Orphans

Ugandan Orphans

Traveling is not just about seeing monuments and taking photos of historical places, but it is also about meeting and learning about people and the culture that you are visiting. Sometimes the people you meet can have just as much of an affect as the things you see. As I mentioned earlier, out of the four countries I visited in East Africa, Uganda was bar far the safest and friendliest with extremely welcoming people who are both interesting and interested in the foreigners they meet.

That's not to say that Uganda doesn't have its problems however. One major crisis the government is currently facing is that Uganda has an overwhelming amount of orphans. In fact, Uganda officially has THE highest number of orphans in the world. It is estimated that Uganda currently has an orphan population of around 2 million - that is almost one fifth of the entire population under 18. War, AIDS, and a lack of infrastructure and access to medical facilities are some of the main factors that have caused this problem.

Traveling through Uganda, especially the rural parts, coming into contact with some of its many orphans is inevitable. However, this experience is actually one of the most memorable you'll take from Uganda as the orphans I met were a cheerful, flamboyant, and welcoming bunch. At Buhoma, just outside the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where I saw the gorillas, we were entertained by a group of orphans who treated us to an impressive traditional East African song and dance show - complete with a befitting "gorilla" dance. I also accidentally ran into more orphans on my way back to Kampala while overnighting in Butogota for a slightly less "touristy" experience.

If you are interested in adopting, contributing, or just learning more about Ugandan orphans, the you might want to check out some of the following websites:

http://www.adoptionnow.co.uk/
http://www.orphanseducation.org/
http://www.ugandamission.net/orphan/orphan.html

... or you could just do the google search yourself! Alternatively, you could try writing to the orphanage I found in Butogata;

Bwindi Progressive School,
PO Box 10,
Butogota, Uganda