Uganda - Day One Continued...
As we walked through Gaba, children yelled mzungu (for white people) and followed the group throughout the village. It was difficult to get used to the stares. Nick said we are treating them like a tourist attraction and I was very uncomfortable about taking any pictures. Quickly though, both of us realized that they were not the tourist attraction but alas we were! It was a sad situation to see the living conditions but the children’s faces were filled with smiles and hope. The walk took us through the village markets – very crowded stalls set up on the ground – with ditches full of sewage flowing throughout it perpendicular to one another. Garbage was strewn all over the roads with small fires burning while large cows native to Uganda with extremely large horns (ankole) were wandering the streets with some tied to posts. We walked to the dock for Lake Victoria where a group of us were going to Bethany Village the next day so they knew where they would be departing from. Gail appears to know everyone – people came up to her on a regular basis and welcomed her back – it was a nice feeling to see how warmly welcome all of us were in Gaba.
Gail gave us a tour of the Wentz Medical Centre which has been key to the success of Buy-A-Net as Sarah (Uganda’s key organizer for running Buy-A-Net) has her office located in the centre. We were taken to the children’s wing where it was just freshly painted in bright colours. It was fascinating to see the centre and all that had been accomplished thus far. We then walked back to the hotel and sat outside to watch these gigantic birds roust in a tree – these extremely large vultures have been known to take small animals and even babies – yikes!! Needless to say, I didn’t take my eyes off them plus their loud clacking beaks ensured all of us they were near! At our evening dinner, the group very easily fell into conversation and laughter. The team consists of Joanne and her daughter Emma, Heather and her son, Whitney, Debra and her daughter Emma – Jim, Tom - all from Kingston, Amber and Gail from Winnipeg, Myrna and Betty from Halifax and Nick and I. We chatted about the afternoon walk and our impressions thus far – Nick and I fully expected the living conditions we saw but it was surprising to walk through a documentary first hand.
Thursday, October 16th
The next day, some of the group went to Bethany Village while the other group went to Kyunga, Lady of Fatima Parish , Partner of BAN (Buy-A-Net). It was a 2 and a half drive there – on our arrival – the entire three villages were waiting for the training and distribution of their bednets. Before the distribution, the group was shown around the school – to a maths class (awesome for me to see!!) and a few other classes as well. The classes were very large – 70-80 per class with 4 students per table. Debra introduced the team and some of us spoke to the classes as well. Following the classes, we went to the boarding residences. The residences were filled with bunk beds stacked 3 high!! Between each set of beds was a mere foot in distance – close quarters is an understatement AND this school is one that is in much better condition than most! Each section of beds had bednets on them and each bed held the student’s possessions in a small metal box. Laundry was hung from the rafters in the long barrack shaped building with metal roofing. Each building housed 120 students.
We finally went back to the villagers and Sarah did a training session about malaria and the use of bednets. The group was very cooperative and interested – asking many questions. One gentleman asked if the bednets would protect from any other diseases which caused quite a stir in the crowd as many chuckled from his joke. (We had this interpreted to us later.) The nets were distributed in a very orderly fashion to the three villages from lists made of all the residents in the village. As each family came to receive their net(s), the recipient bowed to us in thanks. (I personally felt quite uncomfortable from this but this was their way of showing their appreciation.) On our departure, Father took us in for a cool drink and offered us lunch. It had many local creations and was a wonderful gesture. Nick and I were overwhelmed that we were allowed to participate in the net distribution and be involved in the entire process so fully. We thought we’d be only observing yet Buy-A-Net is NOT like this – you are a member of the team and you have a great sense of satisfaction of actually helping with it all. For this, I thanked Debra at the end of the day for letting us be involved in such a wonderful opportunity. The day ended back at the hotel watching our ‘friendly’ vultures in the trees. The children found some puppies on the other side of the wall when the soccer ball went over the wall. They also met the boys: Steven and Bale, who were feeding them and keeping them safe as they were found on the street a week ago. The boys came by to play soccer and of course Nick was right in there too!! The hotel is such a great location for us all but especially for the children to be able to play.
