Buswale Centre
Buswale,a village in the north of the Busoga region, is much less cosmopolitan than Jinja, having just a few simple local shops and bars. Nevertheless, it is a lovely quiet location with a relaxed, community-based atmosphere - a place where volunteers should quickly feel at home. The nearest larger centre, about 4 km away from the volunteer house, is Namayingo town, the ‘capital’ of Namayingo district, with Buswale being on of its sub-counties. The district also encompasses the Sigulu islands of Lake Victoria, the most distant of which requires a 5 hour boat journey to the mainland. A number of the school students you will teach come from these islands and we are investigating the possibility of arranging trips here, with an overnight stay on one of the islands
In a 2011 survey the Namayingo district is shown to have a population of 220,000 with 30,000 living in the Buswale sub-county. Locals walk to the town but motorbike transport (boda-boda) is readily available and should cost about UGS 1,500 each way for the trip. There are many small shops in Namayingo but no large supermarkets.
Working in Buswale
The project involves living and working in Buswale with the parish community, and at the medical centre and schools. The location is close to the border with Kenya and at present is not connected to the electricity grid, nor is there a mains supply of water – a situation typical of rural Uganda.
The parish invited us to build a house to accommodate volunteers and the Parish Priest, Fr Richard Okau, the teachers and the community will gladly welcome volunteers.
The house has solar power and water is harvested from the roof during the rainy season and collected from a borehole in the dry season. It is located near a small trading centre, close to the school's compound. A medical clinic is also located nearby. The parish also has more than 20 other primary schools within its borders and has more than 30 acres of agricultural land close to the compound. There are a multitude of opportunities for volunteers to help in a wide variety of work here. Youth and community work, assisting at the medical centre and building/painting/agriculture tasks are possible in Buswale as well as the teaching option. This centre gives volunteers a genuine opportunity to experience rural Uganda. However, you will have the luxury of living in a house which is very comfortable, with facilities much superior to those enjoyed by most local people.
Some volunteers may wish to spend some time in each location. We will endeavour to arrange things so that your choices can be met. Exact arrangements will depend on the number of volunteers at each centre. Public taxis travel between Namayingo and Jinja and the fare is UGS 8,000 each way.
The story of Buswale Parish dates from the year 1910 when the first church was erected at a place known as Buhunya. In 1917 another Church was established at Banda which is about 16 km south of the present Church of Buswale. Buswale later became the main Centre for Catholic ceremonies in the area. The present Parish Priest is Fr. Richard Okau, whose enthusiasm and encouragement led to the establishment of the project in Buswale. Without doubt, he is responsible for this partnership between volunteers and the local community, and for this we thank him sincerely.