Thank You to the Team

Here we are, home a week already and back into the swing of western life. It's hard to imagine that after all the planning and fundraising, the trip is already a memory. But it is a wonderful memory to be cherished.

I want to say a huge thank you to the team members that travelled to Uganda with Niteo this year. We were a great group that really bonded well and we spent so much time laughing together that I think the Nationals thought we were a little crazy! The stories that were shared around the meal table were always great.

Thank you to Bree for making the whole trip "the most exciting thing ever!!". It was very exciting to experience the trip through her eyes.

Thank you to Corey for his attention to detail while planning the perfect photo and for all his hard work and patience with the internet when updating the Niteo blog.

Thank you to Ecko for her immediate friendship with everyone we met. She greeted everyone with a warm smile and people were immediately comfortable with her.

Thank you to Faye for her courage in trying so many new foods and for her great work at Sanyu with the teachers there.

Thank you to Kath for putting on a teacher hat and sharing Math activities with the teachers who came to the sessions at the Eva Ruf Center. She was very flexible and I really appreciated that!

Thank you to Lauren for her amazing organizational skills. She worked wonders at Sanyu getting the cupboards sorted out and finding a place for all the medical supplies, clothes and teaching materials.

Thank you to Linda for her connection with the staff at Sanyu. She treated each caregiver with respect and they were empowered by her support and guidance in the care of the orphans.

I hope to travel again with these amazing people. Each one contributed so much to the team and to the whole experience.

And of course, thank you to Karine for her vision, leadership and friendship.

Webale nyo!

The Last Dance

Yes, the whole team was getting down as Duncan and the Elohim Troupe put on a spectacular show of music, singing and dancing in the courtyard of the Eva Ruf Centre. The team arrived back from safari to find Karine's surprise: 24 vibrant, beautiful students who had traveled 60KM in ONE van to visit the centre and meet us. It was an honour to meet them and talk to these wonderful students who are all orphans and who are all living with or are affected by HIV/AIDS. It was a marvelous time for all.

Chimpanzee Trekking For Dummies

These are the lessons we learned today while wandering through a beautiful ravine hunting chimps:

Bring better shoes than you think you need.

Wear washable, salt-resistant, urine-resistant, mud-resistant clothing.

Take two or three handkerchiefs to wipe your sweating face with; one isn't enough and will simply be dirty and gross by the end.

Double- or triple-dip with insect repellent.

Do not approach the spiky thorny bush that is everywhere; if you do, thorns will leap and impale themselves in you, necessitating a trip to a local hospital to get removed.

If Caleb, your guide, tells you that the rocks are slippery: trust him.

Ditto when he tells you to walk on the LEFT side of the rock/stump/sink hole: there is a reason that HE gets to carry a gun and lead stupid tourists and YOU don't.

Electronics fail in conditions of high humidity.

The deepest darkest jungle is a lot deeper and darker than it looks.

100 metres down is a lot bigger than it looks.

Entrance Three ("the second most difficult entrance" Caleb told us cheerfully) is very steep and incredibly scary but is also the hardest part of the trip.

... and the final thing...

it was worth it.

{yes, pics to come, but not until much later; we're at the resort on safari and there's no way to load photos}

Safari Update

We have slept in a tent in the bush of Uganda, we have trekked through the gorge searching for chimpanzees and this afternoon we are cruising on the channel to see water mammals. It has been a busy time! Also a very successful time as we have seen: elephants, waterbucks, kob, impala, antelope, buffalo, hyena, warthogs, vultures, hippos, bats, baboons, monkeys, chimpanzees, and three lions! Of course there are many birds and insects too.

Tomorrow morning we hunt for the adult male lion... :)

Everyone is well and having a good time. We'll see you all in a couple of days!

