Medical Mission Trip November 9 - 21 2017
SHOTS/VACCINATIONS NEEDED FOR TRAVEL TO UGANDA
1. Yellow Fever
2. Twinrix~vaccine for hepatitis A & B
3. Rabies
4. Typhoid
5. Zostavax~shingles vaccine
6. Menomune~Meningitis vaccine
You will also have to get malaria pills. We have had the most success with Malarone, taken daily ~ there are other options, speak to your doctor.
You will need a valid passport with more than a year left to expiration @ the time of travel.
You will need a Visa to enter Uganda. You will need to send two passport photos, the visa application and your passport to me and I get it for you.This is included in the $3,700 … I do it for you.
We will leave November 10th and return November 22nd.
Total price is $4500.00 US dollars ~ that is all inclusive, the only cash you will need is for tips ($1/day for hotel and $5/day for driver) and souvenirs. Bottled water is provided all day, everyday, you do not need to bring water..
We will have a conference call to answer any questions you might have and to go over the following points:
1. Intros
2. Credit cards
3. Travel insurance
4. Visas, passports, shots
5. Luggage
6. Things to keep in mind while we are there…
7. Money ($50 and more – year 2010 and later)
8. Conversion = $1 = 3,500 shillings
9. Activities at the school
10.Electric converters
11.Clothing
12.Ideas going forward
13.Church … dress; otherwise you can wear what you want as long as it is in good taste
14.Tips will be $1/person/day for hotel and $5/person/day for the guides.
Suggested list of supplies:
Long pants
Thick socks
Heavy shoes (optional)
cotton shirts
Rain poncho
Hat/visor
Sunscreen
Band~Aids
Baby wipes
Hand sanitizer
Protein bars
Dress for Sunday church
“Swiss army” kit
~nail file
~tweezers
~nail clippers
Wash cloth
Toilet paper
Tissues
For the flight:
Blanket (usually provided by the airline)
Travel pillow
Eye mask
“Brush up” toothbrushes
***Reminders Page***
· We are visitors in this country and guests at the school.
· We are ALWAYS representing the United States; let’s make sure we are setting a good example.
· The children look up to us, admire us and will want to imitate us. While on school grounds there is NO SMOKING and we need to be careful of what we say and our facial expressions ~ we do not want to offend them or hurt their feelings.
· The children LOVE having their picture taken but, when we are not at the school, we are not at the zoo. Please be courteous of people’s feelings ~ ask before you snap…and if they say ‘no’, then please respect that.
· This is the hard one ~ please refrain from handing out things ~ it promotes the beggar mentality we are fighting so hard to break and it can cause a huge disruption at the school and a mob on the street.
· It’s a long trip, not everyone travels the same…be considerate of everyone…I promise, you’re not the only one who’s tired!! J
· Communicate ~ if you don’t feel well, let someone know, keeping it a secret does no one any good!
· Enjoy yourself!!! This can be very heavy emotionally, but remember, you are changing these children’s lives for the better…and they yours.
Thank you for being here!
HISTORY OF SYLVIA’S CHILDREN
Sylvia Allen, President of Allen Consulting, was quite content teaching at New York University, traveling around the world doing motivational seminars and running her public relations and marketing business in Holmdel, NJ. Having taught in China, India, Ireland, Japan, Okinawa, Iceland, Canada and throughout most of the United States, she was sure that was how the rest of her life would play out. Little did she know that a trip to Uganda, Africa in 2003 would totally change her life!
Fourteen years ago Sylvia was invited to Uganda, Africa by one of her NYU students. While there she was invited by the children of the Mbiriizi Advanced Primary and Day Care School, to be their grandmother. She took the request seriously and upon returning to the United States she formed Sylvia’s Children, a 501(c)3 organization under United States IRS code.
The school has grown dramatically in the last ten years … going from 439 children (of which 136 were orphans) to 1,012 (of which 250 are orphans). The school is based on the British model and starts with baby class, moves up to top class, and then P-1 to P-7. We are creating a series of African entrepreneurship businesses that will allow the school to be self-sustaining and allow Sylvia’s Children to take this model and replicate it in another village.
In the 14 years we have been with the school all of our children have taken their P-7 exams and graduated. If they are sponsored orphans we have asked their sponsors to continue working with them at the next level … S-1 to S-6. We currently have 150 orphans in S-1 through S-6 plus 50 in college and technical schools and will continue with our orphan support as the others graduate.
“This experience has changed my life … for the better. I have learned to love and be loved, to give and to receive graciously, and to know that I can make a difference in a child’s life. I also have the joy of my children being part of organization. All else pales in comparison.”
