One Week and One Curry Down

Today was the first day of report writing and we revisited the S.A.L.V.E land. We started off discussing the results of our questionnaires and planning our community discussions, which will start next week. Following this, we had a second breakfast, which is always my favourite part! 🙂

Next, we had separate UK and Ugandan team meetings where we were able to discuss any challenges we faced in both the data collection and report writing. We also had a whole group meeting to check everyone was making progress – which everyone had done. After lunch, we did a couple more hours work and then got distracted by the children, where we played a competitive game of duck duck goose. It was then time to leave, we were waved off by the children who by that point had learnt our names. They found it particularly funny that my name is actually a boys name in Uganda.

In the evening we went for Indian food, in celebration of Chloe’s birthday, despite the fact she thought her birthday was the next day. The food was so nice and everyone seemed to enjoy it. We finished the day back on the veranda with a few pints and some music, including all the absolute classics 🙂

 

Cheers,

Emma B x

 

Making Friends in Mpumudde

“Mouna” (hello in the local language)

For the past two days the Addiction, Health and Well-being sub-team has been in the streets of Mpumudde, asking the local community for help on how to stop drug misuse amongst street-connected children. The locals were thrilled to be able to share their opinions with us and all made us feel so welcome. One particularly friendly lady explained how, despite our different backgrounds, we were all united as part of the human race. Such enthusiasm and warmth made us feel comfortable in what just a few days ago was a completely unknown environment.

During our research we made plenty of friends, including the brother of Omo Martin, the Ugandan volunteer who is working alongside of us. An honourable mention goes to the cute little puppy who loved to snuggle up by our feet.

Once we had finished our research, we commuted back to Jinja in the snug taxis we have gotten so familiar with and checked out the markets. After some haggling (special shout-out to the shopkeeper who explained to me that ‘In Africa, we bargain’) we all left happy, especially Grace who seemed ecstatic with her new set of farmers overalls.

Going around the community of Mpumudde has been a fantastic experience, allowing us to chat with individual members of the community who previously, we only passed by. I can’t wait to work with them more!

Until later,
Chris

Mapping In Masese

Today was our first official day on the job doing our community research. We were all rocking our new volunteer t-shirts – we really did look like a purple wave! Each group covered a different community and as part of the gender team, we covered Masese to tackle our project question head on. Why are girls dropping out of school?

Boda Boda Ride

What better way to start the day than with a Boda Boda ride to the local community. Scared and anxious I must admit, but wow what an experience. Here’s a picture of me and Ellis, obviously we rocked the helmets – safety first!

Project Research is Underway

Our sub team interviewed women in the district of Masase 2 Danida. The whole experience was truly eye opening and heart warming. You see the videos and picture it, but nothing can really prepare you for when you see poverty with your own eyes. However, the spirit and sheer determination of the amazing women we met truly was inspiring. We managed to interview over 30 women, most of them had their own businesses, that gave us faith that what we are doing is actually going to make such a difference. I’m super proud of our team today, we bossed it! The two other sub teams also did so well, interviewing young people as well as men in Masese.

Ending in Space Cafe

After a long, hard day there’s no better way to end our first trip than with a veggie burger in Space Cafe. 😊

Peace out ✌️

Chloe

The S.A.L.V.E. land & some very steep hills

Today was our first day visiting the S.A.L.V.E land. The minibus was definitely a new experience to all of us and with almost no headroom, it was a bumpy ride! When we arrived, we were surprised at how steep the land was, going uphill to arrive at the office and the main hall. We then met the Ugandan volunteers and got an introduction from the director of S.A.L.V.E, the permaculture farmer and the director of the drug rehab centre. All the staff were really friendly and couldn’t stop smiling as they talked about their work.

We then went to the main hall for our first activity of the day. Firstly, we did a reflective challenge to try and put ourselves in the position of the street connected children. We wrote down the things we appreciated in our lives that the children don’t have and were then split into groups of six and given a piece of paper. The task was to fit every member of the team through the paper using scissors only. Even though they were off to a slow start, the pear team (using some quality tactics) won the challenge. Afterwards, the “human knot” activity proved quite difficult for all of us, although it was very entertaining.

