Sunset at the beach

[...Anyways, I am looking forward to see you and start our trip; I am already imagining a moment where we are on a beach watching the stars, drinking some nice wine and talking about life :) I am looking forward for this moment to happen and you know what, it keeps me motivated! :)...]

This is what my friend Serkan wrote me, right after having confirmed that we would join forces to explore Uganda&Kenya&Tanzania together. Funnily, I had had the exact same picture in my head. As a consequence we began our grand tour by spending a few days at Ssese Islands on Lake Victoria.

Very early on Sunday morning I was standing at Entebbe airport, holding a sign with Serkan's name on it (as he had requested, in the case Uganda would have changed me unrecognizable). Later that afternoon we took a ferry over to Buggala Island, where most of Ssese tourism is centered (pic1). Despite it being peak season we were the only guests at our hostel. We were satisfied to have the whole beach just for ourselves to realize the plan of sitting by the water watching sunset and drinking wine (pic2).

On Monday morning we returned to the beach to eat breakfast (pic3). Then we decided to go on search for even better beaches around the island. Since Serkan had given up his Europe motorcycle trip in order to travel in East Africa, we hired a boda to make up his loss (pic4). After driving for several hours we concluded that our hostel must have the best beach and returned there to enjoy another bottle of quality Turkish red wine.

I was slightly hangover the following morning, thus happy to spend some hours sitting outside on a ferry deck. Back in Kampala we went for an interval run and began planning the rest of our journey. In three weeks time we will end up in Dar es Salaam, and will fill those days with any sorts of adventures...

My first safari experience

Since Murchison Falls National Park is one of Uganda's prime nature destinations we headed up there last weekend. Due to a bit delayed start on Friday afternoon we reached the park too late for our original camping plan. As a good alternative we set up our tent at a backpackers campground, nearby showers and beer supply (pic1).

In Ugandan national parks visitors must pay fees at several points: park entrance, guiding, ferry, camping... Loosing any of your precious recipes may result in trouble later on, unless you possess good explaining skills.

On Saturday morning we woke up before sunrise to catch a wildlife drive. With the help of a ranger-guide our driver took us around Buligi area, where most of the game lives. We were lucky to spot antelopes (pic2), giraffes (pic3), elephants, buffaloes (pic4) and lions (pic5). It felt a lot more special to see those exotic animals in their natural environment rather than in a zoo. To be honest, though, I prefer seeing nature by moving on my own means rather than sitting in a vehicle.

At lunch time we checked into a hotel-style lodge on the bank of Nile river, where we had some time to relax before an afternoon waterfall cruise. First the boat took us to view hippos (pic6), elephants (pic7), birds and crocodiles and then it dropped us off at the bottom of a walking trail. It was a short but sweaty hike up to the source of Murchison and Uhuru Falls (pic8). Being the world's most powerful waterfalls, they were impressive to see up close. Back at the hotel we started the evening with cocktails in a swim-up bar, followed by an atmospheric dinner at an outdoor terrace.

On Sunday we slept in until it was necessary to catch breakfast, our third and last all-inclusive meal. Good buffets always make you over eat; on the first round you try everything and on the second round you top up on your favorites. Before driving home we enjoyed swimming at the otherwise empty pool (pic9).

Exploring Mount Moroto

To kick off the month of June I did my first real hike in Uganda. It's destination was Mount Moroto in north-east, next to the Kenyan border. Unlike back home, where every place is mapped to the tiniest detail, around here you can truly explore new walking and climbing routes. The first MCU exploration group had gone to Mount Moroto at Easter time and found out that up there are criss crossing paths used by local tribes to access food markets. Our group utilized their findings for entry/exit points and camping spots, plus added a new peak to the selection.

Our Kampala delegation consisted of five girls. Not knowing each other beforehand did not matter, as we had plenty of time to chat during our slow and bumpy 12-hour drive to Moroto, where we met up with the rest of the hiking group. We were led by Alistair, who has lived there for years and knows the mountain as his own pockets.

 The hike began on Saturday morning. As a starter we climbed up an exhausting path on loose rocks, followed by a softer rise on tall grass. During lunch break we faced a problem: our porters no longer felt like carrying our water supplies but left them under the camp peak and took off. So we stuffed our backpacks with water bottles and continued ascending our camp. Thanks to the extra carrying weight my legs were totally spaghetti when we finally reached the peak of 2997m height.

On Sunday we did an exploration journey up to another peak, which we hoped to be higher than the one where we camped. During seven hours of hiking we got to climb up and down steep rocks, walk on mountain ridge paths and enjoy shade in a rain forest. The peak was indeed 3084m high, which made it worth ascending! After returning to camp we built a big fire and sat around it enjoying the coolness of the mountain.