Teaching Together at the ERRC

For the past week, as six of the team members head to Sanyu for their day, three of us, Corey, Kath and I, have remained at the center for the Teaching Together component of the project. Our intention was to have up to 20 teachers plus administrators come for workshops on Reading Power, a reading program developed by Adrienne Gear in Vancouver, on Monday and Tuesday, and then Math and Science hands-on activities on Wednesday and Thursday. While Kath and I were involved in this part of the project, Corey was going to teach Joomla, a web design program to a group of teachers from various schools.

Sam and Betty sent out letters of invitation to the schools for them to come to the center but they told us that we may have problems getting teachers to come for two reasons: it was the last week of school and teachers were involved in exams and getting reports ready, and many teachers would not be able to pay for transport.

Corey had one student on Monday but Tuesday he had 5 and these men stayed with him for the rest of the week. They really enjoyed learning about the program and were well on their way to designing their own website. On the last day, Corey gave the teacher who had been there everyday the Joomla book so that he could continue to learn and teach the others. Each of the participants were able to keep the laptop that they had been working on. When we had our open house on Friday, another teacher from one of the same schools told us that he was going to learn the computer program from his colleague. This was the goal!

Kath and I had anywhere from 4 to 10 people come to our workshops and while the numbers were not what we had hoped for, the discussions and learning that we did together was perfect. We had two teachers who came from Living Hope in Nateete which amazed us because it is so far and not a school that we expected to be able to afford to come. After the Reading Power workshop, these teachers asked if they could take enough resources to teach the rest of the staff how to implement the program. To me that is a great success because they are sharing the knowledge that they have gained. Professional Development is not something that is done here and teachers don't get time to meet together to talk. It's wonderful that now these teachers will find the time to meet to talk about the program. Maybe this will be the start of professional dialogue between these colleagues.

After we had taught our programs, teachers usually stayed and asked questions about anything to do with education. We spoke about other subjects, especially writing, but we also spoke about the whole education system and philosophy in Canada and Uganda. I particularly enjoyed the discussions about segregated classes depending on ability and how boys and girls learn differently.

The teachers here were very keen to learn new and simple ways to add a bit of variety into their teaching. They all said that learning how to make the student more involved in the classroom was not something that they were ever exposed to in University. All expressed a desire to learn more.

It was a huge success all around. Obviously the transport is a much bigger issue than we had originally thought. Next year, when we do this again, we will try a different approach where we, the Niteo team, travel to the schools and stay there to do pro-d. We would have three or four specific programs that we would offer and they could select what would be most interesting to the staff. That way we are investing more in the school and more teachers are able to participate if they want to. The idea wouldn't be to swoop in and give the workshop and then swoop out but to also spend some time in the school to model the program we have brought. I think this system would be much more effective.

It was great to share with the teachers here again. I really enjoyed having the opportunity and I look forward to doing it again next year!

Hello from the Eva Ruf Resource Centre

This is from Kath from First Lutheran Church using Erika's blog name.....
We're all busy packing for our Safari tomorrow - work is done and now a little time out to play. Erika and I have enjoyed the week at the centre and its given me a chance to see how it operates on a daily basis. The centre is very well organized - Betty and her volunteer staff have kept all the books on shelves separated into categories and games and puzzles stacked together. Each day this week, the children stayed away while we did the teacher seminars in the morning but by noon the place was buzzing with all ages. Students sit quietly with books under the trees, the verandah is filled with girls and boys playing games at the two tables and inside there are children doing puzzles, colouring and reading books. We spent our afternoons teaching them new games and reading to them. Today was open house when we welcomed teachers, orphanage staff and Sally and a few of her girls as well as the usual children. A drink and a snack were served to everyone by Betty and her kitchen staff. Somehow, drums were produced, grass skirts appeared and we had an impromtu dancing lesson on the grass to the sound of African drums. We think Faye finally got the rythym so she should be able to demonstrate for her family. The centre is well used and I've seen for myself how the children and teachers enjoy what is available since they truly don't have books, games and education material for themselves.
The guest house portion of the centre has been a blessing. The cook and kitchen staff have fed us well, we've enjoyed breakfasts outside in the morning sun and peaceful dinners once the centre closed for the day, although various stories from the day broke the peace with our laughter. There has been more than adequate room for sleeping and enough bathrooms. Linda and I were given the master bedroom and ensuite bathroom - sometimes its good to be the oldest on the team. We've enjoyed loss of power and water pressure and everyone keeps smiling so now we know what its like to live in Kampala. I'll say goodnight now and complete my packing.
Thank you all for your prayers for our trip - we'll be home all too soon.
Kath

Lunchtime

Linda with a Sanyu Mama

Linda discusses bottle brushes and baby bottle cleaning with a worker at Sanyu.

