An 8am start, we all met up for breakfast. Toast, eggs, sausages, cornflakes and fruit were on the menu, along with some very nice Ugandan coffee, tea and juice. After a short briefing from the Great Generation team, we made our way to St. Francis Health Care Centre, in the 4x4 ambulance they had sent to pick us up, 12 of us squeezed into a 7 seater vehicle for the 5minute drive to the centre. We had our tour around the centre, met the only doctor they have in this area, Dr Emma, and he is a male, this seems to be a popular male name in Uganda.
We went to the children’s centre; it is actually very nice; we were impressed by the standards of the facilities and support provisions available to the community. The children centre provides 24hour support for young children who have HIV/AIDS. The centre was built in December through the aid of funds donated by a Swedish gentleman. They have regular foreign schools/colleges and students visit them and do voluntary work. The centre was painted by a Swiss student recently and she has really given it a nice nursery feeling, with animals and scenery on the walls.
Our tour was led by Claudia, a US student from Connecticut on a peace core project. She has been here for over a year now and will complete a 27month placement before she returns home. Her dedication and commitment was very inspiring for us all. Her in depth knowledge of the culture and the projects helped us understand the role and function of this centre in the community. She is teaching us a few basic words in Lugandan the language spoken by the locals in Uganda.
John a senior member of the St. Francis team gave us a detailed insight into HIV/Aids, the biological theory and facts, as well as a detailed insight into the problems within the community and the different projects they have launched to tackle the issue in a holistic manner.
Lunch was a very traditional meal, filled with local delicacies such as Matooke and Maize. We were certainly well catered for; there was enough food to feed a small army. It was a shame to have to leave such mouth-watering food behind. The watermelon did not go to waste, though perhaps some people managed to get it everywhere bar their mouths.
We paid a surprise visit to the school in which we will be delivering lessons, just to have a look around and familiarise ourselves. This visit left us all in total shock and bewilderment; the school building was tattered and not for storage let alone teaching and learning, but this was not what we were taken back by, it was the signage in the school grounds. The school has invested in some signposts, which were dug into the ground around the front courtyard, but it was hard to comprehend some of the ills the local community was faced with, some signs; ‘Do not take gifts for sex’ ‘defilement is bad’ ‘beware of sugar daddies’ these were just three of about 14 quite unusual signs. John our guide did say that the signs were a way of educating the primary school students, helping them understand that abuse should not be tolerated.
As we arrived back to our accommodation we were faced with a dilemma, as Victoria managed to break the handle from inside the bathroom and consequently locking herself inside. It took over an hour to get her out, we did manage to eventually, but spirits were high, as Victoria led the singing from inside the bathroom and the choir of 10 outside sang along with her.
We went to the children’s centre; it is actually very nice; we were impressed by the standards of the facilities and support provisions available to the community. The children centre provides 24hour support for young children who have HIV/AIDS. The centre was built in December through the aid of funds donated by a Swedish gentleman. They have regular foreign schools/colleges and students visit them and do voluntary work. The centre was painted by a Swiss student recently and she has really given it a nice nursery feeling, with animals and scenery on the walls.
Our tour was led by Claudia, a US student from Connecticut on a peace core project. She has been here for over a year now and will complete a 27month placement before she returns home. Her dedication and commitment was very inspiring for us all. Her in depth knowledge of the culture and the projects helped us understand the role and function of this centre in the community. She is teaching us a few basic words in Lugandan the language spoken by the locals in Uganda.
John a senior member of the St. Francis team gave us a detailed insight into HIV/Aids, the biological theory and facts, as well as a detailed insight into the problems within the community and the different projects they have launched to tackle the issue in a holistic manner.
Lunch was a very traditional meal, filled with local delicacies such as Matooke and Maize. We were certainly well catered for; there was enough food to feed a small army. It was a shame to have to leave such mouth-watering food behind. The watermelon did not go to waste, though perhaps some people managed to get it everywhere bar their mouths.
We paid a surprise visit to the school in which we will be delivering lessons, just to have a look around and familiarise ourselves. This visit left us all in total shock and bewilderment; the school building was tattered and not for storage let alone teaching and learning, but this was not what we were taken back by, it was the signage in the school grounds. The school has invested in some signposts, which were dug into the ground around the front courtyard, but it was hard to comprehend some of the ills the local community was faced with, some signs; ‘Do not take gifts for sex’ ‘defilement is bad’ ‘beware of sugar daddies’ these were just three of about 14 quite unusual signs. John our guide did say that the signs were a way of educating the primary school students, helping them understand that abuse should not be tolerated.
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