"Don't just give people fish, teach them how to fish"

Alright, anyone reading this be ready to read a lot! It was five pages written out, beware.

I still don't think it has exactly hit that I am here and what I am doing. Today we met The Kids League people (TKL). There are not even words that can explain everything. We spent our afternoon discussing objectives with TKL.

Since 1998, when President Museveni was reelected, he won by guaranteeing more children would be able to receive primary education. By doing this, he squeezed out physical activity. (Just a side note on education: All public schools require uniforms which cost maybe $10 in US money, but it is still enough to keep children out of school. No uniforms, no education.)Trevor Dudley, a former architect developed the NGO Kampala Kids League (KKL)to put some form of physical activity back into the children's lives. Since 2002, KKL became The Kids League (TKL) and has sevred more than 16,000 children, in nine sib-districts of Uganda.

We met a volunteer from Australia, Justin who will be working in Gulu, trying to improve their activity levels. Gulu children are receiving little to none! This is because within the last five years, Gulu has resolved civil wars and is now considered "post-conflict." Most people during the wars lived in IDP camps (concentration camps). As the post conflict time period has began, people have started living on their own and urbanisation has occurred. What happened to the US during urbanisation? Physical labor stopped. What is the US's hugest (literallY) problem? Obesity. Well through urbanisation, the people of Gulu are now suffering from obesity, cardiovascular disease, and high blood pressure. Although HIV is still the number one fatal disease in Uganda, these people ae now suffering the double burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases!

Now NGOs are coming in, trying to help, but only enabling the people of Gulu. Are the NGOs teaching the people how to take care of themselves? No, they are giving them food. My friend Stephanie made a great point, "Don't just give people fish, teach them how to fish."

Anyway, back to Justin. He will be spending a year total here working with Gulu children, increasing their activity levels. He will be completing an 8 week experiment, testing the children through various tests like the "beep test." We call that the pacer. Unfortunately, we will not be here for the experiement or hatever you want to call it.

We will be here to PLAY! and interact and have fun with all the children. We get to work with their temas going to the World Cup within a couple of weeks. My friend Nicole and I get to coach a soccer team on Saturday. We can't describe our excitement!

We also had to pick a personal project for our class. I chose to compare and contrast coaches here with those of the US. I will look at:
1. Levels of respect
2. Coaching styles
3. Committment and why
The purpose of the porject is to better myself as coach, figuring out how to respond better to children's needs.

There are so many new emotions going through my head right now.

1. Ignorance - When I thought of Uganda before two days ago, I thought of poverty and HIV and underdevelopment and wars. Uganda is as Trevor Dudley says a beautiful hidden little secert in Africa. I completely agree with im. What parts of Africa that were bad, have been resolved, FIVE YEARS AGO!! Even "Inivisble Children" is over. It ENDED FIVE YEARS AGO. I cannot get that point acorss enough because I didn't even learn about it till 2007.

2. Sadness - People outside Uganda are misinformed and although Uganda has made huge improvements, they still need help

3. Hopeful - People like Trevor Dudley and his wife exist. They came to Africa in 1988 for two years, and they have been here since.

4. EXCITED - Over the next 17 days, I will get to work with amazing people and amazing children.


So after all that, this guy Ray from TKL went with us to lunch. My whole meal and a beer cost me less than $4 American Dollars. Life is good here.

Signing out... Miss everyone.

Here At Last

After flying from Brussels to France to Ethiopia to Uganda, we are finally here - and EXHAUSTED. Our flight from Paris to Ethiopia was ten hours and through the night. We all pretty much drugged ourselves with sleep aids and benadryl to ensure we would all sleep. We were also fortunate enough to be able to spread out and everyone had twp seats to themselves. I think I slept something around five hours straight. By the time I woke up, there was only an hour and a half of the flight left. Sleeping through the night on plane has helped with jet lag a little, but we're all still very tired. I am not letting myself nap, so I will sleep well tonight.

We had a four hour layover in Ethiopia and were able to enjoy an Ethiopian lunch. I had some lamb mixed with something or other. I don't know exactly what I ate, but I liked it!

From Ethiopia, it took us another two hour flight to land in Uganda. It's unbelievable. I don't think words can explain it. I guess imagine jumping straight into a National Geographic magazine. So far the only animals we have seen are cows, goats, and chickens on the side of the road. However, next week we will be taking a safari, camping out for 2 or three nights in the wilderness.

As of now, not much going on. We're just chilling in the Guest House at Makerere University in Kampala. We will get our agenda for the week tonight. For the next week it is me and four students, the professor, her "esteemed colleague," and a representative from the global learning institute at KSU. Melanie (KSU rep) and UKJ (esteemed colleague) will leave after ten or so days and it will be the six women!

Signing out for now... Miss everyone!

Brussels, Belgium - what???

Right now I am sitting at the airport in Brussels. Why? Because the bad weather in Atlanta delayed us last night for three hours, forcing us to miss our connection. However, everything worked out. We went into the city for the afternoon to get some lunch and check out artisan markets. In Brussels, they speak mainly French and Dutch. Therefore, I've been speaking English only to my peers and French to everyone else. It's been very awesome and rewarding to know I can still speak French this well!

In a few minutes we will check into our next flight which will take us to Ethiopia. It will take twelve hours. After a 6 hour layover in Ethiopia, we will finally take off for Kampala. We have an addition to our group until we leave leave for Uganda. We met an 18 year old girl travelling alone to Rwanda. Her new flights would have originally taken her 3 other places before Rwanda. But we helped her get a new flight and let her tag along for the day. What a treat for everyone!

This trip is finally here!

As I am about to embark on what I hope to be one of the most amazing adventures of my life, so many emotions are going through my mind right now. I know I am only going for twenty-two days, but then again, I'm leaving life as I know it for twenty-two days! Although I will miss people here, the majority of my feelings are stress, nervousness, and excitement. I'm stressed that I will forget something. Nervous about traveling and all the people I will meet. However, the excitement for meeting all these wonderful children and spending three weeks on a giant adventure in the game parks of Uganda has by far surpassed any other feelings about this trip.

Our trip leaves Friday afternoon at 5:30. We spend eight or so hours in air toward Belgium and another nine or so hours in air to Uganda. We will arrive in Uganda on Saturday. As far as our plans from there, I'm not 100% sure where they go. I know our primary purpose for going is to work with the Kids League who has developed a sport program for underprivileged children in Kampala and the surrounding area.

As soon as I get there and have internet, I will be sure to post another blog. I want to post as many as possible, but due to internet access, it may or may not be often.

At this point, I am most excited about two things: leaving majority of technology and everyday conveniences behind and meeting all the children. Gosh, this trip is here, it's finally here. Well in four days anyway. I can't believe it. The past few months have flown by. I look forward to seeing everyone when I return in late June, but in the meantime, please keep me and my fellow students in your thoughts and prayers as we approach this once in a lifetime experience.



I would also like to thank "Play It Again Sports" in Kennesaw, GA for donating sport equipment to the trip.