Friday, October 17th
Today we visited the Great Challenge School in Kawempe District of Kampala. What an adventure to get here!! Joseph picked us up in the van. Joanne and Heather brought along two full suitcases to hand out to the children while Myrna brought pens and pencils. We had a small incident on the way there as a truck who passed us hit our front bumper as he merged in. Joseph stopped him – we had no damage but the truck had a little – all worked out though and it was settled in no time. We finally located the school after Christopher (the Headmaster) cam and found us on a motorbike and directed us there. There is no proper driveway to the school just a small path off the side road. Christopher welcomed us and introduced us to the school staff. The children were all in their classes and the group visited each class. A description of the classrooms is needed – it is more like a stable for animals with 3-4 rows of wooden tables and benches. A steel roof with holes and pieces of plank board that are attached to posts to make the walls. The top of the rooms is open on the sides thus when it rains – the four classrooms that make up this complex – cannot be used as mud runs through and the rooms get saturated. In each class, the students welcomed us to their class then sand us songs. We introduced ourselves and thanked them for their wonderful music. One blackboard and small bits of chalk were the only teacher resources. Students used exercise books for their lessons and their work was absolutely immaculate!! With so little, these students are accomplishing so much!! Nick decided to take over a maths lesson where the students were finding the area of triangles – it was amazing to see the students getting up to do the questions on the board – they were very excited to have someone so interested in their work. The cutest class was the junior kindergarten class – they were dancing and singing – tears filled all of our eyes! Then Christopher got the entire school to come outside to an assembly (he called it a parade) so the group could hand over the gifts. Approximately 190 students attend this school. Joanne and Heather gave out their story books and read the book, “I’m a Great Me”!! It was absolutely amazing to see the children’s faces light up looking at the bright and magical pictures in the books. These books were treasures to the children and they held them tight showing how much this gift meant to them. Emma, Whitney and Emma showed the other gifts that they brought and loud cries of excitement were heard. After more pictures, sadly the group had to leave but Nick and I said we would be back on our return to Uganda after the Kenyan safari.
The next part of the day, Joseph, along with Faith and Julie from Wentz, took us to another village to train the people for the bednet distribution the next day. Faith lead the session on malaria and the benefits of net use. Again, an informative session and excellent questions were raised and answered. Julie interpreted the entire training session for us which was extremely useful. That night we went out with Joseph and his girlfriend, Doris. We found out about Doris’ family where her father has two wives but she was adamant in saying that Joseph would only have one is they married. Times they are changing!!
Saturday, October 18th
Today we net the village we went to yesterday. Debra informs me that this village is one that Bayridge netted so Nick and I will be asked to speak to the group. On arrival, a large crowd has congregated and Sarah and Faith speak to the group. Just before the nets are distributed, Nick and I are called forward and we speak on behalf of the staff and students of Bayridge Secondary School informing the village of how the money was raised and the kindness and generosity shown by the Bayridge community. Faith interprets it all and a loud applause results. The nets are then distributed and it takes a few hours to complete this. On our departure, an elderly couple stops me. The older woman wants me to thank my school for all they have done for her village – she then gives me a hug. I was totally overwhelmed by this gesture and just nodded, smiled and said thank you. This day was an absolutely awesome day!! Thank you Bayridge for making a difference in so many lives!!
Sunday, October 19th
Today we went to church in Gaba and were warmly welcomed by the entire community. Nick was asked to stand up for Joseph’s friend who was being introduced to the church today as he is marrying Faith (another nurse from Wentz Medical Centre). Nick sat with Dr. Martin and all the other men who were supporting Faith’s fiancé. The songs in the church practically raised the roof – it was such a positive atmosphere!! The only part of the service which was a bit much to take was the visiting pastor – he was a little silly with all the yelling and even the rainstorm and power failure would not stop him. Ahhh – it is all an adventure.
The rest of the day was quiet but in the evening we went to Ndere Cultural Centre for an evening of entertainment and traditional dancing. Gail tells us that the mc was Dr Martin’s music teacher. The mc is very entertaining and informative. At one point, he asks all Ugandans who brought visitors to come forward – Sarah went forward and then the Buy-A-Net Volunteers were all called up. The mc recognized Sarah for her hard work and dedication to malaria prevention. All of the visitors in the audience were called up and introduced then we were asked to dance the Ugandan way since sadly in our countries (as the mc said – we have way too much stress and we need to relax more) – so dance we did!! Nick lead a congo line – need I say more? Thank you to Gail who was leaving the next morning for a wonderful evening!!