The next morning we split into two groups: Moroto people continued on to a longer route while we Kampala people decided to walk directly back down in order to begin our return drive during daylight. It proved to be a wise move, as anyhow I was not home until after midnight.

I believe everyone agrees that photos tell a lot more about the beautifulness of Mount Moroto than any writing. Credit of these great photos belong to Elizabeth Kamugisha.

New winds are blowing

While giving hints in my previous posts, I have been arranging some changes during the past month. Now I eat my breakfast sitting on a terrace, looking at this garden (pic1). When I go for a walk I enjoy these views (pic2).

I completely value my ethnographic experience living in a small village with a local middle-class family and volunteering among the most vulnerable children, as it has given me insight to how the majority of local people live here. It is mostly expats and a small fraction of Ugandans living up to western standards with all utilities, appliances and security. It would have been easy for me to go straight into that comfortable buble and just bypass the majority's reality by seeing their housing, shopping and schooling through a car window on a way to a restaurant, mall or sports centre. Do not get me wrong - I still do not have the slightest idea of what it is like to be a poor Ugandan - but I believe I have understood at least something. And now it is time for me to move into the buble of a beautiful house and well equipped office!

As I wrote before, things tend to work themselves out. We must have faith in God/destiny (or whatever you believe in) guiding us to where we need to go. I do not mean passively waiting for things to happen but actively seeking for opportunities and staying open-minded to alternative options, confident that sooner or later they will appear. I try not to make detailed long-term plans such as living in a named city or working at a certain field, as they most likely will not come true. Instead I stream around for any seemingly interesting things that might provide me with good experiences, and try to hold enough courage to go for them! For me this seems like the right approach since I do not have strong desire towards any specific profession or way of living. By trial and error I can find both - things that do and do not suit for me.

When I was volunteering at HCF I realized that pure field work is not probably my thing. Despite momentarily bringing joy to the children I kept questioning the amount of difference I was really making. I could not change their lives for better since I could not provide them with economic improvements, not even mention changing governmental structures for health and education. Frankly speaking, I was thinking along the lines "nice mzungu popping up to entertain a few kids, who still cannot afford to go to secondary school". I felt I might be more motivated working for an organization having wider reach and larger scale impacts.

So how did I end up where I am now? When I was searching for an affordable place to live in Kampala I was offered a house-sitting job in Lubowa, which is a peaceful residential area with international schools and small offices 10km from downtown. I will have a whole house with a cleaner, guard, dog and three cats just for myself until mid-August, how pleasantly posh! I am excited about cooking my own food, having running water, emptying my suitcases into closets, accessing wifi internet and most importantly being closer to services and people in Kampala.

The same day I agreed on my housing deal I learned about an appealing volunteer opportunity at Uganda Carbon Bureau, which is located within a walking distance from my new home. I volunteer at an improved cook stove (ICS) project. Compared to traditional cook stoves, energy efficient ICSs generate less health-hazardous smokes and consume less wood, therefore saving households' money and generating less greenhouse gases. When the usage of ICSs is monitored they can earn carbon credits, which can be sold either at compulsory or voluntary markets. Ever since studying environmental leadership at university I have wanted to work among climate change, so this carbon offsetting project fits me perfectly! Last week we went on a field trip to Lira, where ICSs are being manufactured and distributed. We collected used stoves for efficiency testing and got some end user feedback (pic3).

To make a long story short, right now it seems like life is treating me with plenty well. Let's see what future brings along...

Buganda family life

Before the British rule Uganda consisted of tribe kingdoms. Even though nowadays tribes hold no political power they have a role in people's lives, within beliefs and traditions. Kampala is the heart of Buganda Kingdom, which forms the largest single ethnic group in Uganda. Baganda (the people of Buganda) are ruled by a kabaka, an autocratic monarch getting his position through hereditary.

There are 52 original clans within Buganda. When a baby is born, s/he joins the father's clan and is given a clan name. Each clan has a book listing its female and male names. I was honored to receive a clan name, making me Maria Nakalema. Because Mr. Kalema's clan is royal I am a princess. Men and women from a same clan are not allowed to marry each other. When a couple is formed their clans are questioned either by their parents or a church leader, and if they come from a same clan they must break up.

Even though exclusive relationships are becoming more common, some men still get several wives. They claim that having children with more than just one woman increases their probability in producing smart, good-looking inheritants. Often a woman is not aware of his fiancée's existing wife(s) or she ignores it, as getting married is still considered somewhat compulsory in Uganda.

Men and women have traditional family roles: a husband earns money and a wife cares about children and household. If other decides to help another - either a woman getting a job or a man doing house work - it is considered as voluntary rather than expected. The common case is that both work during the day but only a wife cooks and cleans in the evening, making her relative work load greater. Generally men hold most decision making power and they can alter women's plans just by announcing them a new day program.