After having some nuts for breakfast, we made the trek up to the top of the hill to the drug rehab centre and the view overlooking the valley was amazing. After a more in-depth explanation of what happens in the drug rehab centre, we went to the permaculture farm and were told of the previous work that had been done, as well as the values that the children are taught. Some of us tried to stroke the cows and the goats but weren’t given a warm welcome (apart from Cici – the cow whisperer).

The final part of the tour of the land, was the play area which had a full playground. This was where we first met the children and as expected started playing football. Most of us clearly hadn’t run since the 10k, but the children were full of energy and loved playing. After that we had lunch which was traditional beans, rice and some fresh fruit. We then split into our sub teams and discussed our plans for the coming week to finish the day off.

Overall it was a really good day.  It was nice to see all the greenery the land had to offer as a change from the town and was a great opportunity to have fun with all the children.

Time for bed now, ready for another busy day!

Matin

Exploring Jinja

Today was super exciting – it was the first day we all saw the town and met the Ugandan team. They’re all so nice and were absolute life savers when we were in town! They’ve really gone above and beyond to help us out as navigators,  translators and negotiators – honestly they are a mega bunch.

 

Heading to town

Ugandan towns are soooo different to those I’ve ever seen, complete awe is the best word to describe the experience. It was a very short walk to the town, although when Matin asked me if I knew the way back when we first got there, the answer was a definite no.

By the end of the day, it was still a no (clearly I’m too used to Google Maps). When we first got to the town, we spilt into two groups and went to the bank to change our money. Afterwards, we went to the airtel to get our Ugandan SIM cards and some data. It was a really long process and we all had to fill out forms and give in our passports. Me and Chris had some problems activating our sims but all is good (Thank you Joseph!)

 

First taste of Ugandan food

Next up, Mama Sophie’s, where we all got our very first taste of Ugandan food. We had posho (pounded maze and water) and beans, rice, matoke (like mashed plantin)  – the food was amazing. Tomorrow, I really want to try some japatti and soup.  While we were in the cafe we also had our first downpour of rain, it was a pretty heavy rainfall but it didn’t last long.

Last stop was the market. There was fruit and veg everywhere, we bought some water melons and mangos and then walked back to the guest house. We finished the day off with a Luganda language lesson, can’t wait to put this into practice, but for now it’s bed time for me – I’m shattered!

Ashleigh x

Touchdown in Jinja

 

We have finally touched down in Jinja, Uganda and after all the prep, training and packing, it’s hard to believe that we’re actually here. The journey was smooth, but not a simple one and the whole team is so excited for what’s to come in the next four weeks! Here is an update of our journey so far:

Step 1: Pizza time

Nothing like a good slice of pizza to calm those pre-trip nerves! We met at the University for a pre-departure meeting. After weighing the cases and redistributing the collection of amazing donations we received, we were ready to leave for the airport.

Step 2: Flight 1.0

Manchester to Dubai: plane food, films, and as much sleep as we could get (not much).

Step 3: Flight 2.0

We landed in Dubai at 4am English time, a quick transfer and before we knew it we were on the next plane to Entebbe. More plane food, more films and more sleep (a bit more than last time) but this time my excitement was building knowing that we would soon be in Uganda!

Step 4: Coach ride

Finally here! We hopped on the coach to Jinja. It was never dull looking out the window on the way there. How can I fall asleep when there’s so much to look at?

Step 5: We’ve made it

24 hours later and we’ve been greeted by Megan. We are all excited and relieved to have arrived. It’s been so nice to be able to settle down into our dorm rooms and crawl under our mosquito nets knowing that we will soon meet all of the Ugandan volunteers and be shown around Jinja town!

Bye for now, Lily x

Pre-departure prep – 3 days to go!

Who can believe it? There’s only three days to go and it seems like only yesterday when I received an email about Team Uganda. I replied instantly saying “Please can I apply now!?” because I knew I just had to be a part of it. Here’s the story so far:

Selection Day

Skip forward to March and I found myself at the selection day with around 30 other nervous, unfamiliar faces playing funny but oddly relevant games, such as trying to recreate a lego model without speaking and making a carton which could protect an egg from recycled materials (it’s harder than it sounds when they’re being dropped from the top of a ladder!)

Everyone had a great day and even though we weren’t sure at that point if we had been chosen, we were all happy to have been a part of it. I remember a few days later getting a phone call from an unknown number only to answer to find it was Emma asking me to be on the project – apologies for my screaming down the phone! I was so excited and looking forward to finding out who was going to be joining me in Uganda!

