1st December - World AIDS Day

1 December is a big day in Uganda, and in other countries where HIV / AIDS touches so many lives. The celebration event was organised by the National Association of People Living with HIV / AIDS. VSO helped with some of the organising and sponsored T shirts and drinking water. Staff from the VSO Uganda Office along with several VSO volunteers took part in the celebrations and the march which preceded them. VSO staff and volunteers on the march
Young people from an organisation supported by the Most At Risk Populations (MARPs) Network which Ian works for
Here are the brilliant volunteers from Touch Namuwongo, the group that organised the community clean up that this blog reported on in September
The celebrations took place in a primary school on the outskirts of Kampala, here children from the school perform a song they had written for the day
An exhibition of art work produced by Kampala Senior Secondary School students
Renate and her friend Romaine, catching their breath after the two hour march - both have the catchy title of "non volunteering accompanying partners" - load of rubbish - both are busy volunteers - Renate with the donor mapping work she's doing for VSO Uganda and Romaine is busy helping out at a nursery school near where she lives teaching "Jollyphonics" and supporting other teachers in the school to teach it as well.

A great holiday with our friends David and Gina from Sheffield

It's been 9 months since Renate and Ian arrived in Uganda - a holiday was due and their good friends David and Gina from Sheffield came out to visit Uganda during the last two weeks of November. A journey taking in Kibale Forest and the Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda was undertaken! Here are some images from the holiday.David and Gina's first full day in Uganda was spent relaxing in Entebbe by Lake Victoria and the Botanical Gardens are home to a clutch of Vervet Monkeys - who like to be fed
This baby was just two days old
From the sublime quiet of the Botanical Gardens to the manic rush of Kampala's taxi park - needs to be seen to be believed!
The view from the cottage / tree house accommodation in Kibale Forest - the evening sun is catching the density of the forest trees
Here, Gina, Renate and David are with Julius the guide from the community project that manages the Bigodi Swamp near Kibale Forest - this wooden walkway is 300 metres long and was constructed by volunteers from the nearby village. 50% of tourist fees are used to pay for community development projects in the village.
Chimps grooming each other in Kibale Forest
The tree house in Bigodi Swamp provides a great place to view the Forest canopy
Also a good place to relax and have a laugh!
Mother and baby black and white Colobus monkeys at Bigodi
Here's a croc with his gob open at the Kazinga Channel which runs between Lake Edward and Lake George in the Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda. The croc's gob stayed open for all the time we were watching - at least five minutes!
A gorgeous Yellow-billed Stork at Kazinga Channel
Hippos wallowing in "glorious mud" in the Kazinga Channel
This is one seriously proud African Fish Eagle! . .
Moments later, he or she is flying over our heads with a catfish in its claw . . freshly caught!
The very graceful Ugandan Kob antelope in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Here are buffalos, Ugandan Kobs and Egyptian Geese
The wide open landscape of the Queen Elizabeth Park savannah with the Rwenzori Mountains behind - marking the edge of the western Rift Valley and the border with the Congo
Finally, just as breakfast was calling this lazy lion was spotted chilling in a tree - he was 200 to 250 metres away but our guide's amazing eye-sight spotted him