Women are not encouraged to do all things men do. For example, riding a motorcycle or a bike is not acceptable for a woman, who is supposed to wear a skirt and not show her thighs. Some girls are scared away from those vehicles by telling them that riding might cause lost virginity. That in turn would prevent a girl's family from receiving a goat when she marries a man.

It is important in the Buganda culture to show respect to those superior to you. Children kneel down in front of adults and women kneel down in front of men. Instead of having supper around a shared table, food is specifically served to men and children eat sitting on the floor. I still find it somewhat odd that at home my host family's well raised kids serve me with several things. We volunteers eat out meals from a separately prepared table (pic1).

Despite having collected this information by observing and discussing with different people, I can see that in general attitudes are westernizing, especially among educated urban people. When it comes to equality I see it as good development, but I hope cool tribal features will remain in the Buganda culture. However, it was already altered years ago when Christianity was brought to Uganda. The missionaries announced tribal drums and natural costumes as satanic, making people to abandon them and switch to more western style traditions.

I was delighted when I was invited to the HCF program coordinator's introduction ceremony, which is a traditional Buganda engagement party. The festivities began before noon and lasted until sunset, including introductions of the pride's and groom's family and friends, layout of presents (pic2), dinner (pic3) and dancing. I rented a beautiful traditional dress and got photographed with my host family, other volunteer girls and Rachel, the pride (pic4). Since in Uganda everyone is invited to a party and s/he may bring along additional people, the number of guests totals hundreds. In order to finance such big parties their hosts usually fundraise beforehand within the community, which as whole joins the long celebrations!

The story of Hope Children's Foundation

The story of Mr. Kayamba continues as the story of Hope Children's Foundation, which in varying ways has been in operation since 1999. Back then, almost 15 years ago, he was starting up his own building business and lived in a rental apartment with his wife Prossy and firstborn son Moses. One Saturday, when the family attended church, Kayemba went up to the children's section. He found five poor children, who were supporting their old blind mother by collecting garbage out of streets. Kayemba decided to enroll the literacy-lacking children to school and help their mother financially. The oldest girl, almost a teenager, was placed in a nursery class due to her nonexistent academic skills. Being overaged, she struggled at school but at the end managed to acquire a vocational job.

When the five children's mother died a year later, Kayemba took them into his home. They lived as Kalema family members and at all times someone of them was taking care of baby Brenda, Kayemba's only daughter. During the following years Kayemba helped to pay living and schooling for several poor children, who otherwise would have been left uneducated.

In 2008 Kayemba was supporting altogether 26 children. His friend, a pastor at Kigoma Seventhday Adventist Church, suggested starting a foundation to help the growing number of children. The church donated a plot of land and together its members renovated an old building, which became an office, school rooms and dormitories. Also a local school helped by giving a roof to another class building. This was the beginning of Kigoma Adventist Primary School and Hope Children's Foundation (HCF). On his second day in Kigoma Kayemba met Meth, who became his trusted partner and the school's head teacher. When Meth realized not many of the students had opportunities to continue studying after primary school, he donated his homeland to be used for a vocational school, Net Institute.

When HCF was founded most of the children supported by Kayemba moved into its dormitories, and many more followed. In the peak year, 2008, the number of Hope children reached 120. When Kayemba was commuting around the area for other purposes, such as building contracts and church events, he kept finding vulnerable children and bringing them to HCF. One of them is Joshua, who has only one arm. Kayemba found him and his three siblings sleeping on a mud floor, picking up their things over their heads when it was raining. He took them all to HCF and adopted Joshua. As the boy's guardian Kayemba can ensure that he gets basic education, as he cannot earn a living doing physical work without an arm.

HCF was officially registered with the Ugandan Government in 2011, in order to get engaged in partnerships and receive more sources of funding. Kayemba and Meth have ambitious plans to expand the school, that currently has 150 nursery/primary class students of which 80 are Hope children, to include also secondary classes and exclusive boarding.The major constraint is lack of funding. In addition to boarding moneyless Hope children the school takes in nonpaying students from poor families, thus reducing its income from school fees. To overcome this, the plan is to widen the school's offering and raise its level of education to attract more paying students, who in turn can help in supporting poor students.

In the meanwhile, HCF has generated success stories. Some years ago, when Kayemba had higher personal income, he sponsored secondary education to the school's brightest students, of which most continued on to universities and good jobs. One of them has now started his own foundation, very similar to HCF, helping vulnerable children in South Africa. Some others help HCF with small donations and come in every now and then to greet the children. And last but not least, HCF has also promoted love as two couples have formed within Hope children.

The school building in 2000

Dormitories

Joshua