Monday, October 20th
We were up at 6am to travel to Kibale National Park. A very long trip as it took us 6-7 hours to get there. One interesting part of the trip is I had to use the traditional facilities i.e. squat hole and Mryna took me to the back of a pub to use it. On our departure and while Jim was relieving himself – two people appeared and requested shillings for the use of their toilet. They were not going to let us by until Jim paid them 2000 shillings. Ahhh – again all part of the adventure!! Another interesting stop was in a village where vendors with basket trays sold us food through the bus windows. Chicken legs and beef were on kabob sticks, ciabata (like tortillas) were given on foolscap paper – all cheap priecs – mere cents to buy a great snack or meal.
On arrival to Kibale, we met Dennis from the Kibale Medical Centre. We were shown our cabins and set up quickly. We returned to Kibale Village where Dennis led a session on bednets and then the bednet distribution occurred. It took a long time for the net distribution and having a council member standing with a gun by the table was interesting. It was all relatively calm. The children in our group learned how to spin a tire and played with the local children. One little baby slept in Emma’s arms for quite a long time. We were getting ready to leave when I realized I couldn’t find Nick. Thus the adventure of locating Nick began. Yes – this was a tad bit stressful for me as it took sometime before Nick appeared once again. Tom and Joanne walked with me through the village area looking into each shop and home for Nick. We went to a playing field thinking he would be there but alas he was not. Finally it was decided to stop net distribution until Nick could be located. As we made our way to do this, Nick comes strolling along with a pamphlet about the local library – of which he had just been visiting for the past half hour. So no worries in the end!! Such an inquisitive fellow that Nick!!
On our return to the camp, the power was out until 8:30 as it was partaking in revolving brownouts in order to supply electricity to the area. We had dinner by candlelight. We had a quiet night. On the campsite we did see baboons running by our rooms – quite cool to say the least!! The next morning we went on a nature hike and saw lots of monkeys in the trees and many interesting birds. Amber had a bit of a run-in with biting ants and thus the term “ants in your pants” was true for her!! I held her jacket and all was well!! We headed back to Kampala after this so a long ride in the bus once again!! In the evening Jim and Tom took the entire team as well as Senator Mobena Jaffer and the BAN team at the Wentz Medical Centre - out to a Korean restaurant: Nanjing which was an evening to remember!! Thank you to Jim and Tom for their kindness!!
Wednesday, October 22nd
The group visits the Women’s Caring and Counseling Centre who is a partner with BAN. We arrive here and are shown to the centre for music and a play that shows the benefits from having the bednets. We purchased some of the local crafts made by the women who use the centre. The leaders of the centre then took us on a walk through the village as we checked on the use of the bednets in the homes of the villagers. The walk through this area was again eye-opening for all of us – it had more need and poverty was evident. Laundry was hung on the lines and as we ducked underneath it – it dripped on our heads. Residents were doing their laundry in wash bowls outside. Some children were not fully clothed while others ran towards us and wanted to speak with us. We thanked each resident for opening up their homes to us. We met children and mothers who were widowed or orphaned due to AIDS. The AIDS HIV rate has decreased in recent years in Uganda but there is still a great concern because the rate does fluctuate due to people relaxing over the issue. We also visited a school and spoke with the kindergarten teacher, Judith who has 54 pupils.
Thursday, October 23rd
Our final day with the group in Uganda and we went to Mulago Hospital for a tour. It is the largest teaching/referral hospital in all of Uganda. We were expecting very dire conditions as we saw people waiting in the hallways, wards etc. It was very congested and busy. The head nurse showed us through many areas of the hospital. In the psych. Ward, a patient thought I was Queen Elizabeth. Ahhh – again part of the adventure!! The entire visit was sad as we gave out toys to the children and books from Joanne and Heather. When I put a car on a boy’s bed who looked very ill – he quickly grabbed it with his very thin arm and tried to give me a smile. His mother said a heartfelt thank you. It is times like these that the emotion is too much and I cannot stress how lucky we are to live in Canada. In the hospital, no linen is provided so families bring their own and clean it outside. The fences surrounding the hospital were covered with drying laundry.
The hospital had 5 above ground floors and many additions spread out throughout the property. There are many stories from this hospital – too much sadness was seen.
