Travel Diaries from Africa with Cameras For Girls

So, let me take you on a little journey that started on June 2nd when I landed in Uganda after an uneventful but still long flight with @Ethiopian Airlines. After landing and floating through customs without having to pay duty on the 15 cameras I was carrying, I knew the rest of my trip in Uganda would be as I had planned. However, I had no way of knowing what would hit me as I travelled from Uganda to Tanzania. This blog post will explain my journey through Africa and take you through our Train the Trainer program.

Our Train the Trainer Program in Uganda

The Train the Trainer workshop was a smashing success but had its challenges. We were in the classroom, which this year was held on the other side of town at the offices of Media Challenge Initiative. Due to the immense weekday traffic, which starts at 9 am and sometimes ends at 9 pm, it felt like we were always dealing with traffic and congestion. Coming from a small community north of Toronto, I am not used to this anymore, so keeping the frustration and headaches at bay was a struggle. My drivers were easygoing and explained nothing they could do to change it, so they might as well accept it and go with the flow - good lesson learned!

We gathered daily from 10 am to 5 pm, reviewing old and new concepts. Some of our students had not been in the classroom since 2022; four of our trainees were in the third cohort, with only one in the current cohort. We reviewed the exposure triangle again, advanced composition, ethical photography and more. Each day was taught by myself, Amina, the founder and executive director of Cameras For Girls or Miriam Watsemba, a Canon trainer and one of Uganda's most well-known documentary photographers. The Train the Trainer program aims to equip these young women with the skills and knowledge to become trainers, creating a sustainable cycle of empowerment and education.

With their unwavering determination, the girls learned how to approach potential subjects on the street with an ethical photography framework. Their eagerness to teach and guide was a testament to their resilience. They also had two days in the field, working with Farmsell, a local Ugandan organization that aids small-hold farmers in getting their crops to market. Here, they met two women farmers - one who was visually impaired. This experience taught them how to work with diverse people to tell their stories. It was a genuinely inspiring experience all around.

Look for more stories to come soon about our Train the Trainer program, and our 4-phase workshop with cohort 2 in Tanzania.

From Travel Fun to Travel Nightmare

Then came my flight to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. I said a little prayer that morning, hoping for a smooth trip, knowing the chaos Kenya Airways can bring. My flight was at 4:20 pm, and I arrived at the airport, breezing through customs by 2 pm. Fast forward to 4:45 pm, and there I was, asking about the delay. "Slight delay," they said. Ha! At 6 pm, we were finally told the plane wouldn't leave until at least 11 pm. We got meal vouchers, and I met a friend's sister who got me a lounge pass. We were on the same flight to Kenya and lined up for new boarding passes. I managed to get on the 11 pm flight, but my friend's sister and her family, heading to Kenya, were stuck until 4:25 am the next day. I still don't know if they got out on time.

Once in Kenya, I was supposed to get a hotel voucher for my transit wait. After waiting two hours for the voucher and realizing I'd only have two hours at the hotel before needing to head back to the airport, I opted for the meal voucher. But guess what? No food left! By the time I finally got to Dar es Salaam, 18 hours had passed, and I was a jet-lagged mess. On the way to Dar es Salaam, my seatmate witnessed my half-crying, half-laughing breakdown at the absurdity of it all. This journey, with all its ups and downs, reminded me of the resilience and adaptability of the human spirit. Maybe I should've skipped that morning prayer – seems like I jinxed myself!

Gratitude Kept Me Grounded

I finally arrived on June 18th. I survived with intermittent airport WiFi to stay in touch with home. So, why am I grateful?

I’m Living My Passion: I'm here, living my passion with Cameras For Girls, empowering young women through photography. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity, which has allowed me to empower countless women, help them escape poverty, and find paid work in journalism, photojournalism, and other media-related jobs.

I had lots of support and love: I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and love from home and friends across the continent. Your messages kept me going through the chaos, and I am truly grateful for each and every one of you.

Safe Arrival: I arrived safe and sound, and now, after finally resting, I'm ready for our next workshop in Tanzania starting June 21st!

Travelling, especially in Africa, is always an adventure, filled with unexpected twists and turns. Yet, these experiences make the journey memorable and the mission even more rewarding. I hope my next flight to Kenya is as uneventful as my first! 😂✈️💖

Stay tuned for more updates from our workshops and the incredible stories of the young women we empower through Cameras For Girls. Your support and interest in our work are invaluable, and we couldn't do it without you. Sign up for our newsletter to help us continue to make a difference.