trip to Afro Bar we were extra cautious, refusing to engage anyone who spoke to us or called to us as we walked past. We realised we were being ridiculous when we realised that the man we'd been regarding with suspicion was actually a waiter.

The football was on so the bar was busy (Ugandans really love English football), but there was also a man playing cheesy keyboard songs and singing in various languages. It was so odd and surreal and a perfect ending to my trip. Oh Africa, you so crazy, but I sure do love you.

Day 12 - Frustration & Elation

If Wednesday was one of the hardest days of my life, today was one of the most rewarding.

Last night as we were going to bed we heard a strange sound, like running water. The water to the house had miraculously come on and the toilet was filing itself! This came at a time when we were almost out of water, had resigned ourselves to not bathing that night and were coming to realise we would be unable to flush to toilet at all. Though just a small trickle of brownish water it seemed like a good sign.

We had arranged a meeting with the organisation this morning and I had 4 main things I wanted to discuss with them.

• To confirm that I will be going ahead with the website SEO for them.
• That, should the costs be as predicted, I would like to cover Kizimula's cataract surgery.
• To work out whether funding Mussa's treatment would be sustainable.
• To confirm that Lauren and I would like to jointly sponsor Dorothy as a boarder at the school for the remainder of her primary education.

First we went to pick up Kizimula. While his appointment was not til quite late we had a lot to cover so had to bring him with us.

I wanted to see Katalemwa Cheshire Home, where Mussa would go if I funded his treatment. We were talked through what the centre does by one of the women who run it. We were then also shown around the facility. The forms were very basic, but clean and reasonably well equipped. The children in them all seemed very happy. They generally had big smiles on their faces and called to us as we walked around. 

The centre also make all of their own equipment. We were shown the metal works area where Mussa's wheelchair would be made. They also have areas where they make prosthetic limbs  and specially adapted shoes for bowed feet and uneven legs. All the staff were so friendly and happy to talk us through what they were doing. All the staff were so friendly and happy to talk us through what they were doing. The resident physiotherapist even talked us through the therapy he was carrying out with a young girl who had had no mobility with her legs.

Speaking to the staff I had some concerns about the sustainability of sending Mussa here. While I had been told that Aisha (Mussa's mother) had been accepted into a mothers' community empowerment program, this turned out not to be the case. In fact, it seems as though it's unlikely Aisha will be accepted into the program due to Mussa's age. Katalemwa usually only caters for children up to 18 years old, but have made an exception with Mussa due to the severity of his condition. It's not likely that the mothers' group will be so lenient. Izzy has guaranteed me that he will be following up with Aisha and will be pursuing a microfinance loan for her if this community empowerment falls though.

I'm not convinced that Aisha will be able to sustain Mussa's medication after his 1 month rehabilitation and have been feeling very conflicted on this. On the one had, I don't want to rehabilitate him for him to end up back in the same situation. On the other hand, he has spent the last 5 years lying on the floor in the slums unable to move. The fees would include a purpose build wheelchair and a toilet seat which he could take home with him. This would give him some more independence and prevent Aisha from having to carry him around. In the end, I decided to fund the treatment. I feel like I would feel worse knowing that I had passed up an opportunity to help, than feeling I had been a little duped.

Next we went to the eye hospital. The hospital was quite clean, but had bare concrete floors and was overcrowded. It operated the most frustrating system I've ever seen. We had a set appointment and had paid 10 times as much to do so. However, the clinic operates as both public and private. So what happens is that the doctors must see all the patients on the public side before coming over to see the private appointment side.

We had arrived at about 1pm and it must have been after 3 before they came over to us. We were number 10 in the queue. Instead of just starting from 1st and working back though, one doctor started and number 1 and the other at number 11. When our appointment came around we were called in. Without even glancing at Kizimula, the doctor said we needed to go to the test room. So we waited again, then went into the test room, the waited again for the doctor.

It was at this time that Ali decided to tell me that Kizimula's cataract eye had received a trauma. This must have been information that came out during the initial assessment the other day, but had not been interpreted. I can't even describe the incredible frustration and disappointment I felt at the point. Again, I was acting based on incomplete or incorrect information. I think I almost threw a tantrum and gave up right then and there.

Back in the doctor's room it's no surprise (well, now anyway!!) that Kizimula's left eye is not viable and as such there would be no point in him having cataract surgery. He was however recommended prescription lenses for his right eye. I've been assured by the doctor that these will allow him to see well enough to return to work.

So we took him to the glasses room where he chose frames. We then had to go to the cashier to leave a deposit, then back to the glasses room for the bifocal measurement. By the time this was all over it was around 5:30pm.

Feeling frustrated we returned to Kizimula's house. However, one look at the exposed ribs and distended bellies of his grandchildren and it was all worth it. While the process had been annoying, for under £100 I had been able to return a man's sight and hopefully in turn allow him to feed his grandchildren and gain medical support for his wife. They were all so grateful, going down on their knees to thank me. This is something I will just never be comfortable with, but I'm so glad I was able to help.

As we headed back to school and passed 3 men with a baby on a boda boda it really hit me that I was leaving Uganda soon.While I've only been here 2 weeks it feels like so much longer. I've grown really attached to the people here and Uganda in general. It will be weird for a while not feeling like a celebrity every where I go. I'm making mental notes about things I must remember not to do at home:

• Talk to random children, let them hold my hand and follow me around.
• Let a handshake turn in to a long handhold. Just holding people's hands in general really.
• Leave the loo unflushed.

Finally, on the way home we stopped in to Deborah's house (the bead lady). I made a couple of purchases as gifts to bring home and received a rather violent goodbye hug from her grandsons. She then gave me a parting gift, a purse that she had woven. I was so touched that this woman who could not afford to clothe her grandchildren had thought to give me a gift. I talked to Ali about this and he said it was just the Ugandan way. "Some can even give a bull." I'm glad no one has given me a bull!!

There were a couple of other strange conversations throughout the day.

