Life at URF – The Soccer game: A Volunteer’s experience in Uganda

Hope Academy soccer team

Only a few short days after we arrived at URF, there was talk of a soccer game challenge between the URF staff and us (the University of Minnesota Medical students).

There was a lot of trash talking between both team members in the days leading up to the game. A tremendous amount of anticipation had mounted due to the cancellation of the initial match and when the day finally arrived a number of the Medical Student team members were bouncing back from a hard day of GI disturbance.

Rising to the challenge however, we headed to the local field in Kyetume, confused to find no members of the opposing URF team. Our haphazardly performed warm up drills were shockingly interrupted by a rapidly approaching stampede of blue jerseys, announcing their arrival at the field with ear-piercing whistle blowing and cheers.

The URF team was here! The game was hard fought and goals were contested, but in the end URF was apparently victorious with a score of 2-1.

– by a member of the medical team:

For three weeks in August of 2012, a group of nine students from the University of Minnesota Medical School volunteered their time at the Uganda Rural Fund organization located just outside of Kyetume, 30 km West of Masaka, Uganda. Having just finished our first year of medical school, we were all excited to put our knowledge to use through putting on medical camps, training village health workers, and educating students in surrounding villages.