On 9  April we were joined by Emma and Alex Davies who told us about their World Challenge visit to Uganda, and in particular a school in Kampala.

In order to participate, first they needed to raise £2,500, which they successfully did.

On arrival in Uganda they were struck by the red earth.  It covered everything but was very beautiful.  The Ugandan population is very poor, with only 22p/hour average earnings.  This lack was illustrated poignantly by a situation encountered by the girls at their first accommodation.  They could not drink the water and so they applied chlorine to the water.  A Ugandan man thinking they were going to drink it (and knowing it would be dangerous for them) warned them about the water and they explained that they had treated it.  The girls explained how excited he had been to learn that the water could be treated, and then how devastated he had been to learn that they had brought the chlorine from the UK and not in Uganda.

Whilst working at the primary school, St Judes, they helped to transport water and mix the cement.  They were particularly struck by the importance of education in Uganda.  Education is not compulsory and children are often kept out of school for the harvest.  State schools are badly provided for, and even if schools want to teach, they struggle to get test papers and text books.  There is a wide variation in the teaching standards at the schools.  But by teaching the children about hygiene and other methods that will enhance their lives, the theory is that the children will teach their parents as well as taking what they have learned forward in their own lives.

After their experience at the school, Emma and Alex went on a gorge adventure!  They learned about efforts being made to protect the chimp population, saw hippos, lions and elephants, and undertook a safari in a national park.  They stayed by the Nile, and saw the rapids at their source.

Both girls were extremely enthusiastic about their experience and hoped to be able to visit Uganda again in the future.