Hello everyone!
As you may or may not know I will be traveling to Jinja, Uganda from May 5th until July 20th with the organization Global Impact through Volunteer Experience (G.I.V.E.) International. I am incredibly excited for this opportunity to learn and experience a new country and culture and to have the chance to volunteer alongside existing community based grass-roots organizations in Uganda. I am sure it will be an absolutely life-changing experience and I hope when I return to be able to share and teach others about what I learned while abroad. I thought a blog would be a great way to keep everyone updated on my trip preparations and on my adventures while I am away. I will have internet access through internet cafés in Uganda; however I am not quite sure what the set-up will be yet. If possible I am hoping to be able to upload pictures there, which would be great!!! (I’m keeping my fingers crossed!).
In order to prepare for this experience I am doing a 3-unit (half-year) independent study course to learn more background information about Ugandan culture, it’s history, political and economic situation as to be as well prepared as possible to understand the country’s situation when I arrive. The main focus of my independent study will be to learn about the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Uganda and their success in decreasing HIV prevalence amidst rising HIV infection rates throughout other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. By addressing the pandemic early (in 1986) Uganda has succeeded in reducing HIV prevalence from a staggering 15% in 1991 to approximately 5% currently.
A little about Uganda: Uganda is a land locked country in East Africa with a population of around 28 million. It borders Sudan in the north, Kenya to the east, Tanzania and Rwanda to the south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. The official language is English but other dialects are also spoken including Ganda (or Luganda), Swahili and Arabic. Uganda, like other countries in Sub-Sahara Africa has been hard-hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. As a result of the deaths of much of the middle age population - the average age in Uganda is now 15 years old. Uganda has one of the highest orphan rates in the world (more than 2.2 million with around 800,000 attributed to AIDS).
As you may or may not know I will be traveling to Jinja, Uganda from May 5th until July 20th with the organization Global Impact through Volunteer Experience (G.I.V.E.) International. I am incredibly excited for this opportunity to learn and experience a new country and culture and to have the chance to volunteer alongside existing community based grass-roots organizations in Uganda. I am sure it will be an absolutely life-changing experience and I hope when I return to be able to share and teach others about what I learned while abroad. I thought a blog would be a great way to keep everyone updated on my trip preparations and on my adventures while I am away. I will have internet access through internet cafés in Uganda; however I am not quite sure what the set-up will be yet. If possible I am hoping to be able to upload pictures there, which would be great!!! (I’m keeping my fingers crossed!).
In order to prepare for this experience I am doing a 3-unit (half-year) independent study course to learn more background information about Ugandan culture, it’s history, political and economic situation as to be as well prepared as possible to understand the country’s situation when I arrive. The main focus of my independent study will be to learn about the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Uganda and their success in decreasing HIV prevalence amidst rising HIV infection rates throughout other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. By addressing the pandemic early (in 1986) Uganda has succeeded in reducing HIV prevalence from a staggering 15% in 1991 to approximately 5% currently.
A little about Uganda: Uganda is a land locked country in East Africa with a population of around 28 million. It borders Sudan in the north, Kenya to the east, Tanzania and Rwanda to the south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. The official language is English but other dialects are also spoken including Ganda (or Luganda), Swahili and Arabic. Uganda, like other countries in Sub-Sahara Africa has been hard-hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. As a result of the deaths of much of the middle age population - the average age in Uganda is now 15 years old. Uganda has one of the highest orphan rates in the world (more than 2.2 million with around 800,000 attributed to AIDS).
Jinja, the town where I will be staying, is the second largest commercial centre after Kampala, the capital city. The population of Jinja is around 100,000 however it has about 80,000 additional commuters that come into the city daily. Jinja is in the eastern region of Uganda and is located around 90km north east of Kampala on the shores of Lake Victoria, near the source of the Nile River.
A little about the organization: GIVE International is a Canadian-based, non for profit, relief and development organization that is committed to providing well-organized and well researched volunteer placements in Jinja. The program arranges for volunteer placements alongside existing community-based grass-roots organizations. If you’re interested in finding out more about the program their website is: http://www.giveintl.org/.
While in Jinja, one of my volunteer placements will be at a voluntary testing clinic (VTC) for HIV that concurrently provides educational and counseling services. I am in the process of getting in contact with those who organize the clinic. I am hoping while I am there to have the opportunity to interact with those coming into the clinic to gain insight into which demographic groups attend the VTC. Furthermore I hope to be able to appraise the factors that may lead to discrepancies among demographic groups in their decision to get tested. I am interested in learning about the many factors that people consider before choosing to get tested, and the people who are involved in this decision. If this is possible (pending ethics approval from McMaster), upon returning to Canada I will analyze this information from my experience volunteering at the clinic and will use this field research for my fourth year thesis project.
I am also eager to learn what daily life is like in Uganda and to appreciate and understand their cultures and traditions as much as possible. I think it will be incredible to learn some of the traditional dances while I am there and some different songs as well! In the coming months I will be preparing for this experience by continuing to research and learn as much as possible about Uganda and the challenges they are currently facing with HIV and AIDS; as well as preparing for the trip by organizing documents, passports, visas, getting the appropriate vaccinations and fundraising as much as possible for the trip. I am new to the “blog” world so hopefully I can get the hang of it over the next couple of months and this will allow me to share this experience with you! Cheers,
Leslie.
A little about the organization: GIVE International is a Canadian-based, non for profit, relief and development organization that is committed to providing well-organized and well researched volunteer placements in Jinja. The program arranges for volunteer placements alongside existing community-based grass-roots organizations. If you’re interested in finding out more about the program their website is: http://www.giveintl.org/.
While in Jinja, one of my volunteer placements will be at a voluntary testing clinic (VTC) for HIV that concurrently provides educational and counseling services. I am in the process of getting in contact with those who organize the clinic. I am hoping while I am there to have the opportunity to interact with those coming into the clinic to gain insight into which demographic groups attend the VTC. Furthermore I hope to be able to appraise the factors that may lead to discrepancies among demographic groups in their decision to get tested. I am interested in learning about the many factors that people consider before choosing to get tested, and the people who are involved in this decision. If this is possible (pending ethics approval from McMaster), upon returning to Canada I will analyze this information from my experience volunteering at the clinic and will use this field research for my fourth year thesis project.
I am also eager to learn what daily life is like in Uganda and to appreciate and understand their cultures and traditions as much as possible. I think it will be incredible to learn some of the traditional dances while I am there and some different songs as well! In the coming months I will be preparing for this experience by continuing to research and learn as much as possible about Uganda and the challenges they are currently facing with HIV and AIDS; as well as preparing for the trip by organizing documents, passports, visas, getting the appropriate vaccinations and fundraising as much as possible for the trip. I am new to the “blog” world so hopefully I can get the hang of it over the next couple of months and this will allow me to share this experience with you! Cheers,
Leslie.