• Apparently eating while standing or walking is rude. Probably could have done with this info 2 weeks ago.
• When bribing traffic police it's perfectly acceptable to haggle your bribe amount.
• I am "stupid" for not wanting to have 20 babies. I decided not to get into overpopulations and resulting social issues.
• Izzy wanted to know what that weird stuff was that I put on my hands after every latrine visit. He seemed confused when I explained it was kind of like soap.

We all headed to Afro Bar with most of the project staff for a parting beer and a couple of games of pool. Unfortunately more than one beer needs a latrine visit. As I crouched in a dirty cubicle, a cockroach fell off the ceiling and directly down my cleavage. I thought the whole thing was quite hilarious, but it scared the hell out of the other girls.

Next we moved to the club section of Afro and witnessed what appeared to be some kind of Ugandan open mike night, they called it Karaoke but it involved dancers as well. There are no words to describe it, but luckily I have videos. At around 11 Martin told us it was not safe for us to be out so late so we grabbed some street food and boda bodad home to bed.

Day 11 - Mzungus On Parade

I was so emotionally exhausted that I slept like a log last night. I was faintly aware in my sleep of a loud thunder storm and heavy rain for hours on end. This morning it was still raining and everything had turned to mud. At one point we were in the car, essentially sliding down the hill in the mud while children stood beside the road and laughed.

We were taken today to a conference on child protection. When we arrived people were standing around in clusters discussing large scale ideas in scenes faintly reminiscent of Monty Python's Life of Brian's People's Front of Judea.

It was sprung on us at the last minute that they wanted us to do a talk on child protection in England. Knowing nothing of this I put my skills to use as an expert poster holder. Some of the other volunteers has knowledge they were able to share. While some people were really happy to have this extra input, others resembled rowdy teenagers. There was sleeping on desks, texting, eye rolling, giggling and at one point a man asked us if we were ourselves children.

We used a piece of rolled up paper as a pointer. Apparently this is because the use of a stick instead could bring back bad memories for some delegates of being beaten at school. Violence in the schools is quite a problem in Uganda. The school run by the organisation I am working with prides itself on a strict non-violence policy.

After the conference we met with the project director. As well as doing a general induction for the new volunteers he shared with us his personal reasons for starting his charity work. He was one of 28 children, to his father's 4 wives. They were very lucky in their youth and all reached adulthood. However, during the AIDS epidemic in the 80s, 15 of his siblings passed away. This prompted him to form his first group, an AIDS support group.

On the way home Ali stopped us at a bridge. He said this was where the tribal border was and that there were riots here just 2 years ago when the King of Buganda wanted to cross the bridge. Ali told of being a journalist there at the time and having to sing the Buganda national anthem the whole way along the road as a password.

Tomorrow I will meet with the group accountant and field officer to discuss my plans and ideas. Feeling very excited and nervous tonight!

Day 10 - Slums of Kampala

Well, today was one of the toughest days of my life. We were going back into the slums, but even deeper this time, to perform assessments on families in need. The mood in the volunteer house this morning was very subdued and the car rife in was silent. We were all very nervous, steeling ourselves for what we may see and knowing that what we were doing was not entirely safe. They say that anything can happen in the slums.

First we went back to the home of Mussa (the boy with cerebral palsy and epilepsy). After our visit last time Mussa had been taken to the clinic and given medication. They are seeing improvements and he is eating by himself now. The doctors have recommended a 1 month stay in a local rehabilitation centre. While they are willing to fund some of this, there is still around £290 that would need to be paid. Aisha, his mother, was able to give us a clearer idea of what she would need to start up her own stall and begin to generate more income. She would need start up capital of around 500,000UGS. The organisation feel that she is a great candidate for a loan as she has previous experience. AS such they are likely to be willing to act as a guarantor for her on the loan. To qualify for the loan though Aisha must first have had a bank account open for a month though, so there will be a delay.

This puts us in a really tough position. Provided Aisha receives a loan and is able to sustain Mussa's medication and keep him fed on an ongoing basis I would like to, funds allowing, provide emergency assistance for his treatment.With Mussa's treatment lasting 1 month and Aisha's loan taking 1 month to come through, we would need to wait until the loan cleared to put Mussa into the centre. If not, we risk him being rehabilitated only to end up straight back in the same position.

As we moved on to the next family a man started following us. He was showing us his report cards and asking for sponsorship for schooling. It became very awkward as he lurked around corners and started at us. We had the slum chairman and 3 other Ugandan men with us though who got him to leave.

The next household we visited was that of a grandmother and her 3 grandchildren. The grandmother is disable and can't carry out a lot of tasks on her own. Her daughter is alive, but has left the children with her. They carry water and work around the house for her. The youngest child appeared malnourished and had a large distended belly. We were surprised to discover that the woman owns land in a village and that the rent she is paying is equivalent to what she would pay for a reasonable house in a village.She says that she likes where she is as it's close to the city. Izzy was obviously quite upset that this woman had the means to take the children elsewhere, but has chosen to keep them in the slums where poor hygiene causes health problems. The slum chairman, Moses, will be speaking to the children's mother in the hopes that she can persuade their grandmother to move or failing that, extract them from the home.

As we were making our way through the slums to the third household we were navigating a network of mud/sewer channels and narrow gaps between huts and walls. At one point I slipped and fell into the mud, cutting my leg and hand on the way down. The open wounds (more scratches if I'm honest) went straight into the muddy water. I have had my shots but am obviously reasonably concerned as there could be anything in that water. I will be making an appointment with the doctor when I get back to England!

The next household we went to was an owned house. The couple that lived there have taken in 2 disabled children. The children are sent to the public school so are getting an education, but classes in Uganda's public schools are up to 200 pupils and any with a disability will be ignored. The eldest boy told how teachers would ignore him and refuse to mark his work. The general approach to disability in Uganda is so different to that that I am used to. I found this story so difficult to hear.

