Before the day began, we enjoyed the first of many delicious breakfasts made by Raymond and George (thank you again!). Afterward, we jumped feet first into discovering the city of Kampala.
The first stop was Makerere University, which is the oldest university in East Africa. Although there were some noticeable differences between this university and the ones back in the US, the feeling of academic success was undeniable. The university has about 50,000 students and while most students attending the school are from Uganda there are also students attending from across East Africa including countries such as Rwanda and Kenya. Jerry, a current graduate student at the school, did an outstanding job of describing the history and various aspects of the school. We learned that you can complete your undergraduate degree in three years. Additionally, the major that has the most students enrolled in it is education. It was also interesting to learn that there are more men than women at the university. This was the first time we realized that girls rarely make it past primary school to higher education. With five girls on this trip and with three of us attending universities in the US next year this was particularly concerning. It appears that there are some significant barriers for girls to attend school here in Uganda, but Jerry also indicated that efforts are under way to increase the number of girls attending and completing school by offering scholarships specifically for girls in addition to other measures. As Jerry told us, if you educate the girl child you educate the nation. We hope to learn more about this important issue as we teach in the primary schools later this week.
After visiting Makerere, we all went to Mulago, which is the largest public hospital in Kampala. Mulago was first built in the early 1900's and then added on to in the 1950's. Some renovation work is currently underway to update the hospital so if you visit in a couple of years you may notice some changes. However, at this moment on top of being too small and underfunded, the hospital lacks enough doctors to take care of the people. This was evident in the lobby and corridors of the hospital; people of all ages sat on towels or blankets waiting to be seen. Healthcare is free for all citizens in Uganda, but if people have money they will access private hospitals and clinics. The reality is that the poorest of the poor are the people accessing the public healthcare system. Jerry told us it is not uncommon for people to die before ever receiving treatment.
We then visited Katanga, which is the second largest slum in Kampala, and it is located just down the hill from Mulago. Walking through the slum was one of the most difficult parts of the trip thus far. It was as if we were stepping through someone's home without permission. On one hand, we all felt very uncomfortable. On the other, it was fascinating to see how the members of the slum have created their own self sustaining community. I would have never expected to see full running stores in the midst of such poverty. Most of our time in the slum was spent playing with the kids. Children as young as four loved running, playing soccer, and dancing with the "Mzungus". When we were leaving, the children tried to jump inside the van and leave with us. Leaving the children felt like we were breaking a promise. I can't imagine how many foreigners come to the slums, play with the children, and then suddenly leave with no explanation.
In the evening, we attended a show at the Ndere Cultural Center where dancers performed traditional dances not only from different regions of Uganda, but from all over East Africa. It was beautiful to experience some of the deep and rich cultural traditions from this part of the world.
