After many months of search, interviewing and prayers, the Tigers staff team are excited to announce the appointment of former Senior Social Worker SIMON BASOGA as the new Uganda Project Director! As of September 1st, 2004, Simon is the acting director and working very closely with former Project Director and soon-to-be International Team Leader Andy Williams to find his feet within the management of the programme!

Simon’s appointment marks yet another key stage in the growing empowerment and ownership of our superb national staff team, and not only the trustees, staff and volunteers are excited by this change! During a recent workshop for 59 S.T.A.R.T boys, which, through brainstorming, discussions, games and team exercises, focused on the subject of “CHANGE”, the boys “leapt up and many jumped on Simon and hugged him (quite rare culturally!)” when they heard that he was to be the new director of Tigers.

Congratulations, Simon, from all at Tigers!

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One year on..…..
….. spotlight on Tudabujja, September 2004

It has been almost a year since the first Tigers arrived at Tudabujja—and what exciting developments there have been since then! Two of the cottages are now populated and the two new mamas Teddy and Spe are settling in well, gaining the trust of the boys and helping and supporting all boys especially those who, due to their past problems and trauma, are struggling more than others to leave their past behind and settle back into community life.

Most of the boys adjust quickly and well to their new routine on the Farm, where they get up at around 5.30, wash and dress and assist the mamas with the preparation of breakfast before heading off to their classes at 9am. The two sessions each in the morning and afternoons include literacy and numeracy as well as wider life skills, for example health and hygiene lessons, sessions on team work and, of course, agricultural training.

Farm Manager Patrick is delighted about the enthusiasm and growing skills of the boys, who are very enthusiastically cultivating the brand new allotments behind their cottages, and who are excited about the 8 new piglets which have just joined the existing ones in the piggery. And of course they are also eagerly awaiting the arrival of the first ever Tudabujja rabbits to inhabit the brand-new rabbit hutches!

But what would the Tigers boys be without their football? Needless to say, Tudabujja provides ample scope for continuing training by football coach Steven Bogere. The boys have also greatly enjoyed their time with Dave Waters, a UK football coach from Hull who lived at Tudabujja for some of his time in Uganda and worked with Coach to teach them new skills and equip them for matches in and beyond the community. Volleyball, basketball and table tennis also form part of the extracurricular activities on offer at the Halfway Home and will become particularly important in the coming 3 months, when the newly planted grass on the football pitch is needing time to recover and preventing the boys from using the pitch.

In short, while much work remains to be done, additional staff need to be hired and more boys are yet to find an interim home at Tudabujja, those boys who are living there at present are making the most of their time there and well and truly feel that they are being made new!


Time to…..