EXPLORING UGANDA
Out line Location Geography of Uganda Natural resources Culture Religion Economic life Transport Education Life style Home Vocation story
LOCATION Buganda
Uganda: Capital City Kampala is the capital of Uganda It has a population of about 5m people It is in the central/southern region; the more developed of the 4 regions: Eastern, Western, Northern regions
Uganda: Geography Uganda is part of the great lakes region of Africa; sharing the largest part of Lake Victoria Lake Victoria is the 2 nd largest Fresh water lake in the world Uganda is the source of River Nile the world s longest river. It has a population of over 34 million people
Uganda: Geography Uganda lies on the Equator Uganda is the Pearl of Africa Most parts of Uganda enjoy a warm weather (between 60 and 80 degrees); with two seasons; i.e. wet and dry seasons. Uganda gets 12 hrs daylight &12 hrs night time throughout the year
Nature
Nature: Landscape
Wild life
Culture Uganda has 56 ethnic groups with 56 different languages. Each ethnic group is organized either under a kingdom or a chiefdom. Buganda Kingdom is the biggest and most powerful of all. Luganda language is the most widely spoken language in Uganda. Many people cling to and treasure their Culture
Kingdoms/Tribes of Uganda
Culture The Bulange : Buganda Kingdom Parliament The King of the Baganda is called Kabaka. He commands more respect than any other person in Uganda But today like other traditional leaders he no longer has political power.
Kabaka
Dancing tells the difference in cultures
Culture Men clothe in a Kanzu dress and jacket Women put on Gommesi dresses. It is regarded disgraceful for a lady or gentle man to expose her/his legs. A man and woman are more respected in their traditional dresses. Today such dresses are becoming ceremonial especially by working people.
Culture and dressing
Religion Catholics 49% Anglicans 30% Muslims 12%
Religion Christianity was introduced by Anglican Missionaries in 1877, and Catholic Missionaries in 1879.
Religion Seminarians - Mass Servers The structure of worship is conducted in the same way like elsewhere in the world, only that it is done in local languages. Students of High schools pray in English
Religion Between 1883 and 1886 many Christians were killed for their faith. Among those were the 22 Uganda Catholic Martyrs. Over 1m worshipers gather at Namugongo shrine every June 3 rd. These come from all over Africa and beyond.
June 3 Uganda martyrs Day at Namugongo
Religion: Parishes Each central parish has over 10 Mission parishes There are 15 in my parish Our home is far from the central parish It is 9 miles away We go to mission parish instead on Sundays The Church is so small and cracking More than half of the congregation sit outside especially when a priest visits and on feast days.
The church of my former parish
Inside
Sacraments A priest can baptize about 20-30 kids from each Mission parish Every year the bishop confirms over 400 students in every Central Parish Penance is done immediately before mass or at a special request.
Mass can be celebrated outside a church
Economic Life: Farming Farming is the main activity in Uganda. People in villages grow their own food for their families. Whatever you eat at home you have to grow it They grow on small scale/only for home consumption The surplus is sold to get money for buying other basic needs like salt, soap, paraffin, medicine, sugar, clothing, etc Farming in Uganda is less mechanized: people use hoes/hands Some do it as a community/group
This is what people do
Economic Life Some people keep animals like cattle However, they can not afford doing it on a commercial level. Commercial farming is by very few rich individuals.
Economic Life Many young people lack education and jobs. Many do pet jobs to get what to eat and for education like brick making, burning charcoal The income per capita in Uganda is $300 a year.
Transport Transportation is still a very big problem Walking and Bicycles are the most common means of transport. Today motorbikes (locally known as bodabodas) are common for public transportation. There are so many villages where nobody owns a car or motorbikes. Some people use bicycles for commercial purposes. The few taxis are overloaded to maximize profits.
Bodaboda No load limit
Transport The roads are very bad and very narrow. Many places are inaccessible by car.
Education The education system in Uganda is still poor. There are no good facilities in schools Some classes are conducted under tree shades In most schools no electricity, computer, internet, water and library Computer literacy in elementary and high schools is still a night mare. One primary/grade school can have over 800 students but with 10 or less teachers Teachers are poorly paid and some go without paid their salaries
My village school
High school students lining up for computer class
Education Costs Education remains expensive for many families Tuition fees are about $300 and $450 per semester for a relatively good Grade and High school respectively For university students, it is about $1600 per a year. A big number of kids drop out school because of high costs
Some students work to pay for their education
Life Style Majority of Ugandans do not have clean water. Kids have to fetch water in small containers from wells 3 to 5 miles away In some villages they have to share water with cattle. Some families are very large & very poor. Many lack the basic necessities like food, clothing and shelter. Many cannot take their kids to school
Life Style In the war zone areas, many families are forced to live in Refugee camps There is lack of health facilities in these camps. This has led to spread of dangerous diseases like HIV/AIDS, Cholera, etc
Refugee camps in Northern Uganda
A priest rescues abandoned Kids It is common to find kids abandoned in their former parents homes. The Church, state and other NGOs are trying to help the situation, but the need is so enormous. Orphans are the way of life today in Uganda, but there are no facilities to cater for these kids.
Uganda: Health St. Kizito - Nandere Orphanage The health situation in Uganda is very poor especially with the HIV/AIDS Epidemic. About 2.1m people in Uganda live with HIV An estimate of 25% of Ugandan kids are orphans
Life Style: Well-to-do families Despite the poor families who are the majority, there are also affluent families living in houses costing millions of dollars. Ugandans live in two separate societies; the educated and rich living in one, and the illiterate and poor living in another 80% of population are poor, no jobs, & 20% are rich
Well-to-do families
My family
Home I have a humble back ground My father is a retired police man and my mother is a teacher We were 7 children 4 boys and 3 girls
Home in a village
Home: Inside the house There are usually four rooms in a house One room serves as both dining room and living room The other three as bed rooms: one for the parents, second for boys and the third for girls
Home The bathroom, rest rooms, and kitchen are outside the house Of course no electricity and tap water We have to fetch water from a well. We go there twice a day to get water for cooking, washing dishes, clothes etc.
Some of the activities we do
Challenges and responsibilities Generally life was not easy and is still not easy at home Being the only person with good education and well exposed, there are many responsibilities and challenges I am taking care of. Everything that makes a family run, especially the basics, I am supposed to contribute. Educating my brothers, sisters and cousins
At home they taught us how to pray and how to behave well We had morning prayers with a rosary and evening prayer with a rosary Though the church was far like 5 miles, we had to walk to church on every Sunday Prayer before and after a journey Prayer before and after meals
However, I am grateful to God for my life because I know He has a purpose for me Whatever, I have gone through has strengthened me in faith and trusting in God s divine providence He has worked wonders for me through the generous people who have impacted my life That s why I also want to bring the difference to other people especially those who are desperate/ suffering etc
Conclusion Thank you so much for the opportunity to share my life experiences in Uganda with you Thank you for listening so attentively. In a special way I would like to thank.