‘The launch of the Yebo Wildlife Conservation Festival 2011’

The current group of volunteers out in Uganda have come up with an idea of having a show for the children to host in conjunction with UWEC at the end of the Yebo project in July.

This idea stemmed from having an art exhibition and also one of Yebo’s aims this year, which was to encourage the children to be able to make their own living by using their creativeness to make things to sell to people who are visiting Uganda.  This then evolved further when ideas were put in from all of the Yebo team, Raising up hope orphanage, as well as UWEC and Ngamba staff.

So preparations have begun to host a wildlife and conservation festival at UWEC.  Ideas were formed with regards to activities that the children could get involved in so that they were able to show their creative sides, by making things such as bookmarks and pieces of art work.  Things like this were also aiming to have a conservation message by the artwork being made from recycled bits of materials.  The children have also started preparing some songs , music and drama to show to the people who will be attending the show. These are all aimed at allowing the children to express their feelings and life experiences as well as a conservation message.

The volunteers have now drafted a letter and this will be sent as an invitation to people in Entebbe such as the Mayor and other people.  Reporters from the newspaper and television in Uganda are also wanting to talk to the Yebo volunteers to find out more about what is happening in the show.  It has been titled

‘The launch of the Yebo Wildlife Conservation Festival 2011’

Something that Yebo is very proud to be part of and work together with UWEC on. A poster was also created by a local artist and T shirts are being made by the volunteers for the day.
What an exciting time ahead for these children, the benefit for them will be to bring awareness to their generation and to allow them to have some positivity in their lives, for their hope to come alive and for them to learn new skills and opportunities that may lie ahead for them in the future.

The   Yebo and UWEC wildlife Conservation Festival will be held on Saturday 23rd July 2011 at 4pm. If you are in Uganda then please do come along, please see the details of the poster below.

Taking the children to Ngamba Island chimpanzee sanctuary 2011

Today we took 21 excited children on a long boat to Ngamba Island. During the two hour journey we played eye spy and the children sang songs to us. On arrival the staff of the island supplied all of the children with cups of tea and we all sat and chatted freely for a while.

When all the teas were finished the staff chatted to the children about what they wanted to be when they grew up and the importance of school. The children expressed their wonderful ambitions, aims and dreams such as a pilot or a doctor. The staff also asked the children what activities they took part in the mornings and were answered with many answers such as greeting the elders and saying their prayers.

Still engaged by the staff, the children described the differences between primates and humans. Some of the children had read about primates on the boat on their way to the island so enjoyed answering questions when asked.

The importance of recycling and environmental conservation was talked about and the children enjoyed learning a new song. The song was appropriately about how cutting down trees would negatively affect their future and the future of the chimps.

After this interesting session the children had their lunch. When finished they had fun splashing around in the lake, and playing in the hammock. After this relaxation period the children went to where the chimps had their afternoon feed. During this period we learnt some individual chimpanzee stories about how they ended up at the sanctuary. Ngamba island is home to 44 rescued chimpanzees at present, and consists of 100 acres of land. 98% is forrested, leaving just 2% for the people who visit the island.The chimpanzees live in a very natural environment and are monitored daily.

It was an amazing day for all of us and a very educational, yet reflective day for the children who we are very lucky to be working with.  These types of visits aim to be sustainable in the future through funding given by Yebo and programs set up by Yebo and the Ugandan staff at the sanctuaries and orphanage.

The members of the Yebo volunteer team that did not attend also had a very productive day, practicing and planning activities that can be used in future days with the children.We are excited about the next few weeks ahead.

Fun, dance, games and stories at the orphanage

Another morning at the Yebo camp and we were excited for the day ahead. We would be working with the children with things that we had learned from our visit to see the chimpanzees, both at UWEC and Ngamba. Today we would be visiting the children at the orphanage so they could get to know us better.

So today we went to the orphanage and we were greeted  again by the children’s smiling faces. We started the day with a chasing circle whereby we introduced ourselves by dance and funky moves.

We told the children a story about a chimp called Sarah, whose mother died when she was young. Sarah the chimpanzee was passed around to different people in her life and treated badly before she was found and rescued by UWEC. They gave her the love and care that she needed so she is now able to live a happier life. The aim of telling this story was so that the children could relate it to their own similar experiences and to also provide them with educational information about rescued chimpanzees.

We then further divided the children into different groups, focusing on expressing the chimpanzee’s story through art, music and dance. We encouraged the children to write their own songs, and source their own instruments, choreograph their own dance moves and draw their own art work to tell the chimps story.We all worked together and it was great fun and really interesting and thought provoking to see what the children were coming up with.

Before we left the children created a circle and invited three members of the Yebo team, Melissa, Janet and Alice into their circle and gave them a present of African names; Mushabi (meaning peace), Mukusi (meaning blessing) and Gyrabo (meaning the gift).

We ended the day with dancing, laughing, and hugs before we got back on the bus to come home to UWEC. We are looking forward to taking the children to Ngamba island soon.

2011 educational visit with the volunteers to the chimpanzees at Ngamba island

On 3rd July the 2011 Yebo volunteers went to Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary to learn more about the chimpanzees, their backgrounds and the rehabilitation they went through once  they had been rescued and were brought to the island.

