Day 3

We had our first day at Nile Vocational Institute, being greeted by the director Eddison Ongerep and his management team, who gave us a very warm welcome and a passionate speech about NVI’s history and vision for its future.  

NVI has won numerous awards from the government for the quality of its education, but being a private institute, it is not accessible to everyone.  Luckily, that is where UGANDAID step in to quite a significant degree – NVI has grown year on year since it was established almost 30 years ago, with the current cohort numbering around 1500.  Since its establishment, there have been over 7000 graduates, 750 being directly sponsored by UGANDAID.  The government also sponsor 60 day students per year.  Courses range from metalwork, mechanics, catering and construction to plumbing, early years education, hairdressing and beyond! The students are all arriving back for the start of the new academic year now – it was amazing to see them carting their own mattresses and bags into NVI, the buzz and excitement, with more than a dash of nerves, was palpable on all fronts – the new students and the new UGANDAID recruits.  

We started renovation work on a classroom that was first kitted out by the team in 2011, before some of us took the 45 minute walk home across the Nile – breath-taking doesn’t come near to describing the views, both cultural and natural!  

After a long struggle with technology we finally got the blog up and running, before a trip out to a local Indian restaurant for dinner.  An early night for some ensued, while a few ventured down to the bar for a Nile Special beer, on the banks of the Nile, soaking up some of the night-time chorus, ready for the real hard graft which begins tomorrow.