Visiting the children at the slums…their home

The volunteers went with Patrick and William who run and manage Raising up hope to the slums where the children from their orphanage have come from.  As their orphanage is full up, they still go into the slums to help out the children who are living there.

Walking through the slums with our guides and Patrick, we watched and walked alongside young children and teenagers who slept in cardboard boxes, in mud and sewage, who lived as prositutes to survive their next meal, who scavenged from garbage bins for food, or who would raid the local hotel bins for scraps.

We walked by children laughing, dancing to their music playing from speakers, and children crawling into the side of small shacks to get shelter.  We passed young teenagers smoking and drinking and also those who were happy to see us with big smiles on their faces.

We were taken with great caution for our own health and safety, through parts of the slum which were easier for us to walk through, but at the same time, aware that we were being kept safe, and those around us weren’t. We had been told that many children had lost their lives in a local canal, due to being chased by the police and as we walked the children showed us where they slept, between bin bags and dirty wet, muddy floors.

We walked for just 15 minutes and saw for our own eyes, just a small glimpse of the environment that the children live in.  When getting back on the bus we were able to change our clothes, making sure we were clean and free of any germs, using our antibacterial hand washes, stopping off at a ‘well presented’ wash room to wash our hands etc with water, just to make sure we were extra clean, getting back onto the bus to describe where we had been as ‘horrific’.  People live here 24 hours a day…we went for 15 minutes and then had the chance to make sure we were clean with new clothes on within 15 minutes of leaving the area on our bus.

“Yes, makes you think doesn’t it”

Children’s chimpanzee drama day

Today was also another special and lovely day as the Yebo volunteers got up early to prepare and go over their drama play activities that they had planned for the children to take part in.

The volunteers had previously planned their stories and activities and were running through the drama plays before the children arrived.

The plays had all been directed to the ages of the different children and the groups that they had worked with the day before.  The volunteers had also made up a chimpanzee song to teach the children to the style and tune of 5 green and speckled frogs, which was turned into…5 little chimpanzees!

The aim of today was to focus more on the chimpanzees and their stories.  The volunteers began to really use their knowledge of all the things they had been learning about chimpanzees in the past week to work on todays project.  The individual chimpanzee stories given to us by one of the keepers was used to make a drama story with actions for different feelings.

When the children were in front of the chimpanzees, we had them all seated on the steps.  At first they were again told about the life of the chimpanzees and how they were bought to UWEC sanctuary.  The volunteers began teaching them the actions and feelings in the stories of the chimpanzees which were being told to them. They appeared to enjoy this and picked up all the actions very quickly.

After spending longer with the chimpanzees and learning more about them we went back to the room where we were doing all the activities.  Each group put together with the children some great stories about the chimps and their lives and made these into drama plays where they used ther masks and music shakers that they had made the day before.  These were great and all of their characters really came to life.  The drama was performed to all of the people in the room which were the volunteers and other children.  They then proceeded to give us an amazing display of music and drumming which we all found amazing.

Blackie who is one of the primate keepers who is getting involved in the project spoke to the childre  afterwards and asked them questions such as what have they learnt in the past 2 days. The children appeared to be very responsive and positive in what they had learnt.  They spoke about taking care of one another like chimpanzees do, and that they can have similar lives to the chimpanzees who are also in an orphanage just like them. Blackie spoke to the children more about the link between their diffrent traumas and the chimpanzees traumas and how they can see that the chimpanzees have been through very hard times  being abused , orphaned etc and that the children will see that they are not alone in what is happening to them.

this was a great day for all involved and the positivity of the work really started to shine through.  We hoped that the past 2 days have been beneficial to the children and have also moved the project forward, to the next developmental stage.

Children’s first visit

It’s day five in the Ugandan wildlife Education Centre…the volunteers woke up to the lovely smell of jungle pancakes. Whilst thoroughly enjoying our breakfast , the children had eagerly arrived one hour earlier than expected. Quickly chomping down our bananas, we packed away and headed towards the conference room with great anticipation.  Suddenly 43 excited faces ran towards the familiar volunteers and grabbed hold of their hands whilst preparing for the tour of the wildlife centre.  The tour guide accompanied us and talked to the children about the different animals.  A long stop was made at the home of the chimpanzees where we witnessed feeding time and learnt about the behaviour patterns. After learning some interesting facts about our fellow primates we had a well earnt lunch break…yum!