My Favourite So Far

I adore this image -- it's my favourite of the trip so far. Lauren in the baby class, hiding in the corner so I wouldn't find her (she's not fond of having her picture taken!).

More photos from our last day at Sanyu to come.

Update

It's been a while since I've updated all of you about our day-to-day activities; sorry about that. The funny thing about being here is that everything is so immediate that it's hard to remember that there are people back home waiting for news.

The week has been busy for both teams. Karine, Linda, Faye, Ecko, Lauren and Bree spent all week organizing, supporting, empowering and assisting at Sanyu. Erika and Kath taught teachers at the Resource Centre and there was much laughter for the science teachers especially as they did all kinds of funky experiments. Several very well-dressed, very proper teachers were soaked with water due to Erika's mad science lessons... much to their delight, of course.

Wednesday night after work took the team to Cafe Pap, a posh coffee shop which provided a much needed caffeine dose for several members. The journey -- all of 5 kilometers -- took us approximately 80 minutes. Part of this was due to a small Sanyu detour to pick up a forgotten purse, but the main reason it took so long was because of the incredible Kampala night traffic. All the team members will have video or pics of the adventure, but until you've actually experienced it you can't really know what it's like. Various members of our team have been in China, Italy, France, Spain, Brazil, Chile and Mexico; all agreed that the traffic jams here are the craziest around. It was terribly amusing for all.

Once we finally made it to the coffee shop (which thankfully stayed open until 2300 or I personally would have broken in) we enjoyed interacting with the friendly and knowledgeable staff. Most of us only had beverages but Bree had some french fries (she said she was craving "normal food") and I had a wonderful chicken samosa. All who went enjoyed the ambiance and treats.

Thursday was a special evening out for most of the team members. We went and had dinner with Sally at her wonderful King's Daughters Ministries. Sally is an amazing woman who has taken nearly 3o young girls off the streets or out of very traumatic situations and brought them into her home to provide them with safety and love. She provides meals and clothing, teaches them life skills and a trade, and provides money for school fees so that they can continue or attend school. She does this without any governmental assistance, mind you, and relies exclusively on the generosity of donors.

After a numerous greeting and welcomes, we enjoyed a lovely communal meal. This was followed by spiritual singing, speeches, prayer and more singing (at Karine's request :) ). Everyone had a marvelous time and we were also able to present Sally and her charges with two huge hockey bags of donations for her home. It was over all too soon and, after a brief (ha ha) journey through downtown Kampala traffic, we arrived home at the resource centre safe and sound.

Friday saw all but Kath and Erika head for Sanyu for a follow-up and finish-up morning. After an emotional farewell we headed back to to the resource centre for the open house -- it's still going on as I write, in fact. The open house has been a chance for us to wear our newly made custom-tailored African outfits (I love my shirt) and connect with the students and teachers we've met over the last two weeks. Tomorrow we're off on safari to Queen Elizabeth park.

I have several photos ready to go up on the blog but it's very hard to get them up so please be patient with me.

Sanyu

Today at Sanyu Babies' Home

I wanted to briefly outline the most AMAZING parts of our day at Sanyu! We came to invest in the staff at Sanyu, serving them and empowering them to provide the BEST for the children of Sanyu.

1. Linda, our nurse, came to me last night and said all 6 babies who are being monitored for weight gain at Sanyu have lost weight. She looked at me and said, "I am concerned about the three smallest ones. They are vulnerable and will die at the next infection." There is one baby in particular, Kate, who is 11 months old and 10lbs. Kate is medically fragile and not growing and developing properly.

