Madventurer.com

Challenge:

Building and Teaching

Destination:

*Uganda, Africa Combos

Departure Dates From:

09/07/2011

Based on the shores of Lake Victoria around the sleepy town of Jinja, Madventurer offer projects in this incredibly lush and diverse country. With opportunities to raft the mighty Nile or come face to face with a Mountain Gorilla during the weekend, Uganda offers a truly unique experience.  

Uganda is a country of staggering beauty - a lush green land whose stunning diverse countryside supports incredible wildlife - not only the big five which this part of Africa is so famous for, but half of the world's population of Mountain Gorillas, and Chimpanzees. Moved by the country's great beauty, Winston Churchill described Uganda as the 'Pearl of Africa' during his visit in 1907. This beauty strikes travelers to the country to this day.

Uganda is known worldwide for its great example in coming back from the abyss of civil war, and dealing with the AID's epidemic. However, with over 50% of Ugandan's living under the poverty line, it is still a country which is in desperate need of help. Our projects in Uganda are based around Jinja, a sleepy town on the shores of Lake Victoria, where the great river Nile begins its descent to Egypt.

Building

We try to plan projects such that there are a range of activities for Venturers to get involved in – those less keen on heavy building work usually take up the lighter, but equally important, work such as painting or plastering.

The key to any Mad building project is the partnership between our team and the local community. As well as bringing essential funding to the project, the presence of a team of Venturers in the village community can be a great motivator to local people. On every project, it takes time for villagers to get used to the idea that Venturers – especially girls – actually want to help with manual Labour, and initially you will find people trying to do all the work for you. Once you explain that you genuinely want them to teach you the basic skills (e.g. how to mix cement or lay bricks), however, the partnership really begins to develop, allowing everyone to get stuck in.

Teaching

Village education in Uganda is of a relatively low standard, and usually follows quite old-fashioned methods involving lots of reciting. There are two levels of schooling in Uganda: Primary (ages 5-11), Secondary (ages 11 - 18) most good-sized villages have a Primary and a secondary school.

Classrooms are usually quite basic, comprising brick walls, a tin roof and simple wooden desks. Windows may be simply holes in the wall, or may be fitted with frames and glass. Resources available to teachers and students are limited, with a blackboard and a few textbooks for the class to share being about all many schools have. Some receive funds from churches or other donors, giving them access to more books and occasionally a few computers.

At what level, and to what extent, Mad teachers get involved is up to each individual. During the first week of the project, the Madventurer Crew Leader will introduce Venturers who want to teach to the Principal of the local school to discuss the interests and skill areas, and how these fit in with the school’s needs.

Feedback

Michael Savage (19) made of his project in Uganda in April 2006:

'Living in the community was fantastic and definitely helped with integration. Teaching was an interesting experience as most kids were just used to copy verbatim from blackboards!!! Madventurer has provided me with a unique opportunity I will remember forever. I really feel that it will help to find a real job when I return'

Futher Links

• Mad in Uganda Blog
• Uganda Photos
• Mad Videos
• Full Trip Notes
• Weather Guide from bbc.co.uk
• Money Conversion from Oando.com
• InterHealth Pack - Click this link, register and then have access to a comprehensive health pack.
• Teaching Aid
• Pre-Departure Form - To be filled in and returned to Mad HQ before you depart