What is compassion?

The team has just left on safari and so I am taking the chance to get a few words down before Karine and I start our day with meetings and other “must do” things. I am jealous that they are going to see all the amazing animals! Oh well, it will be good to have three days here to get other types of work done. I am also going to spend some time today visiting Muhamad and his family so that will be great.

The charter of compassion states: “The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religions, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.” Sally and Duncan are two people who embody this charter in every way.

Sally runs a home for girls off the street or girls who need a safe place to live because their home life is dangerous. She currently has 30 girls living in her home and the youngest must be no more than 4. Imagine what that little girl has lived through to make it into Sally’s home. She feeds them, clothes them, shelters them and gets people to sponsor their schooling. As the girls get older, she offers them tailoring, catering and beadwork classes so that once they leave her centre, they can make it on their own.

The girls we see at Sally’s are not broken as you would expect. They are full of love and joy. As we arrive, they all come over and give us a big hug to welcome us. They sing and dance and we talk about life together. Sally gives these girls the right to tell their stories so that they can then start to heal. Many of her girls have come from the North where they have been child brides to the LRA soldiers. They were kidnapped and presumed dead. When they reappeared after the war ended or when they were able to escape, the families were happy to see them but they were “used goods” and no longer valuable to the family. These are the girls who run away to Kampala to find a better life and end up on the streets.

Sally counsels them and helps them work through what has happened to them. She tells them: “These people have affected your past but they cannot touch your future.” Then the healing begins.

Sally is now spending her week days in Gulu. Her home in Kampala runs so smoothly that she is only there on the weekend to spend time with her girls and make sure all is okay. She wants to open a centre in Gulu for the girls who are there. She wants them to have a safe place to go in their own community so that they don’t come to Kampala and end up on the street. A church in Gulu has donated some land and an old building that she is refinishing. This centre will be open during the day for girls to visit, to be able to talk and to learn. There will be people there to train them in various skills as well as people to talk to about what is happening or has happened to them. These girls are young but they are so vulnerable. They don’t know what is happening to them, even when they are menstruating, because no-one has spoken to them. Sally wants to support them in any way she can.

One thing she told us is that these girls cannot attend school during their period because they have no supplies and cannot keep clean. There are no latrines for them and so they stay home. This means they miss school each month and fall behind and several just abandon their studies.

Sally told us that one evening, she was thinking about all the problems for the girls on the street and lamenting how terrible it was. “Someone should do something” she thought. She heard a voice that said to her: “What are you doing about it?” and that got her started. Girls seek her out, she is well known all over the country, and she is an inspiration.

Duncan runs the Elohim Centre in Bombo. He feeds 110 children every day, he makes sure they go to school, he cares for the elderly in the community, he runs a dance troupe to offer music therapy to the children who have been abused, and he houses 40 orphans in small shacks. Of his 110 children, 20 are HIV positive: 18 girls and 2 boys. He runs a store in the village to help raise funds for the children. They eat watery porridge every other day as their only meal because they cannot afford more than that. But his children all attend school. That is the most important to him. Last year we brought books for him so that he could continue to tutor the children in the evenings to help them do better in school. Now he has children who are in the top 10 of their grade.

He has an open air kitchen, a pit toilet, a hut with a dirt floor in which he works with the children when it is raining.

When we arrived yesterday, he was not there. The children started to dance for us but suddenly they all started to dance up the path. We turned and there was Duncan. They all sang and danced around him, welcoming him home. He laughed and danced with them back into the circle where they had been performing for us. It was amazing to see.

He is very worried about the girls. His sister, Joanne, is a co-founder of Elohim as well as Moses, a soldier who lives in the barracks just up the hill from Bombo. Joanne works with the girls to talk to them about sexual issues and reproductive health. Many of the girls have been raped by the men in the community. He said that there are even three court cases currently happening but he said: “Even if we win, the girls are still HIV positive now. The damage is done.” But he makes sure these children get their medicine and if they are well fed and continue with their medicine, they can live into their 60s. Nutrition is such an important part of that. He says that the challenge is that on the days when he can only offer the girls watery porridge, they can be bought for a piece of bread or even a candy.