Addressing Kate's nutrition and weight gain was top priority today! After investigating her charts and researching where to access the nutritional supplement that was prescribed, we were able to get 10 cans due to the generosity of a donor. We fed her several times throughout the day. I taught the
entire staff some simple oral motor stimulation strategies. Then, she ate beautifully. It
is VERY sad though because we all got in the van and said that we thought she probably will not make it. However, we were able to model to the staff that the Sanyu babies deserve the best!

2. The teachers are TOTALLY responding to the model lesson plans we are doing with the preschoolers. I did one yesterday. Bree and Faye, members of the team, did one today. By the end of the day, the teachers were asking us to help them structure and schedule so that they may continue to implement the teaching and classroom management strategies we have been modeling.

They are AMAZED that we can get two year olds to choose a book, sit down, and read quietly. ;) Most of them would not have books in their home and if they do, they are for adults, certainly not
children. It just is not part of the culture. Of course, well-meaning people from all around the world have donated thousands of books to Sanyu, but the teachers do not know how to use them. They
are learning.

3. I had the opportunity to facilitate the second workshop for the staff. It is great to empower them. I told them that money does not solve problems, people do! I told them they have the power to change the lives of the children. Then, I taught them how to massage a baby. Frances, the most involved little special needs boy at the orphanage, was at the center of the circle with mothers massaging him and the whole crowd singing to him and he would normally be the discarded and ignored and avoided child. It was a bit of a paradigm shift.

So, all in all, the work at Sanyu is going GREAT! Despite the challenges, it is worth it. It is worth it to empower the staff. It is worth it to say to them, "You are heroes." It is worth it to say, "The babies deserve our best...the Sanyu babies are deserving! AND, if you buy
into this vision, the whole world will stand with you."

With much gratitude,
Karine

"Gifting vs Investing" according to Erika

When I say that I am travelling to Africa, people are often quite quick to ask: "What can I give you to take?"

What indeed?

I don't want to arrive here with lots of things to give and continue to feed the idea that westerners are "wallets on legs" (an expression I read in a book called Africa by Richard Dowden). I experience this every day that I am here: "I need a sponsor for school." "Give me a camera." "My children need new clothes." "I need a job." They're not being rude, they just see how much I have and hope that I might share my wealth. I can fully understand that.

It becomes especially hard when I develop a relationship with people, especially the children at the center, and then suddenly they ask to talk to me about something serious which inevitably ends up with a request for something financial. But I persevere in saying no, no, no, even when I really want to say yes.

Today, the team that works at Sanyu saw how "gifting", donating items, doesn't work. The task for the team was to sort and organize the rooms in the orphanage. There were lots of other volunteers who were there to rock babies so our team took the initiative to serve in other ways.



Sanyu deals with babies that are abandoned, sick and desperate. It is a bare bones institution until you open the cupboards and take a peek inside. This place has tons and tons of clothes, books, toys, craft supplies, colouring books... the list is endless. When one of the team members asked what a teacher needed, she said that she needed scissors. While cleaning through the cupboards, a box with 30 pairs of scissors was found. There were party favours from the Dollar Store, Barbie dolls, craft kits for kids aged 8 and up (the orphanage is for up to 3 years of age), and the find of choice was a Fisher Price microphone and tape player where you can play a tape and sing along with your voice amplified. The teachers there thought it was like a telephone.

All these items had been gifted to the orphanage. Were they being used? No. They were taking up space. The staff at Sanyu were so thrilled that someone had come to take the time to organize what they had. Clothes were sorted and folded and put away. Books were put into piles and are ready for use. Crayons and colouring books are now accessible for the children. Yes, these gifts are now useable. But eventually they will get used up or disappear into the 'cupboard of no return' until someone else comes along and invests time.

