Nambale Primary School, Uganda: In Pictures

Nambale Primary School, Uganda: In Pictures 

I hope you enjoy viewing our experiences from our perspective across the four weeks we spent at Nambale just as much as I have enjoyed reliving those experiences by fondly recounting a selection of the most special moments with Play Action International (PAI). Captions are written below the corresponding set of photos. 

Are you ready to be virtually transported to a remote rural area in the heart of the Pearl of Africa? 

View from the boys’ dormitory overlooking the school front courtyard area including classrooms for prep-aged children and a large-scaled football pitch marked on the open field. When we arrived there were mounds of tyres ready to be planted into the some thirty holes that took roughly a week to be dug using primitive equipment. This snapshot presents the importance of using upcycled materials which is consistent with sustainability and environmental goals set by PAI. Coincidently, I noticed that this approach to promote upcycling is commonly shared with the ‘make do and mend’ attitude demonstrated generally by the local culture but more specifically originating from the agricultural working roots.

It is therefore unsurprising that, underpinned by their naturally creative and curious minds as well as their technical competence, when having conversations about future career aspirations a significant proportion of children wanted to become engineers, mechanics, or builders. With this in mind, our involvement at Nambale seemed even more poignant as an advancement in playground facilities would improve their general schooling performance which would in turn promote a higher turnout of qualified employees to enrich the infrastructure industry nationwide. An appropriate example of ‘getting out just as much as is put in’ in this case kickstarted by PAI. The building frames were partly pre-welded by the building supervisors and fully constructed in-situ in the playground site. You can sense a buzz of activity and excitement from the children as they welcome us on our first day. 

"Our visitors from overseas, we are happy to receive you. When we heard of your coming our hearts were full of happiness"

A heart felt and emotional message written by the children on the classroom chalkboard in the lads’ dormitory. A reminder that the apprehension, disorientation, and exhaustion as a consequence of over 20 hours of travelling would be totally worthwhile. Every unsettling emotion arguably experienced by all 21 volunteers during the transfer from the airport to Nambale, most of whom were complete strangers to one another, dissipated by the warmest of receptions.

 

View from the latrines situated at the edge of the school campus. We would always be greeted by the boarders each time we’d take a trip to the toilets and we took this opportunity to practise our small talk in the local languages: Luganda and Lusoga. The outbuildings were previously constructed and painted by the Henry van Straubenzee Memorial Fund (HvSMF) and also funded by Gurnsey Overseas Aid and Development commission in 2021.

The volunteers’ block of latrines. This was probably one of the main contributors to the culture shock experienced upon arrival, especially for those who were unaware of a latrine of this style or “squatty potty” as I affectionately referred to them as! ‘Drop Zone One’ was my preferred choice! We have since developed stronger quadriceps, improved our balance, and learnt that the position assumed was actually conducive! I reckon that toilet humour triggered by this unfamiliar setup for some was a way to adapt to the change in environment. A particularly interesting observation was that as a result of adapting to our living conditions at Nambale our true personalities and vulnerabilities were revealed. Socially, it was a perfect learning opportunity to understand and respect people’s varying coping strategies in attempt to embrace the culture shock.

The trip back from the latrines passing classrooms and Monica’s (our on-site cook) make shift kitchen pantry where she’d prepare all three meals of the day using freshly sourced fruits and vegetables as well as meat! One of two pumps is featured in the background encircled by children waiting to fill up their Jerry cans. The children were very generous and insisted that they'd take the strain of the pumping and fill our Jerry cans up themselves. After feeling slightly guilty for accepting their offer we later returned the favour which further emphasised our mutual respect and strengthened the relationships we had fostered over the month.

 

The Play Action International logo that I painted on one of the then-to-be rooves that would be welded atop the climbing bases. Upon taking short breaks between painting sessions, I would look up and appreciate the contrast between the redundant play equipment in the background that had seen better days; a reminder that without the financial support from our donors this transformation including renovation and construction towards a new era of play would not have been possible.

 On behalf of the Nambale volunteering cohort, thank you for facilitating our involvement in this transformation. Your donations and support will make a significant difference to future generations.

Weather familiar to British folk which corrected our misconceptions of the equatorial climate before arriving. Heavy rain showers are not uncommon in Uganda as well as other East African community neighbours. Despite the sustained humidity we found the rain strangely comforting and refreshing and embraced the heavy downpours by dancing and playing football with the children- it was such a joyful occasion to share.

 

View of the playground before and after construction commenced situated behind classrooms and headmaster’s office (top right). Typical Ugandan evenings offered a beautiful contrast between the clear blue sky and vegetation shadowed by the outbuildings at sunset. The subsequent light hours would last for a much shorter period than those in the UK on a summer evening; head torches would be used as much as an hour after this picture was taken. It must have been a novelty for the boarders to spot us scuttle off to the toilets with our dazzling head torches! The evenings were so peaceful and we have never felt closer to the astronomical wonders above in the star-studded clear skies. There was something comforting about the thought that the many constellations above African soil were also those spanning the skies back home.

 

The first stage of construction: digging out the holes for the foundations. The depth and shape of holes varied depending on the size of support required for each piece of apparatus but our pick-axed dug cavities ranged roughly from 1.5 to 4ft deep. The use of primitive tools such as axes, hoes and spades made the finished product even more satisfying after approximately a week as opposed to using a JCB. We could only proceed to excavate at a new site once the supervisory building team in Salim (Chief Builder), “Little Ronnie” and “Big Ronnie” had officially approved of our previous holes. As frustrating as it might have seemed digging forever for the sake of half a foot further in depth, it was reassuring that quality control was being enforced at every stage of construction. There’s no denying that it was tough work especially during the midday heat however, the sustained momentum and high morale throughout the digging phase was testament to the camaraderie and motivational drive of the team. In fact this was probably the most enjoyable part of the construction, even over painting and decorating!

