By Chris Mugasha
Uganda needs to put in more efforts to ‘diffuse’ the negative perception that people in other countries especially in the developed countries have over it (Uganda.)
A delegation of students from Gymnasium school in Germany said they were surprised to find that Uganda is totally different from what they have been hearing about it.
“We have really found Uganda to be a beautiful country with a hospitable population, nice food, good weather and the green,” said one student adding that, “what is talked about Uganda is not what we have seen on ground.”
The students (eleven) have been in Uganda being hosted by Rukararwe partnership workshop for rural development in Bushenyi district.
They visited a number of places including communities, schools and some of the protected areas like Queen Elizabeth and Mburo national parks.
Among the schools they visited include Ruyonza secondary school where they attended classroom sessions, joined lines for posho and beans lunch, played football with students and other school activities to acquaint themselves with Uganda’s life in/at school.
Anne Lipkow a teacher from Gymnasium school who was leading the delegation commended Uganda for being a welcoming country and its beauty. “We are really very excited and very impressed that we have been to Uganda,” Anne said.
The Rukararwe project coordinator Abby Ayebaze said Rukararwe is coordinating the friendship between the two schools explaining that the friendship focuses on issues of environmental conservation, education among others.
“It is through such engagements where we can address issues of climate change and bridging other social and economic gaps,” Ayebaze said.
She appealed to government especially the ministry of tourism to invest in marketing Uganda abroad. “Can you imagine people fearing to visit Uganda on grounds that they fear mosquitoes?” Ayebaze wondered. She said by investing in branding Uganda more, it will attract more friends visit the country. End.
