The Bbanga Project: Transforming lives on Kalangala Island

Today I'm taking you with me to Kalangala. Kalangala is a district on Bugala Island, the largest of the 84 Sese islands on Lake Victoria. Bugala Island is the 10th largest lake island in the world. 

Journeying to Kalangala

There are a couple of ways to get to Kalangala, one through Masaka and the other through Entebbe at Nakiwogo, where there’s a government ferry called MV Kalangala.

The ferry departs from Kalangala to Nakiwogo at 8am, and returns from Nakiwogo to Kalangala at 2pm daily. I would advise you to keep time and make sure you get to Nakiwogo before 2pm, buy your ticket, and wait for departure.

The journey takes about three and a half hours, but there's a snackbar on the ferry, so you can always grab a snack whenever you need one.

The fee for the ferry is 10,000 shillings for the second class and 14,000 shillings for the first class. First class is more comfortable, and you have access to the top of the ferry. The customer service is really good, and the hosts are dressed smartly. There's entertainment, and you'll be able to watch music on the screens, or sometimes they'll play you a movie as you sail to Kalangala. 

We were lucky to meet and speak to the engineer on board, who was responsible for the engine and has been doing this job for over 40 years. He took us to the engine. He was a great guy, very friendly, and he showed us around. I didn't really understand everything he was showing me, but it was such an experience for me to see what happens behind the scenes as we sail on the MV Kalangala ferry. 

The sail is smooth, and you get to enjoy great views of the largest freshwater body in Africa. You can see the sun setting over the lake; it really looks beautiful. 

If you've been to the pearl of Africa, then you know that Uganda is one of those countries in the world blessed with so many physical features spread across the country. Sadly many of us have done little to explore this beauty, perhaps because there's been little awareness done about their existence. This is why we try to write to you all these experiences for you to enjoy but eventually we recommend you to go out there, travel and experience these places in the pearl of Africa.

On arrival, we're welcomed by Benjamin and Peter, volunteers from Austria, at the BBbanga project. These two have mastered the art of riding a Ugandan boda boda. I was really excited to see what was happening with the project. 

The next morning, we headed out in search of breakfast at Desire Restaurant, which is probably one of the most popular restaurants in Kalangala. After breakfast, we headed off to the school, where we met some of the children supported by the Bbanga project and the volunteers as well. We saw progress on the construction of a classroom block.

The Bbanga Project

Bbanga is a non-profit association in Austria and Germany. In Uganda, Bbanga is a non-government organization based in Kalangala, and it aims at offering educational access and incentives for children, teachers, and parents,  especially women. They do this through projects that target the specific needs of people on the island. 

School building

One of these is a school project to enable as many children as possible to regularly attend a high-quality school. They have a mobile library to help more children on the islands access reading material, plus other income-generating activities that I'll be sharing later. 

The first classroom block is under construction. There are going to be four classrooms inside. There are going to be eight buildings, i.e., the main hall, kitchen, classroom blocks, and two dormitories. The school is envisioned as a boarding school in order to maximize the potential of students being in school. The school is also going to have a computer classroom. 

Mobile Library

Africa has a strong oral culture, where cultural knowledge and information have been passed down through speech from one generation to the next. Today, people cannot be active or informed citizens unless they can read, because reading is a prerequisite for almost all cultural and social activities. Children will need high levels of literacy in so many aspects of their lives. 

On top of enabling the availability and accessibility of primary education for children on the islands, Bbanga is currently the initiator of the only mobile library on the Sese islands. Books are made available to several schools and are picked up or exchanged after use. Over 2,500 reading and learning books are being used in over 10 schools on the islands. These books are not only used in schools but also in open areas in the villages to convey the passion for reading. The mobile library is continuously being expanded.

Computer Training

Part of the main hall building is used as a space for computer lessons. The children have access to laptops where they can play games, sharpen their typing skills, and learn other computer applications to help them embrace the digital aspect of learning at an early age. 

Games and Sports

Well, they say that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, so after the seriousness of reading and learning computers, we took some time to play some games. It was such a great moment to see everyone's involvement, and all the children looked forward to this very moment. 

This even gets better with the outdoor games and sports activities at the football pitch, where lots of children from the community come together for this action-packed evening of play.

We got invited to some of these games. Several of these games are facilitated by the volunteers to help the children engage both their physical and mental muscles as well as have fun. It's just amazing watching children in their element while playing these games, and at the end of it all, sports help children develop physical skills, make friends, have fun, learn teamwork, and improve their self-esteem. After these games, there is always a great opportunity to share fruits with the children, enabling them to have a varied diet and, among other things, strengthening their immune system. Fresh fruits are rarely consumed due to their high cost on the Sese Islands; therefore, this has been one of the most appreciated initiatives by both children and parents from these communities.

Bbanga Project Bakyala Tukole

As we spent more time on the island and got to interact with the locals in the community, I was really moved by how much need there is to support the people on this island, especially the women. 

We visited the “Bbanga Project Bakyala Tukole,” which is aimed at empowering and helping some of the parents of the children supported by the project, as well as other women in these communities. The initial funding and evolution of this project were carried out by the Bbanga project and were immediately handed over to the women of Kalangala, who manufacture, promote, and sell sanitary napkins and other products made by them.

These women were very welcoming, and they took me through some of the work they do, which includes making sanitary napkins, jewelry, and table mats, which you can buy to support these women.

The truth is that a visit to kalangara will change your whole perspective of how life goes on for some of these people and you will appreciate more and be grateful for every individual that goes an extra mile to help improve the lives of people living in such communities.

Last but not least, we visited Mama Susan, who takes on a job predominantly done by men, and she is thriving at it while providing for her family. This is the bricklaying project. Initially, in our tradition, bricklaying is done by men in the family, but this is a very special scenario where one of the Bbanga ladies is the one that lays these bricks.

Mama Suzan has two of her children under the sponsorship of the Bbanga project. Bbanga found that she needed help, and so they provided school fees for her kids. They also came to where she worked, and since Bbanga was doing construction for the school, they decided to come and buy bricks from her. So with that money, she's able to pay rent, and she's able to meet all the costs and care for her family.

How can one be part of the Bbanga project?

You  can join on the Bange Project and help improve the lives of various people through any of the following ways:

1. Donation

2. Volunteering

Volunteering is the best way to combine travel and development work during a sabbatical. Have you always wanted to explore new cultures away from the tourist regions and do good at the same time? Volunteering offers you the opportunity to work with people from other cultures, to support them, to learn from them, to collect important life experiences, and to keep enough experiences to report and enlighten about new impressions at home.

3. Sponsorships

These include;

• • • Fruits and Vegetables
    • Sanitary napkins
    • Mobile library
    • Swimming lessons
    • Shoes 

Join Bbanga project by reaching out on 

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

Or visit their website, bBbanga.org, to learn more