Our cross-cultural connection between the 52 Kids and students at the Charlotte Central School in Vermont continues to grow. On May 5th at 8:30 a.m. we will be attempting our first ever joint concert between the 52 Kids in Kamuli and the CCS stage band and 5th and 6th grade chorus. Throughout this year students have been Skyping back and forth and learning about each other’s culture. CCS music teacher, Andy Smith, came up with the idea to take the cultural exchange to the next level by sharing our music back and forth. The Ugandan children will perform one of their traditional dances. These dances are an important part of the Ugandan culture as they are used to pass down cultural traditions, history, or communicate information about social issues. School children in Uganda prepare and practice these dances throughout their school year and perform them at the national cultural festival each July. The CCS stage band students will perform one of their songs, and the 5/6 girls’ chorus will sing the Vermont song, “These Green Hills.” The 5/6 boys’ chorus will perform “Waving Flag.” The kids in Uganda and Vermont are very excited about this exchange!
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Monday, May 2, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Solar Panels Installed at the Dorm
Solar panels have been installed at the 52 Kids dormitory thanks to the fundraising efforts of the students at Charlotte Central School in Vermont. Over the past year, three classes of students have been involved in a global studies project. Groups of students researched different aspects of Uganda. One class raised money by going on a “Future Walk” where they obtained sponsors for the miles they hiked. The current 5th and 6th grade at CCS spent the past four months participating in our “Leading by Reading” challenge. Students set a reading goal and then obtained sponsors for each page read. Many students were sponsored at a penny a page, which sounds small, but this really added up. Students read 281,000 pages and raised a total of $5200.! The solar panels will help the students at the dorm have reliable power so they will have light to study and do homework. The solar panels will also generate the power for the Internet café. Even more important than the money raised however, are the relationships the students are building. Through regular Skype sessions, students have been learning about each others’ cultures. They discuss weather, politics, music, and career plans. We look forward to other schools across the country taking on our “Leading by Reading” or “Future Walk” challenges. These service projects allow students to connect with another culture and to make a difference in the education and future of the orphaned and vulnerable children in Uganda.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Volunteering in Uganda
This is a picture of the Champlain Valley High School students who went on last year’s service trip. It’s hard to believe that the time is nearing for our next group of high school students to travel to Kamuli. These students are busy fundraising and you can keep up to date on all fundraising activities by checking out our new Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/pages/52-Kids-Foundation-Inc/207088082644303
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Internet Cafe in Kamuli
An Internet Café is now up and running at the 52 Kids dorm thanks to the efforts of Ruarri Serpa. Ruarri worked on assembling computers and all the necessary connections that needed to be in place. He has been volunteering at the dorm since January. Customers can come in and buy internet time. The proceeds to this business venture all go to supporting the 52 Kids Foundation in Kamuli. This fits in with our mission of “Smart Aid” through Empowerment.
UVM Nursing Program Studies in Kamuli
So far 2011 has been a busy year for the 52 Kids Foundation. In January, senior nursing students from the University of Vermont traveled to Kamuli for a course taught by Professor Sarah Abrams, on public health nursing. Students attended class in the morning and then worked at the Kamuli Mission Hospital in the afternoon. They also traveled out into the communities to help with building plate stands, hand washing stations, and fuel efficient stoves.
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Friday, January 22, 2010
Some Photos From Our Trip!
I had the most amazing visit to Uganda. I took over 2,200 photographs so this is just a small sampling :) I miss the heat, the fresh fruit, the music but most of all the people. I can't wait to return to Kamuli!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Jinja + The Journey Home
Right now John, Rita, Simone and I are staying at Two Friends B&B in Jinja (which has a superb internet connection!). This morning we picked up Rita from her grandmother's house and are bringing her all the way to Kampala for boarding school. We spent the afternoon walking around Jinja. The town is much larger than Kamuli and we have seen many white (mzungu) tourists. Yesterday Simone, Kaiso and I taught 15 kids a school lesson. Together we created a solution tree that tackled many of the issues that the 52 Kids have to overcome (HIV/AIDs, low income, crime, early marriage...etc.). With Kaiso's help the kids came up with solutions to their problems such as education, counseling/guidance, ABCs of HIV/AIDs (A= abstain, B= be faithful to your partner & C= use condoms). The kids also created leaf rubbings with colored pencils and leaves from local trees. While they came up with solutions to their problems, we pasted the vibrant leaves onto a hand-drawn tree. It ended up being a very informative and wonderful lesson. Kaiso did an amazing job of involving the kids and helping them grasp the different topics. We ended the afternoon with my reading of a short kid's book on Barack Obama's life and his journey from childhood to becoming the President of the U.S.A. After the lesson ended my friend Jimmy (from our homestay) came by Cibiet Gardens which was a fantastic surprise. Hadijja (who we met while at the model farm) + her two friends came to hang out with John, Simone and I. It was a lovely evening filled with nail painting, drawing, laughter and great company. We were so thrilled to have such spectacular (surprise) guests for our last night in Kamuli. Tomorrow we head to Kampala and we plan on going to the banana pancake factory as well as the paper bead factory (look up Bead For Life!). Our plane takes off just before midnight and we will be back in Vermont at about 6pm on Wednesday. Love + kindness to all. (Rita helped write this post!)
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