My journey to Uganda

by Isabelle Harris (United Kingdom (Great Britain))

A leap into the unknown Uganda

Throughout my volunteering journey we were organised into teams our team MPR (mid phase review) was in charge of writing scripts on the sustainable development goals for a local radio show and organising a fun weekend activity for everyone. The SDGs we felt were most important to be heard were no poverty, health and well-being, quality education and gender equality. The first day of training included lots of discussion about ICS objectives, understanding development and being an active citizen etc. Leaving England. Excited is an understatement, it was so thrilling, sleep was impossible because of the butterflies in my stomach. The food on the plane was good, however, I was not as mindful and appreciative of the food as I was on the flight back 3 months experiencing the suffering of people living in extreme poverty. Where you will find that a bush cricket is a common delicacy and rice with beans is an everyday meal. Upon my return, I was so grateful yet so devastated to leave knowing that home was waiting for me, a warm shower, clean running tap water, easy access to food. All I could think about was how grateful Ugandans would be to have those luxuries and how I took so much for granted. Arrival at the airport in Entebbe, the sun hit my face and I felt an instant feeling of happiness as I walked of the plane the humidity was unreal, I remember thinking will I ever get used to this heat. Once we had received our visas and collected our luggage we then traveled in two separate vans to a beautiful Hotel in Kampala. The Ugandans were very welcoming people, they are so friendly I automatically felt like I was at home. Everything was so surreal, there were Boda Bodas (motorbikes) almost everywhere you looked and I couldn't take my eyes of the surrounding nature it was unforgettable. For breakfast at the the hotel I had Matoke (cooked plantain), vegetables, and some fresh fruit. Most of the food is plant-based, and it was delicious! It was so daunting seeing a huge mosquito net on the bed in my hotel room but I had prepared myself for this with countless bottles of mosquito repellant. Dinner was so delicious, I had mashed plantain with G-nut sauce which was ground up nuts, vegetables, and rice. Pineapple and watermelon. After settling in in Kampala and meeting the national volunteers, it was time to travel for 6 hours by van to Lira. We stayed in a Hotel in Lira and received full-on training before being placed in our host homes with our Ugandan counterparts (national volunteers). As we explored Lira it was not what I expected, it was big with lots of people selling food, including lots of chapatis an Indian flatbread and Rolex, a very popular food item in Uganda combining an egg omelet and veggies wrapped in a chapati. The people of Lira spoke a language Acholi, how are you is kopango, thank you is afoiyo. Meeting our host family for the first time, I knew I was going to like living with them, they were the most welcoming, friendly people I’d come across in my lifetime. I instantly felt comfortable and adjusted quickly into their lifestyle. There were roughly 21 coming and going or living in the house, many relatives, friends, friends of friends visited frequently. Our first supper with them was a tomato soup the volunteer staying with them before had shown them how to make. The first day at the office, Charles the driver picked me and my living at home counterpart up and took us to the office at 8.00 am. We finished writing a radio show script at the office. We were also very eager to meet our chosen youth groups that we were assigned to give training to the youth groups child mother’s and God's grace, we gave them baking training, to enhance their catering skills and jelly making training to enhance their business starting skills. I wouldn’t change my experience for the world, it is and will always be the best thing I’ve done in my life.