Testbourne Mityana Project  

Sam Chappel

My memory of Uganda is when you drive through the towns and villages the local people will look right at you, then smile and wave. The children would wave and scream in excitement when they saw you, jumping up and down. When you waved back they got even more excited and ran around in circles and jumped up and down even more! It seemed to make their day which was defiantly one of the highlights of the trip.

What I will never forget is – my buddy, Godfrey, who was a natural born leader. He led the group wherever we went, around the school, to the orphanage, even when playing football with the orphans! He wanted to know all about my life at Testbourne and life in Britain.

What had a profound effect on me was that everybody seemed to have something to sell. Be it single sweets, eggs, mattresses, clothes, an old pair of shoes or a rotten fish. This showed me that people are very desperate for money; they would sell anything they had to get it.

The thing that had the deepest impression on me was how the students live in the school. The dormitories were disgraceful. There were 12-15 people all crammed into a tiny room, and their only space that they had to themselves was their bed, where all of their belongings including clothes, books and other possessions as well as having to sleep in there. Also the only way of washing is a bucketful of water and a gutter. This made me appreciate what I have back home.

What I will never forget is how happy everyone is in Uganda. They seem so happy to see you and they want to know everything about you. They are the most welcoming and appreciative people I have ever had the pleasure to meet.

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William Cole

The thing in Uganda that will stay with me forever is the way that people, although very poor, can still get on with their lives. In our country, if put in this position of some of the Ugandan people, we would just grumble and do nothing to end our situation. But in Uganda every one is doing something to get out of their impoverished situation, every one in the country seemed very enterprising. You saw them selling second hand shoes that they have repaired to old engine parts at the sides of the road.

Another thing that will remind me about Uganda is the strange architecture and mix-match of furniture design. I think that the architecture is so different as a result of the climate in Africa, all the walls of buildings are so slim and there is not much difference between the buildings, if it is a shop it looks the same as all other shops on the street.

One thing that took me by surprise was the amounts of litter and littering by the sides of the roads and in the school grounds I guessed this was because they could not afford to get rid of it, but I had a picture in my mind of Uganda being litter free.

Above all though I have realized how privileged I am as when I gave my buddy some gifts of a stationary set 2 England football shirts and some biscuits he was overjoyed and suddenly wanted me to meet his family and kept on telling me that he was so happy to have me as his friend. If some one was to give me this stuff I would be happy but not have quite the same reaction. Uganda was a fantastic experience and I wish I could go back.

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Harry Cope

My memory of Uganda is when we were travelling around Mityana and the surrounding area, whenever the children spotted us they would go crazy, screaming and shouting like we were celebrities.

I will never forget the time when we were playing games with the pupils from Mityana primary I was blowing bubbles outside and the screams of joy and happiness gave you such a great feeling for something so little.

What had a profound effect on me was the day we spent at Bulera primary and how little they had it was a real emotional punch that hit me hard. The thing that made a deep impression on me was the whole country’s upbeat nature and general good spirit even though they have so little but won’t let it get them down.

Finally the thing that I’ll remember forever is the day I got to meet my buddy Isaac for the 1st time at long last I was so glad to meet him after all this time.

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Megan Davies

My memory of Uganda is when we were driving along the roads; all the little kids and adults would smile and wave. The children would put so much effort in smiling, when we knew how bad their life must be. They don’t have much food, they don’t have many clothes, and the clothes they do have are of poor quality. They must get sick frequently, their parents could have died from AIDS or HIV, and there could be a chance that they are abused by their carer. But yet, when we waved at them, they jumped up and down, waving their hands around enthusiastically, with great big grins on their faces. And that was what struck me the most.

There is no way I can forget the welcome that Bulera School gave us. They sung their national anthem for us, and put so much spirit into it. When we gave them gifts, they were just screaming with delight with all the simple things we gave them. When we gave them a football, the whole hall was full with loud excited screams. They obviously don’t get all these simple treats at all often, and they were just over the moon about this one football they would have to share between the whole school. Then, they performed the most amazing dance ever! They had put so much life and energy into it, and it was just breathtakingly amazing. And they were all primary school kids, which made it all that more magnificent.

They also gave us gifts, hand made by them. As they handed these Ugandan gifts out to us, I felt so incredibly guilty. Because sure, we gave them some stuff which would have been so incredibly hard to get and would have cost them a lot, and we made their day fun with face painting and games, but they’re giving us the greatest gift of all.

