Ngamba Island chimpanzee sanctuary…with the children
Today was an amazing day as we set off early with 16 children from Raising up hope Orphanage Uganda to Ngamba Island Chimpanzee sanctuary.
None of the children had ever experienced a boat trip before so this in itself was an amazing experience for them and for us to be part of this with them. The children seemed nervous but excited getting onto the boat, not knowing what to expect as they all put on their life jackets ready for the journey which took nearly 2 hours.
On arrival to the island, the children appeared very silent and when 
getting off the boat were just looking around them, taking in the scenery and the amazing experience of being at Ngamba Island which, in itself is a very unique and special place for anyone to visit.
We went with the children to have a drink and then they had a talk from Silver about many of the rules while they were on the island and also a bit about chimpanzees. All of the children were around 10-14 years of age so had a good understanding and were very eager to learn about chimpanzees. The talk was given from Silver in a great way, which focused on feelings and traumas to match the work that we had been doing with the children. The children seemed well focused and listened well to what they were being told.
As soon as this had finished after lunch the children were given a tour of the sanctuary, looking at all the different things that harm chimpanzees like snare traps and were shown how the integration of chimpanzees can help them live happily after their traumas. Silver showed the children how they teach chimpanzees who have not been left with their mother in the wild, how to build nests, as they would do this naturally in the tree. In the rehabilitation cages they have hay/straw in the bottom and then have a hammock at the top for them to sleep in, encouraging them to sleep in a bed like other chimpanzees do and making it like a nest. The children were told that this is a bit like their bunk beds!
The children were shown where the vets do their work if a chimpanzee gets sick or needs treatment for some wounds. This seemed to be a great place for the 
children to see as they asked many questions to Silver about chimpanzees and veterinary treatment. They appeared very interested in everything that they have been told. After this the children were asked what they would like as a career when they are older. Many of them said they wanted to work with animals to help them, work with chimpanzees and help make it better for them in the wild. Other children said they wanted to be vets. This was great as it showed us that they were also being educated through the activities that we were helping them take part in.
We were then able to see the chimpanzees at feeding time which was a great experience for all of us. Some of the children appeared very overwhelmed and scared at first as the chimpanzees were very noisy as 
they came over very excited for their food.
We spent around 30 minutes watching the chimpanzees and the children appeared very excited and interested in seeing them. Patrick
and William again talked to them about the chimps. Silver was pointing out to them the different noises and behaviours that were going on while they were there, and showed them the different ranking of the group of chimps.
After this Silver then took us all to play some chimpanzee games with the children where we had chimp masks and played games such as making a nest, where the children had to try and collect as much food for their nests as they possibly could. These all aimed to have an educational yet different approach to the children as the stories were related to their lives.
After lots of fun and a great day the children and volunteers all got back onto the boat for a long ride back to UWEC ready for them to get on the bus and go home to their orphanage. The boat ride was a fantastic one and great fun as the children , Patrick and William taught us great songs which we were singing for the whole of the journey.
As we reached the shore and the children got on the bus there was a lot of cheering and laughter and GOODBYES! shouted and waved. As the bus drove off, we all suddenly became silent and realised this was the last time we would see the children on this trip.