The slums in general are a devastating place. Children play in filthy, everyone appears malnourished and desperate and the housing is inadequate.There are channels of water with mosquito larvae and sewage running through them. There are make shift houses from rusted bits of corrugated iron dotted about the place and clusters of households that share bathing facilities - generally an area with a little cloth around it. Apparently peeping toms are quite a problem as well.

As we walked around children would shout, sing and follow us around. Occasionally a woman would come up to us and thank us profusely for coming. Mostly though the adults looked on with facial expressions that could only be described as contempt. Both reactions made me feel very uncomfortable. This is most likely due to while people having gone there before, making promises to help and never following through with them.

We tried to stop at the rehabilitation centre that had seen Mussa on the way home, but were stopped by a torrential downpour. 

I've spent the rest of the evening numb, unable to really think about or process what's happened today.

Day 9 - Devastating Poverty

I've been noticing that a lot of trucks here have Chinese writing on the side of them and have been wondering what this is about. I asked Ali today and he said that there are quite a few Chinese businesses operating in Uganda. I have read a little about China's interest in Africa before. I don't know a lot about it but it makes me a little nervous...

On the way to get started for the day Ali showed us a doctor's report. They had taken Mussa (the paralysed boy from the slums) to the doctor for an assessment. He was recommended a 1 month stay in the rehabilitation centre and some specific equipment. This amounts to 1,031,000 Ugandan Shillings, which is around £300.

We did some assessment visits today for new families with Ali, Margaret and Agnes, who is a partner of the organisation in her local area. Her role is to identify at risk families and bring them to the ogranisation's attention.

The first family we visited was a single mother called Mariam and her 3 children who are 6, 4 and 3 years old. The eldest child is disabled and is unable to stand or speak. Mariam has never had the money to take her to the doctor for a diagnosis, but one volunteer suspects that it is cerebral palsy. Mariam blames it on a fever the child had when she was 3 months old. There is also another child in the father's family with the same condition.

When the child was 3 years old it became obvious that she was not developing normally. Despite having a history in his family of this disability, the father decided that he could not have fathered such a child, accused Mariam of cursing him and left her. The house she is living in is owned by her mother in law who is trying to ger her out.

We did a full assessment on the family. They had 1 jerry can which they use to collect water from the local well. The jerry can leaks though so fetching water is very difficult. The children appeared malnourished and were not clean as Mariam could not afford soap. Their clothing was dirty and torn and they had no shoes. We saw inside the house as well. There was a bard, old, dirty mattress that the children sleep on. They wet the bed but she is unable to clean it. She showed us the small square of foam on the floor that she sleeps on. She has no bed clothes or blanket. She has 1 mosquito net, but they don't all fit under it. As a result she is currently suffering from malaria.

To earn money, Mariam works digging in other  people's fields. For 3 days digging she will earn 5000 Ugandan shillings. This is roughly £1.50.

Izzy later explained that what Mariam's husband did was not unusual. He said that when a baby is born abnormal it is seen as s curse and the woman is blamed. The man then moves on to marry another woman and starts over again.

As we left, Margaret gave Miriam the equivalent of about 50p for soap. Mariam feel to her knees in the dirt and thanked her profusely.

this is such a tough situations. Mariam will probably qualify for emergency assistance and will be provided with a mattress, jerry cans, cooking pots and other essentials. In terms of longer term sustainable options though I'm not sure what can be done. Mariam has no land so can't receive seeds or a pig. She also has to care for her disabled child so is unable to start a business even with capital as she would be unable to leave the house to sell her products. I'm really at a loss as to what could even be done to help Mariam and it's so difficult.

The second family we saw today had 4 children. Both mother and father are about and the mother is pregnant. They are caretakers of the land they live on and are allowed to keep 30% of what they produce. The mother and father also work digging for other landowners. they do not make a lot of money though and are only able to feed their family once a day. their eldest child attends school, but they cannot afford to send the others.

The house was clean, though they have no mattresses and the children seemed happy. While they get malaria from time to time and were slightly malnourished they seemed mostly healthy.

What I just can't get my head around is her pregnancy. When you are struggling to feed your children I just cannot understand why you would have another child.

The third family we visited had 3 orphaned grandchildren. The grandmother weaves hats and bags to sell for money for food. She has difficulty selling them though as she needs to walk around to find buyers. 2 years ago she dislocated her ankle and has never been to see a doctor. The grandfather Kizimula (or Sandy is his born again Christian name) has gone blind and so is unable to work to support the family.

When we met Kizimula, Lauren and I immediately noticed that he had cataracts. He has not been to a doctor as he could not afford transport. It was really difficult to see this man who was blind, but who doesn't have to be and the children of his deceased child going without food because of his condition. I have found out that there is a local eye clinic who will diagnose for free, have got someone from the organisation to agree to take him and given them some money for transport. Now I'll look for a cataract charity operating in Uganda and should hopefully be able to get his surgery done for free. I'm really looking forward to hearing more about his doctors visit. Unfortunately I will be unable to go as I'm back to the slums tomorrow.

After outreach we stopped by a shop to get some paint for the school. We bought white and flamingo, which turned out to be bright yellow...

The other volunteers went to the school to do some painting while I went with Martin to a town called Kamwokya to meet the web developers who handle the organisation's website. They were able to show me the source code and discuss how we could get the search engine optimisation done. While they can't give us access to update the meta data ourselves, they are able to add data I provide for very little money. Their standard fee for this is less than £30, but it's likely to be less because it's for a charity.

Kamwokya was a strange place. It seemed very rich in comparison to the area I'm in. There were huge houses with high walls and security. After seeing the developers, we headed back to get a taxi, but a different way this time. Martin explained to me that he does this in case people with bad intentions saw us go there and decided to wait for us to come back.

Today has been pretty intense. I feel really good about the fact that for the most part I have an action plan. I'm still thinking about Mariam though and how hopeless she seemed and wishing I could find a solution.

