<p>D is considering a summer program in Uganda. I have reviewed the State Department’s web page re: Uganda and it doesn’t exactly give me a warm, fuzzy feeling.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any firsthand knowlege about conditions in Uganda, both living conditions and political stability?</p>
<p>Nothing first hand, I was there in the early 1980s shortly after Amin was deposed. It’s a beautiful country, but there’s been unrest there forever. I’m sure the travel advisories would have read similarly when I was there - perhaps worse. It sounds like if you stay out of the northern districts and are careful with your possessions you’ve got a decent chance of coming out unscathed. (I used to carry two wallets in NYC in the 80s - one for muggers, one for me for example.) I’d certainly want to check out the particular program carefully.</p>
<p>no first-hand knowledge, but I’d NEVER let my kid go there or any other place with a state dept. warning!</p>
<p>My daughter absolutely loved her visit to Kenya over her winter break, but I have to tell you some of the things she told me about it after she got home, made me glad that she waited to tell me later. First, her friend and friends parents highly suggested that she not take her camera or purse with anything besides a few dollars if they went into the city - they lived on the outskirts of Nairobi - because it would be stolen. Each member of her friends family had had a wallet or purse stolen. The family lived in a gated communtiy and these were not rich people. All the bedrooms had locks on the doors that they kept locked at night. My daughters explanation was that there was just so much poverty that people were desperate. Now, this was in Kenya which is supposed to be one of the safest countries in Africa. I would be very uneasy about one of my kids going to Uganda.</p>
<p>I know a student who has traveled extensively in Africa and she recently returned from a 3 week research ( social science) trip to Uganda. She said that she felt safer in Uganda that many other countries and it surprised her. She traveled and conducted many interviews independently. Just one student experience. I was certainly on edge while she was away.</p>
<p>Maybe you heard the news that the wife and mother-in-law of a U.S. embassy official were carjacked and murdered this week in Nairobi. This was just random violence, not political. Apparently there is a lot of this in Nairobi.</p>
<p>Travelers call Nairobi Nairobbery.</p>
<p>Although out of date ( mid-late 80’s) I would be very cautious about travel to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Crime and related violence unfortunately is a big problem in all these countries. I lived in the area for almost two years and was never personally harmed but saw firsthand (drove through a number of robber roadblocks) and secondhand ( 25+% of crew were robbed) to know it was not a good idea to travel alone or in small groups. Large organized groups should have much less of a problem.</p>
<p>My younger son is there now and my older son is trying to devise a way to go back this summer. </p>
<p>Investigate the history of the program directors. How long have they been operating in Uganda?</p>
<p>I don’t know what program your daughter is looking at by my older one did a volunteer project in Tanzania with madventurers.com and then went on an overland camping safari with Absolute Africa.com. These UK based programs send groups every six weeks and they SEEM to have a good bead on the situation on the ground. My younger son is doing the safari only.</p>
<p>Most of the participants are high caliber UK/Irish students. Many more girls than boys–especially on the volunteer projects. The ‘Save the World Girls’ as my sons refer to them.</p>
<p>Older son was mugged–but he broke a cardinal rule of walking in a small group at night. He should have taken a taxi home form the disco. Didn’t lose much but the group leader was with them and she lost thousands. Younger son lost a money belt with $40 in it.</p>
<p>When my older son was travelling through Uganda there was an outbreak of fighting within 100 k of where he was passing. I did a total CC-esque panic and called the company in the UK. They reassured me that their trucks were avoiding the trouble but within 24 hours, they arranged for him to call me to assure me that he was fine.</p>
<p>The most danger comes if she tries to go to the northwest–up to see the parcs with the silverback gorillas. It’s expensive to go into the parks–and that’s becuase they send in an armed contingent of 25 soldiers with the students.</p>