Duncan wants to buy land to build dorms for the girls that can be locked at night to keep them safe. He wants to plant a garden to grow their own food. He hopes to get pigs because they are easy to care for and are a great investment as they reproduce easily and require minimum care. The children could care for them before they go to school.

Karine asked about other NGOs supplying food. He told us that he had tried but that when he went to meet with them, he was told he was too late. The following year he went earlier and was told again that he was too late. He even saw his name on ledgers saying he was getting food when he was actually getting nothing. “We are not recovering from war like the North. We are not recovering from floods like the East. Our children are just as needy but they are not important to the world.” They are certainly important to Duncan and the other adults who volunteer to keep them healthy and safe. And they are important to us who have invested time with them and who have seen their inner beauty. How can anyone think these children are not important?

Compassion: to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there. Sally and Duncan show the world how to be compassionate. How can we serve them in their work? How can we not?

Have a great day.

Erika

Sanyu & Nateete through Linda's & Emily's eyes!

Why Niteo? Because it's what works.

There is always so much happening and at the end of the day, there is so little energy on my part to be able to write everything that I want to share. I am no longer waking up at 2am so there isn’t a chance for me to muse during the night. As it is, this is my second attempt at this post because my computer shut down after the first few paragraphs were typed. T.I.A. the kids say – This Is Africa.

We now have 47 mosquito nets and 14 more to come that were purchased with the money collected from the coin drive at Glenmore during the Vow of Silence. Colin asked to raise funds to buy nets, the Social Justice Club held a Vow of Silence saying “We vow to be silent because some children cannot speak up against malaria” and 50 students participated and raised $1500 for the Red Cross. This would purchase 165 nets that would cover 835 children (5 per net) for 5 years before needing to be retreated. The change drive raised $200 and I asked Colin if I could take that and buy nets in Uganda to take North. He agreed to use these funds this way and today that $200 bought 61 nets. These nets cost $3.27 each and we will deliver them personally. Way to go Colin and the rest of the Social Justice Club. It’s amazing what 9-12 year olds can accomplish.

This afternoon we had an amazing last day with the children and teachers at Childtime Preschool. Karine taught literacy on Tuesday, Rhonda did music on Wednesday and I taught art to the teachers today. When one of us was teaching, all the teachers came to the main room and the rest of us were left to teach the little ones. I am strong enough to say that entertaining 3 and 4 year olds (about 40 of them) for one hour is not my strongest suit! After my lesson today about doing art with preschoolers (and many thanks to the kindergarten teachers at Glenmore for giving me ideas to share), Fiona, the headmistress of the school, told me that they had never seen anything I had done. Even making finger prints with paint was new to them. We had many giggles while making animals out of playdough. It was a great exchange of ideas. Before we left, the children performed for us and even included a letter sound rhyme and dance with what Rhonda had taught yesterday. It was awesome to see that the ideas shared were so quickly implemented and used to suit the needs of the teachers and the children there. The children all gave us a picture that they had coloured and Fiona bought gifts for us all including a drum for Rhonda.

I have had three amazing mornings with the children at Nateete in P4 and P5. We have done Mathematics, Reading, Science and Writing. On Tuesday they wanted me to teach Science and the topic of choice initially was the foot bath. I managed to get the topic changed and we reviewed about the heart and circulatory system. They then asked to learn more about poultry keeping so I told them that I would be the student and they would tell me about poultry keeping. I explained to the teacher that this is a great way to review information for the students before a test because they will correct each other.

I spoke at length with Nicholas (P4) and Hassan (P5) about teaching at Nateete and the challenges that they face. They rely on the pastor to pay their wage and even at that, it cannot be more than $3 a day when the Ministry is flush with money. Hassan has been at Nateete for a few years and has a certificate in social work from a local college and Nicholas is a trained teacher who has a 3 year degree from Makarere University. I asked Nicholas why he stays with the children at Nateete with such a small wage and he told me that he attends the church and felt that the children are part of his family and must work to take care of them. He is hoping to move to the High School once Living Hope has completed building it.