On our last afternoon and evening, the group did some tourist shopping at a market and then ordered out for pizza. To order pizza is not easy in Gaba. Nick and I got a driver: Baker who took us to a pizza restaurant so we could make the order. We tried to order salad but the restaurant said it would take too long to make salads so Nick went to the restaurant next door to get them. We ordered 6 pizzas and waited for our order. The owner was seen running from the restaurant to get the ingredients from the local markets down the road. Prep work is not a usual thing in restaurants here. We then were informed it would take over a hour and Baker, our driver, could not wait that long so the restaurant agreed to deliver to the hotel. True to their word, two men arrive on a bodaboda (motorcycle) with 6 pizzas wrapped in tin foil (no pizza boxes here!!) and we enjoyed this lovely treat.
The next morning at 3am we leave for Kenya for the Masai Mara Safari – and thus the adventure continues … in a separate blog… but to finish Uganda after Kenya – here are the highlights from our return to Uganda
Monday, October 27th
We arrive back to Uganda airport at 11:30 pm only to realize we cannot get back into the country due to our visa being expired as it was a single entry visa only!! So we begged, pleaded and begged some more saying we are only there for a mere 30 hours until we catch our flight back to London on the 29th but to no avail unless we wanted to stay in the airport!! Well we didn’t want to do that so we had just enough money to repurchase two visas for Uganda. Funny – IF we would have known this – we could have been travelling with the group back to London that evening!! Hmmm – no comment!!
The next day, Baker picked us up and took us to the Garden City Centre where we purchased 250 exercise books, 250 pens and 2 large boxes of chalk for the Great Challenge School. Thank you to members of the BAN team who donated monies for these purchases!! The school children were extremely excited to see Nick and I. We visited the classrooms and helped them with their work. Many of the students had their story books from Joanne and Heather and told us how much their younger brothers and sisters were enjoying the stories. This was a wonderful thing to hear!! Again Christopher brought out all of the schoolchildren for pictures and to see the gifts we brought. We spoke with them all and wished them luck on their exams that were to occur the following week. It was again a wonderful visit!! Thank you to the school for opening their doors to us once again!!
That afternoon we stayed at the Fairway Hotel and met Livia – Tom and Jim recommended her as a great masseuse and Nick and I must agree as we each enjoyed a wonderful massage to end the day!!
The next day we leave at 6am for the airport to Mumbai, India. I do have to say that the mosquitoes are terrible in Uganda as I was the wonderful recipient of at least 20 bites – all of which swelled up like plums – and I received 4 more on our return!! Nick though did not receive one bite – how is that fair??
Onto our next adventure…
Gail gave us a tour of the Wentz Medical Centre which has been key to the success of Buy-A-Net as Sarah (Uganda’s key organizer for running Buy-A-Net) has her office located in the centre. We were taken to the children’s wing where it was just freshly painted in bright colours. It was fascinating to see the centre and all that had been accomplished thus far. We then walked back to the hotel and sat outside to watch these gigantic birds roust in a tree – these extremely large vultures have been known to take small animals and even babies – yikes!! Needless to say, I didn’t take my eyes off them plus their loud clacking beaks ensured all of us they were near! At our evening dinner, the group very easily fell into conversation and laughter. The team consists of Joanne and her daughter Emma, Heather and her son, Whitney, Debra and her daughter Emma – Jim, Tom - all from Kingston, Amber and Gail from Winnipeg, Myrna and Betty from Halifax and Nick and I. We chatted about the afternoon walk and our impressions thus far – Nick and I fully expected the living conditions we saw but it was surprising to walk through a documentary first hand.
Thursday, October 16th
The next day, some of the group went to Bethany Village while the other group went to Kyunga, Lady of Fatima Parish , Partner of BAN (Buy-A-Net). It was a 2 and a half drive there – on our arrival – the entire three villages were waiting for the training and distribution of their bednets. Before the distribution, the group was shown around the school – to a maths class (awesome for me to see!!) and a few other classes as well. The classes were very large – 70-80 per class with 4 students per table. Debra introduced the team and some of us spoke to the classes as well. Following the classes, we went to the boarding residences. The residences were filled with bunk beds stacked 3 high!! Between each set of beds was a mere foot in distance – close quarters is an understatement AND this school is one that is in much better condition than most! Each section of beds had bednets on them and each bed held the student’s possessions in a small metal box. Laundry was hung from the rafters in the long barrack shaped building with metal roofing. Each building housed 120 students.
