Rachel in Africa

So I am writing this from, what I hear is, an unusually sunny England after being back just over a week. It feels very strange so far and I’m sure it will take a while for me to settle back in fully but for now I just wanted to update you on the progress of our projects in Kumi, how Team 2 got on and what everything looks like now we have left. Team 2 were a fantastic team! It was made up mostly of a youth group from a church in Kent with 7 13-16 year olds and their leaders as well as 4 other adults. It was a lovely mix and they were different to Team 1 which made it all the better I think! But they worked equally as hard and at the end of the trip overwhelmed me and Louise with their generosity towards all of our partners. It wasn’t without hiccups however as we suffered a few more problems with our transport; a broken alternator and three punctures! But hey, it wouldn’t be Africa without those things!! Once we arrived in Kumi all the team were eager to start work and we got so much...

Wow! What a two weeks!! So the first team have come and gone and it has been fantastic! We have got so much done and all the volunteers left feeling really tired but really pleased with all the work they achieved. Our team 1 trip started a bit behind schedule as the volunteers were delayed at Entebbe airport due to heightened security....this has seemed to be the flavour of our stay here in Uganda this year but for a variety of different reasons; first for the bombs but then for the arrival of a large number of African presidents who were attending the African Union summit being held in Uganda. Anyway, we finally met the volunteers and took them straight to Jinja to see the Source of the Nile stopping there overnight before the second leg of our journey to Kumi. Our first day in Kumi got off to a fantastic start as we had a great morning on the building site laying the first few bricks of the 6th house at the COHAD orphanage, intertwined with playing with some of the children who wer...

I can’t believe we are now pushing the three mark, although it does feel like we have been here quite a long time as we begin to settle in even more! It’s been a strange mixture of time the last few days with finalising our visits and witnessing some real hardships in the area around Kumi, where we are living, followed by taking in some of the sights of Uganda in one of the National Parks and on a short break from work! But whilst we were still in Kumi we confirmed two of our projects with a small development organisation linked with our partner church. We are going to be visiting a small rural village with each team where we will renovate a typical house made from grass thatch and mud and, on a separate visit; we shall be distributing food to needy families suffering from HIV/aids. As a staff team we went to visit both these villages to form the links before we take the teams, accompanied by a Ugandan man named Patrick who is quickly becoming another one of Uganda friends, we felt li...

Saturday 10th July Nearing the end of our first week in Uganda we have arrived at what is to be our home for the next two months in Kumi Town and are beginning to slowly unpack and adjust to lots of really big insects, permanently dusty feet and the heat but hey....this is Africa and I am loving it! Over the past week we have certainly not been idol as from the moment we arrived at Entebbe airport (without any bags!!) our ‘set up’ trip began. In the first two weeks of our trip we are charged with ‘sus-ing everything out so we have spent the first few nights in Kampala, the capital. It can truly be called an ‘African city’ with bustling streets and crazy drivers! The boda-bodas, which are like motorbike taxis, are lethal and it can take a rather long time to cross the road in safety!! We bought a few necessary things in town and prepared for our journey up to the North. On Tuesday we spent the night in Jinja, which is Uganda’s second largest city outside Kampala and one of the more tour...

Writing this on my final evening at my house in Leamington Spa, before I go back to Harpenden tomorrow to get things ready is really exciting as I feel like I have been building up and looking forward to this coming week all through my exams! This excitement is coupled with me realising that I've come to the end of second year at university and also the fact that this time next week I will be back in Uganda!!! But despite the busy-ness of the end of term and end of exams, I am still reflecting on how my preparations have gone so far and how it will be to be back in a country that has grown to hold a special place with me! First of all I have been overwhelmed by the generous support from everyone who has contributed to our fundraising for our projects so if you are one of those people then thank you very much! I'm also beginning to realise that two months is a long time to be away but I am definitely up for the challenge! It is also good to think about how much work we can get d...