Organization: Byana Mary Hill B.P.S.
In May of 2014, 20 students departed for Uganda on ASB's 10th trip. After landing in Entebbe, we were greeted by our in country representatives, Amelia and Phillip who were waiting for us at the arrivals gate. We were quickly ushered away to our hotel on the outskirts Kampala.
For a short time, we explored the capital, visited the botanic gardens, tried grasshoppers (a Ugandan delicacy) and took a short boat ride across the shallows of Lake Victoria. During our time in Kampala, the team was fortunate enough to pay a visit to The Butterfly Project. This is a non-profit organization which takes children off of the streets of Kampala and surrounding areas and provides them shelter and an education. The next day, we departed from Kampala to make our way to the little town of Villa Maria. The drive was long, and there was just enough room for all of us on the bus with all of our things, but the view was breathtaking.
At sunset, we arrived in Villa Maria and made our way to the Byana Mary Hill compound. We were immediately greeted by the village elders, who offered warm greetings in Luganda, the local language. We also met the children of Byana Mary Hill and some of the school staff. We all got settled into three seperate huts of which we were the very first occupants. Depsite being confronted with the reality of squatting for the toilet for the next month, the team was delighted by the welcome and we prepared for a spectacular month.
Our project was quickly underway. The team's job was to assist in the construction of a medical facility on the Byana Mary Hill compound. There was somewhat of a structure standing when we arrived, but there was lots to be done. We began by cutting the grass, and then started the much longer task of filling in the floors with dirt and carrying trees and bricks from different areas of the village to the construction site. We became professionals at the brick tossing line. The medical clinic changed rapidly, but was paused on certain days because of an extended rainy season in East Africa that year. We didn't let the rain stop us! On some days, we would work through the rain, and other days we would search for additional ways to help out on the compound. In addition to the build, we would also assist with farming on the local grounds.
The team began helping in the kitchens on a daily basis. A few team members built amazing relationships with the nuns that were working in the kitchen and would assist with meal preparation. We would also do our team's dishes and help clean the school buildings. There was lots to keep us busy with.
Outside of the build and other daily routines, we spent a lot of time bonding with the children and staff of Byana Mary Hill. The teaching staff at Byana were around the same age as our team members and the team became great friends with them. One of the teachers ran language lessons for us, as we were taught the basics of the Luganda language. They taught us a Ugandan card game, matatu, which all of us quickly became addicted to- especially on those rainy days. We also prepared a storytime for the children in which we acted out books found in their school library. We learned a lot about the rich religious history of Byana Mary Hill, and a few team members attended the local church services on Sundays. The nights were spent around the campfire, playing music, talking and doing the most spectacular star gazing of our lives.
On one weekend we visited Masaka, a town close by to us. We scoured the local markets and bought some souvenirs for friends and family back home. The team also took a long bus ride to Queen Elizabeth National Park and the Kyamburo Gorge where we saw lions, hippos, antelopes, water buffalo, chimpanzees and lots of elephants.
In our last few days at Byana Mary Hill, two team members organized a soccer tournament with the local children in which the winning team was awarded a trophy! The team also collecitvely prepared a cultural exchange to perform for the students and staff where we taught them about the traditions of Canadian culture. We performed a song that one of our talented team members had written about the trip, and lots of small sketches and dances that had the staff and students laughing along with us. We concluded the night dancing to our team's favourite song with all the staff and students.
Our final day at Byana Mary Hill was filled with goodbyes. We were told that the medical clinic would be named "Friends of Ryerson (Toronto Metropolitan University)", which touched us immensely.
The team's time together at Byana Mary Hill proved to be very special for everyone. We came together to make wonderful, long lasting friendships with each other and with the local staff who many of us still keep in contact with. Byana Mary Hill is a beautiful and unique place where the team was able to grow together and take home invaluable lessons learned not only about others, but about ourselves.