My Ugandan Beginning: Between Digital Horizons and Prehistoric Shadows

Hello everyone!

My name is Yasmin  I’m from Milano Italy, and I am writing these lines with a heart full of the vibrant energy that has surrounded me since February 10th—the day I touched down in Kampala. I am here to work with Mondo, an organization that truly believes in the power of digital transformation, and I must say that these first weeks have been an intense journey, moving through new landscapes and even newer perspectives.

Teaching the Future: My IT Lessons

One of the most rewarding aspects of my time here so far has been my work in the schools. Walking into a classroom and finding myself in front of young people so eager to learn is a pure shot of adrenaline. During our IT lessons, we aren't just studying how to manage data or browse the web safely; we are building bridges.

Seeing a student struggle with a digital tool and then, after a few attempts, master it with a proud smile, makes me realize how vital the Mondo Digital Competences Program truly is. Here, technology isn’t a luxury; it’s a key to solving everyday problems and dreaming of a solid professional career. Every lesson challenges me to be more creative and to ensure that no one is left behind.

A Meeting from the Past: The Shoebill

But Uganda isn’t just screens and keyboards. To truly understand where I am, I felt the need to immerse myself in its wildest side. Recently, I had an experience that I can only describe as surreal: encountering the Shoebill.

Gliding silently through the swamps, surrounded only by the sound of the water, and suddenly finding myself just a few meters away from this prehistoric-looking bird was breathtaking. It looks like a creature from another era—still, majestic, and slightly intimidating. It was a moment of profound reflection for me: while in the classroom we are racing toward a digital future, out here, time seems to have stood still for thousands of years. This contrast is exactly what makes my life here so special.

Looking Ahead

The warmth with which I’ve been welcomed since day one is something I will never forget. There is a spontaneous kindness in the eyes of the people in Kampala that made me feel at home much sooner than I expected.

These first weeks have been dedicated to listening and understanding the real needs of the communities we work with. Every meeting, every lesson, and every sunset confirms that choosing to come here with Mondo was the right decision. The road ahead is long, but my enthusiasm is through the roof!

Stay Turned for new adventures.....

Yasmin. :) 

My last weeks in Uganda

These words are almost surreal to write but I have to: My experience here in Uganda is over.

One thing feels for sure: I’m going to come back at some point in time. Even after six months I feel, there is a bunch of things I haven’t seen yet. I have meet some amazing people in this time and made some real friends. It hurts to leave them behind for an unknown time. There is a lot to say about my hole experience, however I think I already have talked about the most important feelings in my last post. Right now I am just sad to leave and would have wished to be able to stay longer.

Lets talk about the things I did in my last weeks. Mainly I organised a First Aid Workshop over a full day with the teachers of Kikooba Primary School. This was a great day for everybody and I am convinced the teachers learned a lot and are now better prepared in case there is an accident at or around the school. After that the school started in their holidays again and knew they would only come back the week I am leaving. So I used my remaining free time to support an organisation called Aitenga. Mainly I started a small vegetable garden, as well a helping with some IT stuff. And to finish all of and really get everything Uganda has to offer I got malaria in my last month. A tough sickness, but I recovered well.

This finishes my blog about my trip to Uganda here. It has been an amazing experience, including the necessary challenges. So would I personally recommend doing such a volunteering? To be honest I don’t really know. It is of course a personal thing, but for me I can only say that some questions that I would have wished to be answered are still open. Mainly moral questions. However I made so experiences that I would have never guessed I would. So the answer will be left open from my side and I wish everybody how decides to do a volunteering the best. (If you can try to stay longer – a full year would be great)

Thanks for reading my blogs

Raphael

A journey of contrasts: wrapping up in Uganda

Hi everyone, 

It feels surreal to write this, but this is my last week in Uganda. I’m wrapping up my tasks here and starting to plan my return to Estonia. Honestly, I’m not sure how to sum up this experience. Uganda has been full of contrasts for me. Time moves slower here, and I’ve learned to appreciate the importance of adjusting to this pace of life and work. 

The nature in Uganda is untouched and magnificent. I hope to come back soon to explore more of its beauty. The people are generally kind, warm, and welcoming, though being constantly in the spotlight can be exhausting at times. 

Kampala is hectic and overwhelming, but I’m going to miss this big city life. I’m thankful for the opportunity to experience Uganda in this way. I still can’t believe I got used to the transportation here. Taking a boda-boda in the morning to commute was an experience on its own. Despite the stress, I’m going to miss it, strange as it sounds.