 

 

Partly constructed playground taken from the entrance of the school. The climbing apparatus and slide platforms had been erected and most tyres had been dropped.

Washing up duties outside Monica’s kitchen after lunch. Washing progress would always depend on the efficiency of the ‘water filling’ group that had the responsibility of filling over 10 Jerry can’s worth of water from the pump each day. Each can held roughly 10 litres so they were very heavy to carry. We would often take one can in each hand for balance if possible otherwise we would copy the children taking one can at a time and using a friend to support the outstretched free arm during transit. We found that as the weeks went on, in order to get by more comfortably and effectively with the resources available we tried to implement the practicalities of the children’s routines into our own. This is true of hand-washing our clothes which the children (and teachers) found both amusing and embarrassing. We conceded to our own embarrassment and thoughts of being judged and allowed those who kindly insisted to demonstrate their undoubtedly more efficient methods of scrubbing and rinsing. Although there were conflicts of technique, the fact there were no conflicts of interest meant that you had to learn to accept the help of those who are better versed; a valuable lesson to openly take criticism and integrate into a local society where washing machines are nowhere to be seen.   

A friendly wave goodbye as we temporarily leave Nambale school for a short weekend at Adrift (30 Km northwest of Jinja with the direction of the Nile). When returning to the school the children were just as excited to see us than when we initially set up camp.

 

Geographical positions of Uganda, Jinja and Nambale Primary School, Namwendwa (marked by the red pin). It took approximately 2 hours to drive from Nambale to Jinja and 3 hours from Jinja to Entebbe airport. 

Refreshing morning fruit break between two-hour slots of construction and decorating. The taste and textures of these exotic fruits trumped those from any you’d find in a local supermarket back home!

 

 

Sleeping arrangements in the boys’ dorm. Mosquito nets were suspended to string which was stretched across the entire width of the classroom; an effective use of improvisation. The mattresses provided were surprisingly comfy however the mosquito nets proved to be more of a pest than the pests against which they were preventing! Some of the lads had recounted how they’d woken up to find their heads poking out of the net with a fear of being free fresh meat throughout the night. During our stay we were accompanied by a resident bat (eventually scooped up and thrown out by a bucket) and a mouse sheltering amongst the jungle of work tools (we never managed to win at our endless game of hide and seek).

 

 

 Interacting with the school children through play in the form of a pull-up competition. I think this picture encapsulates the interest, fascination, wonder and engagement of the children towards us white tourists (affectionately labelled ‘Mzungu’ in the vernacular) as well as the activities we’d spontaneously set up and perform. Similar sized crowds would amass in response to what we would consider as the simplest of stimuli such as writing our journals, reading books or even generally chatting amongst ourselves. One moment you’d be immersed in your own thoughts of peaceful reflection, then very quickly you’d feel a cloud of warmth behind you as a class full of children curiously but timidly encroach inwards. You often felt intrigued by their own intrigue and shifted the perspective of putting yourself in their shoes. As much as it was a privilege being at the centre of attention, it was also difficult to establish and maintain our own personal space- something which is taken for granted at home. It was equally difficult to communicate this desire without sounding disrespectful or abrupt to the children when trying to address the breach of our own social boundaries. It didn’t take long for the children to understand and willingly accepted our polite request for a bit of peace and quiet!

 

Decorating phase complete! The colours of the Ugandan national flag (red, yellow and black) as well as nationally associated animals (elephants, zebras and the national bird of Uganda: the Grey Crowned Crane) were unifying themes across the playground especially noticeable in  some of the intricately painted tyres.

 

 

As a PAI tradition, we ended the last day of decorating by painting and printing our hands onto the inside of the slides- a deserved signature of our contributions of the month and a mark of the legacy we have left behind for years of happiness and fun, all through the language the children know best: play.

 

 

These pictures are of the hype around cutting the paper chain that the children had collaboratively made during a creative play session to mark the official opening of the playground. The rest of the day was packed with festivities, and we were treated to a deeply moving and special 4 hour ceremony with speeches from members of the school committee and children thanking us through the media of traditional signing and dancing performances from each of the classes.

Team Mzungu including our building supervisors post-match

Group picture of both teams post-victory!

Hoof it but let's not Kane it over the crossbar!

It's heading for the top right corner...

Ricochets the crossbar and across the line- get in there!!!

Save this one, Ryan, and we win.

Putting all that yoga experience into practice with that stretch. What. A. Save!

Victory! A feeling that cannot be described with words.

One of the lads’ highlights was a friendly, but highly competitive, game of football: Team Mzungu VS Uganda Nambale Team composed of both children and teachers. After playing 45 minute halves with a score of 1-1 the game had to be settled by a penalty shootout.

Team Mzungu won. We later arranged a rematch on the afternoon of open day which saw us victorious for a second time! It was an opportunity that really put us through our paces however, their level of physical fitness and agility was unmatched.

The pictures above highlight the enjoyment and respect shared by winners and losers alike through the beautiful universal language of football.

 

 

A few moments before we departed Nambale Primary School for the final time- a day full of mixed emotions. (From top left to bottom right: Saleem, Big Ronnie, Abbie, Josh, Ebony, Grace, Emily, Chelsea, Ryan, Ashley, Tegan, Holly, Holly, Monica, Ella, Millie, Alex, Peter, Rory, Little Ronnie, Clara, Jacob, Julia, Adam, Harry, Morgan, Kate).