Saturday 3 April 2010
Most of us had disturbed nights listening to the mighty African storm that rolled around the valley for hours. Perhaps those that didn't hear it had worked their way through the fancy cocktail list the evening before. After our westernised breakfast that included CHEESE, CEREAL and SAUSAGES we waited for the children from Kavule to arrive for their experience to visit the source of the Nile.
Eventually they all piled off their coach with teachers and the Director, Sam, and we trailed down the muddy path to the Bujagali Falls. These are located on the River Nile where the river is very fast flowing with plenty of white water. Several boat loads of Mzungu and single kayaks rode the white water plus a local guy on a jerry can for our entertainment. The children were not their usual chirpy selves but enjoyed, as ever, having their photos taken. The Ugandan government plan to build another dam further down from the Falls next year which will result in the flooding of the valley and the loss of the white water play ground but will enable more hydro electric power to be produced.
We then proceeded to the Buwenda Scout Campsite for lunch much to the children's delight. We discovered that they were quite hungry and this may have been the cause of their quietness at Bujagali. This campsite was opened in 2000 and is located in a beautiful spot overlooking the Nile. The project was conceived by Scout leader Colin Bennett and was a joint venture between Avon scouts and Jinja scouts. Lunch was our usual matoke and rice but with the addition of my favourite g.nut sauce (groundnuts) - a real treat for the children.
The children thought they were going back to Kavule after this but we left the best till last and headed off to the source of the Nile (or one of them at least). They were ecstatic when they realised they would be going on boats up the Nile to the point where the Nile flows away from Lake Victoria on its 4000 mile journey to the Med. Our guide reckoned that if you chopped a mans head off and floated it down the Nile it would arrive at Alexandria in 90 days! Kavule children have obviously never been in a boat before and their delight was something to behold. I was in a boat with around 20 kids and our skipper decided to rev it up and overtake the other boats after one of the older boys complained that we were last. It is a marvellous thing to hear a crowd of normally silent deaf kids screaming with delight and waving like crazy. We landed on a small island and saw the 'bubbling' water where the spring constantly flows and feeds the White Nile. One boy took it upon himself to wade through the water to some rocks a few metres into the lake (Victoria) only to be followed by several others, including the headmaster himself. They returned with soaking uniforms but quite unfazed about sitting in these wet clothes for two and a half hours back to school.
We said our final farewells to these delightful children and staff and hope we have enriched their lives and broadened their horizons for a brief while.
On our way back to Kingfisher I missed a magical moment of amazing cloud formations and colours as I was travelling in the mini bus and had stopped off to buy water (and ice-creams). We finished our day with a, a much needed swim, a few drinks and pizza plus the avocados that have finally ripened after a week in the bus. BY MICHELE GARDNER
Eventually they all piled off their coach with teachers and the Director, Sam, and we trailed down the muddy path to the Bujagali Falls. These are located on the River Nile where the river is very fast flowing with plenty of white water. Several boat loads of Mzungu and single kayaks rode the white water plus a local guy on a jerry can for our entertainment. The children were not their usual chirpy selves but enjoyed, as ever, having their photos taken. The Ugandan government plan to build another dam further down from the Falls next year which will result in the flooding of the valley and the loss of the white water play ground but will enable more hydro electric power to be produced.
We then proceeded to the Buwenda Scout Campsite for lunch much to the children's delight. We discovered that they were quite hungry and this may have been the cause of their quietness at Bujagali. This campsite was opened in 2000 and is located in a beautiful spot overlooking the Nile. The project was conceived by Scout leader Colin Bennett and was a joint venture between Avon scouts and Jinja scouts. Lunch was our usual matoke and rice but with the addition of my favourite g.nut sauce (groundnuts) - a real treat for the children.
The children thought they were going back to Kavule after this but we left the best till last and headed off to the source of the Nile (or one of them at least). They were ecstatic when they realised they would be going on boats up the Nile to the point where the Nile flows away from Lake Victoria on its 4000 mile journey to the Med. Our guide reckoned that if you chopped a mans head off and floated it down the Nile it would arrive at Alexandria in 90 days! Kavule children have obviously never been in a boat before and their delight was something to behold. I was in a boat with around 20 kids and our skipper decided to rev it up and overtake the other boats after one of the older boys complained that we were last. It is a marvellous thing to hear a crowd of normally silent deaf kids screaming with delight and waving like crazy. We landed on a small island and saw the 'bubbling' water where the spring constantly flows and feeds the White Nile. One boy took it upon himself to wade through the water to some rocks a few metres into the lake (Victoria) only to be followed by several others, including the headmaster himself. They returned with soaking uniforms but quite unfazed about sitting in these wet clothes for two and a half hours back to school.
We said our final farewells to these delightful children and staff and hope we have enriched their lives and broadened their horizons for a brief while.
On our way back to Kingfisher I missed a magical moment of amazing cloud formations and colours as I was travelling in the mini bus and had stopped off to buy water (and ice-creams). We finished our day with a, a much needed swim, a few drinks and pizza plus the avocados that have finally ripened after a week in the bus. BY MICHELE GARDNER