The problem, he said, was that there is much money sent to Africa but very little reaches the people who need it. Most of it remains in the upper offices. I said that this was why Niteo invests time and people into Uganda, not money. We feel that it is important for us to come and spend time with the teachers and the students here because we know that just sending money does not work. He replied that this is the best way. Both he and Hassan were convinced that coming to Uganda and working with the teachers for the benefit of the children is the best way to affect change here. Money does not help, time does. It was a nice confirmation that what we feel is the best use of our resources is also what they feel is the best use of our resources. They didn’t ask for money or for materials, they asked for us to sit together and share our ideas, our knowledge, our strengths and our frustrations as teachers. For example, we all find that students have a very difficult time learning how to do long division. Rhonda told me a little rhyme to help the students learn the steps and I told them. They thought that was great and they were even more impressed when I said that I had also just learned it and would be trying it for the first time this coming year to see how it worked. Teaching Together!

I also had a great conversation with Robert today about the progress in the North. He has been before and I wanted to get his impressions about the progress there and what we might see. He said that the last of the camps have been dismantled but when I said enthusiastically that people were returning to their villages, he said that it was not always so. “They have become lazy. They have been fed, sheltered and clothed for so long by the NGOs that they don’t want to return to where they have to work hard to survive." Robert told us that the soil is bad in the North and the weather is poor so the crops are limited. “You cannot blame them for becoming lazy; it has been a very difficult time for them.”

“So what is the best investment that can be made in the North?” I asked. “How can these people be best served?”

“Education. There must be schools and teachers and places for the children learn. They must see that education is important. This is the only way to rebuild this area. Education is the most important.”

I won’t get on my soap box to end this post. These conversations and events all confirm to me that what Niteo does right. Be here. Invest time. Make connections. Start conversations. The human connection is, to me, the key.

How can I even think that I am not coming next year?

Have a lovely evening. – Erika :)

Nateete

Yesterday morning my heart broke. We were at the Nateete orphan school for the morning and Malcolm, Dylan, Emily and Rhonda put on a concert for the school. They used Rhonda's How Canada Came to Be cd and had all the students paddling canoes, singing about bears and explorers. It was great. It was probably one of the only cultural performances that school has had. After we split up into two's and taught classes for an hour or so. The kids were thrilled to have us there and we read books to them and sang songs with them.

The school is in a slum area called Nateete. I can't even explain the school, but I will try. There are 9 class rooms, but you reach them all from outside There is no cement, no sidewalk, no grass, no anything. Just old shacks and red dirt. The children sit on very old fashioned bench desks and have no textbooks, only a few pencils to share and tatty notebooks that are their prized possession. They get served a plastic mug of runny porridge at 10:00 am and they are very careful not to spill a drop. That might be the only meal of the day.

After class all the children were clamouring around us and we were taking lots of pictures, but as I was walking away one gorgeous boy came up to me and shook my hand and introduced himself as Shafik. He told me how happy he was that I was here, and hugged me. I expressed how happy I was to be there, how gorgeous he was and said I love you. Then we sat down and I had the opportunity to ask him a few questions about his life. His father is very sick (which probably means he has AIDS) and does not speak anymore - meaning the end is near. He said his brother is too sick to go to school, but that his mother is ok. If one parent dies of AIDS, there is a very high percentage of the other parent dying of the same disease.

So here is this gorgeous boy who is 12 years old, but looks like the size my son Malcolm was when he was 8 or 9 years old. His parents and brother have AIDS and he has a five year old sister. He lives in the worst slum I have ever seen, has one meal of runny porridge a day, and he has the biggest smile and the brightest eyes. He does not feel sorry for himself, he is not depressed. And he said to me "You are so beautiful, teacher. I love you."

Insert the sound of my heart breaking...

And that is just one kid out of 200 at that school - all with different life stories. The pastor of the church (also the principal of the school) is probably 38 years old and is married with five children. But his brother and sister have died, so he took their children in. He now has 14 children and his mother was helping him until she passed away two months ago. He said they live in a small house, but they make do. Let me explain that living in a small house here is like living in a bedroom in Canada. I'm not joking. And for some people in the Dilworth area, it might be the size of your bathroom. It's about 6 feet by 8 feet, and that is the WHOLE HOUSE.

The teachers at Nateete make $3.00 a day (yes I said three dollars a day), and the one we talked to walks 40 minutes each way to the school. They do not make the $3.00 if the church does not receive enough donations. The teachers are impeccably dressed, better than most I've seen at home. And they are living in the worst slum and make thirty three cents an hour.

