Stories from the Field

HopeKitchenBuhoma

Building HopeKitchen — Where Hope Takes Shape

Buhoma, Uganda. The roof is not yet fully closed, the floor still raw. And yet: anyone stepping through the brick walls of HopeKitchen can feel that something lasting is being built here.

The red bricks stand firm. The wooden roof structure already carries weight. Somewhere in the background, someone is working — quietly, focused, as if this were the most important moment of the day.

Perhaps it is.

There are places where you do not need to explain hope. You simply see it. In a beam that fits. In a wall that holds. In a room that is not yet a room, but already hints at what it will become: a place where children receive a warm meal. A place that matters. HopeKitchen Buhoma is not finished yet. But it is growing. And sometimes that is enough to keep going.

“Das ist schon eine wirklich sehr schoene Entwicklung, wenn man sieht wie so ein Ort waechst.”
— Mark Suer

BwindiBwindi

At the Gate of Bwindi — An Ordinary Extraordinary Day

At the entrance gate to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, nothing special is happening — and that is exactly what makes this moment so special.

An old green pickup truck stands under the covered gate. Someone sits on the flatbed, leaning against the metal wall, gazing into the distance. A ranger stands nearby — uniform, rifle, calm eyes. A few others lean, sit, wait. No stress. No rush.

Behind the gate begins one of the densest forests on Earth — home to the last mountain gorillas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a place that commands reverence.

But in front of it? Real life. Completely ordinary. Completely human. Some days do not begin with a grand moment. They begin just like this: with silence, with routine, with people who are simply there. This is not a tourist photo. It is a typical day — and that is what makes it unforgettable.

“Es ist das typische Bild, nicht viel los, aber mehrere Ranger, einige Leute sitzen dort einfach nur.”
— Mark Suer

CommunityBuhoma

A Fuel Stop in Buhoma — Life on the Roadside

A small fuel pump at the roadside in Buhoma. White and red, weathered, somehow reliable.

A BodaBoda driver stops briefly. No fuss. He fills up for about 5,000 shillings — a little more than one euro. Relative to what most people earn here, that is no small amount. A young man watches. The scene lasts maybe two minutes.

But in those two minutes there is so much: a trade that feeds. Infrastructure that works — simple, without glamour, but reliable. Two people who briefly meet without needing words.

Uganda often reveals itself exactly like this: not in grand gestures, but in quiet moments on the roadside. Simple. And it works.

“Es ist ein einfaches Bild, was viel ueber die Einfachheit sagt und es funktioniert.”
— Mark Suer

WildlifeQueen Elizabeth NP

The Elephant at the Door — A Morning at Aardvark Lodge

The night at Aardvark Lodge was unusually loud. Cracking, rustling, heavy footsteps in the dark. Something outside was eating its way through the night.

The next morning came the answer.

Right behind the bar, no more than ten metres away, it simply stood there. A fully grown African elephant, tusks gleaming in the early light, trunk curiously reaching towards the kitchen. No drama, no panic. Just one quiet moment in which two worlds calmly regarded each other.

Uganda has these moments. Moments in which the line between wilderness and human life simply disappears — not threatening, but almost natural. Perhaps: that we are guests here. Not the other way around.

“Ein wilder, aber sehr friedlicher, Elefant kam einfach vorbei und stand hinten an der Kueche. Eine ganz toller Moment.”
— Mark Suer

Roger — A Boy Who Should Be in School

More Stories

Building HopeKitchen — Where Hope Takes Shape

At the Gate of Bwindi — An Ordinary Extraordinary Day

A Fuel Stop in Buhoma — Life on the Roadside

The Elephant at the Door — A Morning at Aardvark Lodge

Uganda — Wild and Beautiful

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