Blogs from Masaka, Central Region, Uganda, Africa

I am fast approaching the end of my time in the village, which feels very sad. It is funny to think how terrified I was when I arrived, and the time has flown by! I have met some lovely people and have been so welcomed into the village. They are throwing a farewell party for me - and also Esther and Samuel, who are leaving in a few weeks - on Monday, which should be fun. They will be providing lunch for the whole school, which is fantastic because many of the children go all day without a meal. Something they want to do in the near future is to provide the children with food - a cup of porridge - at school every day, and my parents have been amazing and are helping Pastor John ... read more

UGANDA BANANA CULTURE Anyone who’s travelled the dusty roads of Uganda will tell you that no matter how many times you drive them, the scenery is always breathtaking. Villages and towns with brightly coloured roadside markets, beautiful snow capped mountain ranges and miles of rolling green hills covered by banana plantations awash with soft green leaves. In Uganda, banana’s from their cultivation to the table are a part of everyone’s daily life and deeply embedded in the culture of the Ugandan nation. Six different types of bananas grown in Uganda. They include the popular Matoke, Small Yellow, Big Yellows, Tonto, (used to make beer and gin) Gonja (ideal for roasting and often found at the road side stalls) and the deliciously exotic Red banana. Whilst the Matoke is the staple diet for most, Ugandan’s have derived ... read more

I have been really impressed with the accounts record keeping and functioning of the school out here. It is a real pleasure to work with the staff out here who are open to suggestions for improvement, keen to learn more and running a fully functioning school (although it is entirely dependant on outside aid! - like everywhere out here). I have spent the majority of my time working with the school secretary trying to train her up in basic bookkeeping so she can take some of the work away from the Headmaster and it is really refreshing to work with someone who takes in everything you tell her and only needs to be shown how to do something once. The contrast between here and Rwanda has made me realise and understand that there are whole generations ... read more

After a 20 km boda boda (motorbike taxi) ride with me and a friend clinging on along a mud track with all our bags, asking the driver to go slowly(!) and realising just how few muscles i have in my back and tummy....we arrived at lake nabugabo- a huge quiet bilharzia croc and hippo free lake not far from Masaka. monkeys pottered around and a crowd (amy i spologise for the collective noun!) of hornbills flew from tree to tree. there are 3 places to stay along the side of the lake and we were the only people there yet all three places fully staffed - how they survive i never know! we were told when we arrived that if we wanted food we needed to ask well in advance and just ask for what we ... read more

Leaving Kampala, I stopped off in Entebbe for a couple of nights. Entebbe feels and looks like a seaside town, but with Maribou Storks drifting overhead rather than gulls. During the afternoon I walked around the botanical gardens and visited the Wildlife Centre - better than most zoos I have visited - where all the animals have been rescued. The following afternoon I took the ferry to the Ssese Islands. My guidebook doesn't mention this route, but luckily the friends I stayed with in Kampala had a different book. The ferry takes 3 hours. Arriving in Kalangala, I had planned to stay at a different resort, but was seduced into staying at the Hornbill Camp by a guy holding a sign as the ferry docked (Hornbill was my second choice anyway). I followed him along the ... read more