 

Training Days

The first few training days consisted of getting to know everyone (via Emma’s favourite activity “go-arounds”) and learning more about S.A.L.V.E. and the project, which was so interesting and really useful, as there was so much that S.A.L.V.E. did that I wasn’t aware of. For example, their drug rehabilitation house, working with families in the community to help set up their own businesses, and their educational sponsorship programme. We also learned more in depth about the three areas we were going to be focusing on: gender equality, climate change and addiction, health and wellbeing.

Some of the weird and wonderful activities that Emma, Megan and Chris had planned definitely gave us some great ideas for the holiday camp, such as trying to get three people across a ‘river’ (the courtyard outside uni) on newspaper sheets while having various items put in our way or thrown at us (thanks Chris).

They also were a great way of getting to know the rest of the team and having a lot of fun. The Team Uganda handbook was a lifesaver for reminding me which forms and appointments needed to be done by when and on the final training day, I honestly couldn’t believe that we were done. So exciting to know that the next time I see everyone, we’ll be hopping on a plane! I still don’t know if I’m really ready, but I know that the training has certainly set us up really well.

 

Project Prep and Research

I’m part of the gender team and one of the the things we’ve found quite challenging was narrowing down what we were actually going to prepare – we had too many ideas! We spent quite a few hours brainstorming, trying to figure out whether the ideas we had were realistically possible, helpful for the girls in Jinja and if anyone had already done it before – all of which are quite difficult to gage when you’re 6,500 miles away from the place you’re researching.

But we managed to decide on a couple ideas and set about delegating tasks for each of us to do before we get to Jinja. I have no doubts we’ll be ready by the time July 21  rolls around.

 

Packing and Last-Minute Nerves

I’m definitely using this as an excuse to buy more clothes, I didn’t think my current wardrobe would be so lacking in clothes for the heat. Then again, looking out the window at the rainy English sky – maybe it does make sense! I am slightly anxious that I’m going to get there and have a moment where I realise I’ve forgotten something major, but I have a thousand lists floating around my room of ‘things I can’t forget’ so *hopefully* I’ll have everything I need.

The last-minute nerves are definitely starting to creep in. I know that we’ll have so much fun and be doing something really worthwhile, but I’m still so nervous! Nevertheless, I know we’re all in the same boat, we will have each other’s backs and the training has definitely set us up well.

Going to go and buy 20 more bottles of mozzie spray now…

See you in Jinja!

Cici

Hello and Welcome to Team Uganda 2019!

Hello and welcome to Team Uganda’s 2019 blog! This year, our teams will be working on three projects in Jinja: gender equality, climate change and addiction, health and wellbeing. We have spent the last few months training and fundraising and are all looking forward to making the fifth and final year of the project, the best one yet.

Fundraising

In the lead up to our departure, we have been doing a variety of fundraisers to help raise money for SALVE International to resettle children on the streets back home. We received this amazing message from SALVE about the impact of our fundraising – we can’t wait to support their incredible work.

Check out what we’ve been doing to raise money so far:

Great Manchester 10K Run

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few team members took it upon themselves to run a 10K in the Great Manchester Run to raise money for SALVE. They all did amazingly well despite the heat and raised a decent amount of money too!

 

Doughnut Sale

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A bake sale is always a classic fundraiser, so we decided to buy a few dozen doughnuts and sell them in the SU. By the end of the day, all the doughnuts were sold (who could say no to a doughnut?) and we raised over £100!

 

Pub Quiz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the team put on a pub quiz at Squirrels, which was a great success with friends and fellow students attending. Food and drinks were also sold with all proceeds going to SALVE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a team, we’ve managed to put the ‘fun’ in fundraising both individually and collectively, with some already having smashed their targets. All that remains is a final boost of fundraising to reach our target and packing.

If you would like to donate to our fantastic cause, please visit our Charity Campaign page.

– Amaani

Holiday Camp Fun!

After completing our research into the different types of organisations, vocational centres and schools in the Iganga community last week, the Community Mapping Team began their holiday camp on Monday.

The team and 11 street-connected children at the camp have began what is already set to be an exciting week of educational, resilience and sport activities.

