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.

Wednesday, 8 September 2010

Our final word from Kampala

With only five days to go until we return to Scotland after this amazing year, it seems appropriate to follow the example of other VSO bloggers and to reflect on the highs and lows, and to list what we will miss and what we are looking forward to at home in Scotland.
The year has been a package of adventure which is difficult to unpick. It has generally been much easier and more successful than we could ever have imagined. Most of our day-to-day life in Kampala has been very straightforward, we live in a very nice house in a lovely compound, the weather is always like a very nice summer day back home, we shop in supermarkets once a week but go to the market for wonderful fruit and vegetables. We eat at nice restaurants, we socialise with other volunteers and have had had great trips upcountry on safaris and to visit other parts of this beautiful, lush country. We have learned African dances and African songs. Our placements have been real jobs using our skills and providing opportunities to learn new ones. Uganda has been a great experience but as a way of life Scotland certainly wins hands down.

The Highs -

Of the placement:
Getting one nurse to an international conference in Vienna with a scholarship to present two posters, and another to an international conference in Australia to give an oral presentation.
Having two students from the Institute of International Health and Development at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh working on research projects started by Reach Out (and having one excellent dissertation finished and another in progress).
Having a day of meetings with staff from Reach Out, Makerere University School of Public Health and the Institute of International Health and Development in Edinburgh to discuss and initiate a three-away collaboration
 
Going into the slum communities we serve to visit mothers and babies and also sick clients, and see community nursing African style, with no welfare state, no social workers, no running water and no sanitation
Spending time with volunteers in the north of the country, visiting rural communities and health centres
 
Bobby has experienced generous appreciation for his work on the Health Management Information System and travels home with the assurance that there will always be a welcome and work here should he return.
 
Socially:
Spending Christmas with Hamish and Morven on safari in Murchison Park.
Having David on safari and spending a day in the clinic at Reach Out.
Having six other sets of visitors to stay with us.

The Lows -
Of course there have been some frustrations, but I think the VSO training in the UK and in-country must have been successful and we have been gently brainwashed into reconceptualising difficulties as challenges (a favourite VSO and African word) and perfecting the art of turning negatives into positives. So in fact I can’t really think of any lows, though plenty of challenges, and positives that started out as negatives!

Barking dogs through the night
Black choking exhaust fumes
 

Miles and miles of road works on dusty roads with speed bumps every 50 metres.
Frequent power cuts
 

The dangers of road travel

What we looking forward to -
Having close friends around, with shared histories and with whom we have so much in common.
Hills to climb
Beaches with a sea breeze
The Seasons
Concerts, theatre, dance and opera
Singing and playing music with friends
Pavements
Meetings taking place as planned and starting on time
Driving without having to worry about potholes, horrendous traffic jams and seemingly no highway code
The Scotsman in print rather than on-line

What we will miss -
The gentle, courteous manner of soft-spoken Ugandans
Pineapples, mangoes and passion fruit
 
The Matooke Lorries
Sitting on the verandah having a waragi (local gin) and tonic after work birdwatching as the sun goes down
Starting work with yoga, reflection and announcements in the compound
Being able to have meetings outside in a shady spot under a tree
The Friday evening get-together of VSO volunteers
Sunny days and balmy evenings
Sundays spent swimming at a lovely outdoor pool
BBC World Service and Focus on Africa every morning
The wildlife and especially the birds






We are sorry to leave all our new friends in Uganda but hope the opportunities will arise to see many of them again. We are looking forward to seeing all our friends and family back home.
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1 comment:

  1. Tony Holmes7 November 2010 at 08:37

    Glad it was such a great experience and went so well!

    ReplyDelete

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