Halfway

Halfway 

Time flies in Uganda! It seems I arrived one week ago when it is already three months I am here. Halfway through my deployment with Ngo Mondo and UPA is completed.

These months have been challenging and plenty of discoveries. Firstly, I observed what was going on around me having an open mind for what was far from my comfort zone. I will never get used to being the center of attention because I am a white person, to bargain for prices, to be on the busy roads of Kampala and Ugandan time (30 min means 1 hour and a half).

 

New Taxi Park in Kampala.

On the other hand, I will always be amazed by the respect Ugandans have for their traditions and culture, how every woman is called Mama because she will take care of everyone in the village, and last but not least the quantity of matoke and beans you can eat in a week!

  

Traditional dance at Ndere Cultural Center.

Shelling beans.

Preparing matoke.

Library Workshop 

After reordering the school library, I designed a workshop about it. In June, Teachers attended the "How to enjoy our school Library" workshop under the mango tree, where the community gathers to have meetings. It was an opportunity to know better how their library works and share ideas and advice to renew their lessons using the books´ library to make their teaching methods more creative. Moreover, each upper class received a poster showing the library's aim, the rules on its use of it, and how they could best enjoy it. If students will be supported by their teachers on this new learning path, we could see an improvement in the reading culture of the school.

Attending the workshop under the mango tree.

Kikooba School Teachers.

Extra curricular activities

Accompanying and supervising extra-curricular activities are a big part of my work as EUAV in Kikooba Infant & Primary School. This month the school was invited to a friendly competition together with four neighboring schools at Masiriba School, our pupils worked hard and intensively to perform at their best.

Football & netball

No more details are needed to describe these two sports. These are the main ones you can practice in primary level schools. Traditionally, it would be more acceptable for boys to play football and for girls to play netball.  

Warm-up before the football match.

Netball match.

Athletics

When you don´t have the facilities and the items to practice race, relay race, and hurdles the only way is to be creative! Pieces of wood as batons, leaves of bananas as hurdles, and sticks to circumscribe the racetrack. Nevertheless, the stadium cheering for our athletes is not missing!

Cheering for our athletes.

Poem reading

Our English teacher wrote this amazing poem on "Elimination of harmful practices affecting children". After a moment of debating and sharing in the class, it was impressive how fast our pupils memorized it and were able to read it out in front of the audience.

Poem.

MDD (Music & Dance)

MDD was my favorite extra-school activity of the month. Teachers composed a song for their pupils and it was magic! Everything was perfect because we were surrounded by improvisation, music, nature, children´s happiness, and smiles.

Trip to Entebbe

Finally, my EUAV colleagues and I could enjoy Lake Victoria and the peaceful nature by which Entebbe is surrounded. 

Lake Victoria.

Moreover, I had the opportunity to visit the Children´s surgical hospital of Emergency, an Italian independent non-governmental organization, and I was like a child on Christmas day. As an Italian, I felt at home and proud of the work Emergency is doing to provide free, high-quality medical-surgical treatment to anyone in need. 

Visiting the Emergency Hospital.