Engage East- Africa | Uganda & Rwanda

The two weeks I spent in Uganda with the Engage East-Africa program was truly the most amazing two weeks of my life. This trip solidified my want to enter the world of International Development and I am so grateful for the impact it had on me. While overseas we focused on four overall themes, Public Health, Youth Sport and Education, Social Entrepreneurship, and Peace Conflict and Reconciliation, which we did in Rwanda. None of these sectors failed to inform or inspire. Each organization we had the pleasure of visiting and meeting with, not only helped me recognize problems faced daily by the people of Uganda but also what needs to be done and what currently is being done. These people had so much love and passion for what they were doing it was so encouraging. Each member of the Engage team was supportive, educated and kind. Being in as different of a country as Uganda, can be difficult and the team was always there if you had any questions at all. Never on this trip did I feel I was put in danger and each part easily exceeded any expectation that I had. Not only did I, academically learn more than I ever have in only two weeks, I was also able to learn so much about Ugandan life seeing as I was lucky enough to be immersed in the cuIture.

I did this program last year when I was a grade eleven student at West Vancouver Secondary School. The course the program included prior to the actual trip was on it’s own eye opening and incredibly interesting. Every class inspired me to expand my knowledge of our world and the current issues going on around the globe. Besides the classes, the actual trip exceeded every expectation I had. The supervisors always made us feel completely safe and were very knowledgeable. They also helped make the whole experience a lot of fun and became my friends by the end of the trip. The trip showed me the dire need for assistance in these developing countries as well as the strength and wisdom of their citizens. I met some of the strongest and most respectable people I have ever met while in Uganda. I was a witness to the vast amount of creativity and strength human beings have within themselves when confronted with the most challenging situations. In particular, the trip taught me the importance of action as opposed to just nice thoughts. We need to recognize the power we all have within us and the effect one individual can have on many. I think everyone needs to do a trip like this at some point in their life. I learned things from this trip that is impossible to fully grasp from simply reading a textbook.