Day 8.2 - Results

At around 7 Joseph dropped by the volunteer house and we were able to discuss a couple of things with him.

We started by discussing Dorothy, the girl we had seen today whose step-mother has been neglecting her. Joseph said that she was a particularly bad case. His thinking is that while education is very important for her, there are other important aspects of this intervention as well. Dorothy does not understand her rights as a human being and needs time to interact with others more to see how others are treated. She will also be given time with the school counselor. As part of these sorts of intervention strategies, they do parental education as well. They talk about a parent's obligations to a child and also about what benefits there are of having a happy, healthy child. The organisation has spoken to the father before, but the step-mother is strong willed and the father is not often home.

Another concern is that Dorothy is being made to wake up at 6am to begin her chores. it's not yet light at this time and it's really unsafe for a young girl to be walking around in the dark by herself.

We are looking into sponsorship options for her as a group, but will wait until after our visit to the slums on Wednesday until we make our final decision.

Conversation move to the  woman I had met in the slums (Aisha) with the paralised, epileptic son (Mussa). The organisation currently uses a microfinance company, but they require collateral. I talked to Joseph about Kiva and this is an option we will be exploring. Failing that, the organisation can act as guarantor with their existing finance company.

This would allow Aisha to purchase items such as a bag of charcoal, cassava, etc, which can be sold at a profile, enabling her to purchase medication and other essentials.

We will be going back to the slums on Wednesday and Joseph has agreed to do a full assessment on this family then. Hopefully we will then be able to move to the intervention stage. this would involve arranging a loan and getting Mussa to a rehabilitation centre. There is one nearby that in this situation would be willing to split the cost.

I'm really pleased at the outcome of these conversations and am hopeful that some great things will come from this.

Joseph hung around for a little while afterwards, amusing us. He didn't know what mosquito repellent was and it was hilarious watching him spraying it on his arm and recoiling at the smell. Also, I don't think I've ever seen someone not know how to break off a piece of Toblerone before. Hilarious.

Day 8 - Tuberculosis, Mzungus and Dorothy

I can't believe it's the start of the second week already. The time has just flown by and so much has happened.

This morning got off to a slightly rocky start as Lauren had found a cockroach in her bed at 3am and had been up since. I somehow slept through her entire ordeal.

There's been a slight health scare in the volunteer house. 2 of the girls had been helping a man this week who has turned out to have tuberculosis. Neither of them have been vaccinated for this. On inspecting my immunisation sheet nor have I. Will need to look at that when I get back to England.

We did outreach again today, with Edward and Ronald. We had the funniest conversation with Edward at the first house. He couldn't believe that we keep dogs as pets, allow them in the house, feed them well and treat them as companions. In Uganda, dogs are not important and people don't use vets. If a dog falls sick they will let it die. We then got on to the topic of Lauren not eating meat. Edward did not understand why she wouldn't and asked what she would do if she came to his house and he served it to her. We had come to the end of the conversation when he had a though, "do  you eat pork?" He was also amazed that we didn't slaughter our own animals and that they don't resemble the animal they came from when we get them.

At our next house visit there were children from other families hanging around marvelling at the mzungus, as they do. One of the girls had quite bad scarring on her chest from boiling water. Edward says that sometimes parents will scald children with water or oil as punishment. He can't be sure if this is what happened to this child but it's possible.

At the next house we were given a pancake. I was able to ask about them this time. They are made by kneading bananas into cassava flour, shaping into a disc and frying. They really aren't very nice, but were at least a little nicer fresh. The woman who makes them sells them to the school to fund education for her 3 children/ They are all doing well. At 10 shillings per pancaked and 200,000 shillings per school term she must make a lot of them!!

The next house was that of a woman who has taken in some orphans. Watching the youngest running around, laughing and wondering what life had in store for him was heart breaking.  I have hit the point where I have absorbed enough for what I'm seeing and hearing to really sink in. The children in this house had not done well last term due to contracting the measles, but are expected to improve next term.

The final visit was truly heartbreaking. There is a 13 year old girl called Dorothy there. Her father had 2 wives. She was born to the first wife, who died in childbirth. The second wife was now caring for her as they father has to live elsewhere for work. As Dorothy is only her step-daughter and not her real child, the step-mother uses her as a kind of domestic servant. She walks 6km to and from school and has to dig in the field before school, fetch water and look after her younger step-siblings. She is regularly late for school and never has time for home work. Ronald said that she often comes to school unwashed and unfed.

While we were there, the step mother looked annoyed at having to take time to discuss Dorothy, while Dorothy looked frightened and had huge bags under her eyes. While she is 13, she is only in primary 4 due to not being able to focus on school work.

I've made some enquiries about sponsoring her to board at the school. In short, for her to finish primary school (3 more years) as a boarder would cost around £1000. I'm seriously considering trying to do this. I need to do a little more research though into career paths, high school and feasibility

I feel such anger at her step-mother. I don't understand how anyone could treat another person like this, let alone someone who has been through such hardship and has no one left to turn to. She has even refused to purchase the holiday work book Dorothy needed and had not bothered to pick up her report card..

Back at the school it seems that everything we do is funny. We opened the gates for a car and suggested we'd be good security guards. Edward just laughed and informed us that was not a mzungu job. A mzungu job is typing under shelter apparently. It was also quite amusing to them when we returned our own plates to the kitchen. It was met with cheers of "well done" and riotous laughter when we said "thank you for cooking" in Luganda.

At another stage we got into a conversation with Israel about women's roles. I've been finding it very difficult that women kneel on the floor the whole time we are in their home. Izzy was wondering, would we not submit (kneel) to your husbands when we serve them food. This led to a conversation about the fact that my boyfriend is the main cook in our house. He doesn't understand how this happened or why we are not willing to take on this traditional role. this ended with "I will never marry a mzungu". I refrained from saying that one would never marry him.

