A trip to Nebbi

Finally we arrived in Uganda.
Leaving from Kampala we drive towards Omyer in the district of Nebbi.
450 km, a quite adventurous trip in chaotic and disordered traffic, over incoherent and dusty roads.
Father Enrico is an expert driver in the area, mastering the local dialects.

In one way, having an expert guide is reassuring, whilst he navigates our pick up truck to avoid holes in the road that sometimes turn into huge gaps, avoiding the frequent pedestrians transporting water-casks with water they recently gathered from the scarce wells, or carrying sheaves of wood that they had to chop with their “machetes”
Cows, sheep, goats and chicken are embellishing our drive, not far away from the frequent villages with miserable cottages made of mud and with thatched roofs.

Women and children stretched out on the ground, endeavouring their play and their occupation.
These are images of the daily life and struggle that vary from the fields with vegetables, bananas, mango, papaya and other local fruits.
Limited plantations of tea and sugar canes pinch space from a luxuriant forest, making good use of the fertile ground and an ideal climate that apparently seems to ease the daily work in the fields.

These are images that are being printed in our memory; together with the inevitable thought on our privilege not having to live such kind of life where malaria, Aids and famine kill with an impressive speed, in such a way that in this area, life expectations do not go beyond 45.
Fortunately there are people like Mario and Claudia from “Amici di Angel Onlus”, who dedicated 50 years of their lives to these areas and founded a hospital where they welcome anyone in need of care.

And of course there are also the Combonian missionaries that always have been bringing comfort to all people in great need, be it morally of materially.
We had the opportunity of getting to know them in person and we officially thank them for their work and their contribution in controlling the correct use of the funds and following up on the construction works.

Thank you P.Gino and F.Gianni.

Here we are at our school


It looks like everything is under control and clean.
The recent constructions of the shelters for the teachers, the dormitories, the kitchens, the library and the class-rooms are well arranged over the vast properties of the Comboni College.


The laboratory is still under construction and a group of workers are finishing the roof structure and plastering inside.
We give a hearty welcome to P.Raphael, Director of the school, together with the team of teachers and all members of the Board.
Let’s dedicate our time to make a point on the situation.


There are not many boys at the College as it is a holiday period. However, the fourth class is complete and glitter in their uniform.
Already 126 boys visit the college and many of them sleep at the campus.

Nevertheless, some twenty of them left school due to either economical problems or for disciplinary motives.

We need to think of the college’s future, its immediate priorities and on the investments that are still required in order to create an institution that is able to support itself economically, by containing the cost and taking full advantage of the 180.000 shilling, approximately 70 euro that every student needs to pay every term.
Board and lodging as well as college expenses are included in this figure.


What do we need right now?

In order to obtain a budget equilibrium, we need a minimum of 300 students.
However, in order to admit them a second dormitory as well as another building with class-rooms will need to be built.
Let’s add to this another means of transportation for the provision of daily food and water, a millstone for the kitchen and a solar system to provide electricity for all these buildings and it brings us to a total of 165.000 euro that will be needed to complete the college.

We look forward to collect the necessary funds within the coming 18 months, either through private sponsoring from friends and relations, or by soliciting donations from businesses that we come in contact with.
The organisation of theatre- and culinary events will continue to obtain additional funding as they already did in the past.
In addition, let’s think of structuring the collection of additional funds through a program of adoption at distance and which we will present soonest.
We set ourselves an ambitious objective.

Finance the college expenses by means of this program for at least some fifty students. The selection criteria are simple. We will mainly take care of boys that are orphans and meritorious according to the scholastic profile but we will also look into the case of families having a difficulty in paying the annual college expense in total.

We also count on your generosity. Do not stay indifferent and help us in making our African dream come true, that brick upon brick becomes a reality.
The pictures that you have seen in this mail clearly show the situation of our school. We are also preparing a video that, if you would like so, we hope to show you soon.

See you soon African Dreamer,

Vincenzo and Antonella