Staff and students from Ashton Sixth Form College recently returned from a life changing trip to Uganda.

The group spent 14 days in Uganda, staying in Jinja and working closely with the Nile Vocational Institute. Whilst there the group have been involved in a range of Projects including refurbishing classrooms in a primary school near the centre of Jinja.

So what did the students think about the trip?

Alice Ash

After a long plane journey took us far away from our western comforts, we finally arrived in Uganda: a beautiful country that was to be our home for the next two weeks.

The first few days in Uganda were definitely a culture shock. We all became very aware of the foreign creatures and animals, there was getting used to the task of tucking the mosquito net in every night, and accepting the fact that water and electricity were not as, well, ‘reliable’ as back home.

At the beginning, the word ‘Mzungu’ was used to describe us. ‘Mzungu’ roughly translating as “white person running around like a headless chicken.” However, after sleeping in the village overnight, sharing stories with the locals and a fortnight-diet of rice, poshoe, metoki and kidney beans- it’s safe to say that we didn’t feel like Mzungu’s for much longer.

Every day for UgandAid was jam-packed: there was a commitment to many different projects, and from this, I believe each individual will hold a unique memory. It was also at different points in the journey that triggered emotion; for some, that moment came when we visited the ‘slums’, or at the NVI service; where we saw hopeful students meeting their sponsors. For me, it was seeing a tiny young girl at Naranbhai primary school desperately quench her thirst, as she gulped a litre of bottled water in less than a minute.

One thing that has to be noted is just how appreciative everybody was. The warm welcome of everyone we came into contact with, the speech after speech of people wanting to show their gratitude, and the smiles from the children that required no words.

Although living in such poverty, aspects of the Ugandan lifestyle were something to be admired; the sense of community, their self-sufficiency and resourcefulness – as they manage to live off the land and earn a living from transforming something as simple as newspaper into a piece of beautiful jewellery. Not forgetting, of course, something we all found very impressive was how immaculate their clothes managed to stay-compared to our red dust­ stained garments at the end of every day.

For me, it was when I got home that ‘perspective’ finally hit full volume, and it was in fact more of a culture shock to be back in the UK. As I arrived home, actions like running a hot bath and opening the fridge were done much more consciously than before. We were officially back in England: where the entertainment of laptops, iPods and television is a far cry from watching children play catch with a tree fruit and get hours of joy from the balloons we took over.

They say Africa gets in your blood, and I think that saying resides true in all of us. The trip not only taught us about a culture completely different to our own, but also aspects of ourselves that we could only really achieve in such an environment. For this and many other reasons, I am so very grateful that I got to experience Uganda and all it has to offer.

Danielle Murphy

“Everybody seems to say that when you come back from a country like Uganda, it will change your life. At the beginning, I didn’t realise how much of an impact it would make. The poverty is on a bigger scale in Uganda compared to the UK. When you see adverts on TV such as “sponsor a child to save their life”, you just kind of glance past it and carry on with life. However, seeing the life changing things happening in Uganda, and what a huge difference it makes to a person, family or village, is overwhelming and makes these issues real. I am proud of myself for being part of the Ugandaid team and making a difference to someone’s life, instead of watching it on TV and just feeling sorry for them.

One of the things that touched me the most was seeing the massive smiles on the children’s faces, just because a Mzungu gave them a bit of their time. It feels unbelievable to actually know you’ve made a difference to a child that has no hope. The joy on Susanne and Mohammed’s faces just because they were given second hand clothes; the amazement from Charles after discovering and tasting pizza for the first time; the way Erik and Harriet had never been in a swimming pool before – WOW, all things that are meaningless to us. And they are the lucky ones surprisingly, compared to the children who haven’t eaten for a week.

Ugandaid has taught me so much, I have overcome fears and seen things that have changed my life. I will never forget the difference I have made for those children. For that, I am extremely grateful.

Beth Gemmell

In a good way, this trip of two weeks seems to have taken months. Every day you’re doing something and meeting new interesting people or revisiting old friends. Uganda is another world: while you’re watching sky, going to college or going on Facebook, students from very disadvantaged backgrounds are pressured to keep up with fees and grades “or else” and matoke* is steamed in banana leaves in villages where everyone is almost virtually penniless. You learn to appreciate very quickly that even if you’re both in a council estate with an income of £21,000, you’re as rich as the queen in Uganda!

Despite having a history festered with violence and poverty, Uganda is mostly populated with very kind people. It is rare to find an unpleasant character in the country. However, like any other country, Uganda has its share of ‘bad-guys’ who think it’s acceptable to see women as objects! They also have a corrupted policy that ensures only the rich receive scholarships and bursaries. I don’t want sugar-coat it; Uganda is both a beautiful, enriching country and a vile, traditionalistic one.

Overall, the trip has made me want to return to the country, or at least do charity in other developing countries, but on the last day, I was ready to go home.

*Matoke is a meal consisting of steamed green banana (similar to a plantain) and is one of the national dishes of Uganda.

Katie Barbe

“From my experience in Uganda I have gained not only memories but also understanding, knowledge and I have discovered emotions I never knew I had. This is not just down to helping others who aren’t as privileged as us but it is also due to the pleasure of being in the company of the local people and being a friend to them.