We returned to the house to find that the windows had been opened wide by the director's wife, Juliette. She was giving our room an air out as it was "not fresh". Kate joked, "Do we smell?" to which she just answered "mmmm". Haha. Oh well, temps in the early 30s, no running water, slum visit, etc are a pretty good excuse I think!

Day 7 - Entebbe

I'm getting used to having a layer of brown dust on my skin. Every day that water, wet wipes and cotton balls that come off my skin are a red/brown colour. It's actually impossible to stay clean here.

There's talk of a brief trip to Rwanda next weekend. This would involve a night bus there on Friday, spending Saturday there, night bus on Saturday then straight to the airport on Sunday to get my flight home. I'll have to look at the timings and see if it's feasible. I had been considering going to Entebbe and flying to the chimp island, but at this stage I think I would just feel guilty about spending that kind of money on a leisure activity.

Last night it rained heavily. I could only lie awake thinking of the people we had met in the slums scrambling to save what little food they have.

We had quite a loose invitation from Ronald to come to church with him today. Being an atheist I avoided the question, but I kind of wish I had taken him up on it. Seeing a gospel church in action, where people celebrate rather than mourn their faith, would be quite an experience.

As I've been spending more time here I've been noticing more. I love that when you want to build a house in Uganda you literally do this from the Earth. You add water, form the resulting mud into a brick shape, stack in a tall pire with 2 tunnels running through and set fires inside them to set the bricks.

I'm also starting to pick up a little Luganda. Though my dialogue is limited to "hello, how are you?", "I'm fine", "thank you" and "that's ok", the reactions from Ugandans when any of us say these is priceless. Many burst out laughing, no doubt at our pronunciation. Some are surprise and ask where we learned this, others offer to give us lessons (not so subtle).

Taking full advantage of our second day off, we headed to Entebbe to the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, which is a kind of animal orphanage.There were monkeys, hyenas, rhinos, warthogs and various other African animals. There were signs to a giraffe, but the giraffe itself didn't seem to actually exist. The centre backs on to Lake Victoria, so were were able to sit by the lake and have lunch. It's amazing to see it stretch our as far as the eye can see. Apparently if you venture far enough out it's possible to not be able to see land in any direction. If you do this without navigation equipment, who knows which country you might end up int! You can't really swim in the lake due to crocodiles and diseases, but it was pretty to look at.

In the taxi on the way home a torrential downpour started. So quickly the dirt tracks turned into fast running rivers of mud. The taxi ceiling started dripping on me and as we went through a puddle my feet got wet. This caused me to look down and notice what looked like car part at sitting at my feet.This taxi conducted had crowded a particularly large amount of people into it making it feel even more unsafe.

Something that's really starter to stand out to me is the lack of gun safety. There are men with rifles everywhere in the city. Not only the police, but also private guards outside of every bank and money exchange. They seem so careless with their weapons it makes me nervous. I saw one today with his chin resting on the end of the barrel and another with his gun across his lap pointing out into traffic. I really do hate guns and this lax attitude towards them make it worse.

Seen/Happened Today:

• An ad for Nile Special: For Special People
• Super Thankyou Store
• Saw traffic lights today. First time since being here. They seem to have a "cross at your peril" setting where all the lights are on at the same time.
• A taxi with "God Help Me" printed across the wind shield. Quite apt.
• An open air blood drive, in the middle of an extremely busy roundabout in the city.
• Not for sale signs on loads of properties. Not sure what this is about.
• A shop with "cake and coffee" painted on the front of it. We went in and asked for cake, to be told that they only do fish...

Day 6 - The Source Of The Nile

Being Saturday today we had the day off to explore. Myself and 3 other volunteers decided to go to Jinja to see the source of The Nile.

This involved getting a taxi to Kampala taxi park and then on to Jinja. All in all it took about 3 hours to get there. About half way there we stopped and were swamped an all sides by people selling food and drinks. They were sticking their products through the windows and shouting. One of the volunteers, Lauren, is a vegetarian and literally had chicken shoved in her face. When we got to Jinja we got on 2 boda bodas and headed to the source of The Nile. It was strange to feel like a tourist and there were white people everywhere! We went on a boat with a guide. He showed us some of the local wildlife (though no crocodiles thankfully!) and took us to the point that Lake Victoria combines with underground springs and becomes The Nile. Apparently Gahndi's ashes were poured into the river here, which I didn't know.

After this we had a little walk around Jinja and then got the taxi home. It was an awful journey. I managed to draw the short straw and ended up in one of the welded in seats with no cushioning. The woman next to me had a big bag and a sleeping child and the man behind me kept stroking my arm and shoulder. Not my favourite 2 hours ever, but the trip was worth it.

We decided to go for a beer this evening and headed in to Kasangati. As always, being the only white people in town we were receiving a lot of attention. Tonight though we were very tired and the insistence became very frustrating. At one point, 2 men followed us for at least 10 minutes before we managed to get rid of them. Later, as we were leaving, a man grabbed my butt as I climbed on to the boda boda, as they all stood around encouraging him. While it can be amusing seeing people's reactions to you looking so different, I don't feel that we deserve to be treated as pieces of meat simply because of the colour of our skin. I can only imagine what would happen if the situation was reversed in London.

It was really an unfortunate way to end what was a nice day.

A couple of other exciting things did happen today.
1. I washed my clothing. This includes soaking in a bucket with travel wash, rubbing it together, wringing out as much water as you can and hanging. The colour of the water afterwards was amazing. A real murky brown/grey colour.

2. The electricity came back on and I was able to charge my phone. This coincided with a slight drop in temperature. I've been wondering if the power cuts have had to do with air conditioners. Not that I've seen any air conditioners, but there are bound to be some more well off people using them in the area.

Today's sightings:

• A small mud hut shop called "shop dot com"
• A bicycle with 3 children on it, the rear 2 carrying scythes
• A man emerging from a dirt track on the forest wearing a business suit
• A man begging in Kampala covered in blood
• A man smoking. This is really rare as smoking is massively frowned upon in Uganda.
• An Indian convenience store owner in Jinja!