What our team did today was invest in Sanyu. What each team member on this trip has done is invest in Uganda. Yes, this takes money but it is an investment in the lives of these people. Look at the photos of the babies. We are investing in their future.

So don't ask me what you can give me to take. Ask me how you can invest in the work that Niteo is doing. This is what I'll tell you:

1. Invest your money. Niteo needs money to continue to fulfill its mandate. Books don't travel overseas on their own. The resource center needs to pay rent. And all donations receive a tax receipt!

2. Invest your time. Travel with Niteo as part of a team and invest your time in the people here. If you can't travel with us, invest your time at home and get involved in the activities that Niteo does. We always need help with fundraisers. We need people to help collect, sort and load the donations of books. Many hands make light work and for Niteo to grow, we need many more hands!

3. Invest your talents. Do you have a passion that you could lend to Niteo? Does your business do something that could be used to enhance the work that Niteo is doing?

4. Invest your voice. Find out more about what we are doing and about Uganda and if you like what we're doing, talk to people. Word of mouth is very powerful. Who knows who may hear about the work Niteo is doing and decide to become more involved. I became involved because Elaine last year asked "Who wants to come to Africa with me?". She had read about Niteo in the paper and talked to our bookclub about it. It has changed my life.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that people want to give things. Thank you to everyone who has given me things to bring. We see a need and we want to give. I do it too. I collected baby clothes. I bought craft supplies. I asked my dentist for toothbrushes.

Africa does not need things.

Do you know that for every year of education that a girl in a developing nation gets, her earnings rise by 10% per year for the rest of her life? Niteo is investing in the future of these children and in the future of Uganda. You can too!

Have a great day!

Erika :)

PS - I know that some of you are thinking about the books that we bring to Uganda. These are things too. But books are a luxury item that are not found in schools. The books we bring are used to enhance the educational experience of the children.

PPS - And all the Science equipment I took to Kawanda? Aren't these things too? Of course they are but they were not asked for, they were offered. The items I brought are things that are for experiments that they can only read about because they don't have the right equipment. And for me, it is the same as giving a book to a colleague who is asking about a certain teaching method. It's not a donation. It's not a gift. It is sharing a resource. This is just on a grander scale because I only see my colleagues at Kawanda once a year (so far anyway... maybe eventually it will be more often...!).

Ecko and friend

Much of the team spent an amazingly challenging and rewarding day at Sanyu. By all accounts it was a day of challenges and trials, but there was much laughter around the dinner table tonight too so all is not gloomy.

Pictures from Welcome Home

More pics from the Welcome Home Orphanage in Jinja.

Leaders of Distinction

Looking through my photos, it seems like the entire trip is about babies.

Orphanages are certainly compelling visual symbols of what Niteo is about, but on Friday we joined together with our Ugandan partners to celebrate another facet of our mandate.

Leaders of Distinction -- formerly known as Kids Helping Kids -- is a school based program serving secondary school students. Its goal is to empower and facilitate community-based projects partnering higher economic-status students with less advantaged ones. The students work as teams to identify social or community issues that they can change. They then develop and implement these programs and track their successes.

On Friday, members of the community and the schools came together to celebrate those students whose programs were most successful. We at Niteo were honored to join distinguished guests from the Ministry of Education as well as business and community leaders in an afternoon gala of speeches and celebrations. Some of the achievements are incredible regardless of whether they were student led or not; all the achievements are worthy of our praise and respect.

Much of what we have seen so far has been about hope and the future -- how things will be better "later on". It was wonderful to see something that is great NOW. These students are truly the future leaders of Uganda, and we salute them.

At The Source Of The Nile

the team prepares to embark on a journey.... on the Nile river .... in a tiny little boat. Needless to say (at least for those who know me), I wasn't in attendance.

