WOW, Uganda :-)
For us four boys it has been a long time coming - over 2 years for Chad and Brenton - but for Ryley and I it is our very first time in Uganda, and that has been around 4 years in the making! All the stories all the photos and some broken up phone calls over time could not prepare us for the real thing & the excitement to finally arrive.
Being the first Brown boy out of the doors in Entebbe, the look on Mum's face was priceless, dripping wet from trying to cool herself down during a bout of malaria, tears running down her eyes she just couldn't stop smiling as one by one we came into a place she considers her second home. It literally was HUGS all round as Dad waited his turn and then we finally got to meet the inspirational person that is Mr. David Ssemwogerere.
Arriving on dusk to the Suubi centre was a bit of a blur, it was nothing like we had expected, again we had seen the photos and heard the stories but the work that has been done and the organisation of the entire project is just beyond belief. The next morning was a tour showing us all around Suubi and explaining how everything works, from the computer classes, to the reading classes, to the demonstration garden, to the mushroom house. The work that has been done is just truly amazing!
The boys continue work on the path around Suubi.
For us four boys it has been a long time coming - over 2 years for Chad and Brenton - but for Ryley and I it is our very first time in Uganda, and that has been around 4 years in the making! All the stories all the photos and some broken up phone calls over time could not prepare us for the real thing & the excitement to finally arrive.
Being the first Brown boy out of the doors in Entebbe, the look on Mum's face was priceless, dripping wet from trying to cool herself down during a bout of malaria, tears running down her eyes she just couldn't stop smiling as one by one we came into a place she considers her second home. It literally was HUGS all round as Dad waited his turn and then we finally got to meet the inspirational person that is Mr. David Ssemwogerere.
Arriving on dusk to the Suubi centre was a bit of a blur, it was nothing like we had expected, again we had seen the photos and heard the stories but the work that has been done and the organisation of the entire project is just beyond belief. The next morning was a tour showing us all around Suubi and explaining how everything works, from the computer classes, to the reading classes, to the demonstration garden, to the mushroom house. The work that has been done is just truly amazing!
The boys continue work on the path around Suubi.
So, down to business! Mum explained some things that needed to be done & then basically said “do whatever you like to help out wherever you can”. Manual labour comes part & parcel with volunteering at Suubi, and we've all enjoyed getting our hands dirty over the past week & a half. There have been Bandas to paint, paths to build and gardens to hoe... all of which are completed in a very different style to how we would do it in Oz due to the basic tools & DIY nature of the work. For example, laying a gravel path in Australia would involve collecting a trailer-load of stones from the local landscaping business and transporting them to site on the back of a car. Here, large rocks need to be collected from surrounding areas in a wheelbarrow, and then brought back to the site to be smashed into gravel with a sledgehammer! Yes, in instances like this it means a much slower process... but it also means a greater sense of satisfaction; not to mention an appreciation for how much more difficult the things we take for granted can be in other parts of the world.
(I might add that unlike in Oz, no one here is complaining about working conditions. When shit needs to be done, they just do it... with a smile!
Speaking of shit, the construction of a brand new pit latrine is well underway here at Suubi. Local digger 'Peter' (along with some able assistants) has been toiling away with the hoe for days, aiming for a depth of 100 FEET to accommodate the excretions of future volunteers. To watch a man dig a hole this big with his bare hands is really quite something, and you can look forward to seeing it in video form here on the website at a later date.
Peter enjoys a rest while his assistant continues the hard work.
The pit is shoulder width wide and there is still more than 80 ft to dig!
(I might add that unlike in Oz, no one here is complaining about working conditions. When shit needs to be done, they just do it... with a smile!
Speaking of shit, the construction of a brand new pit latrine is well underway here at Suubi. Local digger 'Peter' (along with some able assistants) has been toiling away with the hoe for days, aiming for a depth of 100 FEET to accommodate the excretions of future volunteers. To watch a man dig a hole this big with his bare hands is really quite something, and you can look forward to seeing it in video form here on the website at a later date.
Peter enjoys a rest while his assistant continues the hard work.
The pit is shoulder width wide and there is still more than 80 ft to dig!
Prior to our arrival, David had been letting the local Suubi Soccer team know that a fitness trainer was on the way, and going down to training on the first night blew us away. Ryley and I arrived with our replica "Jabulani" soccer ball from our recent trip to South Africa, and the sight of two Mazungu's on the soccer field led to over 150 school kids running out onto the oval for a kick and to say hello. After a while the teachers called the kids back to finish the school day and we got down to training some of the team. Although they have excellent skills here in Africa, fitness is not something they practice, and they were very very keen to learn some new skills to help them last out a full 90 minutes of a game (again something different to Australia where nobody likes the fitness training side of sport). There was plenty of laughter, as I don't speak Lugandan & they don't speak English, so it became a lesson with hand signals and demonstrations. It was a tough session even for me, due to a big 5 weeks and no exercise in South Africa! All in all though it was an amazing experience, one that Ryley and I both enjoyed… and by the look on their faces, I think the team enjoyed it too.
Dustyn explaining new skills to the locals with his new found sign language.