Day 5 - School Checks

I didn't sleep much last night. I kept waking up thinking about what I was going to say to James to sell him the microfinance idea. His English is very good, but it's quite complex and I'm scared it will get lost in translation.

This morning we went out to see some of the school children in their homes. We set out on foot in what must have been around 33 degrees with the sun scorching our already seared flesh. Edward was joking that he was once a mzungu but after being in the sun for so long his skin turned black and he became Ugandan.

The other person we were with was Ronnie. He is a volunteer teacher with the organisation while he studies. Once he finishes though he will need to find a paying job to support his mother and 4 siblings. Ronnie is an incredibly happy person with an infectious laugh. He seems to think everything we do is hilarious.

We made 7 visits in total, 3 of whom weren't home. The others all seemed to be doing well. The students had mostly completed their holiday work, with the exception of one who had been ill with malaria most of the holidays.

Everyone was so friendly in the way they greeted us and welcomed us into their homes. One woman wanted to cook us lunch and asked for our phone numbers,

After this we came back to the school and had a pancake. I'm not entirely sure what this was, but it was about the size of the mouth of a pint glass, chewy, tasted slightly of bananas and was a bit gritty. This might have just been dirt though.

We then sat in on an English lesson Ronald was teaching to the kids who had come for extra study during the holidays. The kids obviously love him and have a real thirst for knowledge.

After school we tried to get to the internet cafe. Our village still has no power so we went to Kasangati (a few villages over). The first internet cafe was offline. We went into the second, but after 10 minutes (which is about how long it took to log in to facebook) the network crashed. We went for a beer and cam back. This time I had almost transcribed an entire day from my journal into the blog when the power to Kasangati went out. We had to give up and go home. It's becoming very frustrating being so cut off. With the power situation in our village I have one bar of battery left of my phone and no idea when I may get to charge it.

Day 4 - Getting Started

This morning we met the project director, James. He told us some more about his reasons for founding it. His aims are:

• to provide schooling where children are not beaten
• fight HIV, malaria and other diseases
• protect girls from slavery, prostitution and trafficking
• support children's development

James also discussed poverty mentality syndrome. He feels that this explains the begging we see in the streets, and also the governmental issues. He gave an example of a minister who may own 3 houses, but still feel that it is not enough. In a country where 40% live below the poverty line it's easy to see how this way of thinking can develop. Though really, it's not too dissimilar to the west.

He then went on to thank us for coming. He said that while our project fees help, what they really need is our ideas and to spread the work of the help needed in Uganda.

After meeting with James we went on our first outreach visits.

1. The first family we saw was a single mother with 6 children. They all live in a single room house. This family have been sponsored and have 2 pigs, some chickens and fruit trees. James pointed out some lumps in the youngest boy's toes. Theses were jiggers - a tick like animal that inserts itself under your skin and feeds of your blood.These are as a result of the family not living hygienically. The mother went to her knees in the dirt to welcome us which I found really uncomfortable though I know she was just expressing her gratitude to the organisation.
2. Our second visit was to a household with 10 children living in it. There were the grandparents, their orphaned grandchildren and various other orphans that they had taken in. A volunteer that has met them before brought clothing for them as their were ripped and torn, with some of the children not having any at all. The kids were so funny, alternating between being terrified and inquisitive. The love cameras though! It's the only chance they have to see what they look like.
3. The third visit was to the new regional office of the organisation that is really to open. Up the road a bit we went to see a woman named Margaret who is to be the organisation's eyes and ears in the region. Margaret will also be permitted to run her business from the office and has been provided a start up loan by the organisation. This new business will mean she can send her children to school.

On the way back to the school we stopped for a rolex. This is an omelette, wrapped in a tortilla. So stodgy, but so yummy.

After lunch we were taken to a slum, Kisenyi and were guided around by the 'slum manager' for our safety. The slum floods every wet season as it is in swamp land.  We saw water lines almost to the rooves of house. Many had make shift shacks, knowing that they would be ruined next month.

It was upsetting to see groups of kids filling jerry cans from filthy water with sewage channels running into it. Ali, the field coordinator who took us said that while some boiled the water before drinking, many could not afford the coal to do so.

While walking around we gathered a large group of children, including one who clutched my hand and didn't let go for an hour or more.

We were introduced also to a woman and her son. Her son has cerebral palsy and epilepsy, but they have no money for medication. He cannot walk or move and just stares at the wall. He has been that way for years now. I felt as though we were being asked for money for medication, but that's not the solution. When the medication runs out he would be back in the same situation. Ali translated for me while I discussed means of earning in the slums and we discussed that with some start up capital she could sell yams, rice and coal. She could do this from outside her home, so still care for her son and it would become a sustainable business so she could purchase his medication on an ongoing basis.

I have found the details of Kiva.com's microfinance partners in Uganda and will be trying to set up a meet between them and my organisation. Hopefully this woman will qualify for a loan to start her business and others that the organisation identifies can also be assessed.

One thing I learned later that I couldn't quite believe is that many of the homes in the slums are owned by landlords. They rent these to people during the dry season who have no idea what will happen when the rains start. At the beginning of the wet season they are not prepared or the floods and will lose all of their food. It really bothers me the most when people who are in such bad situations already have even more advantage taken of them. I don't understand how these landlords can do what they do, though it's no doubt also out of desperation.

Writing this journal (later transcribed to a blog) I am sitting at at the entrance to the slum waiting to be picked up, watching the clouds roll in. I am told that if it starts to rain everyone will panic. I can understand why...

Day 3 - Kampala

Yesterday after I had finished posting my blog, I was sitting outside the internet cafe waiting for another volunteer whose computer had crashed. A man started walking towards me, shouting and pointing at me. He was speaking in Luganda so I have no idea what he was saying, but that he kept saying mzungu so I knew it was about me. A group of men nearby picked up rocks and started throwing them at him and eventually he went away. It made me think of a warning we'd received during induction. "Don't be out after 11pm. Until then there are lots of people who are near if you need them, but after 11 they disappear." After that incident I'll be taking that advice!

