Day 28

With a heavy heart we headed out of Fort Portal. The van left  carrying eight quiet men, all contemplating the past four weeks. We have enjoyed many great times. The seven-hour journey to Kampala, the capital of Uganda, took place mostly in silence as everyone was locked in their private thoughts. Tomorrow is our last day in Uganda so I will wrap up our thoughts then.

Day 29

Well, here we are in Kampala – all ready for the journey home. We still have to make one final visit to a local school project then take a walk around the slums, which are ghettoes that are home to immigrants from places like Somalia, Rwanda, Sudan, Ethiopia and the Congo. ‘The slums’ is not my expression; the locals call them that. Fort Portal seems like a distant oasis compared to the extreme poverty in Kampala. The group was stunned, speechless, emotional and very quiet. It was hard to comprehend.
So, these were my final words. I asked the group to write their thoughts about the trip so I’ll leave it up to them to sign off. God bless.
“It’s been a wonderful experience, working with a great gang and management. The work was hard but the look on the faces of the schoolchildren was reward enough. I would recommend this skills exchange to everyone. Well done, One Brick At A Time. Thanks again!”
“I have had the best time of my life these past four weeks. The work itself was wonderful as was what everyone has achieved. I will never forget the friends we have made. I would like to thank everyone for their support and wish them all the best in the future. Keep up the hard work. Thank you all.”
“When I was interviewed for the project I was told it that may be a life-changing experience. One Brick At A Time has been that and much more. Eight guys put together in Africa for a month. What a blast! Thank you all.”
“Highlights were going out as a team, the safari and meeting the kids at the school. When we finished, it was seeing the work we had achieved.”
“What can I say? Eight strangers in Africa facing a massive challenge – to change the lives of 850 children. We had our ups and downs, we struggled along the way. But, on that last day – driving away from the school – I looked back and smiled, knowing what we had done what we were meant to do. I am so proud of what the eight of us have achieved. Well done, everybody. It has been the greatest experience.”
“When I was in the special needs class, doing the rendering work, all the kids came up to touch my skin and shake hands, but one little girl in particular asked me if I had a present for her. I just said ‘Next time, sweetheart.’ It’s that type of memory that will stay with me a lifetime.”
”First of all, I would like to thank my family and friends for the support they have given me before and during this absolutely wonderful, mind-blowing trip. I would also like to thank my college and the North West Training Council for giving me the opportunity to go to this beautiful country and make a difference. Also, a big ‘thank you’ to the team; they were brilliant and the amount of work that has been done is out of this world. I feel so honoured and a bit upset to leave the children and teachers of St Peter and Paul’s primary schools. The warm welcomes, ‘thank yous’ and heartfelt goodbyes we received were unbelievable. To be able to look back and smile at the school was amazing. Thank you”.