We invite you to visit our website … www.sylviaschildren.org, get on our mailing list (just e-mail Sylvia@sylviaschildren.org to get updates), keep up-to-date by visiting http://sylviaschildren.blogspot.com … we’d love to have you experience the same joy we have had in working with these beautiful, loving, caring children who want nothing more than to hold your hand or sit on your lap. Please help us to continue making a difference in these children’s lives.
ABOUT UGANDA
95% of the homes have no electricity
95% of the homes have no running water
51% of the families live on $2.00 a day
Only 20% of the boys go beyond 7th grade
Only 17% of the girls go beyond 7th grade
Median age in Uganda is 15 (in the United States it is 35)
2,500,000 Ugandan children are orphans
1,500,000 orphans are as a result of AIDS
Population is 33,367,792
51% are women
56% of the population is children (18 and under)
Currency is the shilling … $1 = 3,500 shillings
The President since 1986 is Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI
There are 56 districts
The government is a pseudo-Democracy
Religions = Roman Catholic 33%, Protestant 33%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs 18%
Languages … English, Lugandan, Swahili
Literacy rate … 69%
There are 17 tribes
Uganda sits astride the Equator
12 hours of sunlight daily, temperatures average in the low 80’s
Three rainy seasons
School has three sessions, running from January to November
***Information on Uganda ***
Uganda
Uganda is a beautiful country located on the equator in the great continent of Africa. Its neighboring countries are Sudan to the North, Kenya to the East, Republic of Congo to the West, Tanzania and Rwanda to the South.Uganda is located on the most fertile plateau of Africa at a htwelve of 1200 meters above sea level. Uganda has been called a land of lakes because there are many lakes covering almost a third of the country. Lake Victoria which is the largest in Africa dominates the southern part of the country.
Where Uganda is located
There are also lakes- Edward and Albert in the west. In the center of Uganda is lake Kyoga and kwania which are fed by water from the river Nile. Other lakes include lake Bunyonyi, lake Bisina near Mt Elgon. There is a lot of activity on the lakes in Uganda including fishing, sport, and white water rafting on river Nile.
Kampala is the capital city of Uganda
The capital city of Uganda is Kampala but there are many other smaller towns which include Entebbe where the main airport is Located and Jinja which is the industrial town.
The towns mentioned above are very near lake Victoria and Jinja is at the source of the river Nile.Uganda is a nation which was made when many small kingdoms and chiefdoms were united. There is still a real sense of strong culture and heritage which is noticeable through over 40 languages, various traditional costumes, food, music and dance.
The official language in Uganda is English but Swahili and luganda is also widely spoken. There are 48 different tribes in Uganda. 80 percent of the population live in rural areas where the major activity is farming.
Vegetation
Uganda has exceptional diversity of vegetation. It is between the Tropical East African Savanna and the West African rainforest zones. Seven of the 18 plant kingdoms of Africa are found in Uganda. Some of the vegetation found in Uganda is endangered species and is jealously protected.
National Parks and Tourist attractions
There are many national parks where Uganda's wild life can be seen. Queen Elizabeth national park is one of the major ones and there you can see, Hippopotami, elephants, hyena, waterbucks, bushbuck, buffalo, warthogs, kobs, pelican and eagles and a lot more.
Other areas of interest include Murchison falls National park, Bwindi impenetrable forest, Mgahinga Gorilla, Kibale Forest, Kidepo valley national park, Mount Elgon game park, Semiliki valley park, Lake Mburo National park, Rwenzori Mountains, The Ssese Islands, Bujagali falls, Kasubi tombs, Mabira forest, Mpanga forest, Budongo Forest and much more.
Weather
Uganda's equatorial climate has got a cool breeze that comes in from mountains, and the lush green vegetation which results into rainfall. There are 2 rain seasons in Uganda March to May and November to December. The sun rises between 6:30 and 7:00 and sets between 6:30 and 7:00 in the evening which gives 12 hours of day light every day for 12 Months. Uganda is sunny most of the year with temperatures rarely above 29 degrees centigrade.
Uganda’s symbols
The symbols of Uganda are the kob and the crested crane. These are seen on most official documents, are also printed on money and on the Ugandan flag.
The Uganda flag is made of 3 strips of colors going across: Black- signifies the African brother hood and the fact that Ugandans are predominantly black people, Yellow shows that Uganda is located on the equator and receives sunshine throughout the year and red represents the international blood brotherhood. It means that regardless of color or race, all people are the same since we all have red blood.
The crested crane or the bird in the middle of the flag is a national symbol because its feathers have got all the colors of the Uganda flag.
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