We finally went back to the villagers and Sarah did a training session about malaria and the use of bednets. The group was very cooperative and interested – asking many questions. One gentleman asked if the bednets would protect from any other diseases which caused quite a stir in the crowd as many chuckled from his joke. (We had this interpreted to us later.) The nets were distributed in a very orderly fashion to the three villages from lists made of all the residents in the village. As each family came to receive their net(s), the recipient bowed to us in thanks. (I personally felt quite uncomfortable from this but this was their way of showing their appreciation.) On our departure, Father took us in for a cool drink and offered us lunch. It had many local creations and was a wonderful gesture. Nick and I were overwhelmed that we were allowed to participate in the net distribution and be involved in the entire process so fully. We thought we’d be only observing yet Buy-A-Net is NOT like this – you are a member of the team and you have a great sense of satisfaction of actually helping with it all. For this, I thanked Debra at the end of the day for letting us be involved in such a wonderful opportunity. The day ended back at the hotel watching our ‘friendly’ vultures in the trees. The children found some puppies on the other side of the wall when the soccer ball went over the wall. They also met the boys: Steven and Bale, who were feeding them and keeping them safe as they were found on the street a week ago. The boys came by to play soccer and of course Nick was right in there too!! The hotel is such a great location for us all but especially for the children to be able to play.
Friday, October 17th
Today we visited the Great Challenge School in Kawempe District of Kampala. What an adventure to get here!! Joseph picked us up in the van. Joanne and Heather brought along two full suitcases to hand out to the children while Myrna brought pens and pencils. We had a small incident on the way there as a truck who passed us hit our front bumper as he merged in. Joseph stopped him – we had no damage but the truck had a little – all worked out though and it was settled in no time. We finally located the school after Christopher (the Headmaster) cam and found us on a motorbike and directed us there. There is no proper driveway to the school just a small path off the side road. Christopher welcomed us and introduced us to the school staff. The children were all in their classes and the group visited each class. A description of the classrooms is needed – it is more like a stable for animals with 3-4 rows of wooden tables and benches. A steel roof with holes and pieces of plank board that are attached to posts to make the walls. The top of the rooms is open on the sides thus when it rains – the four classrooms that make up this complex – cannot be used as mud runs through and the rooms get saturated. In each class, the students welcomed us to their class then sand us songs. We introduced ourselves and thanked them for their wonderful music. One blackboard and small bits of chalk were the only teacher resources. Students used exercise books for their lessons and their work was absolutely immaculate!! With so little, these students are accomplishing so much!! Nick decided to take over a maths lesson where the students were finding the area of triangles – it was amazing to see the students getting up to do the questions on the board – they were very excited to have someone so interested in their work. The cutest class was the junior kindergarten class – they were dancing and singing – tears filled all of our eyes! Then Christopher got the entire school to come outside to an assembly (he called it a parade) so the group could hand over the gifts. Approximately 190 students attend this school. Joanne and Heather gave out their story books and read the book, “I’m a Great Me”!! It was absolutely amazing to see the children’s faces light up looking at the bright and magical pictures in the books. These books were treasures to the children and they held them tight showing how much this gift meant to them. Emma, Whitney and Emma showed the other gifts that they brought and loud cries of excitement were heard. After more pictures, sadly the group had to leave but Nick and I said we would be back on our return to Uganda after the Kenyan safari.
The next part of the day, Joseph, along with Faith and Julie from Wentz, took us to another village to train the people for the bednet distribution the next day. Faith lead the session on malaria and the benefits of net use. Again, an informative session and excellent questions were raised and answered. Julie interpreted the entire training session for us which was extremely useful. That night we went out with Joseph and his girlfriend, Doris. We found out about Doris’ family where her father has two wives but she was adamant in saying that Joseph would only have one is they married. Times they are changing!!
