By Tanya Colledge,
Staff Reporter

his weekend, five students

from the Community Social

Service Worker program at
Douglas College will be embarking
on a three-month trip to Masaka,
Uganda, to complete their practicum.
The students, in their second and final

is enabling us to support a various
number of projects in Uganda,
including the some assistance for
schools with disabilities, some
scholarships for young women and
a project to forge a liaison between
traditional healers and the local
hospital,” said Shebib. “These are
things that are quite unique for this
area, and I think that contributing

traditional healers.

“There is a really big stigma in
Uganda in regards to mental illness.
A lot of people are really isolated
from their families and communities,
and aren’t able to seek treatment and
their conditions have been worsened,”
said Sinal. “A lot of my work will be
around communicating how mental
illness can be treated and supporting

 

“T really want to accomplish a
better understanding of the social
systems in Uganda and try and learn
from the people to come back with
a new appreciation of what I have
here,” said Sinal, whose concerns for
safety while traveling in Africa have
been settled throughout the program
and with the support from faculty
and project members. Sinal’s current

years of study in the program, will to these helps realize our main the people there by learning from employment at a Vancouver drop-in
work at different sites, from the local _ goal in which every fund should be their ways treatment.” centre on the downtown east side has
hospital to schools, to help sustain sustainable.” Sinal will also be working one also better prepared her to handle the
projects and initiatives issues she will be faced
started by students on with in Uganda.
previous trips. “There is a really big stigma in Uganda in regards to mental illness. A lot of people are After choosing to

“We are going there
primarily as learners,” said
Bob Shebib, the faculty
member who will be joining
the students on the upcoming
trip. “We are there to learn from
them, how they tackle their social and
health issues.”

In order to get to this point, the
group has held many fundraisers
to raise enough money not only to
support the students’ trip, but also to
sponsor the projects and agencies in
Uganda that the project works with.

“This year, our endowment fund

Leah Sinal, one of the
participating students in the Uganda
Project, will be working at the
Masaka regional hospital four days
a week on a 40-bed psychiatric
ward. Her work will consist mainly
of supporting people with mental
illnesses and providing outreach
support in the surrounding villages
while working in conjunction with

” Leah Sinal

day a week at the Takara Resource
Centre—about 20 km outside of
Masaka. The Resource Centre, run
by a retired Canadian couple, offers
a basic medical clinic and school for
children to come and learn primary
education. The Centre also has a
community garden, the proceeds of
which anyone that contributes gets to
share. :

really isolated from their families and communities, and aren’t able to seek treatment and enroll in the Community
their conditions have been worsen

Social Service Worker
program at Douglas
College almost two
years ago, Sinal is
excited for the new opportunities
and learning experiences she will
encounter on her trip. But after about
27 hours of traveling, she says she is
most looking forward to getting off
the plane, after a very long trip and
feeling the air, sun and warmth, and
observing her new surroundings. “I -
can’t wait to just get out and see it.”