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Published: September 2nd 2010
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Hey everyone :-)
Well Kath and I safely made it to Kampala, Uganda 2 weeks ago and have been settling into life as volunteers.....not a bad life really!
We're staying at a hotel in an area of Kampala called Mengo, it's pretty close to the city centre....just a quick boda boda (motorbike taxi) ride away. Our friend Jacqui (who has been here since April) has been showing us around and introducing us to the many bars and restaurants.....and there's quite a few! We've already had some memorable nights out with lots of giggles and cheap beer and wine :-)
Living here is pretty cheap with a local meal (beans, rice and vegetables) costing about NZ$1.50, a 500ml bottle of beer is around NZ$1.00 and a boda boda ride to most places is less than NZ$2.00. The food is actually really nice although you can never guarantee the restaurant will have what you want. And when we feel the need for western food there are a few really good (but not so cheap) options and there are lots of indian places around too....so no worries about us starving anyway :-)
While we're here we are spending time with
2 different organisations; the first is Peace for Children Africa (PCA), this organisation works with children in the slums of Kampala and provides outreach programs to educate them, improve literacy and assist them if they need help as well as providing homes for children who need to be rescued out of the slums. I've met some wonderful children at the home who have some incredibly disturbing life stories yet are still smiling and so grateful that they have a home, 3 meals a day and people around them who love and care for them. Some of these children have spent most of their lives on the streets and to survive had to scavenge and steal....some of these children are under 10! It's school holidays here at the moment so we've been spending time revising their work before they go back (can you imagine children at home choosing to do homework during their school holidays!) and also have some fun.
The second organisation is Sanyu Babies Home......they currently have about 50 babies ranging in age from about a month to 3 or 4 years and they are ohhhh so cute.....these little lovely bubbas come running to you when you walk
up the stairs looking for cuddles. It's a bit of a mad house with so many of them but it's a nice to go there in the afternoon and spend time with them and see their smiles. I'm not so keen on the whole nappy changing exercise though and have managed to change only 2 so far!
So in between going between these 2 places and exploring Kampala we're keeping pretty busy, the days are flying by in a bit of a haze. The only downer is that the rainy season has come early this year and there is a torrential downpour pretty much every afternoon. We were stuck at PCA for a few hours yesterday and when we left had a treacherous walk back up the hill through the red clay that is everywhere that had become red sludge.....
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Trudi Storm
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Trace I loved reading this posting...you are making such a difference to all those little kids lives...go you...what a buzz!!!