Saturday, October 18th
Today we net the village we went to yesterday. Debra informs me that this village is one that Bayridge netted so Nick and I will be asked to speak to the group. On arrival, a large crowd has congregated and Sarah and Faith speak to the group. Just before the nets are distributed, Nick and I are called forward and we speak on behalf of the staff and students of Bayridge Secondary School informing the village of how the money was raised and the kindness and generosity shown by the Bayridge community. Faith interprets it all and a loud applause results. The nets are then distributed and it takes a few hours to complete this. On our departure, an elderly couple stops me. The older woman wants me to thank my school for all they have done for her village – she then gives me a hug. I was totally overwhelmed by this gesture and just nodded, smiled and said thank you. This day was an absolutely awesome day!! Thank you Bayridge for making a difference in so many lives!!
Sunday, October 19th
Today we went to church in Gaba and were warmly welcomed by the entire community. Nick was asked to stand up for Joseph’s friend who was being introduced to the church today as he is marrying Faith (another nurse from Wentz Medical Centre). Nick sat with Dr. Martin and all the other men who were supporting Faith’s fiancé. The songs in the church practically raised the roof – it was such a positive atmosphere!! The only part of the service which was a bit much to take was the visiting pastor – he was a little silly with all the yelling and even the rainstorm and power failure would not stop him. Ahhh – it is all an adventure.
The rest of the day was quiet but in the evening we went to Ndere Cultural Centre for an evening of entertainment and traditional dancing. Gail tells us that the mc was Dr Martin’s music teacher. The mc is very entertaining and informative. At one point, he asks all Ugandans who brought visitors to come forward – Sarah went forward and then the Buy-A-Net Volunteers were all called up. The mc recognized Sarah for her hard work and dedication to malaria prevention. All of the visitors in the audience were called up and introduced then we were asked to dance the Ugandan way since sadly in our countries (as the mc said – we have way too much stress and we need to relax more) – so dance we did!! Nick lead a congo line – need I say more? Thank you to Gail who was leaving the next morning for a wonderful evening!!
Monday, October 20th
We were up at 6am to travel to Kibale National Park. A very long trip as it took us 6-7 hours to get there. One interesting part of the trip is I had to use the traditional facilities i.e. squat hole and Mryna took me to the back of a pub to use it. On our departure and while Jim was relieving himself – two people appeared and requested shillings for the use of their toilet. They were not going to let us by until Jim paid them 2000 shillings. Ahhh – again all part of the adventure!! Another interesting stop was in a village where vendors with basket trays sold us food through the bus windows. Chicken legs and beef were on kabob sticks, ciabata (like tortillas) were given on foolscap paper – all cheap priecs – mere cents to buy a great snack or meal.
On arrival to Kibale, we met Dennis from the Kibale Medical Centre. We were shown our cabins and set up quickly. We returned to Kibale Village where Dennis led a session on bednets and then the bednet distribution occurred. It took a long time for the net distribution and having a council member standing with a gun by the table was interesting. It was all relatively calm. The children in our group learned how to spin a tire and played with the local children. One little baby slept in Emma’s arms for quite a long time. We were getting ready to leave when I realized I couldn’t find Nick. Thus the adventure of locating Nick began. Yes – this was a tad bit stressful for me as it took sometime before Nick appeared once again. Tom and Joanne walked with me through the village area looking into each shop and home for Nick. We went to a playing field thinking he would be there but alas he was not. Finally it was decided to stop net distribution until Nick could be located. As we made our way to do this, Nick comes strolling along with a pamphlet about the local library – of which he had just been visiting for the past half hour. So no worries in the end!! Such an inquisitive fellow that Nick!!
On our return to the camp, the power was out until 8:30 as it was partaking in revolving brownouts in order to supply electricity to the area. We had dinner by candlelight. We had a quiet night. On the campsite we did see baboons running by our rooms – quite cool to say the least!! The next morning we went on a nature hike and saw lots of monkeys in the trees and many interesting birds. Amber had a bit of a run-in with biting ants and thus the term “ants in your pants” was true for her!! I held her jacket and all was well!! We headed back to Kampala after this so a long ride in the bus once again!! In the evening Jim and Tom took the entire team as well as Senator Mobena Jaffer and the BAN team at the Wentz Medical Centre - out to a Korean restaurant: Nanjing which was an evening to remember!! Thank you to Jim and Tom for their kindness!!
