Title: The Cowans in Kampala (Uganda)

Status: Active

URL: http://thecowansinkampala.blogspot.com/

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Final Farewells - 21/Nov/2010 08:06 - 4898 days ago
Having postponed it so many times, we would not blame you for thinking we may never leave Uganda. But we are now ...
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Party on...! - 21/Nov/2010 08:05 - 4898 days ago
As promised, here is a link to a short film of the children's party we held for the Namuwongo community a fe...
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'I now declare this building open...' - 15/Nov/2010 18:02 - 4904 days ago
It's not every day you get to open a new building complete with a plaque with your name on it, so we felt very privileged and pr...
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Adding an Appendix to our Stay in Uganda! - 07/Nov/2010 18:08 - 4912 days ago
 With just a matter of days remaining of our stay in Uganda, we thought it remiss that our medical exposure here be li...
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All Things Bright and Beautiful! - 23/Oct/2010 18:45 - 4927 days ago
We rounded up the VSO Kampala group and took them to Royal Pride school in Mutungo slum for a day of painting. Despite havi...
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A party to remember....!!! - 23/Oct/2010 17:58 - 4927 days ago
Thanks to so many of you who donated party goodies, time and money, we managed to give 400+ of the local Namuwongo kids a d...
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Rwandan Birthday! - 21/Oct/2010 21:05 - 4929 days ago
Alan's 38th year was heralded by a beautiful birthday breakfast on the banks of Lake Kivu in Rwanda, marred only slightly by the...
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Rarer than the mountain gorilla.... - 20/Oct/2010 15:42 - 4930 days ago
...is the Coventry City supporter! However we managed to track one down in the wild bush of South Western Uganda. Here he is spo...
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Off into the wild... - 20/Oct/2010 09:28 - 4930 days ago
Together with Alison's brother and his girlfriend, we headed out to the West of Uganda towards Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, one o...
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Dragon's Den- African Style! - 20/Oct/2010 09:27 - 4930 days ago
As part of the income generation project with the Touch Namuwongo Community volunteers, Alan organised a Dragon's Den style foru...
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...last patient of the day - 28/Sep/2010 17:38 - 4952 days ago
We figured it was time to update you on the progress of the Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) programme which Alison has been...
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Mucking Out...! - 27/Sep/2010 06:44 - 4953 days ago
Kampala is filthy! Almost everywhere you look there are piles of rubbish. The drains are clogged with plastic bags. You often ge...
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Who needs Barbie... - 21/Sep/2010 19:24 - 4959 days ago
...when you can make one of these!!?Bella gets into the local crafts and seems quite pleased with her handiwork....
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Seventies Revival! - 21/Sep/2010 17:56 - 4959 days ago
Two of our good friends, Natalie and Sean, recently turned 30 and 40 respectively so they joined forces to make 70 and the obvio...
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Reaching out to the community... - 16/Sep/2010 18:38 - 4964 days ago
We recently attended one of the Outreach days run by the Touch Namuwongo project, which is part of the charitable community arm ...
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7th Heaven! - 14/Sep/2010 18:29 - 4966 days ago
Zoe had some of her friends around to celebrate her 7th birthday. There was a treasure hunt in the garden, face painting and piz...
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Painting Kampala Red... - 14/Sep/2010 17:31 - 4966 days ago
Our friend and fellow VSO volunteer Jan launched her career as artist in residence at our regular Friday eveing haunt, Fuego's. ...
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...and then we got cleaned up in the bath... - 14/Sep/2010 17:00 - 4966 days ago
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Back to Skool... - 03/Sep/2010 10:50 - 4977 days ago
All 3 girls are now back at school with Bella returning this week after Zoe and Amy returned last week. Bella was really excited...
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Then Alison's Turn... - 18/Aug/2010 07:39 - 4993 days ago
2 days after Bella's birthday, it was Alison's turn to wear the birthday cake hat of shame! We travelled back from Jinja on the ...
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Bella's Bouncing Birthday - 18/Aug/2010 06:43 - 4993 days ago
Proving that you can get hold of just about anything here for a price, we hired a bouncy castle for Bella's birthday and erected...
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Well I'll be jiggered!! - 18/Aug/2010 06:13 - 4993 days ago
Alison recently turned her hand to some minor surgery on our balcony when our friend Sabrina, who was visiting Kampala, discover...
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Working with the Parents at Royal Pride - 10/Aug/2010 07:12 - 5001 days ago
On Sunday we organised a health education day with the parents of the Royal Pride Academy. Alison came armed with various homema...
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The Humble Tippy Tap - 10/Aug/2010 07:10 - 5001 days ago
One of the things we took along to the Royal Pride School was a Heath Robinson device called a Tippy Tap. This is a basic handwa...
