A life-changing study trip to Baganda, Uganda, in May taught eight Child and Youth Care students many important lessons about the industry they’re studying – and also gave them the opportunity to discover more about themselves.
“It was a humbling experience,” says first-year student Katlin Kelly. “They are happy with the little they have and yet in Canada we have more than enough and so many of us are unhappy. It was an eye-opening adventure.”
Classmate and fellow traveller Rebecca Wever agrees.
“This experience was truly amazing and life changing for me,” says Wever.
Students on the trip had the opportunity to learn about the youth care industry outside of Canada while experiencing Ugandan culture by being immersed in village life.
“We were able to see so much in the short time we were in Uganda thanks to the program put together for us by the Buiga-Sunrise organization,” explains Donna Kalau (Child and Youth Care ’86), instructor and trip coordinator. “They ensured we had opportunities to really see how people in rural Uganda live and what community, health and education looks like for them.”
Students learned about the history, traditional culture and education system of Baganda and experienced on-site clinical operations there. They also participated in field trips to other institutions including the Seeta School for the Blind.
Wever’s goal for the study trip was to gain knowledge of a different culture to have a better understanding of children from all walks of life, such as children who immigrate to Canada.
“I learned that everyone has a story and we can’t judge anybody based on what we see on the outside before we get to know what’s inside,” shares Wever. “One thing I will take away from this trip and apply to my future work will be to not take every day for granted, to be happy with everything I come across and to not worry so much about the little things in life.”
Wever, Kelly, Kalau and the rest of the CYC group returned to Canada with a new outlook towards their lives and careers. They say they learned from experience how important the role of community can be, as well as the value of perspective.
“In the field, I would love to apply the mentality that less is more,” says Kelly. “I want to show young people that they don’t need the material things to be happy; food, family and water are the most important things.”
The group was initially shocked at their perception of extreme poverty, but learned to view what they were seeing through the eyes of the villagers “When I first saw how they live, I thought of material poverty,” shares Kalau. “I had to look at what I was seeing in the context of the people I was engaged with. Many of them described that it was only food that mattered and that if they had food, all was well.”
The community is really what makes the village and the Buiga- Sunrise organization a success.
“Here in Canada, we try to remind people that children are best raised by a whole village,” says Kalau. “I saw this in action as we learned about village life in Uganda.”
Kalau coordinated the Uganda trip together with leaders of Buiga-Sunrise, a volunteer organization that provides education, health care and community-building services.
Buiga-Sunrise was founded and is directed by another Lethbridge College alumna, Nicole Van Seters (Child and Youth Care ’98).
Van Seters founded the organization in 2003 after travelling to Uganda to meet her husband Michael Mugerwa’s family.
“I met a local woman who was living with HIV/AIDS,” Van Seters recalls. “She was bedridden but despite her illness was caring for five of her own children and several orphans. I asked how I could help and she asked me to send her children to school. I considered how much she was doing with her limited resources. She was making a difference and I wanted to do the same. This was the seed that started Buiga-Sunrise.”
Today the volunteer-run organization accommodates preschool to grade two classes and will soon be adding a final grade three classroom. Buiga-Sunrise operates a clinic as well as several community programs including art education, computer resources, a goat program and an artisan/tailoring group. It is also the site of a community garden and a tea plantation. Volunteer committees in the village keep the organization running using a “community centred model for sustainability,” explains Van Seters.
Families with children attending Sunrise School either pay a small tuition fee or work in the garden or tea plantation in exchange for tuition. With the success of the garden and tea plantation, Van Seters hopes they will eventually provide Buiga-Sunrise with a long term source of income.
“Having the Child and Youth Care group at Sunrise has been a fantastic experience for everyone involved,” says Van Seters. “There is so much sharing of information. It is a unique experience to visit a country and be immersed in a new culture.”
Along with the educational opportunities arranged by Buiga-Sunrise, the group also engaged in cultural activities such as listening to traditional folktales and learning traditional dancing. “We tried the dancing but to no avail,” says Kalau. “We were a source of great laughter to those watching us trying to learn the steps. As we couldn’t catch on to their dance, we taught them the ‘chicken dance’ instead, also a source of much laughter to those locals who participated.”
Van Seters hopes more Lethbridge College students will have the opportunity to join the college’s international study program.
“This study trip has been a short introduction to Uganda,” says Van Seters. ”We would love to see some of the students come back as volunteers or visitors.”
According to Kelly, the students feel the same way.
“I would love to return and have plans to eat the matokes (bananas) off the trees that each of us had an opportunity to plant,” says Kelly. “I would also love to support the school through a fundraiser. It was a fantastic trip and I am so blessed to have been able to go.”