This journey has had its ups and downs. I’m usually focused on reaching my goals rather than enjoying the process, but I’ve found myself appreciating the small moments here—probably because of the slower pace of life. There’s no rush, and I’m going to miss that too. 

In numbers, over 175 days of deployment, I conducted 18 digital competency training workshops in 4 organisations (MYDEL, CEFOVID, CeSA and UPA Central Branch), delivered 10 semi-structured interviews for data collection, attended 20 Luganda classes, an many more. Thinking about sustainability and development cooperation, I hope I’ve managed to implement some interventions that made a difference in someone’s life. There are days that feel more satisfying, and there are days when I’ve had to push myself. But in the bigger picture, I hope it all counts. 

Together with the group of CeSA on digital competencies training

Beyond the numbers, what truly defined my time here was the change in my attitude, the broadening of my perspective, and the full exploration of a new country thanks to this deployment. And I do hope that I had a chance to give something back to you, Uganda. 

Thank you for the experience!

Kaisa

Time passes quickly in a slow-moving world

This blog post comes a little later than I had intended. Various factors delayed me, which I will delve into later. However, I first want to share my thoughts on working within a different culture and social system.

I consider myself quite adaptable, and it was relatively easy to adjust to life in Uganda, especially in everyday aspects such as travelling, shopping, and food. The general working mentality here, however, is quite different from what I am accustomed to in Europe. It's slower and more reliant on verbal agreements, with contracts and deadlines being rare. I would be lying if I said this didn’t bother me, even up to now. I have always been conscious of my finite time in Uganda and wanted to use it as effectively as possible. Nonetheless, I knew that imposing my expectations of how things should work based on my Western background wouldn’t be helpful. Judging people for their accustomed ways and learned practices is unfair.

On the other hand, my role here is to share my knowledge and experiences, which are primarily shaped by my Western upbringing. This dilemma has been on my mind for quite some time, and I still don't have a clear answer. I have learned a lot about Ugandan culture, for which I am extremely thankful. And the beauty of this experience for me lies in the cultural challenge it presents. It has made me reflect on the differences and the functionality of my own culture.

Working in this environment has often been different than I anticipated. For a long time, I attributed the slow progress to the pace at which things move here. While there is some truth to that, I also need to reflect on myself and acknowledge that I have been too quick to assign blame. I must accept that I have struggled with the change of pace and that I have, at times, let myself drift too much. (To be honest also one of the reasons why this post comes late.)

Even though I would consider my relationship with the staff of the school of Kikooba (my main project) as really good, I think there is a big difference when looking at the joint experience that we share. For me, six months seemed super long, but now I feel like they passed so quickly that I don't even understand where the time went. For the teachers, these are just six “normal” months in their day-to-day life, with me coming and going. I had to understand a lot about how things work here and how I can integrate into that. I feel this gap in understanding also creates a different view on the expectations from one another. And, of course, there is a process of adapting to each other, but this process is slow, and six months is a short time for that. 

All that said, I think I still accomplished some nice things, and I am convinced the school staff appreciates my work. I am generally very happy about how things are going. I just wanted to share some thoughts about my experience here. I also blame my background in sociology that makes me think about societies and their workings a lot.

Let's dive into some more concrete updates since my last post. Unfortunately, I had a pretty rough experience recently. While heading to Kikooba in a local taxi, we got into a car crash. Our driver collided with another car coming from the side. Thankfully, I was lucky to escape without major injuries, though I did suffer a serious concussion that knocked me out for two weeks. The good news is, I recovered well and was able to resume my activities.

Now, onto my projects at the school. One of the first things I did was revamp the afternoon sports program. I introduced a variety of games aimed at improving team spirit, balance, and other skills. This came naturally to me due to my background in circus arts with children, which involves a lot of movement-based activities. I noticed that the school primarily focused on football and netball, with a very performance-driven approach. To diversify the activities, I created a document full of game ideas for the teachers and involved them in the process, explaining the purpose behind each game.

Another major project involved collaborating with the teachers on alternative teaching methods. Previous volunteers had started this, but the teaching style remained largely traditional, with frontal teaching dominating the classroom. As someone without formal teaching experience, this was challenging for me. I conducted small workshops on theoretical approaches, building on the work of previous volunteers. When I noticed the theoretical approach wasn’t very effective, I began teaching some lessons myself, integrating the discussed methods with at least one teacher participating. I taught about Germany and am now preparing lessons on plastic pollution in Uganda, which is a significant issue here. This not only introduces new teaching methods but also raises awareness about an important topic.