One of my most cherished moments would be going to Masese and teaching a class of 30 children with 2 other team members. The thing that was most special about this was how desperate and thankful the children were for learning even if it was a few simple English songs! I also encountered low points during the same day as I witnessed the slum children who are unable to afford the school fees for even just a glimpse of education.

Another highlight of my visit to Uganda was spending time with the students of at The Nile Vocational Institute. From this I managed to feel a connection with the students and become a friend and not just their fundraiser. It amazed me that the students (and everybody in Uganda) were so respectful, thankful and welcoming to every one of us.

I cherished every day in Uganda as I wanted to make a friend, help a stranger or even just make someone smile every day. I am so thankful for this opportunity, it has been the best experience of my life and it will stay with me forever. I really hope to return to Uganda in the future.

It goes without saying that I have gained another 30 friends just through the team itself, I admire every one of these people and without them the trip to Uganda would not be the same.”

Abi White

“I came on this trip with very little confidence; I was finding it hard to communicate with new people. I am now able to have a confident conversation with someone! I have met the students which Ashton Sixth Form College sponsor and I have learnt a lot about their background. I feel as though I am part of a new family and I have participated in activities I never thought I would have done on my own.

My favourite part of the experience was learning that there are less fortunate people than me and something that might not cost much can mean the world to others, (Love and Care). Throughout the trip I have not stopped because of all the effort and the time for organising has been put in by the guys who manage Ugandaid. I was such an eye opening experience, of which I have many wonderful memories that will stay with me every day and remind me how happy you can be with hardly anything.”

Daniel Gradwell

“The time I have just spent in Uganda was by far the greatest two weeks of my life.  The people that travelled with our group, not just Ashton Sixth Form students, but the people associated with Altrincham Baptist Church, became friends for life and without them the trip would have been far less enjoyable.

For me my 5 favourite things were as follows: 

The smiles on the children’s faces when they received simple things like bouncy balls, balloons, bubbles and paper aeroplanes.

The bungee jumping.  Although it was just the brothers and I it was an incredible experience and something I will never forget.

Gaining confidence in myself, this was a life changing opportunity which will help me for the rest of my life. 

Meeting everyone was incredible and spending time with people both of my age and older whom I would never spend time with back home. It was a strange (in a good way) yet rather soothing experience.

The sports day at NVI was incredible to see just how much sport and Mzungu’s touch the hearts of less advantaged children.

Overall the experience was incredible and something which I am saving up already to repeat in the coming years (maybe even for longer). I loved every moment, the highs and the lows. It has changed me as a person and my perspective on everything. It has made me appreciate entirely what I have and what others don’t and for me there is no more of a sombre feeling than that of want. Seeing people want what they can’t have and knowing I have too much.

Sam Addy

My experience of Uganda is something that will stay with me forever, as it was such a moving and touching experience. Before I even arrived in Uganda I had heard people refer to it as the pearl of Africa and, they were not wrong. From the moment I arrived to the day we left I had such a welcoming feeling from the Ugandan people, from the taxi at Entebbe Airport to the teachers and students at NVI and also the people living in Jinja itself.

One of my most memorable moments from Uganda is that of the students sponsored by our college, they were all so grateful to have the opportunity to succeed and to be given the chance to make a good life for themselves. This for me was such an emotional experience as it made me think, just giving something a little thought and acting upon it can literally change someone’s life forever. When talking to some of the students such as Mohammed, Susan and Eric you can really see that what is being done out there to help these people is very special. When the students from college decided to take the sponsored students out for dinner we could really see that although we might be from completely different parts of the world we are very similar and enjoyed the time we spent with each other, including getting on the back of the Boda Boda’s with them.

One of the  other many things I feel I learned from  Uganda is trying  out new things and stepping out of my comfort  zone, such as doing the white water rafting and trying out new weird and wonderful food, not all of which were very nice. The white  water  rafting  was one  of  the  biggest adrenaline  rushes I have ever had, feeling the awesome power  of the  waves crash against you was just something I never thought I would experience. Battling to make sure we didn’t fall out of the raft and make it through gave me a real sense of achievement, as I turned round to talk and cheer with everyone in the boat I saw that half of the people were still sitting down holding on for dear life!

For me I think what really made the trip one of those near as perfect experiences the people we travelled with. Everyone, from the staff and students at Ashton sixth form and the rest of the Ugandaid team made an effort to work together,help each other and more importantly  help the people in Uganda who really needed it most. For example when decorating the two classrooms at Naranbhai primary school there wasn’t a single person who took a back seat role, everyone was eager to make a difference

Something else I observed in Uganda is the  pace at which the country goes is a lot slower to that of England, in some ways I believe it is a lot better in the sense of just taking your time and relaxing more really does help you to become a happier person.

After looking back on the  trip  it is something that  I would  love to  do again and if the opportunity came around a second time I would grasp it with both hands because I believe after putting my life into perspective and seeing how much we take for granted I felt that taking a little time out from our busy life’s to go and help those less fortunate than us is something we should all try and do at some point in our lives.

*Boda-boda (or bodaboda) is a bicycle taxi.