Back at the volunteer house it's become apparent that our side of the house has quite a cockroach infestation in the bathroom. I'm not too bothered, being from Queensland and all, but it's funny seeing the reactions of the girls from England to the bug situation. There was a big incident involving a rhinoceros beetle yesterday.

I've been hearing terrifying stories about the witchdoctors. Benedict, one of our project coordinators was discussing the advocacy and lobbying side of the business and told us how people would sacrifice a child for wealth. This involves beheading the child and taking them to the local witchdoctor who would in turn guarantee that they become rich. I'm assuming this sort of thing only happens in the remote no travel zones of Uganda but it's pretty awful to hear that it happens at all. There is a witchdoctor near the school as well. I haven't seen her yet, but 2 of the other volunteers saw a cat's head on the ground outside her house the other week.

Today we went to Kampala with Silvia who works for the organisation to show us around places we may need to go. While showing us local hotels and shops she was saying that she finds it strange that er are here on our work holidays because in Uganda they don't get them. If you work for the government you may be lucky and get 3 days off in a row once, but it's not likely.

We were also taken to a market set up for mzngus. I was sad to see ivory for sale there.

At times when we were walking around Silvia would take hold of my hand. This is a sign of friendship in Uganda so I was flattered, but as a non-touchy person had to fight my instinct to pull away.

Last we went to Oweeno Market. A labyrinth of cluttered alleyways dealing mostly in clothing from charity. When I said earlier that Ugandans are reserved, this is with the exception of stall owners in Oweeno! There were many calls of mzungu, people grabbing our arms and disturbingly, stroking our arms. I think I also received about 3 marriage proposals. 2 of the men simply pointed at me and said "my wife".

Crossing the road in Kampala is a  nightmare. You basically have to just step out and hope for the best.

Our taxi back to the village decided to turn around early but still demanded full payment. Silvia had an argument with them, at which point the taxi conducter threatened to tell us that she was going to steal us.

We decided to go to the school afterwards as it was still early. There wasn't anyone available to drive us though, so that meant getting a boda boda (motorbike). It was me and another volunteer on the back of one. Silvia went side saddle with another volunteer on the back of another, up a dirt track with no helmet. You can specify the speed you want to go so we said 20km/hr. His speedometer was broken though so who knows what speed we actually went.

Once we got to the school, we decided to do some painting. The kids all rushed in to the classroom and took the brushes and did all the painting for us. I felt pretty guilty but they seemed to be having fun. We came across a weird looking frog and being mzungus didn't want to touch it. The kids stood on it and threw paint on it until we chased them away. They really didn't understand why we would not let them kill it. Animals command no respect in Uganda.

I'm starting to lean the backgrounds of some of the children. One of the girls that has been taken in by the school was found when she was 11, working as a prostitute in the slums. I can only assume she is also HIV+ as a result.

I'm still trying to work out where to spend the donation my grandma has given me. It's so difficult to stay conscious enough outside of emotion to make sure it's spent in a sustainable way.

This evening we went to a bar called Afro Bar a few villages over and tried one of the local lagers. It's called Nile Special and costs equivalent of 65p for a 500ml bottle. So including transport, I spent 1.30 for a night out. We had to get boda bodas home though as taxis don't run late.They really are good with scared mzungus and travelled around 40km/hr the whole way home.We left shortly after they began showing the Chelsea match. You just can't get away from football!

All of the Ugandan staff here have been so welcoming and lovely so far. I really appreciate that while they are all very religious (like most Ugandans) they leave religion out of their work.

I really do love Africa. There's something about the simple life that feels so honest. Here, the problems that occupy your mind are human rights and poverty, rather than the fact that the man next to you on the tube is a space invader You can derive pleasure from a 65p bottle of beer, rather than a 65 pound bottle of whisky.

I really don't mind that the electricity has been out for 24 hours or that the water doesn't run. It makes me conscious of my consumption of these resources. Uganda is definitely getting under my skin.

Today's Tidbits

• There are giant birds here like ibis', but the sit in the trees. I'm terrified of getting a giant poo on my head.
• I saw a man today on the back of a motorbike holding a car windshield between him and the driver. So dangerous!!
• Silvia showed us a guitar. A harp like instrument with fur on it...
• Went past a shop called At Obama Butchery
• The kids think it's very strange that I'm 27 years old and don't have a baby.
• We saw a chicken shop. Though it sells deep fried whole fish.

Day 2 - Induction

This morning I was reminded that there is no need for alarm clocks in Africa. I was first woken by local women going about their chores at 6:30am. They seemed to be taking turns shouting directly at our very flimsy back door. They were soon replaced by roosters, then children squealing, then taxis honking their horns.

I did however lie in bed for some time in procrastination of my morning wee. You see, this consists of lifting a large jerry can of pumped water (I'm guessing 20L), decanting into a smaller bucket on the floor, pouring that into the cistern and then flushing. I know we're very lucky to have a working toilet so I won't be complaining, but I won't be drinking much water before bed either!

The electricity is off today so after a slice of bread with melted margarine, we were off to our induction. The mobile network has come back up though so that's something!

First we went to the local school that our program runs. We were shown around everything by a lovely man named Edward, including the cramped bunk rooms where the orphans sleep. When doors were locked he simply opened the windows and beckoned us to peer in. The school generally seems quite well equipped, except for the water situation.

We were taken down the dirt track to the local water source and shown the muddy water that has to be collected and carried back up the hill. While the school has a filtration system, many of the locals drink it as is. Edward told us that someone had once convinced him it was clean and he had drank it. He fell very ill as a result.

I'm deliberately not mentioning the name of the organisation I am working with in this blog so that I can be as honest and objective as possible. I did learn more about what they do today that I can share though.

