“Aletheia” means “truth” in Greek or to be more precise: that which does not escape notice, does not hide, is not forgotten; that which remains evident, the opposite of oblivion, of forgetting; that which resists the wear of time, which cannot be erased from memory. I experienced all of this with every sense present while volunteering at Bufuka.
The voices of the children called out to me every morning as they prayed, reminding me that being an observer is a very dangerous sport. They made me remember that when you stand on the edge of a cliff, you must find the strength, and with all that you see beneath you, your balance must be well-practised so you do not fall. They made me trust even more the little kid I care for inside me, and realise that now, only I bear the responsibility to raise it as it deserves.
My next experience was the Ugandan safari. Gazing at the savanna at sunset, time stopped and my breath expanded, becoming vast; my heart pounded as I saw every kind of animal before me, not out of fear, but out of a continuous desire to discover the secret of their being. For example, the leopard with her cub, as well as the mother elephant with her calf, without even knowing it, revealed to you what selfless love means.
Finally, full of faith, I visited Bwindi to make my dream come true: to meet those astonishing creatures known as gorillas! As we were trekking, the members of a gorilla family were slowly presented to us. First, a young one popped out like an acrobat, reminding me once again of that source of life. A little further away, the mother was watching it jump from branch to branch. Then, in the background, something shimmered like silver; the back of the silverback. Turning around, he looked at us as if welcoming us into his home, and from that moment on, I was crying without understanding why … from the majesty, from the gentleness of this giant. Perhaps they are here to teach us again what it is like to be present in the here and now, without a before and an after, just to be.
Uganda and its amazing beings — let us not forget its people! — are a gushing spring, pure, with the clearest water cleansing my soul.
🖋️ text and 📸 photography by:
Iro Chalkidi volunteered with Wheeling2help at Lake Bunyonyi in June 2026 and later experienced a Gorilla Highlands Experts tour of the region. She is an actor, musical theatre performer and dancer who simply calls herself “an artist”, and has travelled extensively across Europe, the Americas and Asia before discovering Africa. A vegan, environmentalist and animal rights advocate, Iro keeps mind and body sharp through hiking, Taekwondo, yoga and Pilates. She performs in Athens, Greece. [bio updated: 2026-07]
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