Pearl of Africa

The Pearl of Africa

Embedded in the heart of Africa, just as the oyster hides it's jewel deep within, you will find an unlikely treasure. Uganda, named "The Pearl of Africa" by Winston Churchill, is a lush and fertile country on the equator in the heart of Africa, bordered by Kenya to the East, Democratic Republic of Congo to the West, and Rwanda to the South. Despite its relatively small size, Uganda has a remarkably diverse landscape: the Kigezi highlands commonly referred to as the "Switzerland of Africa;" the legendary snow-capped (including glaciers) Rwenzori Mountains; an extinct volcano, Mt. Elgon and the still active Virunga volcanoes, home of the mountain gorillas. There are dense tropical forests, rolling savannas, fresh water lakes and breathtaking waterfalls. Uganda is home to the second largest fresh water lake in the world, Lake Victoria, the source of the river Nile. (This was where we started our 31 mile whitewater rafting the last day of our stay ... it was part of our debriefing!)

The top picture is in the village of Kumi. They have these enormous stones ... and look like small mountains. FFH has a program here that reaches out to those affected by AIDS/HIV. Below, you will see Piswa ... a mountainous region that is filled with hundreds of waterfalls ... is part of the Kapchurwa district.

Babies raising Babies

In Uganda, eighty percent of the population is under the age of 18. Uganda has one of the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the world ... all who contact it here will eventually die from AIDS or an AIDS related disease. Many more have butchered and maimed due to the instablity created by a rebel group called The Lords Resistance Army. Children are abducted as young as three by the Lord’s Resistance Army (a rebel group) and forced to become either sex slaves or soldiers.There are other groups that raid villages for the cattle. ("Cattle Raiders," tribes that will kill the people and steal the cattle.) Dispite this, the culture is very family oriented .. resulting in children raising their younger sibblings.