A VSO Experience: Visit to Entebbe

This is the blog for Rhona and Bobby Hogg's VSO experience in Uganda. In August 2008 we applied to do VSO and, following an assessment day in London last October, we were accepted as volunteers . Because of the strong Scottish links, we had set our sights originally on Malawi where we spent a week in June 2008 but joint placements are difficult to find and in February we agreed with VSO to open up the search. At the end of March we were delighted to be offered placements in Kampala, Uganda. We are to work for a HIV and AIDS initiative called Reach Out Mbuya (http://www.reachoutmbuya.org/) where, we hope, Rhona's community nursing experience and Bobby's IT experience will prove useful.

We are due in Kampala on 18th September and have committed to spend a year there. We are very excited about the prospect of living in a very different part of the world and working with Ugandans who, from many reports, are fun to be with. We expect there to be many challenges but our stay in Uganda should be immensely enjoyable.

We are indebted to VSO for giving us this opportunity. Our preparation, including 2 training courses in Birmingham, has been excellent and we are confident about the in-country support that we will get from VSO in Uganda. I understand that it costs VSO around £15,000 to support each volunteer. If you would like to make a donation to support our placements in Uganda please visit the Just Giving site through the link opposite.

Thursday, 8 October 2009

Visit to Entebbe

Bobby -
Tuesday 6th October - We have started work. This is our second full day at Reach Out. Like yesterday, the morning started with torrential rain and a thunder storm. After picking our way carefully down the track to the main (Port Bell) road, we stop a matatu (taxi minibus). We are quoted 1000 shillings each but on declining to board we are quoted 500 shillings which seems to be the local rate (not the muzungu rate). We feel very pleased with ourselves.
At Reach Out the morning starts in the training room with a short service, a presentation by Dr Stella on her trip to Canada, and then Rhona and I are blessed in song by the group.Yesterday when we arrived, Lydia, the HR manager, a set up a very comprehensive induction programme for us which will run over the next two weeks.The programme will introduce us to each of the departments and we will visit 2 of the other 3 sites.
I also met Daniel who supports IT. Reach Out has around 56 networked PCs on the Mbuya site with a mail server and a file server. There's around another 20 Pcs on the other 3 sites. I discovered the air-conditioned server room which should be a cool refuge in the hot weather!

Last Saturday we bought some more items for the house – a cane sofa and 2 chairs, a small desk for the second bedroom – still no beds, and chest of drawers which allowed us to unpack our suitcases.

On Sunday we visited the botannical gardens at Entebbe. From the Old Taxi Park in Kampala it took about an hour to get there. It’s a very beautiful setting on the shore of Lake Victoria.

A guide took us round pointing out many fasicinating plants and animals.

A crocodile tree with roots like crocodiles.

The great orb spider whose net is strong enough to capture small birds.

The bird life was amazing including the dozens of African Kites soaring over us.

There were acrobatic Colobus monkeys and Vervet monkeys that couldn’t be bothered to move off the track as we passed.

Apparently the 1932 Johnny Weismuller Tarzan was filmed in the gardens.

We finished with lunch at the golf club before returning to Kampala.