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By Jessie Stone

Even though internet access is intermittent at best in Uganda, this update is still late in arriving! Sorry about that! There has also been a lot going on… March was a great reintroduction to paddling and my New Star with the Jackson’s and various team members like Ruth, Nick, and Stephen in Uganda. The new Star is so much faster and looser and easier to get vertical that I now feel like I am in the perfect kayak for me! It’s been even easier to try new moves in the boat and of course it helped a lot having the feedback and support of so many great paddlers around. Ruth and Emily inspired me and helped me push myself to try lots of new things. And of course with EJ around, you are going to get better, and you are going to get in shape!! We lucked out completely with the water too. In the mornings, low water made club wave perfect and in the evenings, high water made Nile Special accessible from the eddy without a rope. This is playboating paradise!!

Despite the perfect paddling conditions, the team was interested to do some volunteer work too. We ran two malaria education sessions and net sales with everyone’s help, and we did follow up visits to people’s homes in Kirindi, the village right next to the Hairy Lemon. Although EJ and Emily had done a net sale with me last year, they had never done follow-ups so this was a great learning experience for everyone. Most people and paddlers alike don’t get to see that side of Ugandan life ever so it certainly provides a portrait of how malaria affects everyone. Emily is working with Soft Power Education too to build a jungle gym for the education center. That’s starting to go up right now. We are also supporting a Ugandan medical student named Stella and Emily has agreed to help me with that too! I sure am lucky to get so much help!!

As soon as the Jackson’s left Uganda, our inner city kid kayakers arrived to volunteer for their spring break. That was one amazing spring for them and for me. Straight for New York City to Uganda and rural Uganda for that matter! The group including Anthony and Rosanna, two teachers who have also been kayak students of ours, participated in malaria education and net sale programs in three rural villages and spent 2 days doing follow ups with our local educators and translators. Just to make sure all the important aspects of their Ugandan trip were covered, we also paddled the Nile. Everyone loved the river too. By the time, the week was up, the kids had a lot of information to process and luckily a couple long plane rides to get used to being back in civilization again. “Wow is the best word to describe my experience in Uganda,” Terrell wrote. “ The most important thing I learned while I was in Uganda is that I can help my people”, Shakira declared. And Jackie, the original fundraiser for mosquito nets wrote, “ …in life you shouldn’t take anything for granted and you don’t have to have everything to be happy!” I say Wow to these kids for taking on this challenge and having such open minds. Wabelano! (Thank you in Lusoga). And Let’s hope, this trip can be a regular volunteer experience for our inner city kayakers.

 

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