As we were feeding the primates, Patrick, who looks after all of the children at their orphanage, explained to the children that the chimpanzees that lived here were also orphans and had also come from difficult backgrounds.  They were then told that the chimpanzees were now living in a safe and caring place at UWEC which was their orphanage, just like where they lived.  They were told that chimpanzees are just like humans and that they go through difficult things, just like we do.  We also watched their behaviour which was explained to the children as being a bit like our behaviour.  They were told that chimpanzees can feel things just like we can.  That they can be happy, sad, angry etc.

Returning to the conference room to start a fun packed afternoon, we found some children fast asleep…we were told that they had woken up at 4am from too much excitement!

For the activities the children were split up into 3 age groups: 6 and under, 7-11 and 11 over. The older children  were making and painting chimpanzee masks, whereas the rest made and decorated plastic cup shakers.  Everyone also made name tags which were thread with wool and made as necklaces.

The activities that we had planned were based around making primate based ideas, allowing the children to paint and make things that they had just seen when we were with the animals, so they could prepare some art and music ready for the next day when they would be joining us for drama activities.   Some of the paintings and masks that were being made were absolutely amazing and the children have a real gift in being creative.  Many of their expressions came out on the art work that they were making and it was exciting for us to see.  The volunteers helped the children b encouraging them ot make different sound on their musical instruments that they had made which matched up with different feelings.

After lots of fun and jumping around it was time for the children to go back to the orphanage.

Later on in the evening after a tiring and enjoyable day, the volunteers decided to treat themselves to a meal out at a chinese restaurant.  The meal was accompanied by interesting conversations, lots of laughter and reflections of the day.

Lets plan activities and understand more about primates!

Today was an important day as we were planning activities for the children from the orphanage who are visiting us all weekend.  The activities planned were art, music and drama. There are 43 children in the orphanage and they have been split into 3 age groups for the activities, so members of Yebo could concentrate on finding out more about individual personalities.  We have organised it so each child can find out about different chimps with similar personality traits and who have been through similar traumas.

All of the volunteers have some great ideas and all put in their creativity as the activities were planned out.  It was a lot of fun combining the information we had learnt about the chimpanzees to the children we would be working with, linking their circumstances together.  When planning some of the activities we also had to be aware of sensitivity, and the impact that we would be having on the children through these.  The activities had to be non-direct and non-intrusive  from us as volunteers, allowing the children to use their own ideas and expressions when taking part in them, as well as letting their carers from the orphanage speak to them more about what they had learnt and more in depth if they felt this was appropriate.

All the volunteers had very generously brought with them art materials that could be used with all the activities.  We also had brought some extra paints etc.  Planning the activities to suit the children once they returned home to their orphanage was also important, making sure they were able to use recycled material that they would be able to have around them,  as they do not usually have access to paints, pens, glitter, glue etc.  Many of the ideas came from using ‘rubbish’ such as cardboard boxes, old plastic bottles, tin cans, shoe laces, materials etc.  When planning activities the items used have to be chosen carefully so the children are able to make these at home.

In the afternoon we were involved with chimpanzee observation with one of the main keepers, Helen.  She used feeding to help us identify different members of the group of chimpanzees.  For example, we could recognise the alpha male as when food was thrown onto their island by the keepers, the other chimps left the food alone until he had had his share.

It was great to be able to see how the chimpanzees interacted, and as their keeper, Helen, was there they were more than happy to stand around for us to observe them.

Everything that we had learnt the previous day on Ngamba island could then be used, with extra questions that we wanted to ask this afternoon.  The stories that had been given to us the day before on 3 individual chimps, were chimpanzees from UWEC, so we were now able to see these chimps and observe them for ourselves.  Knowing more about their background we were able to relate much better to them, instead of just seeing them once. 

We were able to start learning their different forms of communication, the noises that they make and also the threats that they have faced in the wild.  This also helps us on a level of primate conservation.  We see this as a different form of learning about it rather than just reading it in a book or seeing it on a blackboard.  Having an understanding of the chimps in this way, helps us to learn, and of course, really care, about what is going on for them in the wild.

After a great day, we had a great time in the evening, as we all sat down after a delicious meal of sweet potatoes and curry and had a few beers and merry chit chat!

Visit to Ngamba island chimpanzee sanctuary,learning all about chimpanzee behaviours and traumas

On the 15th July the Yebo volunteers travelled across to Ngamba island chimpanzee sanctuary on the boat over the beautiful waters of Lake Victoria.  The boat ride was fun, with many of the volunteers falling asleep amoungst the beautiful scenery.