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More Birthday Frolics by the Lake - 10/Aug/2010 06:48 - 5001 days ago
Last weekend we returned to the scene of Amy's birthday celebrations, Lake Nabugabo. This time it was to mark our friend Jan's b...
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When Did You Last Get Serviced? - 02/Aug/2010 18:27 - 5009 days ago
Alan's artwork was put to use again (below). This time to invite staff to a health screening day that Alison had helped to organ...
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Customer Service Training at Safari Lodges... - 22/Jul/2010 18:00 - 5020 days ago
...it's a tough job, but someone has to do it! Alan landed himself a Gordon Ramsey style role of troubleshooter for a chain of 3...
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Feeling Blue - 22/Jul/2010 17:55 - 5020 days ago
the girls weren't too happy with their new roomate at one of the lodges!...
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Respect! - 22/Jul/2010 17:50 - 5020 days ago
Never again will we take Jasper for granted......
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Jasper and the girls... - 22/Jul/2010 17:49 - 5020 days ago
whilst Alan was putting the staff at the lodges through their paces, Alison was doing the same with Jasper on the roads through ...
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Cake..? Me..? Never! - 22/Jul/2010 17:44 - 5020 days ago
Bella caught in the act at a friend's 30th!...
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Bomb Avoidance - 13/Jul/2010 08:14 - 5029 days ago
You may well have heard by now about the bomb blasts in Kampala on Sunday night during the World Cup Final. Fortunately for us, ...
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Play time... - 21/Jun/2010 14:23 - 5051 days ago
Thanks to a donation from our friends Rob and Charlotte, we were able to purchase a chest for reading books and some play equipm...
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Walk on the Wild Side... - 21/Jun/2010 14:02 - 5051 days ago
We spent Heroes' Day (bank holiday) at Entebbe and visited the Botanical Gardens. Unfortunately an enormous swarm of lake flies ...
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Back to the Drawing Board 2! - 10/Jun/2010 17:35 - 5062 days ago
....and the fight against gut worms!!!!! Below is more of Alan's art work to help encourage (primarily school kids) to take thei...
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Top of the Class! - 02/Jun/2010 10:48 - 5070 days ago
International Hospital Kampala hosted a 'Scientific Day' at which medical staff presented on various topics, which were judged b...
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Back to the Drawing Board... - 02/Jun/2010 10:27 - 5070 days ago
Alan has joined Alison in the battle against STIs in Uganda by drawing up some visual educational tools to be used in the commun...
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A message from the Headmaster... - 31/May/2010 03:49 - 5072 days ago
Please see pictured the letter from Royal Pride's Headteacher and staff to those who kindly donated funds for the school. It mea...
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Half Term at Sipi Falls - 27/May/2010 09:23 - 5076 days ago
Once again combining a work trip with some sightseeing, we hit the road over the girls' half term break. We visited 2 of the IMC...
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Happy Birthday Stacey! - 27/May/2010 09:19 - 5076 days ago
We recently hosted a surprise birthday party for our friend, neighbour and fellow volunteer Stacey. Amazingly, it was the first ...
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New Pride at the Academy... - 12/May/2010 11:13 - 5091 days ago
The new floor at the Royal Pride Academy has been completed whilst the children are off on holiday. It was a bigger job than exp...
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with big thanks from Naomi... - 03/May/2010 18:44 - 5100 days ago
Thank you to all those who are helping to support Naomi and her family. If you want to follow her amazing story then do so on he...
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May Day Madness! - 03/May/2010 17:08 - 5100 days ago
One thing Kampala is not blessed with is lots of children's 'activities' so we could not resist the offer of a 'Children's Fun F...
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I wish it were that easy!! - 29/Apr/2010 19:30 - 5104 days ago
...front page headline of a national paper yesterday!! Then another bit of classic primary prevention advice follows below - ano...
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Rain Stopped Play... - 29/Apr/2010 19:08 - 5104 days ago
...but only briefly. This just shows how much Royal Pride School will benefit from the new flooring. Previously the school would...
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Hardcore! - 25/Apr/2010 11:35 - 5108 days ago
Work started on the classrooms at the Royal Pride Academy (with the funds you donated). 8 trips to the local quarry to collect s...
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Easter Island! - 25/Apr/2010 10:40 - 5108 days ago
We spent Easter chilling on an island called Bushara on Lake Bunyonyi in the lush and montainous South West of Uganda. We had to...
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It's not all work - 20/Apr/2010 08:14 - 5113 days ago
Since discovering our wonderful babysitter, Rose, we have been able to indulge in some evening social activities together withou...
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Cowan Girls on Stage! - 20/Apr/2010 07:55 - 5113 days ago
Amy and Bella recently starred in their respective class performances- Amy at Kampala's National Theatre in 'Year 3's Got Talent...
