10 Days in Uganda, Day 11, Watoto and Home
The end of our visit was in sight. But before we went we just had to make one more visit. This was to the Watoto Project situated just outside Kampala. Though Sally had tried to contact the organisers by phone she had been unsuccessful, so they were not prepared for our visit. In spite of this Dave agreed at the last minute to escort us. He could not have been more friendly or more helpful and didn’t seem the slightest bit annoyed that we had dragged him away from his usual work.
When we drove off the main road the dirt track ahead was blocked by motorcycles and a group of men making a show of digging up the road. One of them approached holding out a basket, and, when we had made a donation, were allowed to pass. These budding entrepreneurs had created their own unofficial toll road. There is no limit to the ingenuity and creativity of ambitious Ugandans. As long as the country doesn’t sink again into the abyss of tribal conflict the ability to adapt and improvise will assure their future.
The Watoto Project was very different from the others we had seen. Famous for its children’s’ choir, its mission is ostensibly to create future leaders for Uganda from the ready supply of available orphans. The buildings are well made and spaciously separated on a large campus. These villages each with its own school, church and medical centre are elite and thriving. There are several around the country with a new one being built in the north at Gulu at the moment. They are further rays of hope for Uganda’s future.
We now turned south towards Entebbe. On the way to the airport we stopped at the botanical gardens and sat dipping our fingers into the cool waters of Lake Victoria as we watched egrets and pied kingfishers fly around us. Moses had seemed despondent all morning. Was he sad that we were leaving or sad that a lucrative job was coming to an end? We hoped it was the former. Moses contribution had been vital to the success of our visit. He had always been cheerful, helpful and informative. He drove us places that we otherwise would not have visited and smoothed our way with the locals. We greatly appreciated all he did for us and would certainly recommend him to others.
As we sat on the plane wiping the dust of Uganda from our hands and faces with the hot towels provided, it was not so easy to remove the experiences we’d had of the country and people from our hearts and minds. We would be cherishing them for a long time to come.