Additionally, I assisted with the school's management tasks, including helping my organisation, Mondo, update their database on the children they support. I also visited local farmers selected to receive new stoves for cooking and conducted small interviews with them.

On some days, I worked with the Kampala Cycling Club, which included a highlight trip to the Ugandan National Championships – a chaotic but very cool experience.

Finally, I had the chance to do some travelling. I went on two different safari trips, one to Kidepo in the north and another to Murchison in the west of Uganda. Both places are stunningly beautiful, with untouched nature and incredible wildlife.

This post is already quite long, so I'll wrap it up here. My next and final post will come at the end of my experience in September. Thanks for reading!

Halfway done, halfway to go

 

It's been a while...

What’s been happening here in Uganda in the meantime?

At work, most of my time is spent conducting digital competency training courses. In May, I began working with two organizations: Mengo Youth Development Link (MYDEL) and Community Empowerment for Village Development (CEFOVID). Throughout the course sessions, we covered various topics such as Google tools, safety and privacy, and online opportunities, and much more aiming to enhance smartphone proficiency. Last week, the training course concluded with CEFOVID, and the week before that with MYDEL. 

CEFOVID group

MYDEL group

So far, I feel this initiative has had the most significant impact on the local community that I've managed to create.

However, days vary; some are more challenging, while others leave me with a sense of satisfaction after completing a session. Next, I'll be starting with two other organizations: Centre for Special Abilities (CeSA) and UPA Central Branch, with a week's break in between.

Data collection by using semi-structured interview

Additionally, I'm gradually collecting data for impact assessments to understand the contribution of international volunteers to local host projects in Uganda. For this, I use semi-formal interviews as a method of data collection. This is also one of my main aims that I want to accomplish by the end of my deployment. Throughout my professional life, I have mainly focused on quantitative research, and to broaden my skills, I wished to apply my knowledge to qualitative research. Somehow, it has always piqued my curiosity how people perceive and describe different topics.

Initially spending more time in the office, these activities have now allowed me to move around different organizations. I think it’s great because it aligns with one of my initial aims: to have the opportunity to visit different places, organizations, and meet new people.

Meanwhile, I've reached my three-month milestone in Uganda. Time indeed flies, making me wonder if I'm managing to accomplish all the tasks during my deployment. It sometimes feels rushed, and recently, I've found myself forgetting to enjoy the moment. 

Chips enjoying life

Outside of work, I've learned many lessons. For the longest time, I stuck to Plan A. Uganda has taught me the importance of having Plan B, C, and maybe even D, as unexpected situations can arise. It’s crucial to remain flexible and adapt accordingly. While I considered myself calm and flexible before, the situations here have tested and strengthened those traits even further.

"When it rains, it pours," they say. Life in Uganda pauses during heavy rains. Transport, such as boda bodas or taxis, can become impractical at times. Thankfully, these rains usually come and go quickly.

Traditional clothes for wedding.

Making ciabattas

Kampala continues to surprise me. There are days when I struggle to be punctual, something that might not be very common for me. But that's life in Uganda – you never know what's there for you.

Until next time!

Kaisa

Nakivale Basketball Outreach (Microfinance Project)

 For my second Microfinance Project I travelled to Nakivale Refugee Settlement.

Around the time when my initial project with MACAFS wasn't working out I began to use Basketball as an outlet for my frustration. Little did I know it would lead me to this project. While playing basketball at local courts I met a group of people from Uganda and South Sudan who run a basketball foundation focused on helping refugees - Naath Basketball Foundation.

Naath Basketball Foundation use basketball as a tool for education, hope and peacebuilding in refugee communities around Uganda. Immediately I developed a good friendship with the people involved and over time I realised that collaborating with them would be a great use of my remaining Microfinance budget - to do something sustainable, impactful and enjoyable with refugee youth.

We travelled to Nakivale Refugee Settlement in May, to carry out a 4 day basketball outreach for the youth there. We brought with us lots of basketball equipment and refreshments.

The outreach was a huge success - over 150 people attended! The first 3 days consisted of morning basketball sessions, followed by afternoon holistic development sessions (speaking about the importance of education, sports as a means to stay out of trouble, success stories of refugees). In the evenings we played friendly basketball games and experienced what life was like for locals living in Nakivale. This insight was very interesting - the locals call the settlement Naki-City, since it has been around so long and is very self-sustaining, with plenty of businesses, places of worship and bars throughout the camp.

