U G A N D A

1. U • G • A • N • D • A The pearl of Africa By Crystal Gonzalez & Rachel Kent

2. The famous and popular Lake Victoria. There are many national parks in Uganda. The Ruwenzori Mountains are pretty cold and frigid.

3. Hello guys, How are you? We are doing fine we arrived here in Uganda this morning. We are enjoying the beautiful sight of Uganda. We have visited Lake Victoria and were amazed by how pretty the lake looks at sunset. In the evening we went to a national park. We saw many different wild animals that we hadn’t seen before in the United States. We also hiked the Ruwenzori Mountains. We were freezing up there!!! The Ugandans prefer to live along the Nile River because the water makes the soil rich and fertile so they can grow their own crops. We’ve had a lot of fun!  Crystal Gonzalez

4. UGANDA

5. Hey guys! I wish you were here. We’ve been to so many cool restaurants and cities. Although if you’re considering coming here you better make sure you get your flu shot because there is a lot of sickness in the poorer areas. When we visited Kampala the capitol of Uganda it was extremely clean. I’m not sure when it happened but a few years back the truck drivers traveled to another country and they brought back HIV, which accidentally spread to their family, friends and neighbors. We also visited the historical museum in Kampala. It was amazing to learn about the history of Uganda. Just 51 years ago on October 9,1962Uganda was being ruled indirectly by the British. Can you believe that? The USA gained their independence 186 years before Uganda. Love, Rachie

6. About 86% of Uganda is Christian These are some Ugandan girls practicing a cultural dance. This is the Christian Church we went to.

7. Hello there, How are you? Today we went to church. It was pretty cool how they decorate the Christian churches from the inside. The Ugandans speak English as their first language but they still talk other languages like Luganda, Lou, and Akarimojong. I think it is kind of rare that a man can have more than one wife. We tried the favorite dish from Uganda. Which was “mashed bananas”. It wasn’t that bad. But for breakfast we ate bread With margarine and drank tea. Ugandans perform a dance for each event to celebrate it. Ugandans will also celebrate by making baskets. Or playing music, which would depend on the ethnic groups.  Crystal Gonzalez

9. Today we passed by the local hospital. We saw two or three doctors helping hundreds of dying, sick and diseased children. It was a sad sight to see, one you could never imagine possible. But, as I saw this I thought about yesterday when we visited the historical museum, and how bad it would have been when Great Britain ruled Uganda. Since Uganda is land locked it makes it hard for the Ugandan people to be hydrated, so they have some diseases due to lack of water. Of course in the more urban areas most of these problems don’t exist.At about noon we had lunch. We noticed the menu had a lot of fish on it. Now it wasn’t the same type of fish but doesn’t that seem odd? Later on we found out that fish and fish products are Uganda’s main natural resources. Even though their landlocked they can still fish in The Nile and their close to the shores of Lake Victoria. Just a few years ago Uganda had the largest percentage of infected people by aids. This disease is one of the biggest problems in Africa. Malaria is another but doesn’t affect Uganda quite as much as aids does. Whooping cough, tuberculoses, diphtheria, measles, Cholera, and Polio are some other smaller sicknesses. Love, Rachie

10. This picture shows Ugandan kids reading and learning together. This organization has been working really hard to help the kids with special needs or just normal kids like us. The Ugandans getting prepared for a war.

11. Hello guys we miss you, Today the current events are not that good. Uganda is still facing the problems from the war since 1986. The kids these days don’t want to live like their grandparents once lived because of the crime rate. The support systems , especially for the young no longer exist. All of these has leaded to the crime rate among the young people. This also makes the kids think that their future is being blocked by the society which they have been born. We’ll be there soon!!!  Crystal Gonzalez 

12. P R E S I D E N T

13. You wouldn’t believe how excited I was Yesterday. I met the president of Uganda Yoweri Museveni . It was awesome. He told me all about Uganda . Now I know that their currency is shillings , and 700 Shillings is $1 in the USA. Their Cash crops are Raw coffee, cotton and tobacco. Their exports are fish products, tea and cotton. Uganda is the second biggest coffee producer after Ethiopia. But, the cool thing about all the facts that he told, was they were in strange stories, with strange characters and strange people. Kind of like a story teller. I thought he may have been a griot. But he explained to me that these stories were just one of many he had encountered throughout his life. After he finished talking to me he gave me a visitors gift. Fresh tea and coffee, and wow was it good. Very little people have tasted the taste of non processed coffee. As I was leaving he reminded me not to vote because I was not from Uganda and because I was Under 18. Everyone Over the age of 18 can vote, whether their a man or women. That’s about everything I did today. Love, Rachie

14. THE G O V E R N M E N T

15. It was so hot today I couldn’t believe it. So we just stayed inside and read books at Uganda's public library. Before Uganda gained independence they had a stable government and owned half the land. Great Britain only allowed Uganda to sell their cash crops but, that’s better than nothing. Right? After Great Britain peacefully said goodbye, Uganda was venerable. They didn’t know how to take care of themselves. They were left to figure things out on their own. Since the British left them they’ve had 8 governments and now really no established government other than the ten point program. There are no political parties , rather a mass organization where everyone is running by themselves. Even worse on September 2,1972 Idi Amin unfairly ruled Uganda .He made70,00 people flee. This is one of many presidents that have misused their power and hurt the people of Uganda. There just seems to be too much power and no restrain to any of it. Love, Rachie

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