They gave us the experience of a life time. They showed us their culture and life style, they had put on these magnificent dances and sang us beautiful songs. They talked to us, sharing with us little bits of information about their lives. And I just felt so greedy; taking these gifts that would have took them hours, maybe days to make. As if they hadn’t already made this trip the best memory and experience that we could possibly ever have in our whole life times.

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Will Dinsdale

My memory of Uganda is all the children walking around alone on the streets wearing nothing but rags. Also the houses that were just mud huts. However masking all of this is the shear beauty of the landscape, all the lush greenery and all the happiness within everyone who was there.

I will never forget my buddy Joel as he showed me round his school, welcomed me into his life and let me ask some quite personal questions. This just showed me how thoughtful these people really are as I was only with Joel for about 4 days but by the end of it we were best friends and knew almost everything about each other.

The thing that made a deep impression on me was definitely the school dormitories. The girl’s dorms were worse but I still wouldn’t want to stay in the boys. All the beds were crammed in tiny rooms with double and triple beds and in the both of the dorms there was so little light it was unbelievable. Then we saw their loos and shower blocks. It was disgusting; it was no more than three concrete walls with a jerry can in it for the boys, and the girls was just one massive area with jerry cans put around it. What I’ll remember forever is the love and joy that we were given when we turned up to Bulera and the primary school.

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Suzy Dyer

I think I’d have to say my fondest memory was that of my buddy Grace and when she showed me around the school. The school ground was massive and there were so many smiling faces everywhere. Grace had a lot of friends who can up to me and asked about how I was and that made me feel so happy! I have to say I loved the Garden because it was so interesting to see how they got their Fruit and Veg and how they sold some of the Sugar cane to a mainstream company to get money which I thought was quite cool. My other memory of Uganda was that of the amount of livestock by the side of the road - every turning you’d see a cow or a goat!

I will never forget how happy the pupils and teachers were at all the schools we visited. The kids would always come to us and smile which made me feel so welcome! When I went to Mityana Junior I went into a class P1 where they were just starting to learn English and they practiced their numbers for me! They were all looking at me and waiting to see if they got it right and even asked me to sing along. That was so touching and the teacher was so nice she asked about England and how I was and I just felt so happy that they made me feel welcome!

What had a profound effect on me was when we went to see the dorms of the girls. There conditions were appalling! They were squished into 3 bunks with all their belonging squished into their bunk. I couldn’t just believe how they lived! It really made me think about what I have and how I take things for granted!

The thing that made a deep impression on me was they way the children were so happy with what little they had. They seemed so grateful just to see us let alone when we bought gifts to them. They all had such a happy disposition which made me feel guilty of all the times I moaned to my parents about something as minor as the computer not working! It really made me think about what I need and what I want!

What I'll remember forever is Grace! She was the best buddy I could ask for! She was so caring and considerate of me and the rest of the group! She loved hearing about me and my family as much as I loved hearing about her! She was really interested in England and the weather of which I pointed out was mostly freezing! Most moving was when she was asked what she would like me to pray for her she said she wanted me to pray for our friendship to last forever! It was so sweet and I really did make a friend for life!

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Emily Ellis

The thing about Uganda that will remain with me forever is the phenomenal atmosphere everywhere. In England, everything seems almost dull compared with the vibrancy of Uganda, where people live their lives with virtually no complaint, no matter how poor they are. The simple difference of the manner in which we live our lives and the way they do is astronomical and I will never forget it.

I will also never forget the way that almost everyone was so keen to talk to you and also to give to you. The realisation that in Uganda you’re considered to be interesting took me by surprise and often made me feel uncomfortable. At Bulera School, the children gave us the most outstanding welcome! They also had made us gifts in exchange for ours, including fruit, which was extremely generous as in truth they could not afford to give food away. This act once again took me by complete surprise and once again made me feel uncomfortable. I was amazed because of how happy they were at our just being there and the fact that they were desperate to give, no matter how little they had.

The thing I will miss most about Uganda is my buddy, Racheal. Although we found it difficult at first, by the end of the week we were quite close and I found it really difficult to say goodbye. The hardest thing to think about is the fact that I will most likely never see her again, but a comforting thought is that I care enough that I will make sure I don’t lose contact with my buddy from the other side of the world.