Aside from the basketball, we were able to connect the local coaches there to other NGOs which can help provide more equipment to the children in future (shoes, socks, jerseys). We also connected them with schools in Kampala, for children to receive scholarships to study for free if they show potential talent in basketball. We had ‘visibility sessions’ with them to discuss ideas of how they can promote the Nakivale Basketball Academy and receive more resources for youth development.

On the final day we held two tournaments, for boys and girls. Each team of refugees had their own Mondo/Naath coloured jerseys. The talent, competitiveness and enjoyment on show throughout the tournaments was amazing to see. We also held a dunk contest and 3-point contest, much to the excitement of the beneficiaries! The tournaments concluded as the sun was setting, yet players and coaches remained on court for the medals ceremony and to thank us for bringing joy to the Nakivale community over 4 days. This outreach was definitely the highlight of my deployment. It will remain in my memory, and the memories of the coaches and youth of Nakivale for a long time!

Amuno Rural Hub (Microfinance Project)

For my first Microfinance Project I travelled to a small village in Eastern Uganda - Kachumbala. Here is the home to Amuno Rural Hub.

Amuno Rural Hub is an NGO which teaches literacy to youth in the Kachumbala community. Children come from far distances to learn to read, use the library and learn English. Hundreds of youth regularly visit Amuno Rural Hub after school, and during school holidays it becomes even more busy. Youth are divided into 3 classes based on reading ability (red, yellow, green). Older students in the green group become ‘literacy champions’, and help the younger ones learn to read. Amuno Rural Hub  also has a food programme for the youth, a rabbit breeding programme for self-sustainability, and a savings programme for parents.

Kachumbala is located in a dry part of Uganda and many community members struggle with access to clean drinking water. During school holidays there is often a shortage of drinking water at Amuno Rural Hub, due to huge numbers of the children spending their whole day at the centre. The current water filtration system often breaks down and when it is working, it takes over 5 hours to filter 20 litres of water. This is not sufficient to meet the water needs of Amuno's beneficiaries.

After spending time at Amuno and seeing the great work they are doing in the community, I decided I would use some of my Microfinance budget to help them with their Water issue. I collaborated with the Ugandan Water Project, in order to implement two new, more efficient water filters at the centre. These new systems can filter 20 litres of water in just 30 mins, providing safe water to both the students and the wider Kachumbala community (on very hot days it is normal for people to stop by Amuno and take some water).

After delivering the filters to the centre with Sam (UPA), myself and the Amuno staff set the two new systems up in the courtyard and I trained them in proper usage and maintenance of the filters. I involved the staff in demonstrations of correct filter cleaning procedures and what to do if the filter gets blocked. This is to ensure the filters remain effective for a long time (Ugandan Water Project state 10 years if managed properly).

After a busy morning of implementation and training it was time for lunch! I joined the staff in preparing Posho (a Ugandan staple), Beans and Vegetables for the 200 children present at Amuno Rural Hub that morning. The younger children then returned home with full stomachs, leaving behind the staff and the literacy champions for our afternoon activities.

These activities consisted of various educational games with the literacy champions; teaching them about water-borne disease transmission (from faeces to mouth) and dividing them into teams to discuss methods of prevention and best practices for hygiene. I showed them the classic 'black pepper' hand-washing experiment, which demonstrates the importance of using soap (which we made 50 L of the week before at a liquid soap making class, and provided to Amuno Rural Hub). We also played games that touched on the topics of clean latrine standards and behaviours for infection avoidance. The idea behind doing these games with the literacy champions was so that they are more impactful with a smaller group and then they shall educate the younger children about what they learned.

Tony (founder of Amuno) informed me that they were able to do this the following week and that the younger children also enjoyed. He also mentioned that Amuno is already seeing great results with their new systems. Overall it was a successful Microfinance project, with long lasting impact to the community of Kachumbala!

Landing in Uganda: A Volunteer's First Impressions

 Hi everyone, I'm Raphael Piero, currently living and working as an Education Officer in Uganda. I'm supporting a school in a small village called Kikooba, about a two-hour drive north of Kampala. More on that later.

Uganda's beauty is undeniable. Lush greenery stretches as far as the eye can see(ignoring the big city's), nourished by the ideal subtropical climate and the country's characteristic reddish soil. However, a looming challenge exists – as people here told me, the rainy seasons seem to be becoming increasingly erratic, posing difficulties for Ugandan farmers, who make up over half the population.

My initial impressions of Kampala were overwhelming. Motorbikes, called Boda Bodas, weave through traffic in a way I'd never seen before. The initial chaos was disorienting, but I've grown accustomed to it, and now I find navigating the city on a Boda Boda exhilarating. It's the fastest way to get around, especially compared to cars that move slowly to the traffic.