Visit the website buiga-sunrise.org to learn more about opportunities to sponsor, create awareness and volunteer at home and abroad to support Buiga-Sunrise.
“It was a humbling experience,” says first-year student Katlin Kelly. “They are happy with the little they have and yet in Canada we have more than enough and so many of us are unhappy. It was an eye-opening adventure.”
Classmate and fellow traveller Rebecca Wever agrees.
“This experience was truly amazing and life changing for me,” says Wever.
Students on the trip had the opportunity to learn about the youth care industry outside of Canada while experiencing Ugandan culture by being immersed in village life.
“We were able to see so much in the short time we were in Uganda thanks to the program put together for us by the Buiga-Sunrise organization,” explains Donna Kalau (Child and Youth Care ’86), instructor and trip coordinator. “They ensured we had opportunities to really see how people in rural Uganda live and what community, health and education looks like for them.”
Students learned about the history, traditional culture and education system of Baganda and experienced on-site clinical operations there. They also participated in field trips to other institutions including the Seeta School for the Blind.
Wever’s goal for the study trip was to gain knowledge of a different culture to have a better understanding of children from all walks of life, such as children who immigrate to Canada.
“I learned that everyone has a story and we can’t judge anybody based on what we see on the outside before we get to know what’s inside,” shares Wever. “One thing I will take away from this trip and apply to my future work will be to not take every day for granted, to be happy with everything I come across and to not worry so much about the little things in life.”
Wever, Kelly, Kalau and the rest of the CYC group returned to Canada with a new outlook towards their lives and careers. They say they learned from experience how important the role of community can be, as well as the value of perspective.
“In the field, I would love to apply the mentality that less is more,” says Kelly. “I want to show young people that they don’t need the material things to be happy; food, family and water are the most important things.”
The group was initially shocked at their perception of extreme poverty, but learned to view what they were seeing through the eyes of the villagers “When I first saw how they live, I thought of material poverty,” shares Kalau. “I had to look at what I was seeing in the context of the people I was engaged with. Many of them described that it was only food that mattered and that if they had food, all was well.”
The community is really what makes the village and the Buiga- Sunrise organization a success.
“Here in Canada, we try to remind people that children are best raised by a whole village,” says Kalau. “I saw this in action as we learned about village life in Uganda.”
Kalau coordinated the Uganda trip together with leaders of Buiga-Sunrise, a volunteer organization that provides education, health care and community-building services.
Buiga-Sunrise was founded and is directed by another Lethbridge College alumna, Nicole Van Seters (Child and Youth Care ’98).
Van Seters founded the organization in 2003 after travelling to Uganda to meet her husband Michael Mugerwa’s family.
“I met a local woman who was living with HIV/AIDS,” Van Seters recalls. “She was bedridden but despite her illness was caring for five of her own children and several orphans. I asked how I could help and she asked me to send her children to school. I considered how much she was doing with her limited resources. She was making a difference and I wanted to do the same. This was the seed that started Buiga-Sunrise.”
Today the volunteer-run organization accommodates preschool to grade two classes and will soon be adding a final grade three classroom. Buiga-Sunrise operates a clinic as well as several community programs including art education, computer resources, a goat program and an artisan/tailoring group. It is also the site of a community garden and a tea plantation. Volunteer committees in the village keep the organization running using a “community centred model for sustainability,” explains Van Seters.
Families with children attending Sunrise School either pay a small tuition fee or work in the garden or tea plantation in exchange for tuition. With the success of the garden and tea plantation, Van Seters hopes they will eventually provide Buiga-Sunrise with a long term source of income.
“Having the Child and Youth Care group at Sunrise has been a fantastic experience for everyone involved,” says Van Seters. “There is so much sharing of information. It is a unique experience to visit a country and be immersed in a new culture.”
Along with the educational opportunities arranged by Buiga-Sunrise, the group also engaged in cultural activities such as listening to traditional folktales and learning traditional dancing. “We tried the dancing but to no avail,” says Kalau. “We were a source of great laughter to those watching us trying to learn the steps. As we couldn’t catch on to their dance, we taught them the ‘chicken dance’ instead, also a source of much laughter to those locals who participated.”
Van Seters hopes more Lethbridge College students will have the opportunity to join the college’s international study program.
“This study trip has been a short introduction to Uganda,” says Van Seters. ”We would love to see some of the students come back as volunteers or visitors.”
According to Kelly, the students feel the same way.
“I would love to return and have plans to eat the matokes (bananas) off the trees that each of us had an opportunity to plant,” says Kelly. “I would also love to support the school through a fundraiser. It was a fantastic trip and I am so blessed to have been able to go.”
Visit the website buiga-sunrise.org to learn more about opportunities to sponsor, create awareness and volunteer at home and abroad to support Buiga-Sunrise.
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