WAY OUT OF PROPORTION

On a recent tour of Western Uganda, I had occasion to visit the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.  This is one of the most unusual and beautiful places in Uganda, and not just because this is the habitat of the infamous Mountain Gorillas.  The forest itself is exceptionally wild and dense; here you will find the most interesting array of trees, vegetation, butterflies, birds and other wildlife.  There is so much to see in this particular forest, it is quite overwhelming.  It was most interesting as well, to explore the human habitat in and around the forest; there are a number of communities co-existing with the wildlife in the region.  As one passes along the narrow road that hugs the mountain sides, one can see the terraced agriculture that people employ; growing their subsistence crops in what looks like a most labor-intensive process.  It is a very beautiful sight, but when you get a closer look and watch the local farmers tending to their crops, one can appreciate how difficult and labour intensive the cultivation of the hillsides must be. 

After wandering around for a couple of hours, traveling from one trading post to another, we encountered 3 young children on a stroll.  Their English was good enough to have a simple conversation and after a few minutes it was revealed that they did not go to school that day because their parents did not have enough money to pay their school fees.   We asked how much their school fees were for the term and they told us it was 5,000 Ugandan Shillings; a term is 3 months.  5,000 Ugandan Shillings is less than $2.00 U.S.

The astonishing thing is that in the same place that these children go to school for $2.00 a term, the fee for spending one hour with the Mountain Gorillas is $750.00.  This fee is non-refundable and payable for the Gorilla Tracking; whether you successfully see the Silverbacks or not. What is most astonishing is the comparison between the cost of spending one hour tracking the Gorillas and a child going to school for 3 months.  Doing the math, the cost of the one-hour Gorilla permit is equivalent to sending 375 children to school.

Another item in Uganda that is disproportionately inexpensive for foreigners, is the cost of life-saving medicines.  Most medicines here are either generic or manufactured in India under license; these medicines retail in Uganda at a fraction of the cost in Western Countries.  A life-saving drug that a local Ugandan cannot afford to buy, could be as little as $10 U.S., which back home would be the price of a coffee and a muffin at Starbucks.  The inequities are thought provoking, at the least.

These kinds of discrepancies that one comes across in Africa are very hard to reconcile.  Such monetary inconsistencies that one discovers when traveling in the world make so little sense on the surface.  Many very basic necessities here in Uganda equate to very little money in the West; in so many cases, it just seems so unfair that people need such little money to make a huge difference in their lives.  This is the plight of those living in poverty in developing countries like Uganda.

On the other hand, getting value for your money when traveling is always a challenge.  Most travelers to Uganda come on a fixed amount of money, and budgeting is the norm.  Not knowing the local price for many things and not being totally familiar with the currency exchange rates, makes it difficult to make informed decisions about spending.  At Jewel Safaris, our personnel are always available to assist with such issues.  Steering our clients in the right direction when they are shopping, be it for toiletries, souvenirs or a good meal, your Jewel Safari guide will always provide you with options to help you make well-informed decisions about how you spend your money.