What had a profound effect on me was the girl’s shower block at the secondary school. Having grumbled and groaned about my shower bucket back at the hotel, seeing their showers for the first time was like a slap in the face. It was simply a large, open air concrete basin in which the girls washed with water from jerry cans just poured over their heads. There was no privacy at all. The everyday thing of a shower and the difference between mine and theirs probably had the biggest impact on me from the entire trip.

I will always remember my experiences in Uganda, it was worth every minute of hard work and I loved it.

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Christina Hackett

My memory of Uganda is all the amazing, welcoming people and the smiling faces that would welcome you from a distance. Everyone was so happy with a constant happy attitude!!!

I will never forget meeting my buddy Mary. Mary would take my hand and always show me around, and willingly talked about her life, as if I was apart of it. I think that she felt comfortable to be around me, as she would always be the first to approach me and ask how my day has been.

The thing that had a profound affect on me was the state of the classrooms in Bulera and the fact that sometimes the children don’t even receive lunch. This really made me think of life back home and the fact that nobody would allow me to go without lunch. They have so little, yet appreciate everything they receive.

The thing that had the biggest impression on me was the maternity ward at the hospital. As soon as I stepped inside I felt as if I could pass out due to sheer shock. There were so little beds, very few blankets and the cots looked as if they were rotting. It actually reminded me of the rooms soldiers were taken into when they were injured during the war: small, cramped and little sanitation.

What I will remember for forever, is in fact what I have learnt for life. I worry too much about the little, silly things in life. They have so much more to worry about, but never let it show. For me now, it is about taking each day as it comes; after all, it all works out in the end!

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Ellie Inglis

I will never forget is how friendly the Ugandans were towards us and how welcome they made us feel wherever we went. The warm welcomes they gave us were fantastic, and thinking that they had done it all for us was so nice. We would never do anything like that in England!

What had a profound effect on me were the conditions that they have to live in and yet the way that they always seem so happy. I couldn’t believe that so many of the children were running around with bare feet, and yet they didn’t seem to care! Also, the size of the classrooms with the huge classes in them. I don’t know how they can learn in an environment like that. I expected them to be quiet, but when they talked all through the lessons, like us, I was really surprised!

The thing that made a deep impression on me was the visit to the maternity hospital. I felt so bad about the state of the room, although I know that there was nothing we could do about it. The way all the women were so desperate to get a blanket or something we brought them made me realise just how little we have to do to make them so appreciative and pleased.

What I’ll remember forever is the day trip we took to Bulera primary school. The best bit was possibly when we were pulling into the car park and all the children came and crowded around the bus because they were so happy to see us! That whole day was completely amazing, especially the dancing in the assembly. I loved all of the Ugandan dancing we saw. The volleyball game was so funny as well, and seeing a steady stream of excited children coming out of the classroom with their faces painted!

I think that my memories of Uganda will stay with me for ever, and I have learnt so much about myself and the Ugandan culture on that trip.

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Andrew Martin

My memory of Uganda is the way of life there and how different it is to our life. I will remember my buddy telling me things and then thinking about what I do or how what he said would affect me.

I will never forget my buddy’s face when I opened up my bag of gifts for him. It gave me a very good feeling to know that I have given him something for him to remember me by. Another thing I will never forget is the way we had to speak to the prefects and how I didn’t want to do it and then ending up really enjoying myself.

What had a profound effect on me was the way children where just wandering around, they were everywhere. They didn’t seem to have any parental control on what they do. The parents almost seem to expect them to come back in the evenings.

The thing that made a deep impression on me was the way the hospital looked. When we went into the maternity ward it looked like a horrible place to give birth. There was a woman who had just given birth and something had gone wrong and the woman was just lying on the bed and the baby was in its cot and it had a blanket over its head. At the same time I saw this, there was a baby over the other side of that room that wouldn’t stop laughing, she was just so happy with something I don’t know what and it just made the whole experience a strange contrast.

What I will remember forever are all the people I met and made friends with. I will also remember the team and laughs we had about stupid little things, about how well we all got on.

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Chloe Nightingale

My memory of Uganda are the ridiculously huge lorry loads that we used to pass when on the main roads and even small dust tracks. These huge trucks would be loaded up to way over the height and width of the truck and were enormous! These sacks, whether they’d be of bananas or charcoal were just hanging on by small amounts of what looked like thread and to top it all off had dozens of people sat on top of them enjoying the ride! It never failed to amaze me when one trundled by.

