Last week, 72 of our Primary 5 and 6 children arrived at school bright and early, piled into buses with our teachers, and set off for the beautiful city of Jinja, Eastern Uganda. For most of our students (and some teachers), this was their first time visiting Jinja, an area best known for being the source of the Nile River, the longest river in the world.
Our first stop along the way was the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala, where our students were able to tour the grounds of their national soccer team and race around the tracks. As football is the most popular sport in Uganda, the students were particularly excited to see where the Cranes (our national team) compete.
Their eyes were wide as they looked at the impressive buildings surrounding them; some asked the teachers how apartment buildings didn’t collapse even though they were, “houses stacked on top of each other." The bustling city of Kampala is far different to that of the peaceful village from which they live.
From there, we jumped back onto the buses and drove a further hour and half east, passing rolling hills, beautiful tea plantations and picture perfect landscapes. Our second stop was Bujagali Falls, where our students were able to take their first ever trip on a boat. Albeit a little nervously, all 72 children and 10 teachers dressed in life vests and boarded the boats; within seconds everyone was giggling and enjoying the beautiful scenery of Lake Victoria.
From there we drove to the Source of the River Nile for a picnic lunch and historical tour of the grounds, before heading to our accommodation for the night. As it was one of our student’s birthdays, we celebrated with cake, sparklers and happy birthday songs before the children closed their eyes from a long day’s journey.
The next morning, the children awoke early - some as early as 3 am (they’re used to waking up so early in the village to do chores before school!) After their morning bucket showers, we had breakfast and tea before setting off for the Kakira Sugar Factory. We had a guided tour of the grounds and the students were able to see the manufacturing and packaging of one of the country’s largest sugar producers. After sampling some sweets, we ventured to our last stop, Nytil Textiles. It was in this impressive factory that we were able to see cotton seeds turn to cotton, then to threads, then to fabrics before being dyed and turned into clothes! It was a remarkable factory and the highlight of the field trip for many of our students.
After two magical days, we boarded the busses and started the journey back to Katuuso village. Words can’t describe how happy our Primary 5 and 6 students were to have had this wonderful opportunity to explore their country.
Thanks for all your support and lots of love from Katuuso Primary School!