Bree, Shakira and Adam

As I walked into the orphanage playground area the first little girl I saw came up to me and wrapped her arms around my legs. I bent down and told her how pretty she was and asked her name. All I received was a nod. She walked around with me a bit and I went off to visit some other children. Later, we were together again. As I held her I asked one of the mothers what her name was, they told me Gloria and that she was around three years old. I then asked the little girl her name again, she replied with Shakira.
Confused? So was I.
I asked the mother why she told me her name was Shakira and she explained that she had only been at the Welcome Home for one week. This little girl's mother was killed and her father a soldier in Somalia - they changed her name to forgive her of her past. We sat down together and I asked her if we should count all her fingers to make sure they were there. I wiggled each one and counted from one to ten, then we clapped at the end. I told her how lucky she was to have all ten fingers and how wonderful Welcome Home would be for her, she again replied with a single nod. We went through the counting of her fingers and toes a few more times and then we both were off to interact with others.
A while later we were together again. I told her the names of all the different colours we could see and sang "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes" she laughed and can now point to anything yellow :). Soon after, we decided to count our fingers again. We went through hers a few more times and she began to join in. Next, we moved to mine and she started counting and wiggling my fingers all on her own. The mother looked at me and said "Wow, we have never seen her do that before, all she knows in English is her name! Now she can count to ten in English!"
What a wonderful experience, the only downside was knowing I now had to leave. She followed me and tugged on my hand. Eventually, she was distracted by one of my team members giving her a hug. As I loaded into the van, with tears in my eyes, she stretched her arm through the bars and waved. I smiled and she smiled back.




Posted by Bree

Bree, Shakira and Adam

Benjamin

Serving Kawanda

When I try to explain what I am doing when I come to Africa, I always shudder at the word “help”. I have struggled to find a way to express what I am doing. These people do not need my help and I am wrong in saying that I am coming to help. But yesterday, as we were returning from Nateete and Karine and I were talking about how Niteo could be involved with Living Hope, I found the word to say what I am doing here: serve. How can I serve these people? What do I have to offer? I am not here to help; I am here to serve as they need.

I am a teacher and I can offer my experiences and passions as a teacher for the Ugandans to use these in the best way to serve them. Last year we were able to share how teaching in Uganda and in Canada is similar and what the challenges are that we face within the education system. I did not teach the teachers at Kawanda how to teach. I shared ideas with them and we picked each other’s brains about curriculum and best teaching practice. It was amazing.

Today the team travelled to Kawanda Senior Secondary. I was so excited to drive along the same road that I travelled only five times before and yet I feel that I have known that road my whole life. I recognized landmarks and pot-holes and knew exactly where to turn to reach the beautiful campus of the school.

Seeing my friends today was amazing: Mr. Hussein, Ali, P. Louis, Sainab, and others that I had the pleasure of working with and talking to last year. But of course the highlight for me was to see Muhamad again. He is so kind and gracious and just an incredible person. Mr. Hussein informed us that Muhamad is working on a Biology textbook in his spare time (spare time?). Muhamad said that he had only just begun but has completed 500 pages so far. What an amazing person.

We toured the school and saw the students doing their Chemistry practical exam and other students writing a History exam. I spoke briefly with Remi, the student who I connected with last year, as she was writing her exam. “Is it easy?” I asked. “It is fair.” she replied. As we walked around the school, Muhamad explained that the students were supposed to be leaving Saturday but because we were coming, they bumped the schedule by one day so that the students would still be writing exams on Friday and leaving Sunday. We were there an hour and they changed the end of term to accommodate us. What amazingly gracious people.

Back in Kelowna, I had the good fortune of reading an email posted in the general section of my school district’s website from a Science equipment provider who was offering Science equipment for schools in the district. I spoke with him about Niteo and the connection with Kawanda and he offered anything that he had that Kawanda could use. I offered this to Muhamad and he spoke with the Science staff to see what they could use. I passed that on to Mr. Shawlee and he provided everything that was on the list. I had the honour and privilege of bringing these items to the school today.

Mr. Hussein and Muhamad couldn’t believe their eyes. There were things there that were too expensive to purchase for the school and things that could not be purchased even if the school had the money. They were most excited about the resistors. Lauren, a team member who has just completed her bio-chemistry degree, whispered that resistors are just thrown away at home.