It's mind boggling being here and I have not found a way to process everything we are seeing and the stories we are being told. It's off my grid. I can imagine that when I get home I will be processing this trip for a long time.
Joy Hlady

We come and then we go...

Well, we have already taught our last classes at the Nateete Orphan School. They are so resilient. They have lost their parents, one or both and many have parents that are too sick to get up anymore. HIV or any other illness that they can't afford to treat. Their uniforms are dirty and torn and they are wearing second hand shoes from Glenmore Elementary.
Their smiles are so beautiful I start doing things just to get them to smile. I try to make eye contact with each one, share a moment with each. What they are enduring is not possible to relay. The shacks they live in in their neighbourhoods have ditches nearby and you see people standing in them in the trickling garbage holding a water can to get their day's water. I don't know what their comforts are. School in a shack, hot and crowded, runny porridge out of a communal vat in the dirt for a snack at 10:30. No lunch. School until around 5. Grade 6 and 7 do evening studies as well, then going home to sickness, or to nobody. Life is tenuous for these valuable people. Their tattered books hold lessons that are scribed so beautifully on the history of Uganda, the art of poultry raising, the ancient kings of their land. We come and then we go...And now I don't even know what to say.....
Rhonda Draper

Resource Centre Open House - A UG Press Release

Niteo Africa partners with Ugandans to invest in the reading culture of Uganda through a safe and community based literacy centre full of computers, books, and educational resources.

On Sunday, July 18 from 2-5pm, Niteo will host and Open House at the Eva Ruf Resource Centre in Ntinda up from the Red Cross. The community at large is invited to come and freely discover the centre and the programs and resources it offers to the children, families, and educators of Uganda. During the afternoon visitors will be able to informally gather and learn more about the Centre through experiencing it firsthand.

Niteo Africa is an NGO of Canadians and Ugandans partnering together to educate our children. Founded by Karine Liegmann, an educator and humanitarian, the organization includes projects that support quality education and reciprocity among Canadians and Ugandans with sustainable change. Examples of projects include the Eva Ruf Resource Centre, Leaders of Distinction (fka: Kids Helping Kids) with Afroeducare, and Teaching Together at schools such as Kabojja Primary, Kawanda Senior Secondary, Living Hope Orphan School, and Sanyu Babies' Home. Volunteer teams visit annually from Canada to partner with Ugandans in the implementation or encouragement of these projects.

The vision for the Resource Centre emerged as an answer to the idea that "every child deserves a book." The Centre opened in 2008 and currently it serves approximately 1500 students each month. Students, parents, and teachers visit the Centre to study, participate in classes, read literature designed for children to enrich the Ugandan curriculum and reading culture. Programs the centre hosts include breakdancing classes and competitions, computer training, art classes, career guidance counselling and much more.

Niteo hopes to grow and is currently considering expanding into Northern Uganda with a brand new 20' container of books ready to be shipped. Also, over the past year, Niteo has mobilised Canadian children at Glenmore Elementary in British Columbia, Canada to fundraise for a bookmobile. To enrich the instructional program of schools, the bookmobile or Niteo van will be ready to deliver books and resources throughout Kampala. Schools may borrow the resources for a period of time and return them for other schools to use.

Betty Kabagambe, Centre Director, is quoted as saying, "We want to get the word out about how much the Centre offers, encouraging students to participate in our educational programs and take advantage of our learning environment."

The Eva Ruf Resource Centre will be hosting an Open House on Sunday for you to discover more about its services. For more information please visit www.niteoafrica.org, the "Eva Ruf Resource Centre" Facebook group or contact gilbert@niteoafrica.org.

I am stunned half the time....

I am sitting at the Eva Ruf Center in Kampala, Uganda. I am stunned half the time I am here. Maybe more than half. The Niteo Africa organization has partnered with many needy institutions in and around Kampala - but it is a level of need that is beyond my experience. From what I am learning, at least at the places we have been to such as the Nateete Orphan School called Living Hope and the Sanyu Baby's Orphanage, this has not been a reading culture. Mothers at a neighbouring pre-school have said that their own mothers never read to them, so they do not know how to do it with their children.