Ngamba Island is situated on Lake Victoria, one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world. Visiting Ngamba island lets you travel on a boat across the Lake which, in itself , is an amazing experience. It is a beautiful and calming experience with many wildlife to see along the way.

On arrival at the island, we also found some amazing wildlife and enjoyed spending time next to the lake and around the wildlife

One of the caregivers at the island, Phillip, showed us around, and introduced us to some of the individual chimpanzees in their care, telling us about their backgrounds and told us their individual stories.  It was very interesting, yet heartbreaking, to hear about where the chimpanzees had come from, and wonderful to see how well they have adjusted into a troop together after their early traumas through the hard work and dedication of the staff at Ngamba Island.

This particular visit was vital for the volunteers to learn about the work of the different sanctuaries, and for them to have an educational visit to help them understand the work that they will be doing with the children. Lorna Wilkie, our education coordinator this year, will be helping to incorporate some educational activities into the creative therapeutic activities that Yebo will be doing.

We also went to the fishing village on one of the neighbouring islands and saw the school that Ngamba Island funded for the local children. While we were there, we met local women who make beautiful necklaces and bracelets out of recycled paper. They tried to show all of us how to make them… but with limited success! Think we will leave it to the professionals!

We look forward to taking the children across to the island soon to experience the educational and creative aspect of the activities on the Island.

Meeting the orphanage in 2011

On the 2nd of July our 2011 group of volunteers visited the children from Raising Up hope for Uganda orphanage who we work with throughout the year.

Before the visit Patrick, who runs Raising Up hope Uganda came to UWEC, where we are staying, to have a chat to all of the volunteers about the work that he and his working partner William are doing. Just a young man himself, Patrick does an amazing job and also runs a community outreach program and  does work with the Street children in the slums.

Patrick and William are incredibly passionate about the work that they do with the children, and each year that we visit this never seems to change. We were eager to visit the children and some were slightly nervous on the bus, but once the doors opened at our destination, and we were greeted by 50 excited, smiling, happy children that couldn’t wait to meet us, any nerves instantly vanished.

We spent the afternoon at the orphanage with the children, playing games, getting to know them and finding out a bit more about the inspirational work that Patrick, William and all the staff at Raising Up Hope do.  We walked around the orphanage and were shown where the children sleep and where they learn. The rooms were fairly small and not what we are used to in England at all. The children sleep on bunk beds and share rooms.  Although Yebo have visited here in the past it is always good for each group of volunteers to come here to learn first hand about RUHU and also to get to know the children and for the children to get to know the volunteers before we start working with them.

All too soon it was time for us to leave, it was an experience that none of us will ever forget, an afternoon full of laughter, hugs and games with some amazing children. All of the Yebo team cannot wait to start working with the children again soon. With thanks to Elle, Helena, Janet, Trish, Rachel, Rachael, Melissa, Alice, Ailsa, Laura, Kajsa, Kay, Lorna and Claire, Patrick, William and all of the children.

Volunteers in Uganda arrive 2011!

Yebo are back in Africa for their Ugandan 2011 trip. After several days of the Yebo staff members being in Uganda, the volunteers of this year have now arrived ready for the next 4 weeks ahead of them, where they will be part of an ongoing project to support disadvantaged children and primate conservation and build this into a long-term, sustainable program.

Over the past few days, Lorna Wilkie, Kajsa Berg, Claire O’Donaghue and Kay Raja have been working hard to prepare for the volunteers of 2011 arrival today. Plans have been put in place ready for the volunteers to begin their work and meetings with the sanctuary staff and the orphanage have taken place. This is an important part of beginning the volunteers trip, it is essential that Yebo approach the work with the sanctuaries and orphanage with an open mind as to what we would be needed for and asking questions about how we can develop our aims successfully. We are very aware that we don’t turn up at an organisation/sanctuary and ‘tell them what we think they need’. As well established sanctuaries, The Ugandan Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) and Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary are already actively conserving and educating, and we wish to support this work further with our aims.

Our staff members include :

Kajsa Berg: Kajsa attended as a volunteer in July 2010 on the Ugandan and South African trips and has now been recruited as a co-project coordinator this July 2011 . She is a valued member of the team and a great organiser who is also very creative and talented in many areas.

Kay Raja; Kay attended as a volunteer in July 2010 on the Ugandan trip and has now been recruitted as a co-project and activities coordinator. Kay is another valued member of the team and has some great skills.

Lorna Wilkie: Lorna has worked in South Africa with primates and has now been recruited by Yebo as a conservation and education co-ordinator. Lorna is a valued member of the team and we are excited about this area of the work this year.

Claire O’Donaghue; Claire is a trained Art Therapist in the UK and has come out to Uganda to support our project with her creativity and her working background as an art therapist. Claire also spoke at our training days this year in May and we are very lucky to have her on the team.

The volunteers this year have flown over from the UK and are now settled into their bandas at UWEC where they wil be staying for the next 4 weeks thoughout their work.

Helena, Melissa, Rachel, Rachael, Janet, Trish, Ailsa, Alice, Laura and Elle are a great bunch of volunteers and we are very happy that they have decided to join us. They are now getting ready for the first day of work as they settle into their bandas for the night, listening to the Lions at UWEC roaring and the Chimpanzees pant hooting, and of course…looking up at the beautiful African stars.

We look forward to providing you with regular blogs on the work we are doing over the next few weeks.