Wednesday, October 22nd
The group visits the Women’s Caring and Counseling Centre who is a partner with BAN. We arrive here and are shown to the centre for music and a play that shows the benefits from having the bednets. We purchased some of the local crafts made by the women who use the centre. The leaders of the centre then took us on a walk through the village as we checked on the use of the bednets in the homes of the villagers. The walk through this area was again eye-opening for all of us – it had more need and poverty was evident. Laundry was hung on the lines and as we ducked underneath it – it dripped on our heads. Residents were doing their laundry in wash bowls outside. Some children were not fully clothed while others ran towards us and wanted to speak with us. We thanked each resident for opening up their homes to us. We met children and mothers who were widowed or orphaned due to AIDS. The AIDS HIV rate has decreased in recent years in Uganda but there is still a great concern because the rate does fluctuate due to people relaxing over the issue. We also visited a school and spoke with the kindergarten teacher, Judith who has 54 pupils.
Thursday, October 23rd
Our final day with the group in Uganda and we went to Mulago Hospital for a tour. It is the largest teaching/referral hospital in all of Uganda. We were expecting very dire conditions as we saw people waiting in the hallways, wards etc. It was very congested and busy. The head nurse showed us through many areas of the hospital. In the psych. Ward, a patient thought I was Queen Elizabeth. Ahhh – again part of the adventure!! The entire visit was sad as we gave out toys to the children and books from Joanne and Heather. When I put a car on a boy’s bed who looked very ill – he quickly grabbed it with his very thin arm and tried to give me a smile. His mother said a heartfelt thank you. It is times like these that the emotion is too much and I cannot stress how lucky we are to live in Canada. In the hospital, no linen is provided so families bring their own and clean it outside. The fences surrounding the hospital were covered with drying laundry.
The hospital had 5 above ground floors and many additions spread out throughout the property. There are many stories from this hospital – too much sadness was seen.
On our last afternoon and evening, the group did some tourist shopping at a market and then ordered out for pizza. To order pizza is not easy in Gaba. Nick and I got a driver: Baker who took us to a pizza restaurant so we could make the order. We tried to order salad but the restaurant said it would take too long to make salads so Nick went to the restaurant next door to get them. We ordered 6 pizzas and waited for our order. The owner was seen running from the restaurant to get the ingredients from the local markets down the road. Prep work is not a usual thing in restaurants here. We then were informed it would take over a hour and Baker, our driver, could not wait that long so the restaurant agreed to deliver to the hotel. True to their word, two men arrive on a bodaboda (motorcycle) with 6 pizzas wrapped in tin foil (no pizza boxes here!!) and we enjoyed this lovely treat.
The next morning at 3am we leave for Kenya for the Masai Mara Safari – and thus the adventure continues … in a separate blog… but to finish Uganda after Kenya – here are the highlights from our return to Uganda
Monday, October 27th
We arrive back to Uganda airport at 11:30 pm only to realize we cannot get back into the country due to our visa being expired as it was a single entry visa only!! So we begged, pleaded and begged some more saying we are only there for a mere 30 hours until we catch our flight back to London on the 29th but to no avail unless we wanted to stay in the airport!! Well we didn’t want to do that so we had just enough money to repurchase two visas for Uganda. Funny – IF we would have known this – we could have been travelling with the group back to London that evening!! Hmmm – no comment!!
The next day, Baker picked us up and took us to the Garden City Centre where we purchased 250 exercise books, 250 pens and 2 large boxes of chalk for the Great Challenge School. Thank you to members of the BAN team who donated monies for these purchases!! The school children were extremely excited to see Nick and I. We visited the classrooms and helped them with their work. Many of the students had their story books from Joanne and Heather and told us how much their younger brothers and sisters were enjoying the stories. This was a wonderful thing to hear!! Again Christopher brought out all of the schoolchildren for pictures and to see the gifts we brought. We spoke with them all and wished them luck on their exams that were to occur the following week. It was again a wonderful visit!! Thank you to the school for opening their doors to us once again!!
That afternoon we stayed at the Fairway Hotel and met Livia – Tom and Jim recommended her as a great masseuse and Nick and I must agree as we each enjoyed a wonderful massage to end the day!!
The next day we leave at 6am for the airport to Mumbai, India. I do have to say that the mosquitoes are terrible in Uganda as I was the wonderful recipient of at least 20 bites – all of which swelled up like plums – and I received 4 more on our return!! Nick though did not receive one bite – how is that fair??
Onto our next adventure…
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