There were also a couple of textbooks on Physical Geography that I had used in University that I brought for Ali. He was flipping through them, showing another teacher, and he commented on how practical the book was. “Our information is very theoretical,” he said, “but this is so practical.”

We probably brought 75lbs of Science and Math equipment for the school. Things that we would have or that we could get at the drop of a hat if we wanted to. Mr. Hussein did not know what to say. He didn’t need to say anything. It was my pleasure to serve.

A suitcase filled with Science

Love Bigger!

Outside, the tropical rain pours over the earth as the sun rises in oranges to escape behind the thick cloud. I am anxious to put my pen to paper and tell another story.

One of the questions I have asked myself as I have traveled is “How has Africa taught me to love?” I love so differently now. I know it, but on so many levels it is unconscious and unexplored.

I believe the babe that I met yesterday, little Dorothy, holds a clue.

As I approached the young, blonde English nurse she gently rocked an African infant on the rusty old swing. The child looked up at her with liquid dark, bright eyes and lay motionless in a pure white sleeper.

The young nurse continued to swing as she comfortably smiled and said “This is Dorothy. She came to Sanyu on Tuesday and is very ill. She was found abandoned and floating in a latrine.” Dorothy never moved. The swing never stopped rocking.

Hannah and I briefly exchanged names, which in the moment seemed insignificant and merely obligatory. Hannah continued.

“We think the baby is around 4 months, because she can hold up her head for a short time. However, she is still so dehydrated.” She rolled the baby forward in her lap and massaged the little hand of the child to show me. As she rolled the child, it was easy to see Dorothy’s spine protruding through the cotton clothing, from top to bottom.

Hannah smiled again and explained in her British accent “I am just trying to give her some extra attention, she needs it. We hope she will begin to keep her food.”

My heart moves. It rolls with affection and attraction to the child. It is irresistible. Africa just draws me in and teaches me to connect and be with that strong current.

On Monday, we will begin serving at Sanyu, which incidentally means “joy” in Lugandan. On Tuesday, we will begin training the staff in child development and health and hygiene. We have a week there.

And although I have not yet held Dorothy, I’m sure I will have the opportunity. Although I may never see her again, I know she has taught me love afresh. I am expanded.

The team keeps saying, “Everyone should come here! Everyone should experience this!” Africa teaches everyone to be loving and strong.

Nateete, Sanyu and King's Daughters

Today was the most important day of our trip. If it all ended today and we had to go back home, we all agreed that we would have left Uganda happy.

We traveled from our world to theirs. We traveled from consumption and affluence to subsistence and effluent.

We went to Nateete Living Hope Orphan School, and it has quite literally changed our lives.

No one who witnesses the joy and gratitude of the students and staff there could ever possibly doubt that we in the west aren't doing nearly enough to help the rest of the world.

During breakfast today, Karine asked us a question. What, she said, does generosity look like?

First Pics

Kath reading "Russell The Sheep" to some students.

The Mystery of Community

As a team, over breakfast, we discussed the following quote from Paulo Freire, "True generosity lies in striving so that these hands--whether of individuals or entire peoples--need be extended less and less in supplication, so that more and more they become human hands which work and, in working, transform the world."

What is generosity?

Today we will visit the school Living Hope, where the majority of the students are orphans and they all live in the a part of town that is congested, underdeveloped, and dirty. We will visit Sanyu where 45 babies ages 0-3 live. The children are abandoned and often ill and/or developmentally delayed. Then, it is off to King's Daughters where the approx. 25 young women who have come off the streets are being taught vocational skills and educated.

So, it is a viscerally stimulating day to ask "What does generosity look like?"

And, what if the answer is simpler, yet bigger, than what we currently imagine?

For me, the most beautiful gift one can give is the their active, open presence. What if our presence together, here in Africa is part of the answer...making the world smaller and more intimate?

The surreal and mysterious quality of creating community.

