Together with Chef Likambo of the Chefferie des Kakwa, we went to visit the demonstrative agricultural firm of Jabara. This “San Michele all’Adige” Institute in miniature is a project that ACAV and the Koboko District carry on with the aim of ensuring the food security to all inhabitants. In fact, the lack of ensured food each day of the year is one of the big problems to face. The project consists in providing agricultural training to farmers, the assistance of agronomists throughout the territory and giving them improved seeds in order to start a production which gives the possibility to receive sufficient food to the family and, maybe, other food to sell. Having more financial liquidity allows people to reinvest money in health, education and other activities. In this way, thinking about tomorrow and not living day per day, people can see a possible future to build with trust  in the Community. Among the demonstrative activities there is the mangoes’ cultivation; it is producing so big mangoes that even the Congolese Chef was astounded by their dimension.

From the countryside to school. During the visit to the Public Secondary School of Koboko we had the possibility to confront with young persons of our age. Although it was Saturday and students do not go to school, we were greeted by a class and the headmaster, teachers and the representatives of the students with their schoolmates. In the science laboratory we noted how teachers use their capacities in order to solve the problem of the lack of appropriate materials. For example, they showed us how we can create fuel starting from cow droppings in order to substitute it to paraffin, it is a heating source for experiments.

We met also KOYID (Koboko Youth In Development), a group of newly graduated voluntaries founded in Koboko in 2005, which aspires to improve Koboko young people’s lives. Among all the challenges the group members have to face there are poverty, education, hygienic, health, HIV, young unemployment and environment. They believe that the youth development goes together with the Community development. Their secret dream is to expand their association beyond local borders transforming it into a regional organization, with a better capacity to reach the communities and to collaborate with other national and international NGO, like ACAV with which already they collaborate. “Together we developed Koboko”.

We were particularly impressed by finding in Koboko young people who want to improve the world by crossing the geographical barriers, like us. So, from Trentino to Uganda, from the Leonardo Da Vinci, the De Carneri and the Language high schools to Koboko, there are young people like us who want to build solidarity bridges, who want to change the world. The change depends on us, depends on you, together we can do it!

Laura Bertagnolli, Federico Bombarda, Alessandra Clementi, Giulia Endrizzi, Elisa Gazzin, Irene Luce Parisi

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