2023 Travel Blog - follow our adventures as we work together with our partners in Uganda who are equally committed to helping vulnerable populations secure a future of independence. 

Rest in Peach Jemimah

We are devasted to learn of the passing of Jemimah Semakadde on July 2nd. Jemimah is the proprietor of Banana Village - our base when we are in Entebbe. We love Banana Village and Diana and the entire staff there. Our hearts are breaking for them as they mourn the loss of a great woman. Jemimah was very active in the Entebbe Rotary which has helped with arranging the memorial service for her today and burial tomrorrow. 

Improving the lives of vulnerable children

Departure Day! 

Our 2023 Team consists of 12 individuals from Carlow University in Pittsburgh and 6 from St. Angela's College in Sligo, Ireland. Nine are nursing students - both undergrad and grad, general nursing and nurse practitioners. We have six faculty in nursing, special education and philosophy and two volunteers who are inspired by our work and willing to take time out of their lives to help us. 

We are grateful for everyone's support! So many people helped us with donations and fundraising this year that we have a wealth of materials and support for our projects. And, we hope to keep you informed of the results of your efforts to collect glasses, provide hygiene products, school materials and monetary gifts. 

To that end, we will try to provide daily updates of our work. However, we often run into issues with wifi and electricity which will delay our blog postings. 

We are excited to report that Sam and Will Baron's well in Fort Portal is completed! Sam and Will were part of our 2017 team and met Nem Gilbert during their visit. Nem was our guide and shared how clean water could transform his community. Their mom, Rori Brawer Baron, had raised funds for a well previously so the nut doesn't fall far from the tree. 

Travel to Uganda will take between 25 - 30 hours. For those of us leaving Pittsburgh, we fly to Newark, then Brussels, a stop in Rwanda and then on to Entebbe. It's a bit nerve wracking to think about all of the possible ways that the airlines can lose our luggage. And when misplaced luggage arrives later to the Entebbe Airport it is almost impossible to retrieve it. Everyone checks two bags - one with their clothes and one with donations. I have 3 bags this year - one with my stuff, one with eyeglasses (thanks Betsy Levine Brown!) and another with sports equipment (thanks Carlow Soccer!) 

July 7, 2023