The day was supported by Silver, who runs educational programs for Ngamba Island and CSWCT.  Silver organised the day for us and when on the island, gave us a great talk on Ngamba, along with a lot of information on chimpanzee behaviour.  Blackie, who also works at the island, gave us some stories and examples of trauma and rehabilitation on some chimpanzees that he has worked with in the past.  The volunteers were able to have a tour of the sanctuary, as well as learning about the juveniles enclosure, and how the rehabilitation process works.

As we were at the island for the whole day, some of the volunteers who are particularly interested in primate behaviour observation were able to go and observe the morning feeding while the others listened to more primate talks.

After lunch we split into groups and each had an example of a chimpanzee rescue story and their rehabilitation process.  Each group compared these stories and behaviors to that of the children they had observed and been to visit the previous morning.

In the afternoon all of the volunteers observed the afternoon feeding of the chimpanzees and were concentrating on their behaviour and ranking in the group.  Many of the chimpanzees were seen, and it was a really interesting day.

There are many chimpanzees on the island, many of whom are orphans.   This was compared to the children that we will be working with so we were able to get a real understanding of primate conservation, and how this can be transferred across to the children in a therapeutic and educational way.

All of the handlers and workers on the island are very helpful and informative and it was great to see all of the chimpanzees.  They are amazing and have such wonderful personalities and characters. Being able to observe them in this way, is such a wonderful experience and one that I’m sure we will always remember.  As chimpanzees are critacally endangered, then this  makes the work that we are doing even more challenging, in the sense that we strive to work harder to support both children and primate conservation.

The purpose of this day was to allow the volunteers to learn and understand more about chimpanzee behaviour, traumas and the threats that surround their species in the wild. This day of learning was particularly important to have a good understanding of the work that we are doing with the children.

A sustainable program is also set to be put in place to continue the work once we have gone.  This is being put together at present.

After visiting the chimpanzee sanctuary, we stopped off at a fishing  Island on the Lake, where we were able to help make beads for jewelery out of paper, which is an initiative that is supported by Ngamba island.  The local ladies of the island make a lot of unique jewelery which is then able to be sold to help their income.  The volunteers came away with alot of purchases which we hope supported the ladies in their work.  The items that they make are beautiful.

So we all had a wonderful day, with thanks to Silver and his colleagues, along with all the chimpanzees.

A visit to Raising up hope orphanage and meeting a primate keeper

This morning we had our first visit to the orphanage that we will be working with, Raising up Hope,. It was founded by Patrick who today, came and spoke to us at UWEC where we are staying in the morning before we set out on the bus. Patrick spoke about his own background, living in the slums after losing both of his parents.  At the age of 19, he is, in his own words, “A single father to 43 children”

We drove to his orphanage, just on the outskirts of Kampala. Upon arrival we were greeted by a crowd of very welcoming and smiling faces.  We all had a tour of the orphanage and Patrick showed us the rooms where the children slept and had their classes.

We were all amazed at what is provided in such a limited environment. As well as encouraging education, Patrick and his staff are helping the children to develop life skills.  They have recently adopted 2 puppies which the children are responsible for and emphasize with.

Although they are in need of more resources, it is clear that simply having a safe and loving environment, makes a huge positive impact on their lives.  They treated us to a song and dance performance which was “Fantabulous” and then all of the Yebo volunteers joined in and had a go at Ugandan dancing.

We are looking forward to their visit to UWEC and they too are excited about the activities we have planned for them.

Meeting the children was a wonderful experience, and meeting so many different characters was wonderful.  Many of the children were very ‘clingy’ and sometimes would not let go of some of the volunteers for the whole of the time that they were there.  Others were quite happy to play as they all took our cameras and enjoyed taking pictures of their friends and of us!  We noticed one little boy who was very quiet and did not want to talk or come to anyone. We were told that his parents had died. We noticed another little boy who had an amazing talent for drawing.  At just 9 years old he was sketching out amazing pictures with his pencil and paper of his friends.  Some of the children would get jealous if their friend was getting more attention from one of the volunteers and others were very happy to bring their friends together so they were all with one of us.

In the afternoon,when we arrived home, we had a talk from ‘Helen’ who is a primate keeper from UWEC.  She has been working here for 10 years and knows the chimpanzees very well. It was interesting to hear all of the behaviours and characters of some of the chimpanzees that are under her care.   In the evening we discussed the link between humans and chimpanzees and compared some of the observations from the morning visit to see the children and some of the behaviours we learned about of chimpanzees in the afternoon.

We are looking forward to learning more about chimpanzees behaviour and traumas when we visit Ngamba island.