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Written by Klaus

Category: Uncategorised

Published: 09 May 2017

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Bicycle tour through Uganda

Uganda as a destination?
Uganda as a destination!
Who is interested in Africa, finds here in a relatively small area (almost) all sceneries of the continent - semiaride savannas, tropical rain forests, highly alpine glacier regions – and hence their fauna and flora, in their biodiversity unique in Africa.

Nowhere in the world, except in Uganda, one finds lions climbing trees. Only here (and in Rwanda) the impressive meeting with the "gentle giants", the last mountain gorillas of our earth, is possible.

During my voluntary activity as an IT advisor in Uganda in spring 2013 I got to know and love this country. I spent my one-week vacation after my application with a NGO which pursues an orphanage, an elementary school and a secondary vocational school - and the whole, like for Uganda not unusual, without electricity. There I also made the acquaintance of the former home child Robert who offers bicycle tours in the surrounding national parks.

Back at home I developed the following ideas:
A fotovoltaik plant has to be installed. For the connection with the digital world it needs laptops and money for Internet service provider. I organise a bicycle tour in western Uganda whose revenue serves for the financing of the ideas.
Meanwhile the ideas for a successful project could be accomplished. In April, 2014 I flew with some discarded, but operational notebooks again to Uganda and supervised the installation of the fotovoltaik plant. Then again in an voluntary application I trained teachers and students during 3 weeks on the computers.

Then the first bicycle to work took place in August 2014 (and two others in February 2015 and July 2018). Here you can find my detailed travel report and here the feedback of participants.

On account of the success more bicycle tours are planned. For luggage transport and flagging  participants and in order not to lead lions into temptation in the national parks, a minibus will accompany the tour. It is planned to visit the Semliki national park, to track chimpanzees in the Kibali national park, to make safari trip in Queen Elizabeth Nationalpark and follow mountain gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable national park.

However, also getting to know village life is emphasized and contact with municipal organisations like the Mpora Rural Family (http://ugandahomestay.com/), the starting point of the trip, the KAFRED project (Kibale association for Rural and Environmental Development) in Bigodi (http://www.bigodi-tourism.org/6601.html), the Nyundo Valley of Hill Link project (http://n-vhill.hpage.co.in/welcome_35108897.html) and the Byoona Amagara Island Retreat (http://lakebunyonyi.net) will be made.

The next tours: 20/12/2023 - 10/1/2024 u. 15/7-5/8/2024
Travel price:      2400 €
Achievements:  Lodging, catering, transport and drinking water, all entrance fees,
                      details see registration form
Optionally:        bicycle rent 80€, chimpanzee's trekking 150$, gorilla's trekking 600$,
                      single-room supplement 500€
plus flight approx. 750€ (the earlier booked, the more favourably ;-), with pleasure I help with the reservation)
guidance

Day 1	takeoff in Frankfurt
Day 2	arrival in Entebbe, transfer to Kampala, overnight stay in the Namirembe Guest House(http://www.namirembe-guesthouse.com), journey by minibus to Kichwamba / Fort Portal overnight stay with the Mpora Rural Family
Day 3	bicycle check, bicycle excursion in the surroundings, among other things to the Amabere cave with waterfall and to "Top of the World“ with look at several crater lakes and the Rwenzori mountains, overnight stay with the Mpora Rural Family
Day 4	by bicycle to the Semliki national park, overnight stay in the Bumaga camp in Bandas (traditional huts) and cottages
Day 5	in the early morning wandering through the nature reserve to the hot springs and view platforms for bird's observation, return journey by minibus to Fort Portal, after the lunch bicycle tour to the Crater Valley Kibale Resort and overnight stay (http://www.traveluganda.co.ug/cvk)
Day 6	bicycle tour to the Kibale national park, overnight stay in the Chimp's nest (http://chimpsnest.com)
Day 7	in the early morning chimpanzee's trekking in the park, at noon visit of the KAFRED project (Kibale association for Rural and Environmental Development) in Bigodi (http://www.bigodi-tourism.org/6601.html)
Day 8	nature walk through the Bigodi wetlands, journey by minibus and bike to Kasese,. overnight stay in the White House
Day 9	cycling to and through Queen Elizabeth Nationalpark, boat trip on the Kazinga channel with animal observations on the banks
Day 10	early in the morning safari trip
Day 11	journey to Ishasha (overnight place is not certain yet)
Day 12	safari trip to the tree climbing lions (without bikes ;-)) - incredibly in Africa
Day 13	bicycle tour to Butogota, overnight stay at the Nyundo Valley of Hill Link project (http://n-vhill.hpage.co.in/welcome_35108897.html)
Day 14	visit of the facilities of the project, overnight stay at the same place
Day 15	journey to Buhoma, the gate to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest national park, overnight stay in Buhoma Community Rest Camp, visit of a village of the Batwa (Pygmy),
Day 16	gorilla trekking through the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest national park
Day 17	journey with the bus (for hard-boiled partially by bicycle) to the lake Bunyonyi, the only bilharzia free lake in Uganda
Day 18	rest, swimming, walks
Day 19	rest, swimming, walks
Day 20	return journey by the mini bus to Entebbe, overnight stay in the African Roots Guesthouse
Day 21	day at your disposition, perhaps visit of the botanical garden in Entebbe, transfer to the airport
Day 22	return flight to Germany