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Try avoiding this one... - 20/Apr/2010 07:45 - 5113 days ago
Pot holes take on a whole new dimension here and never again will we complain about the state of roads in St Albans...We fell vi...
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Big Thanks... - 20/Apr/2010 07:15 - 5113 days ago
..to everyone who very generously donated money to the aforementioned causes with which we are working. You are very kind and it...
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Show me the money... - 15/Mar/2010 09:51 - 5149 days ago
Several of you back home set us the onerous task of finding the most worthwhile projects here to which you could donate and be c...
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What Alan gets up to... - 15/Mar/2010 09:20 - 5149 days ago
Situated in a low-lying slum area of Kampala in Uganda on a small plot of muddy ground is a Primary School called the Royal Prid...
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and what Alison gets up to... - 15/Mar/2010 09:19 - 5149 days ago
Alison is continuing to really enjoy her work and finds it very fulfilling. All the clinics have actively engaged in the trainin...
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Meet the Grandparents II - 07/Mar/2010 17:17 - 5157 days ago
Not quite with the 11 suitcases they came out with, Alison’s parents, Alan and Maureen, have returned to chilly Blighty after ...
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THANK YOU EVERYONE! - 07/Mar/2010 06:21 - 5157 days ago
Sorry for the recent blog silence, but we have been without a working internet connection for the past few weeks. First and fore...
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Mary's Reunion... - 28/Jan/2010 18:57 - 5195 days ago
We’ve really enjoyed the company of Phil and Swanny (friends from St Mary's Medical School) over the past 3 weeks and 3 months...
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Off to Lake Nabugabo... - 28/Jan/2010 18:42 - 5195 days ago
Amy’s birthday continued with an overnight camping trip to Lake Nabugabo, an idyllic setting about 2.5 hours West of Kampala. ...
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High School Musical 8! - 28/Jan/2010 18:09 - 5195 days ago
Amys 8th birthday party was themed along High School Musical lines, especially poignant as our friend Naltalie, who is currently...
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We call it 'Playdoh'... - 15/Jan/2010 11:30 - 5208 days ago
Alan went with Bella to introduce the Ugandan children at Naomi's nursery to the wonders of Playdoh, made from flour, water, sal...
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Village Life - 15/Jan/2010 08:27 - 5208 days ago
Last weekend we visited a village 2 hours outside Kampala with new VSO arrivals Diane and Sarah. Diane's sister was adopted from...
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Ahoy me hearties...! - 15/Jan/2010 08:22 - 5208 days ago
Amy and Zoe went to a pirate party with their friend Sarah. Would you mess with these guys?...
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hello 2010! - 06/Jan/2010 11:08 - 5217 days ago
2009 drew to a close with horse-riding, a boat trip on Lake Victoria and even a round of golf amongst the sugar plantations. And...
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Untitled - 05/Jan/2010 19:12 - 5218 days ago
On Christmas moring, we were lucky enough to share a little Christmas spirit with our less fortunate neighbours and those stuck ...
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White Christmas (bunnies) - 05/Jan/2010 18:55 - 5218 days ago
We also managed to commission a fetching pink rabbit hutch to house the 2 Christmas bunnies that we had bought for the girls, al...
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Santa makes it to Kampala - 05/Jan/2010 18:50 - 5218 days ago
Much to the girls delight, Santa managed to find his way to our house in Kampala, although Grandpa Cowan and Alan were only too ...
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Christmas Capers - 05/Jan/2010 18:30 - 5218 days ago
We were back in Kampala in good time to enjoy the run-up to Christmas with friends and family. Amongst other things, this includ...
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Service without a smile...! - 05/Jan/2010 18:25 - 5218 days ago
Staff were thin on the ground at the Red Chilli Rest Camp in Murchison Falls…...
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Northern Exposure - 05/Jan/2010 18:07 - 5218 days ago
As well as the arrival of Christmas, we had the visit of Granny and Grandpa Cowan to look forward to. We managed to arrange a 66...
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The GrandCowans in Kampala! - 05/Jan/2010 17:46 - 5218 days ago
...obviously we don't mean these fine specimens (but we couldn't resist including them!)...
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Jude's First Birthday - 05/Jan/2010 17:28 - 5218 days ago
Sorry for the recent radio silence due to lack of reliable internet access and now the flurry of backdated news, but here we go....
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Snowmen in Africa! - 14/Dec/2009 13:45 - 5240 days ago
Christmas is approaching fast and it doesn't have the same commercial profile here as in the UK. However, we've managed to get a...
