Uganda has a distinct smell. From the moment I step off of the plane it’s there. The thing is… it kind of smells like burning trash & coal. The only way I ever figured this out was when I was driving in the country and said to my dad, “it smells like Africa!” He agreed and noted someone was burning trash. I love what that scent makes me feel and remember.
When I go to Uganda, I stay in Kampala, Uganda- the capital- home to over 3 million people by day. It’s buzzing with life, high-risers, women selling bananas, insane driving, and local markets. It’s not what a lot of people envision when they think of Africa (or at least what I imagined before I visited): straw huts with people dressed in traditional African attire dancing around a fire with their faces painted. Maybe I was ignorant.
If the geography alone does not make you fall in love -rich, dense foliage, strong mountains, and torrential rain fall- then the people will. Uganda is known as “the pearl of Africa” not only because of its beauty, but because of it’s people. They are genuine, gracious, welcoming and incredibly friendly. They welcome us “mzungus” –aka “white people.”
Here is where Uganda is located in relation to Africa:
Here is where Wakiso is located within relation to Kampala:
A thirty-minute drive out of Kampala takes us to Wakiso. After turning off the main road, it’s a bit bumpy and muddy to the local church we partner with. We pass by many homes made mostly from concrete. Little children either peep from behind windows or run, wave and scream with huge grins on their faces “Mzungu! Mzungu!”
We pull up and on the property is a children’s home, school, church, and medical clinic that all work together.
This is the church on the left with a school room on the right. Not pictured to the right is the church. Where the picture is being taken is another line of classrooms.