The first order of the day was voting for which child should be Chair Person, Welfare Officer and Time keeper. These roles are to ensure everyone is getting involved, keeping to time and that their welfare needs are being met. Six children were put forward for these roles and each candidate did a speech. After we voted and the posts were filled, the Chair Person was sworn in. The team went through the expectations of the camp and ground rules were set out for everyone. Some of the expectations put forward were respecting one another, having fun and myself being a goalkeeper in a game of football!

The first activity of the day was a language game led by Tariq. The group was split into 3 teams and had the chance to learn some words in French, Swahili or Portuguese. After some time to get our heads around these new words, each group presented what they had learnt. I was very impressed by how well the children picked up these new words. We even made a song using some French words in my team!

Not only did this activity give the children the opportunity to immerse themselves in a different language, it also enabled the volunteers to develop their teaching and facilitating skills.

After having some lunch and a break it was time for football. Everyone enjoyed a friendly staff vs students game. Despite the heat and a brewing storm, it was a fun game that resulted in 5-2 to the staff! We won! Although the kids played very well, we had Martin, the star striker on our team.

 

 

After an enjoyable first day, we said goodbye to the kids and that we would see them for the second day of camp tomorrow. Everyone had left knowing at least a new word in a different language and with a sense of holiday camp spirit. The Community Mapping team are all looking forward to this week of fun, games and learning as well as our Community Mapping event next week.

-Daniella

 

 

 

The Morning After…

After a long weekend at Slippy* Falls, both teams were as fresh as they could be to start working again. The long journey back from Mbale tired everyone out although some had a cosy nap on the way back -you know who you are;)

The morning after consisted of a switch up on the daily routine. Community mapping had the privilege of waking up later than usual whilst social enterprise had the struggle of being ready by 8am! 8am struck on the non existent clock in the guesthouse & those who were ready waited for Moses (our driver) to arrive in his geared out van (we’ve got a speaker & AUX!) We did have some latecomers  but I’m happy to say that wasn’t me! Eventually, the 10 of us toppled into the van & we set off for our long day ahead at the holiday camp.

As we drove up the bumpy path to SALVE land, heads collided & bopped to the rocky beat. Cameron was prepared with his helmet & managed to protect his tiny brain(only joking “darlin'”). We finally reached the top & Moses parked the van under the jackfruit tree as we excitedly rushed out to be greeted by the children. The constant repetition of “hello Aunty” just reminded me of my newborn baby niece waiting back at home for me (shout out to my sister, thinking of you!)

A few moments later, the children & the team gathered at the roundhouse for the new introductions & new faces. At first we didn’t know how well they would adapt to the second half of Team Uganda as they were used to the community mapping team. However, they quickly grew fond of us & started learning our names-who knew my name was that hard to pronounce?!

9am & it was time to start the activities! Up first was myself with my hula hoop clock game. Unfortunately, I couldnt carry 6 hula hoops with me even though some would say my suitcase was “massive”. Instead, I cut some string & each team created their own clock face with sticks & chalk. The aim of my activity was to get the children to have fun & learn about time at the same time.

Here are some pictures of the children running to change the time as I read out the questions! There was some cheating (ahem, Jess) but Apples came out on top! We finished off my activity with some chaotic rounds of “whats the time Mr wolf?”

After my crazy game, the children needed an activity to calm down & Natalie had the perfect one; the children had to create a flag which represents how they view SALVE. We were all amazed at the artistic skills these children have! Here are some pictures below of just a few of the fantastic flags!

 

After our tea break & the constant nagging of how many sugars I have in my tea, Cameron carried out his “create your own country” activity. The aim was to come up with a fantasy country, draw what the flag & country shape would look like & write up a set of rules. Some of them were hilarious but all of them showed what the children valued most which was lovely to see.

As the day continued, we had lunch which was the usual rice, posho & beans, carried out more activities & danced with the help of Raven. The day was coming to an end but we could not leave the land without a good football game! So, we headed down to the pitch, split the team into staff vs children & played the craziest, most competitive game I have ever seen! After a victory of 6-4 to the children, we walked back with our heads hanging in shame, said our goodbyes for the day & hopped back into the van to make our way back to the house!

Week 2 holiday camp has just began…Until tomorrow, where the day starts again at 8am…rise & shine my wheelies 😉

*Sippi Falls

-Tajmina:)