[flagallery gid=1] The Facebook message read: “Mama, we are at lunch. Matoke and peanuts. Come.” It didn’t matter I was thousands of miles away from Uganda, I really wanted to be there and sit around the table with my long-lost friends eating matoke topped with peanut sauce, which is a staple food in the country.Read more
After 17 years of working with chimpanzees at the Kaniyo Pabidi eco-tourism site, forest ranger Sauda Birungi knows a lot about their behavior, which makes tracking them in Uganda’s Budongo Forest easier. “Sometimes people think they have moved, but they are really staying quiet until the threat has passed,” she says to me and myRead more
a.k.a. A Near Miss on the Nile Deep breath. I was suddenly under water with bodies coming down on top of me. I am not sure how I managed to stay calm in all the chaos, but it was crucial to surviving. There were five of us in the same boat; a raft to beRead more
“We’re going to cry when you leave,” said Patricia, the 13-year-old girl with the beautiful singing voice. I was touched and started to tear up. She, Gorrett, Erin and I sat together on the cement stoop on the back porch of the parish house under a light that was swarmed by flying termites. It wasRead more
The rain has come! If there’s anything needed more than clean, safe drinking water, it’s a good downpour. The rainy season in Uganda usually starts in August, but the country has been going through a year-long drought that has ruined crops and driven prices up, causing people to conserve on even their most basic needs.Read more
[flagallery gid=1] Bananas are not created equally. There are many kinds that grow in Uganda, but one is an important form of sustenance and a cultural symbol to the Buganda tribe, which dominates the central part of the country. Bitooke. Most often, it’s mashed and steamed inside of banana leaves to make matoke, the nationalRead more
Three male teachers surround us in the school yard, just as thirsty for information as the kids they teach at the primary school. “Why don’t you drink our water? Is it not as clear as yours? Yes, it looks clear, but there are microscopic things you can’t see in it that causes illness, we explain.Read more
Local teacher Teddy Mwonyonyi and Erin Huber, the director of Drink Local Drink Tap were featured on Cleveland news channel WEWS this week talking about the trip to Uganda we’ll be taking this summer. The goal of the trip is to help raise awareness (and funds) to build a well in a small community inRead more
It’s my turn to give back. In a month’s time, I will be leaving for Uganda to help a local organization bring fresh water facilities to a rural community that has none, and I hope you follow Far-flung Travels throughout the journey. While on vacation last fall, I spent my last few days in WestRead more