We learned a little of Uganda's history. In 1979 Tanzania overthrew the Ugandan government in retaliation to an invasion into their country. Around this time AIDS began to become an increasing problem in Uganda. At the time people didn't understand, they blamed witchcraft and so didn't take any preventative measures. Many children were left orphaned. This is when the group began initially.

Now they are focusing on children that are working on the streets of t he city as pickpockets. They school and rehabilitate the children and encourage them to return to their communities to pass on their knowledge

After our induction we were taken to see a local woman named Deborah. Her grandsons attend the school. She makes jewellery from recycled and natural materials to see for food money. We sat with her for a while and made some beads from old magazines listening to the kids singing.

Once we'd done beading we went back to the school for lunch. Uganda's staple food is posha. A flour made from maize, mixed with water and formed into a kind of mash. We had this with beans. It has no taste at all, but I'd better get used to it!

While driving around we were behind a motorbike that was traveling with a woman side saddle in the back, loosely holding a baby that can't have been more than 3 months old.

Now here I am at the internet cafe one village over (as ours has no power). I got here via mini-van taxi with about 20 people in it. It only cost about 10p though. Bargain!!

Day 1 - Arrival

Well here I am in Uganda. After a long flight with the knee of an extremely tall man behind me jammed into my spine I was happy to see the ground approaching.

Uganda from the sky is breathtakingly beautiful. Endless hills, rainforests and lakes entered my vision and got me really excited.

Myself and 2 other volunteers were collected on time (amazing and totally unexpected). Getting a visa was no hassle. After scanning every single one of my fingerprints, the guard tossed my 50USD casually on to a pile of cash in an open drawer beside him and sent me on my way.

Security in the city is really tight. Everywhere you look there are guards with rifles and metal detectors. We had our bags searched going in to the supermarket and had a metal detector passed over us. This is a by product of the terrorism that Uganda has experienced in the past.

From the airport, we went to Kampala, Uganda's capital city, and experienced African road chaos. The really scary thing is that women are expected to ride side saddle on motorbikes here! I'm all for adapting to culture, but that's one thing this Muzungu (white person) won't be doing!!

I also noticed that all the manikins outside the shops have especially large hips and bums. For once I can look at clothes on the manikin and know what they'll look like on me!!

Overall though, the initial impression is much like Ghana. People and animals sitting/standing.lying around in the oddest of places. The really notable difference is that the Ugandan people seem much more reserved.

After Kampala we went on to the volunteer house. I'm sharing a room with another girl from London. It's very basic but clean adn comfortable enough.

We had a thinderstorm this afternoon. IT was amazing to wake from  a nap to the sound of rain pelting down on the tin roof.

The water in the house doesn't run so that long awaited shower turned into freezing buckets of water over my head.

I am also not in the same volunteer house I had thought I would be. I am now 10km north of Kampala rather than the planned SW location. But hey, this is Africa.

I've had the chance to have a little walk around the local area today and there's not a lot around here. There are  a few shops with out of date merchandise, a couple of local restaurants (I use the term loosely) and a couple of places you can drink beer.

I have managed to get a local SIM, but apparently the network has been down for a few days. My UK line isn't receiving texts either, so apologies if anyone is trying to reach me.

The day finished up with meeting some more of the volunteers. 5 girls in total now, all living in England. They had some interesting stories about their time here.

Really excited to find out more about the project tomorrow.

Getting Ready - Ebola, Expectations and Donations

With under 3 weeks left to go before I depart for Uganda I'm getting very excited.

As I did with Ghana, I intend to keep a blog while I'm there. I found it a really useful way to reflect and process what I was seeing, keep a record I can refer back to and let everyone at home know what I'm up to and that I'm still alive.If you're interested in checking out my Ghana blog you can do so here: http://lalalauralondon.blogspot.co.uk/

The project that I'm working on is expected to be a lot more emotionally challenging than last time. I'll be working with a child advocacy project helping in any way I can, possibly including making house visits to child run households (where the parents have passed away from HIV) and assessing their requirements for support. I could also find myself teaching at the orphanage or carrying out whatever other work is needed. As someone who is usually very organised there's a small part of me that's bothered about not knowing exactly what I'll be doing yet, but it's Africa and I need to be patient. Besides, it's kind of exciting that way.

I don't expect I will have enough access to the internet to blog every day, but I just don't know, so will blog whenever I can.

Ebola Virus

I just wanted to mention the ebola virus outbreak, particularly for my family who have to try to see the reality behind the sensationalist news stories put forward by the Australian media. Yes, the ebola virus is very serious. However, it is so serious that it kills its victims too quickly to allow the virus to spread from person to person in most cases. Generally speaking, the virus spreads in hospitals that cannot afford disposable needles, have poorly educated nurses and do not have correct procedures for disposing of ebola victims.

Currently, all bar 1 cases have been reported in the Mulago district (A on the map), around 170km West of Kampala (B on the map). I will be in the Rakai district (C on the map), around the same distance South West. I am extremely unlikely to have any contact with the virus and I don't feel at this point that there is any reason to delay my trip. The World Health Organisation has not issues any travel warnings either.

General safety wise, I will be staying in a volunteer house with security and I expect will be safer than an average evening walking the streets of London. haha

Donations


The purpose of my trip is not to drum up donations. I am there to help in a sustainable way and not to give our charity. However, should you wish to make a donation I would be happy to deliver it personally.

They take donations in USD and have given information on what the money buys.

• $5-8 buys a new school uniform
• $8 will buy a top quality pig for families to breed
• $10 will buy a piece of equipment for the science lab
• $100 buys a self-sufficiency kit
• $100 buys a bunk bed and two mattresses for two orphans who can then live safely within the school
• $500 builds a latrine for a family to improve their health and sanitation
• $800 will buy 70 sheets of corrugated iron for a new roof for a vulnerable family
• $1800 builds a house for a vulnerable family

If anyone is interested in making a donation let me know and we'll work out the whole money bit, but there are no expectation as like I say, drumming up donations is not the purpose of my trip.