Another new experience for me has been shopping at Ugandan markets. Unlike supermarkets back home, Ugandan markets offer a vibrant atmosphere and the chance to interact with vendors while honing my bargaining skills. It's a fun way to immerse myself in the local culture.

People in general here are really kind and helpful, while being also quit shy sometimes, especially in the countryside.

The first two weeks of my stay I was learning about Ugandan culture and exploring Kampala. Since then, I've settled into a routine of spending weekdays in Kikooba, a small village surrounded by nature, and weekends in Kampala.

These two places offer a fascinating contrast. Kampala is energetic and loud, while Kikooba is a tranquil village with unreliable electricity and spotty phone service but beautiful nature. Initially, integrating into the Kikooba community proved challenging due to the language barrier. (English is barley spoken here) However, I've come to appreciate the "simpler" lifestyle here. It's given me the opportunity to enjoy the clean air and the calmness of the village life and even the possibility to go for runs, something mostly impossible in Kampala. I've also connected with local children, who are curious about meeting someone from a different background. What also helped is that we are now taking Luganden (one of the local languages) classes, which gives me the chance to interact with people more easily.

My current role at the school involves supporting teachers with organizing their office work, particularly showing them how to use their new donated laptop and working on digitalisation. This focus at the moment is manly because the school is currently on vacation. In the future, the plan is also to support the teachers in class.

Finally I also had the chance to visit some other places in Uganda. I went to Sipi, a village on Mount Elgon in the east of Uganda. Because it is one of the famous coffee growing regions in Uganda and as I used to work in coffee in germany and am in general really interested in learning about it, this place was very special for me. Also with the other volunteers we visited the SINA innovation center in Mpigi. A beautiful place where people with difficult social backgrounds, have the chance to work on their entrepreneur skills and develop sustainable products and ideas. 

I'll be sharing more about my Ugandan adventures soon – stay tuned!

The new normal and the very first times in Uganda

Hello everyone, my name is Kaisa and I'm here in Uganda for six months as a volunteer monitoring, evaluation, and communication officer as a part of the Uganda Pioneers' Association (UPA) team. 

I touched down at Entebbe Airport early morning, feeling apprehensive about what lay ahead. After a sleepless night and a glimpse of Kampala's hectic transport, I wasn't sure what to expect. But as soon I met Samuel who picked me up from the airport and as I arrived at Villa Mamu, where I was staying, and later on, when I met the other team members at the office, this feeling vanished.

My primary objective is to assist UPA with various data-related tasks. Some of my tasks will include compiling success stories of voluntary service, evaluation for international volunteers, conducting impact assessments of projects, and providing training courses in basic digital competencies for UPA members. However, I believe that more tasks spontaneously could come up. The UPA office is situated in Nansana, approximately 9 km from Villa Mamu in Kampala. While I've primarily been at the office thus far, I had the opportunity to visit the Mondo office in Kampala, which is also one of my potential work locations. 

During the first few weeks of my deployment, I dedicated my time to observing the ongoing projects and understanding the local way of life. Additionally, I had an orientation training by UPA and explored downtown in Kampala with a local volunteer, which included using public transport, visiting the Uganda museum, and visiting the craft market.

Now, I have started to work on my tasks more precisely. I have visited various projects with my colleague Claire, where UPA has sent volunteers. These projects include primary and secondary schools, schools for special abilities, and hospitals. To prepare for the training course on digital competence skills, I have conducted a needs assessment in three organizations so far to understand which topics should be covered during the planned lessons in May. Additionally, I am preparing tools for the impact assessment on the contribution of international volunteers to UPA projects and collecting success stories from UPA projects.

Also, I had the opportunity to visit Kikooba Infant and Primary School, which is located about two hours away from Kampala. This visit helped me to get to know the school community and familiarize myself with the area in case of any impromptu tasks.

However, learning doesn't stop after the workday ends. In the past few weeks, I've been gaining more confidence and knowledge every day. For instance, taking boda-bodas and matatus has become a new normal for me, as has going to the market and recognizing familiar faces from whom to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. I've also tried different local foods, such as matooke and posho and various types of street food (rolex, chapati, samosa, mandazi). I have begun learning Luganda, which I hope will help me communicate with the local community more easily. It took some time, but I have established a routine for my leisure time, including going to the gym, taking weekend getaways from Kampala, and finding some great coffee places.

Although there is still plenty to learn and improve upon, I'm excited for what the future holds.

 

Until next time!

Kaisa