Dustyn explaining new skills to the locals with his new found sign language.
Our welcoming party on our First Sunday here turned out to be a fantastic afternoon/evening. A local businessman had donated a goat for all the business HUG had given him, so we decided to invite the craft ladies and some of the local community along for the feast. After seeing our dinner running around in the morning and then watching it be slaughtered in traditional style, it was good to have a few hours to get our stomachs back together before we enjoyed our first bit of meat for the trip.
After eating the goat on probably the biggest kebab stick you will ever see, local icon DJ Mike rocked the house with some traditional music, as the ladies showed us how to dance Ugandan style while we showed them a thing or two on how NOT to dance. With some hysterical laughter and even more smiles it was a fabulous evening with all of our new friends.
After eating the goat on probably the biggest kebab stick you will ever see, local icon DJ Mike rocked the house with some traditional music, as the ladies showed us how to dance Ugandan style while we showed them a thing or two on how NOT to dance. With some hysterical laughter and even more smiles it was a fabulous evening with all of our new friends.
A local Muslim is required to slaughter the animal so that other Muslims can enjoy the festivities.
The Suubi ladies enjoying the feast.
Dustyn tucks into a king size kebab!
The Suubi ladies enjoying the feast.
Dustyn tucks into a king size kebab!
With enough camera equipment to shoot a feature film, it didn't take long for David to request that we put our video skills to good use. There's 7 key components to the work that HUG is undertaking at the moment, all of which need to be documented for an upcoming Suubi Centre DVD. These components are: 1) The mushroom project. 2) The piggery project. 3) School gardens. 4) Computer training. 5) Library & book reading. 6) Crafts. 7) Sport/Music/Drama.
It's been quite fascinating to get an overview of all these things firsthand, and it's especially pleasing to see how little the staff are involved after the necessary skills are imparted onto the locals. It's plain to see that this is where the power of the Suubi Centre lies. When given a chance, the Ugandan people discover talents that they themselves didn't know that they had, and it gives them the confidence to take their destiny into their own hands. The centre itself purely serves as a support network; guiding & assisting when necessary, but ultimately empowering the locals to manage themselves. It's hoped that one day the centre could function without any Mazungu involvement whatsoever, and a solid foundation has clearly already been laid for that. These short videos will appear online over the coming months, so stay tuned!
It's been quite fascinating to get an overview of all these things firsthand, and it's especially pleasing to see how little the staff are involved after the necessary skills are imparted onto the locals. It's plain to see that this is where the power of the Suubi Centre lies. When given a chance, the Ugandan people discover talents that they themselves didn't know that they had, and it gives them the confidence to take their destiny into their own hands. The centre itself purely serves as a support network; guiding & assisting when necessary, but ultimately empowering the locals to manage themselves. It's hoped that one day the centre could function without any Mazungu involvement whatsoever, and a solid foundation has clearly already been laid for that. These short videos will appear online over the coming months, so stay tuned!
Ryley filming Salah harvesting her latest batch of mushrooms.
A few days in we visited two of the schools that HUG is currently working with. First it was Bright Light Primary, which HUG has provided with a water tank & the skills to build their very own organic garden. This was quite interesting to see how the gardens can be put to use, to teach children farming so that they in turn can teach their parents at home. Another point that I found very interesting was that Vincent, the school principal, is actually funding all of the extensions and new classrooms out of his own pocket. As he saves more money, he buys more bricks and piece-by-piece adds to the school in hope that his dream of a bigger and better school with more education for the community can be realized. What an inspirational person!
Dustyn and Browny hand over avocado trees to the inspirational principal Vincent and the agricultural teacher.
We then moved on to Sharon Primary, and again were greeted with huge smiles & felt like celebrities getting out of our van, with every child so keen to say hello & shake our hands before running away giggling! Sharon are just starting their farming project, but already you can see the great impact it is having. After demonstrating their skills with the garden tools the kids treated us to an hour of singing & dancing, which bought huge smiles, laughter and a very big sense of appreciation from both the school kids and the Brown family. I can't describe in words what you feel when a small Ugandan child looks up you with such a huge smile and says thank you for your help.
Sharon students pull their weight in their brand new garden.
Ishmael displays what quality maize looks like.
Sharon students pull their weight in their brand new garden.
Helen, Chad, David and Ryley are surrounded by children enjoying the performance.
A message of thanks from the students.Finally, the maize in the demonstration garden here at Suubi was harvested just yesterday by Bren & Ishmael. We were all impressed with the yield, which will be dried over the coming days and then crushed into flour to be eaten as porridge. The 'double-dug' technique on show here is proving to be a huge success, and it’s great to see it being implemented in the wider community.
Brenton uncovers some Suubi grown gold!
Ryley and Brenton work in tandem to harvest the crop.Brenton uncovers some Suubi grown gold!
Ishmael displays what quality maize looks like.
Well, that’s it from us. Hopefully we have put into words the feelings & experiences we have had. It has truly been an amazing experience so far, and something we are all very proud to be a part of.
Hope all is well,
HUG's from Dustyn & Ryley
Hope all is well,
HUG's from Dustyn & Ryley
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