Christmas 2008

Certainly no chance of a 'white Christmas' for us this year although the first few days when we arrived in Melborne were pretty cold!We spent a few days enjoying Melborne and were able to celebrate Alice's (daughter) birthday and meet some of her friends. We set off to drive along the 'Great Ocean Road'. The views were stunning and we stayed at some lovely places along the way.

We walked in the rainforest...different vegetation from the forests we have seen in Uganda.

Above is the photo of the Twelve Apostles we have seen so many times when Alice has had visitors, this time with us in the photo!




Then we met up with Edward's (Alice's partner) parents in the Grampian mountains. More wonderful scenery, different again with spectacular views, waterfalls and rock formations.

It was a great weekend and another beautiful place.

Then we flew with Alice to spend Christmas with Robert's cousins in Perth. The weather was hot and I achieved my dream of eating Christmas lunch out in the garden with ham and turkey cooked on the barbeque! It was a lovely family party. On Boxing day we travelled with them to the Karri valley to spend a few days in a lovely quiet chalet in the forest, this time Karri trees with Kookaburra's and Kangaroos! We walked high in the trees (40m) on a slightly swaying walkway which was a bit scarey! Trees still towered above us!

It was a great trip and we are now back in

Kampala packing and sorting ready to return to the UK on February 18th. The adventure will be over!

Student Activities 2

We invited our 'Ugandan Family' for a meal to celebrate the successful end to their teaching practice. We went to the hotel up the road and enjoyed a good meal followed by Italian ice cream down at the Italian cafe!! Lovely!!

Rob and I helped to finance an educational excursion for some students, something children and students here have very little experience of.

We arranged a visit to the museum in Kampala which is a bit old fashioned and 'tired' but has some interesting exhibits about the culture and history of East Africa. Then we went to the Entebbe Wildlife Education Centre which was the old zoo but they are trying really hard to develop open spaces where the animals can be seen in a more natural environment. The Colobus monkeys above are free to roam. The students seemed to have fun and say they learned. I will see when they hand in the assignment I set on how educational visits support learning.


This is the Dean of Students who came with his son who was not very impressed with the donkey ride!!

Student Activities

The staff at college were asked to attend a workshop on module writing. A bit late really as we were expected to hand in our completed modules several weeks ago! Apparently they are to assist other colleges to write their modules. As my teaching time here now is so short I had said to the Principal that I would not attend. I also asked her if the Diploma class could work with me to present a workshop to all the college students on Inclusive Education in Uganda. 'Oh, yes!' she said enthusiastically, 'You could do it on Friday while we are all away at the module writing workshop.' So with 3 days to prepare they worked to prepare teaching charts and I worked with the certificate students to rehearse some role plays to illustrate all the categories of special needs pupils. All the staff were away (only Brother Vincent - Vice-Principal and me left in college) so I was very unsure many students would even attend! However after Mass we began, we didn't even let them go for break incase they disappeared!! To my delight there were a good number of students and they stayed until we finished around one o'clock!

It turned out to be very successful with many students saying they had learned a lot. I did some follow up with some of my classes this week and they do seem to have a better understanding of how Uganda is encouraging inclusion and the many challenges with huge class sizes and lack of qualified staff. What impressed me was the developing confidence and ability of the student teachers presenting to a big audience.

Random Photos

Since we arrived here we have been constantly amazed at what can be transported on a bicycle. Up to 8 folded foam mattresses, nine crates of soda, 7 bunches of matoke, an uncountable number of empty plastic jerry cans and several large sacks of charcoal to mention but a few. Here is Joseph's bed on his bike when he moved to a new job!
Rob also took some photos of the opening of the new classroom. Here I am, 'Madam Janice' in smart suit checking out the learning areas!
We were invited to St. Lawrences schools and colleges for their show and installation of the Vice President of Uganda as Chancellor. The 1,400 students put on a marching display, each school or campus has a 'Guard' and we sang many anthems! They started two hours late but the speeches were fairly short which was good and we were given a cake and a bottle of soda. Another new experience for us. The schools and the University are all private and very expensive, a very different environment compared to some of the schools I have visited. The difference between those who have and those who do not, is huge!

Model Classroom

After visiting classrooms in schools where students were on teaching practice I was concerned at how 'learner unfriendly' they were. I was aware that many classrooms were little better than 'cattle sheds' with little or nothing to encourage learning, with very few learning aids. I felt that if our students were to be prepared to teach in better schools or at least to set an example in schools, they needed to see what a 'good classroom' looked like!
This room was available so I wrote a proposal with a request for just over 300,000Ug shillings (about £100) to create a 'model classroom'. Windows were replaced and it was painted.

The building began to look like a proper classroom! The inside was painted and the task was to prepare it in time for Graduation....a week away!
We set up learning areas including a music corner with instruments made of plastic containers, empty coffee tins and a biscuit tin!

The art department had produced a 'papier mache' giraffe and the communication and technology department had charts showing fish made with earth and digestive systems made with crushed chalk and sand. There was a 'man' made with banana fibres and some science 'big books' donated by a UK charity. With a nature table and a flannel board made with an old towel bordered with shells , the science area was ready!
A reading tree and books made by students plus professionally produced books, puppets and story cards with mats made using local materials......a reading corner to encourage children to enjoy books!

It was hard work getting the room ready but with the help of the students I hope we have an ongoing resource that all can learn from. I hope our student teachers will take the ideas out to their schools and so improve the learning environment for many children.

