Blogs from Entebbe, Central Region, Uganda, Africa

I had a last weekend in Uganda before heading to Kenya. In the morning the ladies and I went for a canoe ride into the swamp area of Lake Victoria in search of the elusive Shoebill Bird. These prehistoric looking birds can reach 3 ft tall. They get their name from the large bill that resemble a shoe. We saw many lovely birds along the way until we finally saw the Shoebill. He watched us for awhile and then flew away much higher and faster than you would expect his large body to allow. In the afternoon we had a gathering with some of the women from the organization. It started with a discussion of what makes a good man. Then we broke for food and dancing. DJ Smooth (Irene) had the music going and everyone ... read more

Sparklers Mothers Club: These ladies were all in my mothers group for financial literacy as well as the tailoring courses I taught last year. They started a saving group to encourage each other at the same time. This is my only group loan thus far. They have started a tailoring shop together so they can work as a team. They received a $2,000,000 UGX ($600 USD) loan. They used the funds to buy materials and tools to start up the shop. They are currently renting the space next to RWO where the tailoring classes took place. I had a business planning meeting with this group to talk about how they want to expand in the near future. While they have made a great start there are still many things they need to work on as the ... read more

March 8th, International Women’s Day is a public holiday in Uganda. RWO took the day to celebrate the accomplishments of the women they support. Last year when I joined RWO they had their hairdressing class taking place and I started their tailoring class. Each course takes 3 - 6 months to complete. As part of the financial literacy courses I taught we discussed saving for specific goals. At the completion of courses the district has a certification test. While attending the courses the women saved the money required for the exam. I paid for materials and the bribes required to get the exams scheduled. We learned in February that 9 ladies passed the tailoring exam and 12 ladies passed the hair dressing exam many with A+ results. RWO decided to use IWD day to commemorate their ... read more

We have arrived and the adventures have begun, full force. The first week of travel on a continent so polarizing (physically and metaphorically) to Canada has been eye opening at every turn. In cancer treatment, chemotherapy begins with the induction phase, which ideally puts the cancer in remission. High dose exposure. This first week has felt like the induction phase of our trip. Submerging and acclimatizing my mind and body to the Ugandan way of life and developing an idea of what to expect for the next three months. Our first day in Uganda was spent connecting ourselves with back home and with each other while in country. We purchased internet from africell and Ugandan phones (drawing on my early-2000's, T9 skills) to bridge communication gaps. We then took in the botanical gardens and marvelled at ... read more

After a full day of travel and four flights, I arrived in Uganda, Africa without any problems. During our first day in Entebbe, we visited the Botanical Gardens which was beautiful. After that, we checked out some local markets and had a traditional lunch. The food was pretty good, goat meat, rice, Matooke, and local sweet potato. The fresh fruit, especially mangoes have been delicious!! Our rooms are simple, but we have everything we need. Three of us girls are staying together with a small bathroom attached to our room. I am still adjusting to the time difference as 9 hours is quite a big change. The weather has been beautiful, warm during the day with a thunderstorm and heavy rain during the early mornings. We are heading to Ssese islands tomorrow for a three day ... read more