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World Seva 2011
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13th Year: 2011
Jan
- Piano Recital by Robyn, Mosaic Art Portrait & CNY Reunion Lunch
Feb
- Chinese New Year, PA Got Talents, Alvin's Birthday & Opening of Clay-Street New Studio
Mar
- Bye-bye Heni
Seva Wk 01: Art of Living Ashram, Bangalore
Seva Wk 02: 1st Seva with Divine Karnataka Project & On Course
Seva Wk 03: Sponsoring Rural Village Sport Clubs & Bridge at Chikmagalur
Seva Wk 04:
'WHY DKP' Corporate Fund Raising
Apr
Seva Wk 05: DKP Helps Rural Farmers, Gadag & Koppal, Karnataka
Seva Wk 06: Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar, Konark, Puri & Sri Sri University
Seva Wk 07: Tribal School Project, Jharkhand
Seva Wk 08:
Tribal School Arts Festival on Facebook
May
Seva Wk 09: Tribal School @ Dumuria & Ranchi
Seva Wk 10: Tribal School Digital Contest & Kolkata
Seva Wk 11: Kolkata to Delhi to Himachal Pradesh
Seva Wk 12: Shoghi, Shimla & Tirthan Valley in Himachal Pradesh

Jun
Seva Wk 13: Homestay @ Tirthan, Kullu Valley
Seva Wk 14: Sangla, Peo, Nako, Kinnaur Valley
Seva Wk 15: Tabo, Kaza, Kye, Spiti Valley
Seva Wk 16: Demul to Komic on Yaks, Spiti Valley

Jul
Seva Wk 17: Kaza to Manali to Gurgaon, Delhi
Seva Wk 18: Gurgaon & Barefoot College,Tilonia
Seva Wk 19: Jaipur & back to Bangalore
Seva Wk 20 & 21: With the Murthys in Bangalore

Aug
Seva Wk 22-24: Meridian 101 Ambassadors for India & Bye Bye India
Seva Wk 25: Seva in Africa - Jumbo Kenya!
Seva Wk 26: Seva at the Children's Garden Home
Sep
Seva Wk 27: More Seva Projects at CGH
Seva Wk 28: Self-drive Safari to Masai Mara, Lake Naivasha, Hell's Gate
Seva Wk 29: Short Break to Arusha, Tanzania
Seva Wk 30: Safari at Nairobi National Park & Children's Day Celebration
Oct
Seva Wk 31: Launching BEADwear for Christmas
Seva Wk 32: Robyn turns 13 in Kampala, Uganda
Seva Wk 33: Rafting the White Nile, Jinja, Uganda
Seva Wk 34: Sipi Falls, Uganda & African Child Mega Dance in Kenya
Nov
Seva Wk 35: Nairobi to Mombasa, Malindi & Lamu
Seva Wk 36: Seva@Lamu - Donkey necklace + Kaya
Seva Wk 37: Seva@Lamu - Hands Up 4 Kids
Seva Wk 38: Bye Africa, Hello Istanbul, Homeward-bound Singapore
Dec
- Home Sweet Home in Singapore
 
   

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SEVA WEEK 33 (17-23 Oct 2011)

 

Nisha and Aparna took us to visit the Mother Theresa Home in the morning. The home was tucked away in some village area in the outskirt of Kampala town. It took us some searching before we found it. Nisha sent there some supplies to support the home. Sister Angela turned out to be of Indian origin and from Ranchi in Jharkhand! We shared about our experience at the Tribal School Project in Jharkhand.

Robyn, Nisha, Aparna and Jin
Robyn, Nisha, Aparna and Jin

Robyn, Alvin and Jin at Mother Theresa Home
Robyn, Alvin and Jin at Mother Theresa Home
 

Safari tent at the Nile River Explorer Campsite in Bujagali FallsAfter over a week's stay in Kampala and completion of our mini-seva at Home Of Joy, it was time to move on. We booked with Nile River Explorer that kindly arranged for its shuttle bus to come pick us up in front of Rubaga Cathedral at 6.30am. We were taken first to its Backpacker Campsite in Jinja, and then transferred to the Nile Explorer Campsite at Bujagali Falls. The latter is a beautiful place overlooking the White Nile, said to be the source of the 6700km Nile that starts its journey from Lake Victoria.

We stayed in a spacious safari tent that looked out to the gushing Nile, which left Robyn a Harry Potter scar for life...

White Nile

Spacious interior

22 Oct - our fellow River Nile pedallers were a Swiss couple and an Italian couple.
22 Oct - our paddlers were a Swiss couple and an Italian couple for the 30km rafting journey.

After some practices, we went for our first grade 3 rapid - only Robyn (green) and Jin were visible.
After some practices, we shot for the rapids - only Robyn (green) and Jin were visible.

This was our first grade 5 known as Overtime.
This was our first grade 5 known as Overtime.
And we survived the grade 5!
And we survived the grade 5!
At Bugogo grade 4, we confronted a huge wave...
At Bugogo grade 4, we confronted a huge wave...
...and flipped big time into the gushing river.
...and flipped big time into the gushing river.
Our 3rd rapid was to be the fiercest of all - a ferrocious grade 5 called The Bad Place. The rumbling waves were engulfing us from all sides!

Our 3rd rapid was to be the fiercest of all - a ferocious grade 5 called The Bad Place. The rumbling waves were engulfing us from all sides!

It was here that Robyn sustained a deep cut to her forehead by a loose paddle in the water when we capsized in a most dramatic flip.

It was here that Robyn sustained a deep cut to her forehead by a loose paddle in the water when we capsized in a most dramatic flip.

Fighting hard to hang on...
Fighting hard to hang on...

No chance against the power of Nature!
No chance against the power of Nature!

Alvin (R) gasping for air... somewhere in the water, Robyn was hammered on her forehead by a paddle.
Alvin (R) gasping for air... somewhere in the water, Robyn was hammered on her forehead by a paddle.
Robyn was picked up by a guide on kayak but got back to the raft with a bloody bump...
Robyn was picked up by a guide on kayak but got back to the raft with a bloody bump on her forehead...

Brave Robyn the rafterWe were at the half way mark (15km) which was also the lunch point. After downing some fresh pineapple slices, we left the rafting party with guide Hassan to wait for a pick-up. It was an hour before we got to a clinic and another 2 hours before an orthopedic surgeon, Dr Sam, arrived to clean up Robyn's wound. He patiently persuaded Robyn to have 2 stitches to expedite the healing of her wound.

Robyn was brave throughout the entire episode and she vows to return to shooting the rapids in the future! Now, she'll be the female version of Harry Potter and she'll always remember Uganda. And it was 6 days after she turned 13...

Robyn and Fatia Namugaya

Despite the injury, Robyn was game to learn acrylic painting from artist Fatia Namugaya and created her first canvas painting masterpiece at Bujagali Falls.

Robyn painting acrylic

Fatia showing Robyn how to overlap and blend the various colours to produce desired effects.
Fatia showing Robyn how to overlap and blend the various colours to produce desired effects.

After the painting lesson and before we left for Jinja town, we enjoyed a chapatti lunch.
After the painting lesson and before we left for Jinja town, we enjoyed a chapatti lunch.

We decided to stay a few days at The Backpackers in Jinja for Robyn to rest before moving on to Sipi Falls.

   

 

> Week 34: Sipi Falls in Uganda & Back to Kenya...

 

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