I will never forget the welcomes we were given every time we visited a new place! We were treated like royalty and the singing and dancing was so amazing.

What had a profound effect on me was as you walked down the street everybody was just trying to sell just literally anything they could find. You would see a man stood at the side of the road trying to get money for an odd pair of shoes or a women selling single, tiny sweets. It was apparent from the first day people would do anything for money and were prepared to find and sell anything.

The thing that made a deep impression on me was the general happiness and warmness of everybody. They were persistent about not letting things get them down and always trying to improve and change things for the better.

What I’ll remember forever is how lovely my buddy was. Sarah was incredibly willing to let me into her life and show me how she lives and her ambition to do well in life and achieve her dreams is hugely admirable.

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Sam Page

The thing that made a deep impression on me was how happy everyone was, even though they had nothing. Everyone wants to know how you are, what you want, and they want to give you whatever they can. I found this extremely bizarre, because they are the people who are in poverty and need help, and they would drop what they are holding just to help you.

What I will remember forever is my buddy Simon Peter Lubega, who went out of his way to make me feel welcome and happy. He showed me the school and made sure I understood everything, he is a good friend, and I am very grateful. I had fun just being with Simon and he taught me some interesting things. When I gave Simon his gifts, his face just lit up with delight and he would not stop thanking me for 10 minutes. He acted like I had made him a millionaire, but all I did was give him a few things. When we met on Sunday and painted the blackboards together neither of us said what was on our minds, the fact that this was probably the last time we would ever meet again in our lives. When the time came to say goodbye, we hugged but he would not let go for about two minutes, this upset me a little because I never thought that he would miss me that much.

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Amy Steel

The thing that has made a deep impression on me is how happy the people we met are. They literally have nothing, yet they are still managing to live their lives and be happy. It was amazing to see the difference in how people go about making money. In Mityana so many people owned shops, they seemed to be selling anything they could find in the hope of making some money, for themselves or their families.

What I’ll remember forever is arriving at the secondary school, and meeting my buddy Barbara for the very first time. Although things were awkward at first she was so pleased that I had finally arrived. She kept asking questions about me and my life, and the things I had. She was so interested in the differences between our lives.

When she was showing me around the school and her home she was so pleased of the things she had, although it wasn’t very much it was all important to her and she was proud to have the things that she did.

On our last day at the secondary school when it was time to give out our presents, the smile on her face when she was opening her things was just amazing to see, she was so happy and amazed that I had given her the things that I did. Barbara is one of the kindest people I have ever met and spoken to, I was sad when the time came to say goodbye but I’m hoping we can stay in contact J

I will never forget the amazing welcome that we received when we arrived at Bulera. All the children were stood outside the bus dancing and clapping. It was amazing to see how happy the children were because we had come to spend the day with them. I really enjoyed the face painting that we did, it was cool seeing all the children at the end of the day when the face painting was finished. They were all so happy.

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Sarah Waissen

I will never forget lots of things about Uganda’s culture and people because they are so different to what I’m used to and it often shocked or surprised me.

The first thing that struck me about Ugandans is their helpful ways and their eagerness to know all about my life and England – this was a bit strange at first but you soon got used to it. The one Ugandan who was extremely friendly was my buddy, Sarah Namwanji. From the moment she met me she was so lovely and genuinely wanted to know me. She is probably one of the kindest and most friendly people I have ever met and I hope to keep in touch with her always.

During the time I spent with Sarah I saw and experienced things that really shocked me and often moved me. These included the toilets (they call them latrines and were basically a deep hole in the ground which smelt vile), her bedroom (which she shared with about 50 other girls in a very dark, cramped room in beds 3 high), and the classrooms (dark and dingy with a minimum of 60 pupils). All of these are just accepted and normal.

I was also very pleasantly surprised by the amazing welcomes we received and in particular that in the rural school in Bulera. The singing was brilliant and of course there was the brilliant, energetic dancing. The girls were wearing traditional clothes and the boys wore what looked like nutshells on their legs which they used to make rhythms. I remember sat there thinking WOW!! It just was so fantastic to see.

I will also never forget the amount of joy you can give someone by doing such a small and simple thing like blowing bubbles. The looks of pure happiness on the children’s faces was very touching. I never thought the phrase ‘giving is better than receiving’ was true until my time in Uganda.

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