Hello everyone thank you for taking a peak at this website!

As most of you know, on the 10th February I am jetting off to hot sunny Uganda for a year. I am not just going for a long holiday to escape cold wet Leeds, but I have taken a career break from nursing to carry out some voluntary work.

With the help of a small charity called Intercultural Youth Exchange (visit their website at www.icye.org.uk) I am going to be working at the Kiyumbakimu Children's Village, based in Makondo, Masaka District. It is a newly opened community based organisation, which aims to provide hope to orphaned, abandoned and destitute children.

Uganda happens to be one of a few African countries, where the rates of HIV/Aids have declined over the last decade, as a result of successful public education programmes. However even though the overall levels of people living with HIV/Aids in Uganda is decreasing, the impact of the disease is a very long term problem. In the past year, the Aids epidemic in Africa has led to more than 12 million children being orphaned. These children are forced to live with very elderly relatives, or are forced onto the streets, grieving and struggling to survive alone.

Kiyumbakimu Children's Village helps such children, by providing them with a safe and secure home, as well as healthy meals, healthcare, education and most importantly lots of love!

I am obviously very nervous about my trip, but this is something I have dreamt about doing for such a long time, I can't believe I am actually going!

Thank you to everyone for your continued support, I will miss you all soooo much!! See you in 2009!

Lots of love

Naomi xxxxxxxxxxxxx