The net revenues are again for the benefit of social projects in Uganda. Curious prospective customers can contact me by mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Moreover, donations of used notebooks, digital cameras, mobile phones, baby clothes and child clothes are highly appreciated.

With pleasure I am also willing to present my bicycle tour and projects against allowance of the travel expenses to interested organisations and associations.

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Written by Klaus

Category: Uncategorised

Published: 15 April 2017

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Impressum

General information according to § 5 TMG:

Klaus Schwerdtfeger
Am Wörth 11
36367 Wartenberg

contact:

Phone:	01782113243
Mail:

Amenable to law for the content according to § 55 Abs. 2 RStV:

Dr. Klaus Schwerdtfeger
Am Wörth 11
36367 Wartenberg

Quelle: https://www.e-recht24.de

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Written by Klaus

Category: Uncategorised

Published: 09 May 2017

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For 660 million EUR - I do not know by whom financed - the Bujagali 250 MW hydroelectric power plants was built at the Nile . Now there runs a study of the world bank is done - I do not know for how much money - on the subject, how the electricity may come to the villages. Who wants power, must pay the poles himself - approx. 200€ per mast are a lot of money for an Ugandan. And for the masts of the high-tension lines the money has also not reached. They are partially standing around unconnected for many years in the scenery, because 1 km of line is approx. 1 Mill. EUR.

1 kW has cost 2640€ with the hydroelectric power plant - without lines, poles and connections. 1 kWp of a solar  plant costs 3125€ and lines it needs none.

Many schools have no power supply - and if, then it is often interrupted - even sometimes for days. If I supply approx. 2000 Secondary Schools of Uganda with 1 kWp solar plant and with 10 favorable laptops, I need "only" 12 million EUR, and the school system would have a respectable basis to advance the students of Uganda to the challenges of our time. Isn't it a "splosh" for a thus rich country like our FRG??!! But nothing is written, however, in the largely announced Marshall's plan of our government for Africa.

Who has visions, should go to the doctor, said our late ex-chancellor Helmut Schmidt once. I dream of getting together the 12 million and of improving the education system of Uganda. As a retired person I don't like gardening or golfing ;-). So I engage myself in this vision. I have already collected approx. 4,500 EUR and I looked on internet for sponsoring. And I found out, that our Federal Government does something. It founded and financed the Engagement Global gGmbH (http://bengo.engagement-global.de/). Non-profit associations can suggest projects to this organization, which are promoted with approval with 75%. A German association must raise at least 10%, maximum 15% the foreign partner. Then the 4,500 EUR become 45,000 EUR. But last year the application in my name of the Rwenzori e.V. was not considered :-(. I'll try again this year.

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Since 4 years I am active as "a single fighter" in the west of Uganda. By chance I landed there, working voluntarily for the senior citizens experts service (http://www.ses-bonn.de) in the field of IT, and I now aim at the connection of sustainable, decentralised energy supply with the education in the IT area to make a small contribution to the progress of this developing country. Through the organisation of two bicycle tours I have brought home the beauty of Ugandan nature reserves to people of the 1st world, as well have them sensitised for the problems of the civil society of Uganda. With the revenues of the bicycle tours and donations of the participants I could install solar plants on an orphanage and 2 schools and finance 2 roofs on the buildings of a secondary school. Then with brought, used laptops and the now available power supply I have voluntarily carried out computer courses for teachers and students, which knew a computer only from the hearing legend.
In summer, 2018 more computer courses and installations of solar plants are planned.
 
If you are interested in my project or perhaps even want to take part in a cycling trip, you can send me an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Meanwhile, I have also founded the non-profit organization

Uganda Friends. e.V. (http://uganda-friends.eu)

so that tax-deductible donation certificates can be issued for sponsoring.