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The Gruffalo Gets Big in Kampala - 25/Nov/2009 10:35 - 5259 days ago
Following a very generous donation from the publisher Macmillan via the fantastic efforts of Ed in St Albans, Alan was able to v...
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they taste just like prawns... - 23/Nov/2009 20:04 - 5261 days ago
For one month only it's grasshopper season and you can buy them nicely sauteed on nearly every street corner in Uganda. Our Ugan...
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'Fun' Run in the Sun - 17/Nov/2009 18:45 - 5267 days ago
Putting memories of his Great North Run collapse behind him, Alan joined Alison in Sunday's 10km run through Kampala. Both survi...
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In-ger-land!!! - 17/Nov/2009 18:21 - 5267 days ago
It was 'International Rainbow Day' at Zoe and Amy's school last week and pupils were asked to come in their national dress. Not ...
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Nat and Jack arrive... - 17/Nov/2009 17:48 - 5267 days ago
Our friend Natalie recently arrived in Kampala laden with fruit, which was dissected in an alien-style autopsy. She is staying i...
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Move over Williams Sisters... - 05/Nov/2009 18:40 - 5279 days ago
...here come the Cowan girls!Coach Godfrey at the ARA is teeing them up for Wimbledon 2018- we may have to work a bit harder on ...
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a taste of Uganda... - 05/Nov/2009 18:05 - 5279 days ago
We bid farewell to Uncle Jonathan and Cousin Lucy at the weekend after they spent 10 days experiencing the delights of Uganda. H...
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The Gruffalo's Child(ren)... - 23/Oct/2009 18:12 - 5292 days ago
The girls were on half-term this week so after a trip to the cinema and a couple of trips to the ARA to go swimming, Alan took t...
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Birthday Beer and Curry - 23/Oct/2009 14:01 - 5292 days ago
Alan got to choose the destination for his birthday, so beer and curry it was. But he did have to wear a silly hat too....
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Beaten at our own game...! - 20/Oct/2009 16:36 - 5295 days ago
Alan turned out for VSO Uganda FC against the American volunteer version, Peace Corps, and to our shame we lost 5-1 having taken...
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Charlie Dimmock eat your heart out... - 19/Oct/2009 18:54 - 5296 days ago
The minature garden is coming along quite well with some help from little green fingers, although our gatekeeper was kind enough...
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The Gruffalo hits Kampala... - 07/Oct/2009 17:59 - 5308 days ago
Alan went for his second morning of teaching at the Railway Primary School today. The school largely serves the local slums and ...
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Back to Business - 01/Oct/2009 19:04 - 5314 days ago
My feet barely touched the ground on our return from the clinic visits before the 2 day workshop for the doctors and clinical of...
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Too close for comfort! - 27/Sep/2009 07:55 - 5318 days ago
Hippos are the main killers here, but luckily we took precautions......
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Into the Wild... - 27/Sep/2009 07:15 - 5318 days ago
We headed out of Kampala into the country on a road trip that combined work and pleasure. Along with Alison’s sister, Nicola, ...
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On the Road... - 10/Sep/2009 19:02 - 5335 days ago
I am still really enjoying the work here, and I have managed to visit most of the clinics now, which was my objective before the...
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Like London Buses, It's another Birthday! - 10/Sep/2009 18:55 - 5335 days ago
Hot on the heels of Alison and Bella, it was Zoe’s birthday last Friday. We celebrated with some of the other VSO volunteers a...
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Treasure Hunt - 10/Sep/2009 18:50 - 5335 days ago
Alison joined forces with 3 other brave lasses to form the Nile Special Team entering the Irish Society’s Kampala treasure hun...
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Students + After Eights = Trouble... - 26/Aug/2009 18:38 - 5350 days ago
We invited over 4 Leeds medical students for dinner this week who are doing some of their elective at International Hospital Kam...
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First Day at School - 26/Aug/2009 18:33 - 5350 days ago
Here are the girls boarding the 'school bus' for their first day at Rainbow School complete with tie-dye uniform. The day seemed...
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Can I blame the altitude? - 23/Aug/2009 18:55 - 5353 days ago
I dusted down my running gear and braved the Kampala hills this morning….and almost ground to a halt!!! I kept going, although...
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The training team is launched! - 23/Aug/2009 18:51 - 5353 days ago
The final‘training the trainers’ workshop went off without a hitch on Friday. Members of the training team had volunteered t...
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The rainy season has arrived with a vengeance! - 23/Aug/2009 18:46 - 5353 days ago
It started on the 15th August, as every Ugandan seemed to predictmuch to our amazement, and involves daily downpours like that p...
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Bella's Birthday Bash! - 16/Aug/2009 18:23 - 5360 days ago
The girls have just collapsed into bed after a day of balloons, face painting, dancing queen, party games and far too much cake ...
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