Sunday, November 3, 2013 - Kampala, Uganda.

Today is our first proper day in Uganda.

The first thing to hit when you wake up is the heat and humidity! The temperature last night didn't drop below 23 Celsius making sleep very difficult even though we were all shattered after 21 hours of travel.

The flights took us from Manchester to Amsterdam and then Amsterdam to Uganda via Rwanda. Was quite strange flying past Uganda for what was effectively a 30 minute "bus stop" in Rwanda and then flying back up Africa to Uganda. It did however mean that, for a short while, we crossed over the equator into the Southern Hemisphere (a first for most of us on the trip).

Once we arrived at Entebbe Airport in Uganda we were picked up in a minibus by two of the Retrak charity staff. We loaded up and set off on the 45 minute journey to Kampala. We arrived at the hotel and the very early hours and it was straight to bed! As I said, sleep was difficult due to the heat...and probably the excitement too!!!

We started our day today with a security briefing. Last year when I came the security briefing was quite brief and covered the basic points. This year however it has been very different. As you will be aware there is a heighten state of alertness in Africa after the recent bombings in Nairobi. The head of police came to speak to us and scared quite a few people by saying we shouldn't walk anywhere and even have armed guards with us on the minibus. The reality is that we have all agreed to walk to the centre (about a 20 minute road) to allow is to see more of the city and get a feel for the "real" Uganda.

After lunch we took the walk to the drop in centre to see the kids for the first time. The centre is located right next to a slum and so there are always kids coming and going, receiving food, medical care and education. Some of the kids choose to sleep there too.

For me returning again it was a very emotional experience! To see the difference in the centre and the improvements that have been made using the monies raised by our hard work really was fantastic!

Last year when I came the kids were sleeping on dirty, ripped foam on the floor. Today they are sleeping on bunk beds with mosquito nets and proper bedding. Such a simple thing as a bed that we take for granted every night is so appreciated by these children. The centre has also gained a class room since last year. Instead of the kids eating, sleeping and playing in the same room they now have three separate areas. Again such a simple thing, but it means the world to them! 

We spent the rest of the afternoon introducing ourselves to the kids and them to us. We were also able to witness an eclipse high above the centre that the kids found fascinating. I really didn't think I would be watching an eclipse through an old X-ray film with 20 homeless African children. Simply brilliant. We sang songs (you'll never walk alone and blue moon) and hymns, danced, played games and just generally enjoyed our first day with the kids. 

Coming back for the second year I was worried it may not live up to my trip last year. I needn't have worried! Already I can tell that this week is going to be equally as rewarding and life changing. It's a real privilege to be here and making a difference!

Adam