Hello, I'm Alessandra, I come from Italy and I'll spend the next 6 mounth of my life in Uganda; I'm here from 4 weeks and with Mondo I work at Bridge Project.
During this time, I've tried to understand how life flows here in Kampala, and honestly, I'm still trying to fully understand it. One thing I've understood: life here unfolds on the streets, between a local market and a school, a mechanic's shop (for repairing the boda, the most common means of transport) and a hair saloon that's open until late, a chicken rosted food stalls and a rolex food stalls. What is rolex? It is a chapati rolled with eggs and vegetables, rolled-eggs... ROLEX!
Uganda was once called 'the pearl of Africa', and it's not hard to see why; just travel 30-40km from the city to enjoy the region's vast, lush nature, filled with national parks, lakes (such as Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake) and rivers (yes, the Nile River has its source in this region).
My volunteer work at the Kampala School for the Physically Handicap has just begun. I've had the opportunity to meet the teachers, the therapists (yes, there's an entire department dedicated to rehabilitation), and of course the children. But above all, I've seen firsthand how much love all the caregivers have for these children. I've had the opportunity to sit in the classrooms and help the teachers guide the children through their exercises, and I've also collaborated with the physiotherapists during therapy sessions, and I've seen the happiness in the children's eyes at the end of a well-executed exercise.
The school is like a large residence, they call it "boarding school", the children spend their week inside the structure and it seems like a big family, at lunchtime those who have no difficulty walking help their friends in wheelchairs to reach the dinner hall, no one is left behind.
I will still have a lot of time to get to know and enjoy this place, to find my role in the school and carry on this project leaving something of mine and bringing something home from here, and I can't wait.
