Why are we making this trip?

It’s time for a ‘Gap Year’ (or two?).

After 30 years in the Construction Management industry, with the market at what appears to be an all-time low, we’ve decided it’s time we did something more interesting for a while.

Time to get another perspective on things.

Time to experience for ourselves how other people live: and to see if our experience can be of any use to them.

We are not ‘touring’, holidaying or going on safari. We don’t have a set destination for our travels. We will continue until either the money runs out, or we don’t want to do it any more.

We are not travelling to see different things:

We are travelling to see things differently.

We want to experience as much as possible of the real Africa and hope to travel extensively throughout the east, west and south. However, throughout our travels, we will return regularly to Kasese in Uganda where, for some years, Helene has been involved with the Amaha ‘we Uganda (Hope for Uganda) charity.

We will give whatever assistance we can to them on a variety of projects ranging from crafts’ production & distribution, to the manufacture & distribution of Fuel Briquettes & sustainable timber planting. With the support of Amaha ‘we Uganda fundraising back in Surrey, England, Helene has recently organised the manufacture of briquette presses; the training of local Co-op groups; and the production of Fuel Briquettes within a number of remote villages in the Kasese / Ruwenzori Mountain region. Briquettes are made from surplus materials (litter, coffee-grounds, banana leaves, etc) which are mulched, then dried into ‘doughnuts’ that can be used as cooking fuel.

The advantage of Fuel Briquettes are many:

They reduce the need to cut down local forested areas

     They are cheaper than timber

     They don’t need to be transported long distances (expensive)

     They burn more efficiently

     They are less carcinogenic

     Surplus production can be sold to create a small income

Our focus whilst in Uganda will primarily be on Women’s Co-operative groups and orphaned Street-Kid initiatives (with whom Amaha ‘we Uganda have been very successful in recent years).