Dylan and I read with the primary students today in a classroom in the Nateete slum. It looks like a barn stall, only not a very nice one. The children crowded on to their benches and echoed the words that we said. We asked a question and they answered in unison. They come, they want to learn, there are no books in their classroom, just an old chalk board that is very hard to write on. You can't see the chalk very well. When I wrote on the board, the teacher first sent a student out across the dirt and mud 'center courtyard' - though courtyard is far to grand a term for it. He went to a neighbouring classroom for a piece of chalk. It is a precious commodity here. I have broken three pieces writing on that crude chalk board and am acutely aware of it in a way that I would never be in Kelowna.

Yesterday, I was working with older students at the same school. I was teaching about the continents and had them sketch in their books. Some started right away and some just sat there. I stood back to observe. Why wouldn't they work? They seemed so polite, and it seemed like a good enough lesson to me - replete with chants and rhymes, drawings and instruction....and then it all became clear. Each was waiting for a pencil. A neighbour had to finish first. Then the pencil was passed on and all was completed beautifully in the single book where all their work is done.

Mostly the students sit quietly and wait upon the teacher. Sometimes one will cuff or elbow the other in an effort to clear a little space on a small bench fit for 3 which holds 10. It is warm in the open air shacks and there is not much breeze. There is water and garbage in the ditch that runs through the school area... and other things that add to a rather close odour at times, and yet, something makes my heavy heart sing. What is it? The joyful faces of the children as they take their plastic mugs and get in line for their snack - runny porridge and a slice of dry casava? The ready gaze as I teach, explain, sing and look into each beautiful face trying to have at least one shared moment with each child? They way they celebrate us - the 'muzungus' who have come to a neighbourhood slum that wouldn't attract many visitors? The children chant that word as we drive by. " Muzungus, Muzungus..." I wondered at first if they were taunting, but my experience suggests otherwise. It seems they are as happy and stunned to see us as they would be a unicorn. What are we doing there? Why would we come?

We come because we have been inspired by the children and by the work Niteo Africa is doing here. It is a vision to educate each child, to give them freedom through literacy. I didn't know the power of this mandate until I got here. The children come to the Eva Ruf Center for the books. The shelves are lined with our cast offs, the books we didn't see value in anymore but here the have regained their luster. "We want to read." "There is no other place that is free and has books for us." "We can study here and it is hard to study at home."

Beyond the center, Niteo Africa seeks out the needy institutions to provide support to the teachers and staff who cannot provide resources on their $3.00 a day pay. We provide books, inservice the teachers, tell them to try to read at least one book a day to their students, give them pencils for the children, and paper. We bring medical supplies to the primitive medical hut in the Nateete slum where you can get surgery or have a tooth removed by a general practicioner, to Sanyu Baby's Orphanage, to King's Daughters - a program that rescues girls from the street. In time, they hope to place resource centers in other needy neighbourhoods in Uganda. The value of these centers is high and the need is great. The value of these children is high and their need is far greater than I have ever seen or imagined. It is a privilege to be here, to see past the walls the keep the tourists at bay.

Rhonda

On recent events in Kampala

Karine and Erika have asked that I post this, a copy of an email sent earlier, to reassure friends, family and followers of Niteo.
(cd.mazurat)

As you may or may not be aware, last night saw two bombs go off in the centre of Kampala, Uganda. Reports are conflicting but there are estimates of between 20 and 40 dead. Both bombs occured as crowds gathered to watch the World Cup Finale.

When I called Erika this morning, it was the first that anyone at the Resource Centre had heard of the bombings. They were all very surprised and my call instituted a flurry of internet checking for news. Needless to say, no one in the Niteo family was in any way harmed by these acts.

The safety of the team is our first concern, always. Karine and Erika will gather all the information they can to make the best decisions, but at this stage there are no plans to re-arrange their scheduled work.

The resource centre is in Ntinda, and all is well. They can hear the birds singing, children are laughing as they go to school, and the community is waking up to a normal day. Ntinda is far from the centre of Kampala (it's a suburb/regional district, like Langley to Vancouver) and so no one heard anything. They are safe and well and life is going on peacefully for them all.

