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.

Working with the Street children…the real story

Out in Uganda, near Kampala are many different fancy and expensive hotels, along with several tourist attractions, clean beds, good food and good entertainment. However, not far from where these hotels and lavish food , lies the devastating life and living conditions of the slums.

It is filled with families and young street children living here, sleeping in the dirt and sewage, not being able to eat anything apart from the waste from the local garbage collection points and the bins from the hotels (the food we leave on our plate when we are full up!)

Many of the children here have lost their parents to illness such as Aids , so are now living alone on the streets, looking after their siblings from a young age, and having to work to get money for food, rather than going to school. Many of the young girls fall into the devastating world of prostitution to earn their living, as early as 13 years of age.

On their last visit to the Ugandan Wildlife Education Centre with the Yebo team, we spent a great day with them, and this year we will be working even more with them. At the end of the first day that they spent with us away from their home on the streets, one young girl, aged around 14, told our volunteers that tonight when she went back to where she stayed in the slums, she would be working as a prostitue to get money for food and her siblings as her parents were no longer alive.  This is especially sad, as the reality hits us after our fun and moving day with them, that we cannot  take the bad things out of their life, but we are able to try and make a difference in a positive way.

The children are also victims to serious illness from wounds and cuts that they have from their lifestyle and where they live. They are victims of physical abuse, being beaten and abused on a regular basis.  Their life is ‘The slums’ and with no education, and no chance of gaining one, their futures could only be changed by those more fortunate and willing to help.

Allowing these children to experience wildlife, have a day out from the streets and to be educated on conservation, as well as therapeutic and creative activities, is something that we are working hard to acheive into a sustainable year long project for them.

Patrick and William, who run the orphanage and charity ‘Raising up hope for Uganda’ also work with the children on the streets, going to see them, trying to provide them with a hot meal, playing fun games with them and washing and dressing their wounds.  Just a young man himself, at the age of 20, Patrick is doing a remarkable job in his quest to help and support all of these children, as he himself was once living on the streets.

Below is an article written for us to share with you by Patrick from a recent day spent in the slums with the children.

“Exactly 10am in the morning and I was already in Kisenyi slum trying to work with the street
children, like always the children were so excited to see me immediately and a couple of the children started showing me their wounds that they got in various cases, I went and purchased things that I will use such as gauze, and some other things that we use to clean the wounds, many wounds are
treated such as in the picture.

After this, I encouraged them to go and have a bath which worked out very well though some they dont want to. After that, the children were given some fresh fruits such as mangoes and some drinks. all were told to go and play soccer which was good.”

Patrick, 2011

Yebo FREE Training and information days

7th and 8th May 2011

The Yebo training and information weekend this year will take place on 7th an 8th May 2011. It runs over the weekend and covers the following topics:

Topics covered

Art therapy-Claire O’Donoghue, Art therapist
Music Therapy- Catrin Piears-Banton, music theapist
Play therapy- Veronica Etherington , Play therapist
Equine assisted therapy- Wendy Price
Volunteers experiences- Volunteers of 2010
Childhood bereavement and trauma- Heather Tilley
Primate behaviour and conservation- Ian Redmond/ Alasdair Davies
Street children in Uganda- Patrick Ssenyonjo
The work of a children’s orphanage in Uganda- Patrick Ssenyonjo

More details

ALL welcome

You may attend one or both days

You will receive a certificate of attendance

FREE of charge

Venue: Chestnut lodge, Loseley Park, Artington, Guildford, Surrey

Contact us or get involved:

If you would like to attend then you can show your interest in the following ways:

Join our facebook event group:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=147959201930088

Fill out a form:

http://www.yeboyes.org/machform/view.php?id=9

or for more information please contact lisa.davies@yeboyes.org

Last year was a great success, lots of fun and was a great opportunity to get involved in the organisation and learn more about our work.

It was also a great place to meet other volunteers with interests similar to your own.

This year we are adding topics that weren’t covered last year.

Our music and art therapy topics will be workshops this year and great fun.

We again have some fantastic speakers and are looking forward to meeting you if you decide to attend.