Category Archives: Uganda

I ate one perfectly ripe mango last night that we brought home from Masindi. Apparently, it has been a bumper crop for mangoes in Uganda. Children eat their fill right off the trees until they can eat no more. However, I ate just one – full on, like an apple – and the next morning I have some kind of allergic reaction. Mango lips. But worth every bite

Today is wrap-up day. I will be meeting with several other international agencies today to share ideas and practices, and learn lots about how other agencies operate – much of which we will be able to incorporate into our own practices.

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My brain is in overdrive. So many sights, sounds, stories, realities, challenges and opportunities is starting to hit me full force. Got caught in the middle of police gunfire today while driving through a Kampala slum…I thought it was firecrackers until I saw everyone running towards us on the road, and us driving right into the excitement. I saw people dive to the ground as our driver hit the gas and flew across the potholes and deep rivets. All good for us in the end! (hope all was ok for the locals, too!) Continue reading →

Today we head south to Entebbe, to visit our partner in this region, HUYSLINK. They focus on the aftermath of HIV/AIDS and its impact on the most vulnerable – orphans and vulnerable children, or “OVCs” – who face significant barriers in terms of access to education and the ability of their caregivers to support them through livelihood strengthening.

But first, a stop at the local health clinic for yours truly. Seems I have a sore throat – very very very sore – and seriously swollen glands. Continue reading →

“Tugende Tutandike” in the language of the indigenous Banyoro tribe in Masindi District, means “Let Us Go and Start.” This is the clarion call for the work of CEDO – a child rights and empowerment organization working in western region Uganda – a land lush with endless vistas of sugar cane, corn, sweet potatoes, mango, pineapple, papaya, plantain, cassava and more. Yet once again, there are many very poor and vulnerable children and families living amidst this bounty. Hunger is not about the lack of food – of which there is plenty in Uganda – but about access to food and the ability to afford it. Continue reading →

Another early day! No hot water! No cold water! No flush toilet! But a good night’s sleep under a treated mosquito net – I’ll take it.

Today we travel to schools in Bugiri sub-districts, where UCOBAC is supporting education projects that are funded through CFTC’s child sponsorship program. In 2005, Uganda instituted the Universal Primary Education Program–a great move to support education in a country that is ranked 143 out of 169 on the 2010 UNDP Human Development Index. Continue reading →

Up early to hit the road from Kampala to Bugiri, east along the Kenya highway to the remote communities — hard-hit by HIV/AIDS — that CFTC is supporting through our local partner UCOBAC.

We pass thousands of rolling green acres of tea and sugar plantations, and many small farms. Lots of roadside fruit and vegetable stands seem to overflow with tomatoes, melon, avocados, mango, Jack fruit, corn and plantain to name but a few. Hard to believe there can be hunger in such a land of plenty. Continue reading →

Boda boda, hakuna matata. I love the way African phrases just flow like motorcycle taxis and good wishes.

Crazy drive to the Partners’ Forum this morning through the crowded streets of Kampala. Gas fumes from the crush of vehicles were something else, even when swinging through the roundabouts with the windows wide open.
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Arrived in Uganda to fresh night air after a long evening rain.

The breeze from Lake Victoria is cool near Entebbe – the location of the national airport. 

And more importantly, the pillows were soft in Kampala after 24 hours in planes and airports and taxis. Sweet.
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