Busy days!

The last couple of weeks have been very busy for Rob with preparations for another charity art exhibition to raise funds for Uganda Conservation at the end of the month in Kampala, and for me preparing for Graduation at college!
We spent two weekends at the rugby 7's with Rob, now a qualified referees coach watching and advising the referees. It is the rainy season and one Saturday we drove down the dual carriageway to the rugby club down a raging torrent like a river to reach the flooded pitch. As we waited in the car for the rain to ease up enough to make a dash for the club verandah there was much shouting and leaping about by the players already there and the next thing was a snake of over one metre long being hit with sticks and flung back into the water! We waited in the car until the water receded enough to see where we were were walking before we ventured across the car park!!!



Watcing them clear the water from the pitch was entertaining. These boys were using a huge piece of sponge from an old goal post pad. They carried it to the edge of the pitch and wrung out the water. Table tops from the clubhouse were also used to great effect!

After about two hours two men went out to repaint the pitch markings and only two and a half hours late they kicked off!

Some areas of the pitch were pretty wet and not being used to playing in such conditions the handling was pretty dodgy but a couple of tries scored in the lake under the posts causing a wave of water and spray were cheered enthusiastically by the crowd. The mud and water were very much like home!

To our delight the Ugandan ladies 7's team qualified for the World Cup next year in Dubai!

Then this weekend was Graduation. The second one we have attended. Last time we had just arrived in Kampala. Around 1500 were awarded certificates and diplomas. There was a mass followed by the reading of all the names with singing, dancing and great excitement. Huge numbers of parents, guardians and students packed the sports field for the colourful event. I was able to open the model classroom in time to show the visitors! (I will put photos and a report about it in another post .)

Excited Graduands dancing as the choir sing and drum.
The college tutors in their gowns with the visiting Archbishop of Mauritius and the Seychelles (a Ugandan on holiday!) processing to the ceremony with the choir and dancers.

The other interesting event was the arrival of a new parish priest at the church attatched to the college. Historic, I was told because it is the first time for nineteen years and he is 'just an ordinary priest', the previous belonged to some branch of the royal family! Parishoners, a brass band, school children and our college students with the college chaplain, waited to greet him and then packed out the huge church to celebrate his first service. Another example of crowds of enthusiastic Ugandans!

Tracy's Story

This is the story of a thirteen year old girl in Uganda. My short experience in this developing country suggests it is by no means unique. Tracy lived in Dokolo District in Northern Uganda. The north of the country has been terrorised by rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army led by Joseph Kony for many years. Tracy’s father was a headteacher, in July 2002 the family were captured by the rebels at their home. At 5am it would have still been dark when rebels stormed their home and took Tracy, her mother and father. Other residents fled from the village. The family were made to walk with the rebels as they searched for other civilians and army personnel, carrying their property for 70 – 100 kms. Tracy became tired and exhausted and was severely kicked and beaten so that she could not walk. The rebels left her behind telling her to go back and that her parents would return later. It is not confirmed but it is thought they were killed possibly over the border in Sudan. Tracy was stranded in the bush with no idea where home was and unable to walk. She was about 8 or 9 years old. People in the area found her hungry, almost naked and with swollen legs. They took her to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp in Pader district. It seems she was looked after by a number of families but no one took responsibility for her as they were afraid there would be problems if they were keeping her illegally. She had by this time been taken to another IDP camp at Abim in the next district. There was apparently an article written in the local paper about her ordeal. (I am still trying to find a copy.) She was quoted as saying that she may spend the night outside since her ‘Uncle’ had evicted her. When asked about her parents she replied with tears since she could not tell their whereabouts.
I met Samuel at the college when he came to upgrade his teaching qualifications. It is he who told me this story. Tracy’s father was his best teacher in primary school in Dokolo district. He heard about the difficult situation for Tracy. She had by now been taken back to a camp in Dokolo district by the area Member of Parliament who had recognised her in Abim camp. Sam went to see Tracy and sought permission to take Tracy to Kampala where he was living so that he and his brother could educate her. He took her to see her Grandparents in the camps and then enrolled her in a primary school in 2003. It amazes me that she worked hard and with help from Samuel was top of her class and passed her Primary Leaving Exams in 2007. Her results were good so she was offered a place at a good secondary school in Kampala. Although the government in Uganda is committed to providing free education, the numbers of children and the lack of trained teachers mean that many of the better schools are private and fees must be paid. This is the situation Sam found himself in. Not yet thirty and paying fees from his small teacher’s salary to continue his own education, he had to find Tracy’s fees, books, uniform……..quite a task! He says, ‘I begun seeing stars, darkness because I never had a single coin to assist paying off Tracy’s tuition fees……it was big for me as personally I was taking up my studies.'
Family back in the UK gave us money to help students so we were able to give Samuel some help towards fees for Tracy to start her first term. In spite of starting several weeks late she completed the term in third position in her class. During her second term we were also able to help and Sam writes that Tracy was able to go back to school, happy with her studies. We are hoping to continue to help Tracy even after we leave Uganda. Students and families here struggle to find fees and yet the belief is very strong that education is the way out of poverty. We are asked to help with school or college fees on a daily basis and will, with friends and family have helped six student teachers complete their qualifications by the time we leave. Tracy’s story is a bit different and I am astounded that she can do so well after such trials. I am hoping to find some longer term support for Tracy so that Samuel can continue with his studies (he hopes to go on to take a degree course after he completes his Diploma).