A Ugandan School Trip

An educational Ugandan School Trip

A school trip is a rare thing at Halcyon High School. I think the presence of Amy and I may have significantly contributed to the impromptu excursion to Nyero Rocks, a selection of rock paintings from  sometime in the short chronological era of 3000-1000BC! The paintings significance is yet to be truly uncovered but act as somewhat of an aid memoir for their creators on what a crocodile, canoe and ladder look like. The purpose of the trip however, went beyond the paintings and was to expose the Geography A level class to the variance in the topography of Eastern Uganda. For Amy and I it exposed us to the poverty that lies beyond the urban setting of Soroti.

Away from the dusty, smelly and noisy bustle of Uganda’s largest north eastern town, we found that life may not have progressed significantly beyond that experienced by the artists of Nyero. The populace have adopted more of western culture than the karamogo, a tribe of the far north eastern districts of Uganda who heard/raid cattle, wear only loin cloths and abide by some questionable marital practices. Life however, is simple; the agricultural revolution that modernised Britain in the eighteenth century is yet to touch the villages of Soroti and Kumi districts. Accommodation is the same as that which existed in Britain prior to the Roman conquest and access to water is often a day’s walk away. Don’t think that it will be clean or good enough for drinking either. Soroti itself still struggles with Typhoid and occasional cholera outbreaks. Out in the villages getting past 12 months is a real challenge for the new born with Typhoid coming fast on the heals of Malaria as a major killer. Diet is another step down from the Posha and beans of Halcyon. ‘Cassava’ looks like a dirty elongated sweet potato but the texture is that of balsa wood come black board chalk. Urban Uganda survives on it.

Not once however, were we asked for money or food. Despite the poverty and all encompassing effort of surviving, we were cheerily greeted with ‘Yoga’ (How are you?) and a stiff handshake by everyone bar the children, who may have been a little scared of the balding white man. Amy on the other hand was somewhat of a fascination with her ginger hair and translucent skin, she was more pied piper than doctor. We have certainly been left with the lingering thought that education is going to be a major factor if the lives of these people is to change any time soon. It brings us back to thinking about the importance of the Halcyon High School and the role of The National Academy in helping Ugandan children to climb out of poverty.