SMU student volunteers aid widows, children in Uganda project
SMU students travel to Uganda to aid widows and children.
By COLIN HOGAN
The Dallas Morning News
The heart of Africa was full of surprises for a group of Dallas students who spent their spring break volunteering in Uganda.
But there were also reminders of home.
"I was surprised at how developed it was, there were lots of skyscrapers," said Stephanie Fedler, one of seven SMU students who spent a week in March in Central Africa as part of the Ugandan American Partnership Organization's Akola Project.
Gridlock was another similarity, although traffic laws appeared to be optional.
"The traffic was ridiculous," Fedler said. "There are basically no rules, which was kind of scary."
But nearly 50 miles outside of the capital, Kampala, it felt like another world, the students said. They traveled through a rain forest and passed the Equator during the slow journey to five sites where the project provides relief to local widows.
When the bus of American students pulled up to the first village, they were greeted by a group of women who performed a song and dance for them in traditional garb.
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