After free travel came to an end, we arrived at Youth Encouragement Services (YES). It was a quiet and beautiful hostel with purple morning glories growing abundantly along the fence. We were all more than happy to find that showers, bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen were in good condition and easily available. We were even spoiled with access to a volley ball net and a ping pong table, where some very heated games took place in the late evenings. Our group was also given the very fun yet challenging task of self catering. Our meals consisted of tasty food such as stir-fry, spaghetti, beans and rice, tuna pasta salad and chapatis with guacamole for dinner. Cooking in the kitchen was a great bonding experience for our group. We worked over the counters with tears in our eyes from the slicing of onions, while we cracked jokes and dipped spoons into the pots to taste our wonderful creations. On the second day at the hostel, we were given a bit of free time. This time was used to give Saxon’s hair a trim, which then turned from a trim into a spontaneous Mohawk. Mad props given to Lil, Sarah and Adam D for maneuvering the scissors and electric razor with a steady hand, which turned out to look like a professional job in the end.
Our days were spent volunteering at the Mana Rescue Home, which is an orphanage dedicated to the care of HIV positive children. There were about thirty kids at the rescue home and their ages ranged from four years old to seventeen. It was truly an eye opening experience for our group to have the opportunity to volunteer there. The kids were real sweethearts and even though their energy was low they were very interactive and enjoyed our company. The orphanage was well organized. A significant portion of their food is grown right there on the grounds. The fresh and nutritious food has a huge impact on the health of the children and their immune systems. We were also fortunate enough to eat lunch with the children for a few days, which proved to be delicious. In addition to a healthy diet, the children’s medical care and medication is supplied by the Ugandan Government, which is extremely helpful to those who are HIV positive.
While we were there, our major project consisted of repainting a dining hall and kitchen. We painted for a number of days and were supplied with bananas as snacks and a CD player, so we could paint to the beat of the music. We also spent a couple of days playing with the children. Our leader Adam played a game of football (soccer) with the boys in the yard. Allison kept the kids entertained with a game of Frisbee. Emily assisted and observed the nurse practitioner when the children came in for their monthly checkups. Adam D and Saxon talked, hung out and got to know the older boys at the orphanage. Jill pained the girls finger and toenails a cheerful bright pink. Sarah, Lil and Bridget kept the kids laughing and running about by setting loose a huge bag full of super bouncy balls, bottles of bubbles, and toy cars. We left those days feeling exhausted yet playful ourselves.
We then concluded our stay at YES by going out for a wonderful and scrumptious dinner. The food was amazing and served home style. The conversation we herd between a few Europeans was equally enriching and gave us all insight on the opinions some people have about the way volunteering should be run.
We spent the following morning in town picking up supplies for our stay at lake Nkuruba. Despite a torrential downpour, Sarah and Lil were able to obtain all the food we would need for self catering during our camping trip. We later loaded all of our bags and groceries into a small bus and headed for the camp site. The sight was located atop a lush hill surrounded by monkey infested trees and overlooking the small but none the less magnificent Lake Nkuruba. After moving into our tents we were shown the modest kitchen, complete with an nonfunctional oven and wood fire stoves, where we would be preparing meals. Preparing meals proved to be more challenging than we had hoped, as successfully building a fire could take over half an hour. However, all of our meals turned out to be very delicious.
We spent the next four days lazing around the camp site, sleeping in and going for occasional swims in the lake. On Sunday we loaded up the bus once again and after briefly meeting Carol, the founder of the Yes Orphanage, we began the long journey to Kampala.
Peace out and we send our love,
Jill and Adam
