The Pearl of Africa

Uganda has an area of 241,040 square kilometers making it slightly smaller than the state of Oregon.

The Republic if Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa.  It is bordered by Kenya to the east, Sudan to the north, Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, Rwanda to the southwest and Tanzania to the south. 

The equator runs through the south of Uganda.

English is the official language of Uganda. It is taught in elementary schools, used in newspapers and courts of law.  Swahili is spoken among the military and there are several other indigenous languages including Luganda, the language spoken in Lugazi.

Uganda is a republic and much like the United States there is an executive branch, a legislative branch and a judicial branch of government. The president of Uganda is both head of state and head of government and appoints a vice president and a prime minister.

The Ugandan Flag

Colors of the Ugandan flag

• Black = the African people
• Yellow = sunshine and vitality
• red = African brotherhood
• crane = the military badge of Ugandan soldiers under the UK

Getting Shots

I went to the Utah County health department and told them I would be traveling to Uganda.  The lady who was helping me was able to look up the shots that I needed which turned out to be yellow fever, typhoid fever, polio and a few more that I can't remember-six all together.

Standing outside the Immunization Clinic with all the information about the shots I'm about to get.

My shots all laid out and ready to go.

The nurse explaining the yellow fever booklet.  It is very important because I won't be able to get into Uganda without proving that I have had the vaccine.

The nurse gave me four shots and then called me back in to get two more.

Paying for my shots.

Next up:

• Airplane ticket
• Antimalarial medication
• International Student ID Card

Why Africa?

My answer to that question is why not Africa?  It is intriguing and full of culture and it is oh so beautiful!

I have wanted to volunteer abroad for as long as I can remember, maybe in an orphanage or teaching English.  It wasn't until a friend of mine went to Zambia a few years ago that I started to seriously consider it.  If she could do it then so could I.  My friend volunteered with Mothers Without Borders and had a fantastic experience.  I looked into Mothers Without Borders and ultimately decided that it cost to much.  However I couldn't get the thought of volunteering in Africa out of my head.

A few months later I met David Ssejinja.  He had a booth at a local farmer's market selling various items from Uganda to help support his non profit organization.  I spoke to David and learned that he worked at Utah Valley University and is the founder of the Ssejinja Children's Foundation which helps children in the a small Ugandan village in which David grew up.  I talked to him about volunteering and he encouraged me to do so.  I went online and printed out an application a few days later.  I  was accepted, but in the end my trip fell through.

I then looked into Mothers Without Borders again and decided that would be a good option.  I printed out an application and mailed it in.  I got a phone call a few weeks later and did a phone interview.  I  was accepted to that program as well.

In the mean time I continued to research different foundations to see what my options were.  All the different programs were for about the same length of time, two weeks, and cost about the same amount of money.  I began to think that I wanted to be in Africa for more than two weeks.

A friend of mine had gone to Uganda with HELP International and recommended them so I looked into it.  I liked the program and decided to apply.  A few weeks later, i got a phone call to schedule an interview.  I went in and talked to them, I felt very comfortable with the program and the people who run it.  Now I had a problem, I was accepted into two different programs in two different parts of Africa.  Which one should I choose?  Zambia or Uganda?

I thought about it for a few days and decided that I wanted to spend a good amount of time in Africa and my heart was pretty much set on Uganda, so that is where I am going.   I will be living in the small town of Lugazi which has a population of about 33,000.  Just as a comparison the population of Salt Lake City is 183,171.

About Help International

Some professors from Brigham Young University wanted to help the people of Honduras following a devastating hurricane named Mitch and H.E.L.P.  Honduras was founded in 1999.  Today HELP International serves people in El Salvador, India, Fiji, Uganda, Tanzania, Peru, Belize and Thailand.

As volunteers we will will be able to see what the people of Uganda need and submit project proposals in order to turn our ideas into realities.  We might teach people the skills that they need to plant and grow a garden for their family, not only so they have food for themselves to eat but also so they can sell the excess and earn some income.  We might teach them how to brush their teeth or even how to wash their hands and set up a hand washing station.  We might even build a school or a classroom.  The goal is not to simply fix the symptom of the problem but to target and fix the problem itself with things that the people of Uganda will be able to continue even after we leave the country.

I am excited to be a part of HELP International and this life changing experience.  I feel very fortunate to have the things that I have such as reliable internet access and cell phone service and I want to use some of the resources that I have to help others.  Uganda seems like a good place to start.

We must be the change we wish to see in the world

                                    -Mahatma Gandhi

Summer Plans

This summer I am going to have the opportunity to spend time in Africa; Uganda to be more specific.  Uganda is located in Eastern Africa and is border by five other countries: Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan.

I will be traveling to Uganda with HELP International, a non profit organization that helps to empower poor people around the globe.  We will work on various sustainable development projects such as square foot gardening, eye camps, and business training.

This is the bare minimum of my plans for the summer.  I will be posting more details in the near future.