It was a delight to see how community can happen between strangers on an airplane, across cultures in an airport, amongst friends on a team, and across cultures...

77 children visited the Centre yesterday...there was something profound about being together with them.

The mystery of community...

Day One -- Settling In

After a long and typically exhausting journey, we arrived safe and sound in Kampala. Most of the day was spent organizing the details of our life here. Erika and Corey went with our marvelous local contact Dennis to a money exchange bureau to trade USD for Ugandan Shillings.

After a wonderful first meal of fried chicken, beans with vegetables and boiled rice, the team divided up all the suitcases of donated materials with piles ready to go to Nateete Living Hope Children's Centre, Sanyu Babies Home, Kawanda Secondary, Kabojja International, King's Daughters and Jinja Welcome Home Orphanage. We have piles and bags and boxes of things ready to go. Team Member Lauren Sharpe was unable to make our initial packing party back in Kelowna, and upon seeing all the things we brought she commented that she was in awe and overwhelmed by the generosity of the donors.

After we finished separating materials, the team piled into our van and Robert, our capable driver, took us downtown to the Shoprite (a very famous and very familiar-feeling supermarket) where team members stocked up with lunch items for the next two weeks. After a quick trip to a well-known souvenir store (and a coffee break for certain team members...) we headed downtown for dinner at Fang Fangs, the most famous Chinese restaurant in Kampala. We sat in a beautiful open-air dining room at a huge table and enjoyed course after course of excellent dishes. Betty and Sam joined us for our first dinner in Uganda and so we felt complete.

We finally made it back to the resource centre at 10 pm and, after a few amusing moments with wall-clinging geckos and overly-friendly 3" cockroaches, all fell asleep soon after.

We all commented that it seemed that day one was actually two or three days' long - a combination of jet lag, general exhaustion and excitement. Our first full day begins tomorrow! So far, though, everyone is healthy and in good spirits.

(currently, photos are not loading-- dunno why. I'll try again later!)

We're Here, We're Safe, We're THRILLED

After way too many airplane meals, we've arrived safe and sound in beautiful Kampala.

Amazingly enough, no one lost a single piece of luggage -- which means that over 1000 pounds of donated material made it to the resource centre and is ready to be disbursed and utilized.

The Eva Ruf looks great -- Betty has done a wonderful job. We're tired but excited and eager to continue on with our journey here in Uganda.

We have truly become a community! (more to follow on that topic from Karine)

Peace and love,

The Team in Kampala

pics to follow... promise!

text us your encouragement!

Dear Friends and Family,

We would love to hear from you while we are gone!  Please feel free to text your thoughts and inspiration at +011 256 712 606 411.  The best time of day to text is right before you go to bed, in our morning. Please leave your name.  

We may not be able to respond, but the messages will mean lots to us.

Blessings,

Karine

On our Way!!

Dear Friends and Family,

We are all anxiously getting ready to embark on the journey of a lifetime: our trip to Uganda, Africa!

There are many emotions that we are experiencing as travelers.  We are misty to say goodbye to our loved ones.  We may be afraid for our own health and safety.  We are pressed to get the house cleaned, the pets cared for, the luggage packed and re-packed, and the final details attended to.  For me, there are things I am leaving undone.  :(

But, what I can say, from experience is that we will see something completely unique and unquestionably beautiful!  We will be entranced by the smiles and grace of Ugandans.  There will be moving and utterly defining moments of treacherous loveliness.  We will rock sick and abandoned babies.  We will train teachers.  We will connect with amazing people.

And then...

Just by giving of ourselves, however we can, we will in some small way dignify the heart and mind of the African child.

It is a beautiful and tremendous experience...we will be blessed!

Also, I just want to acknowledge in a special and profound way...Erika Van Oyen.  She has single-handedly put together the logistics of this trip.  Her enthusiasm and abilities SHINE!  I am grateful for her amazing commitment shown throughout the year, her gorgeous heart, and her thorough attention to detail.  Erika, we are thankful for you!

With great anticipation,

Karine