My trip from Houston to Utila was an adventure as usual. I arrived at the Houston airport at 3am waiting for my 440am flight to San Salvador. I had the "privilege" of sitting next to young man covered in tattoos (including the infamous teardrop on his cheek bone) who was overly anxious about flying and who disclosed he just got out of high security imprisonment on Jan 7th after 4 years in and this was his first flight in 7 years. Lucky me. He was adamant about talking and sharing his story while trying to get as much as he could out of me. As most of you know I've worked with immates/ ex-inmates and its never really bothered me but there was something about his anxious-energy that I wasn't all that comfortable with so I ... read more

Well the first Bavubuka Passion Project although completed is really just the beginning of many new and exciting things... This last week in Kampala really revealed the most to me; both in mind and spirit. After three weeks of go go go there was a day or two of much needed reflection, some problem solving, and an overview of results and future endeavours This last week I did some final training with a few of the young women of Bavubuka and some youth, did some yoga workshops thanks to our friends at YYOGA Highgate in Vancouver, BC, trained 25 single refugee mothers, visited an orphanage who is doing some amazing work with over 200 children, and planted a mango tree on the Bavubuka property as a sign of gratitude from the Passion team and a reminder ... read more

Well we are back in Kampala after a very intense filled few days!!! What would have taken 7 or 8 hours took us 5.5 to drive thanks to a driver who was aiming for record transit time. Everyone napped on the ride up north but I on the other hand forced myself to stay awake. Partly because I was sitting in a middle seat with no head rest and partly because I didn’t want to miss anything When we left Kampala were we told that it was about 5C hotter in Gulu as we made our journey we could feel the temperature rising and our bottled water becoming hotter and hotter. Although Kampala is considered modern it is still lined with dusty roads bodas (motorcycle taxis) cars trucks and people. As we moved out of the ... read more

Well here we go.. An hour delayed at first department allowing me enough time to quickly write a little introduction to this journey. I firstly want to say thank you for all the support and interest in this journey. There are over 200 people registered with my travel blog so far and the support is breath taking! This journey is not just about giving back to the world but reconnecting with what I first experienced in Africa the first time; community and being in the present moment. My life has always been about "What next?" this journey is about "What is now" and "What can I do to continue this movement I started on two years ago?" I will be in London for a day, for the first time, connecting with a lovely friend I have ... read more

Over the last week I have continued developing workshops for Africa Youth Trust and the young women who work here, attended an HIV/AIDS project launch, and meet more people that inspired me. On Thursday I had the privilege of going into Kibera slum with Faith, a dedicated youth empowerment worker where she showed me a recycling and composting program that the Soweto (slum region) youth group started. From the pictures you'll just get a glance of what its really like. The air is filled in some parts with the smell of a sewer as the only way for residents to dump their waste is in small plastic bags in a little stream that flows around their dirt homes. It wasnt the smell that got to me so much as the kids playing in and around it. ... read more