JUNE NEWSLETTER: JOIN US IN UGANDA FOR AN ADVENTURE THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE

The Great Rift Valley in Queen Elizabeth National Park

This October, Brick by Brick invites you to join us for two weeks in Uganda. Sub-saharan Africa is a popular destination for tourists from around the world. Millions of people travel to the beautiful savannahs of the Great Rift Valley, to discover first hand the incredible array of wildlife found there. But Uganda has so much more to offer than its natural beauty. For the past fifteen years, Brick by Brick has partnered with the people of Uganda to chart a path that builds healthy communities and a sustainable future. Our Ugandan adventure will present you with this county’s beautiful landscape and wildlife, while introducing you to its greatest asset, our people. You will also have the deep satisfaction knowing that this once in a lifetime adventure will contribute to greatly expanding our impact for the half million people we serve every year.

We begin our journey with a welcoming dinner with our senior staff, where you will get to know the extraordinary people who make our work possible. We will then travel to Lake Bunyoni, the serene crater lake, surrounded by terraced hills, the Switzerland of Uganda.

Lake Bunyoni of Southwestern Uganda

After relaxing days spent swimming and canoeing on this beautiful lake, we will travel to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, the home of most of the 1000 mountain gorillas still living in the wild. Treking mountain gorillas allows you the indescribable experience of sitting in silence amongst a community of these extraordinary beings.

Young mountain gorilla in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

We will then fly to Queen Elizabeth National Park, located in the heart of the Great Rift Valley, where you will see herds of elephants and antelopes, prides of lions and trek our closest cousins the chimpanzees. From Queen Elizabeth we fly to Murchison Falls National Park, where the Nile begins its 4000 mile journey to the Mediterranean Sea. Imagine waking at sunrise to watch as herds of elephants drink from the Nile River.

After nine wondrous days experiencing Uganda’s natural beauty, we now reach the highlight of our trip. For while Uganda is blessed with a beautiful environment, its greatest assets are the people with whom we have worked for the past fifteen years, building healthy communities and a sustainable future. The final days of our journey will be spent meeting and working alongside our dedicated staff, local partners, and the people who benefit from the work that your support of Brick by Brick makes possible. You will meet with our mentor midwives and Mama and Papa Ambassadors, champions of maternal and newborn health that are the heart and soul of the BAMA Program. You’ll visit the new NICUs and adolescent-friendly clinics established this year for the first time in our two districts. Dr. Eleanor Nakintu, the only obstetrician serving a half million people will share with you the dramatic improvements we have made over the past three years in maternal and newborn health. Visiting our partnering schools, you’ll see first hand the fruits of our partnership with rural communities in completely rebuilding crumbling classrooms and meet the young women who have benefitted from our innovative My Pads Program. You will even get to make our environmentally-friendly interlocking bricks, alongside the skilled masons of Brick by Brick Construction Company.

By now, you see that this will not be an ordinary African safari vacation, but rather a unique opportunity to experience the beauty of Uganda, as well as the courage and strength of our communities. We can’t wait to share our country and our work. For more information about this great adventure please email us at: info@brickbybrick.org.

Here’s more information about our trip:

Cost: $7500 which includes:

• Round trip flight on Emirates Airlines (JFK to Entebbe via Dubai)

• All transport, accommodations and meals, including three in-country flights between three national parks

• All National Park entry fees, including gorilla and chimp trekking permits

Here’s Our Itinerary

• Friday October 18: Flight from JFK

• Saturday October 19: Arrive in Entebbe Uganda Drive to Masaka Welcome Diner with Brick by Brick Staff in Masaka

• Sunday October 20: Depart for Lake Bunyoni

• Monday October 21: Enjoy beautiful Lake Bunyoni

• Tuesday October 22: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

• Wednesday October 23: Gorilla trekking

• Thursday October 24: Afternoon flight to Queen Elizabeth National Park

• Friday October 25 and Saturday October 26: Safari Game Drives and chimpanzee trekking

• Sunday October 27: Flight to Murchison Falls National Park

• Monday October 28: Safari Game Drives and/or boat ride to falls

• Tuesday October 29: Additional safari game drives and/or boat ride to falls

• Flight to Entebbe and transfer to Masaka/Kalisizo

• Wednesday October 30 to Friday November 1: Meet the Brick by Brick staff and visit with local communities and program beneficiaries

• Friday November 1: Farewell dinner and BBQ with Brick by Brick staff

• Saturday November 2: Drive to Entebbe for flight to JFK

• Sunday November 3: Arrive at JFK