Project Background
Uganda Pioneers Association owns a 10 acre piece of land at Kakunyu village in Bukomero Sub County. The community around the project still engages in dubious and massive tree feeling for pastoral work and charcoal burning and hence remains a challenge to the environment. Given this circumstances, the surrounding becomes less attractive each day.
For the past three years, UPA decided to put 2/3 of the land under tree cover and the rest of the land with structures for an intended demonstration/training project to train youths in different gainful disciplines. For the past years, we have worked towards achieving these two goals.
Through our former contacts, we have one of the old volunteers who started a tourism company and wishes UPA can offer an ECO VILLAGE at our Bukomero project. With this initiative therefore UPA is committed to embark on a long time investment of transforming Bukomero into a Cultural village that shall be used to serve as a stopover centre for tourists, leisure sport, excursion and exhibition centre for displaying Uganda’s culture, art and craft.
Therefore the camp shall engage in continuing with the construction work on our Youth training Hall already in place, rest rooms, round traditional huts and shades for that cause.
This work camp shall kick start on all the foundations of the dream of turning Bukomero into, “PIONEER ECO VILLAGE”.
Project Objectives
- To complete on the construction of the training hall for youths
- To construct traditional residential huts and shades for the cultural village
- Landscaping to create cultural villages representing Ugandan communities
- Planting of deco rational and fruit trees on the ECO Village.
Activities
- Fitting Training centre with doors and windows.
- Plastering and flooring UPA youth and Community training Hall at Bukomero
- Mixing concrete sand and cement
- Carrying water and concrete, mortar
- Building traditional huts and shades
- Planting trees
- Landscaping and leveling
Expected Outcome
It is expected after the work camp:
- Closing of the training Hall will be done
- 3 traditional huts and 3 shades constructed
- Land demarcated into plots to represent different Ugandan Communities
- Decorative trees planted on site
- Compound designing done
Cultural and educational visits
- Visit Katera historical stones
- climb Katera Hill
- Bukomero local market twice a month on Tuesdays is also an experience.
Cultural Nights will be organised on different days for the different countries represented at the work camp. Please carry along anything that can introduce your culture.
Beneficiaries
- UPA members
- International work camp participants
- Local community
- Local volunteers
Participation
The project expects 15 participants maximum with a composition of people from Uganda, regional and International volunteer organisations. Participants will work 6 hours daily from Monday to Friday. Weekends are for social interaction and/ or excursions unless if the official camp programme has an activity.
Who qualifies to participate
- Open minded, ready to interact with other people of different cultural background
- Willing to share his/her experiences
- Flexible to live/stay in simple life conditions
- Flexible to the taste of other foods (local)
- Ready to do heavy manual work on the project
- No experience needed
The Host Community
The people found in central Uganda are multi tribal with the majority population being Baganda. And the major language spoken is Luganda with also a big percentage of people speaking English well.
Like most regions in Uganda people in this community always welcome visitors and always interested to talk/work with people from other cultural backgrounds. Volunteers on this project will have the opportunity to interact with mostly UPA members and those from the community.
Accommodation
- Accommodation will be in UPA guest room on the project.
- Average but not luxury.
- The camp site have simple bathrooms with no showers
- The camp sites have latrines not toilets
- And a simple cooking shelter (kitchen)
Meals
- There are several local foods to choose from e.g. matooke, cassava, sweet potatoes, yams, pumpkin and also rice, spaghetti, meat, fish, ground nuts, beans, peas and different types green vegetables
- Fruits can also be easily bought from local markets, mangoes, sweet bananas, water melon, pineapples etc
- Participants will chose food to prepare depending on the availability
Health Services
There is a Health Centre at Bukomero 5Km away. Kiboga main referral hospital is located only 25km on Kampala- Hoima road. In case of serious cases it is 1 ½ hrs drive from Bukomero to Kampala for main hospitals.
Water Source
Participants use a bicycle and wheel barrows to collect water from a bore hole about 800 metres away or collect water from nearby wells around the project.
Climate /weather
June usually marks the beginning of the dry season in Uganda. The weather is hot but at times may be wet with warm temperatures usually ranging between 20 - 27 degrees Centigrade on average. The possibility of having a rain is minimal.
What to bring
Participants shall be required to bring own sleeping bag, Mat, pillow, Mosquito Net, sun/mosquito creams/repellents, working gloves and boots/shoes. Light working clothes during working hours and warm clothes at night, as it may turn out to be chilly or cold; Musical instrument {optional}; Torch or flash light; Water purifiers {optional}; Personal effects {i.e. soap, toothpaste, toiletries.
Bringing your national flag, common art facts of your country; stories, games, picture and local recipes for cultural presentations from your country is advisable too for social interaction. Please carry along anything that you feel can well introduce you and your culture to make it enjoyable. Above all do not forget a happy and positive attitude and energy.
NB:
- Very short (Hot pants); skirts and dresses will not be culturally welcome especially for female.
- Smoking in public is illegal while engagement in drug/harsh carries a life prison sentence.