Blogs - North Devon Gazette

The result of my work at Kira

Posted 2 months ago by Sarah Howells with 0 comments

When I went to Kira Farm, I went with the intention of making a video the charity could use to promote their work. So many people go out to Africa expecting to hand out clothes and toys and feel good about themselves, feeling they have changed the world...

Ezuma's Struggle

Posted 5 months ago by Sarah Howells with 0 comments

When we travelled to Masindi at the weekend, we visited the home of some of the students here at Kira, including the home of Ezuma. Aged 26, Ezuma is one of the oldest students here, and his wife and children are relying on his support. But Ezuma is struggling...

Meeting a former child soldier

Posted 5 months ago by Sarah Howells with 0 comments

Behind the cheery grin and hilarious dancing, I may never have known that Gerald hides a traumatic past as one of Uganda’s former child soldiers. But as he openly tells me his story, I am overwhelmed by the horrors that he has been through under...

Life after Kira

Posted 5 months ago by Sarah Howells with 0 comments

I finally understand how incredibly important Kira Farm is when I met two former students in Masindi this weekend. When I saw just how a year on Kira had changed the life of William, it was like something clicked inside me, and I realised just how much...

The Sound of Music

Posted 5 months ago by Sarah Howells with 0 comments

If there is one thing that guarantees a smile on every face at Kira, it is singing and dancing. These young people live in a world of contrasts between their tragic pasts and their bright futures, but when musical celebrations unfold, all of their darkest...

Jim’s story

Posted 6 months ago by Web Editor with 0 comments

It is clear to see from his solemn voice and concerned face that the fear Jim speaks of is real. “They would cut you here, like this” he explains, making slashing movements across his ears, his nose, his arms. For years Jim, now 23, lived...

A tour of the farm

Posted 6 months ago by Web Editor with 0 comments

Although she is suffering the aftermath of malaria, Alice still struggles on with weeding her crops. Here at Kira, the students each have their own garden plot where they are growing beans, and Alice does not let her illness deter her. I am keen to help...

Preparing for my visit

Posted 6 months ago by Web Editor with 0 comments

Sat in my aunt’s cosy living room the night before my flight to Uganda, it’s hard to imagine the contrasting world I am about to enter. Having volunteered with Barnstaple charity Amigos for a few months now, I have heard about many of the...

Amigos at Kira Farm

Posted 6 months ago by Web Editor with 0 comments

FOR more than a decade, Barnstaple-based charity Amigos has been striving to change lives of young Ugandans. This year, 38 students are learning valuable life-skills at the charity’s newly built Kira Farm Training Centre and next year that number...