In Kampala, Uganda

Africa is amazing. There are many words you could use to describe it, such as incredible, life changing... but I say its amazing.

We got on the plane to London in good spirits. Yay! were going to AFRICA!!!, by the end of that plane ride... not so much. I hadn't slept the whole time. As we landed I fell asleep. Then they had problems waking me up. We then had 9 hours in the London airport to shop. After that we got on the plane going to Entebbe. I fell asleep before we took off. After we landed we went to Kampala by van. It was the wildest driving I have ever seen. The whole city seems to know how to drive there but no foreigner would stand a chance. We have had many close calls but John (our driver) seems to know what he's doing. Then we got to the resource center. It is a building surrrounded by a wall with glass shards on the top. I can only think this is to keep people from jumping the walls. Then we had lunch and some preschoolers came and sang us songs and wanted hugs. After we all got setteled we went for another thrilling ride to supper. The resturant we were heading for was in a building that we had to pass through security to get into. The guards have huge shotguns... and the police... AK47's. Well we had some delightful chinese food at a resturant called Fang Fang's. Then finally, sleep!

The next day we went to the Kawanda Music, Dance and Drama Competition as honored guests. There we learned many things about school in Uganda. The school there starts at 7 am and goes till 5 pm. Often the kids have to bring a desk to class cause there isn't enough in each class. We gave the school science equipement and art supplies. We then went to the competition. That was the most amazing dancing I will ever see I think. Then... way later a singer (singing in luganda) pulled me on stage and danced with me. Well I was terrible, she kept telling me to do stuff but i couldn't understand. What ever, everyone laughed at me... her name is Sylvia Namagenyi.

The next day (sunday) we went to the Watoto church. It was very good. Some kids did a dance to waving flag... they were doing like backflips and jumping off eachothers backs and stuff. Then we went to a resturant called Sam's where I ate crocodile. It was really good. Next we were off to the market. It was fun bartering and I got stuff for some people. That night was world cup final. We couldyn't go to anything and that was good because 2 or 3 bombs went off and killed many people.

Today in the morning we had a heart wrenching time at Sanyu's Baby Orphanage. It was hard seeing all the children. They just loved the visitors and it was so sad when they would start to cry and scream beause we couldn't hold them. We then went to the Neteete school for the living hope. Some young children were outside the school yelling Muzungu (white person) at us. We got a tour of the school. The primary shacks were just some boards with a tin roof. We got to teach a class for a while. They asked questions about Canada and we taught them about the contienents.

I am now going to go to bed cause im really tired. Good night. - Dylan

The Love Trip

Africa is incredible!

The worst thing so far has been the 33 hour plane ride. I'm titling this trip the love trip because everyone is in LOVE with everything. On the way in we loved the trees and the colorfulness and the smokey smell and everything in between.

The first day we got here our driver, John, didn't press the brake at all. There are no speed limits and no stop signs and no LIGHTS!!! The traffic is ridiculous, there are motorbikers with no helmets and girls ride side saddle on the back, the motor bikes swerve in and out of traffic people honk for you to move out of the way there is no order to this place.

When we got to the resource center some preschoolers came and sang us songs, gave us pictures and gave us hugs. There was another Malcolm who was such a little troublemaker, He would wander off from the group and go in a tent, they would find him and he would wander off again, I decided that his name is Malcolm and i need a picture with him. After that we had breakfast then relaxed for awhile, for dinner we went to Fang Fang's. Fang Fang's is a chinese restaurant that is extremely good,we got home and we saw the guard that is on night duty, he has a bow as big as me.

The next day we went to the Kawanda music festival, and it was great.The dancing and singing from all the houses was fantabulous. One of my friends got pulled up on stage with the ugandan version of Rhianna! It was funny he was so nevous but he was great.

We went to church on sunday morning to the Watoto church,which was great and I loved, there was lots of singing and they had a group do a dance to a wavin' flag by K'Naan. After church we went to Sam's, a restaurant that serves crocodile, and had lunch. I got a curry but i tried a piece of crocodile and it was fantastic! Then we went to a market where we started tho buy and barter for stuff, I got lots of stuff including a Uganda soccer jersey.

The sanyu baby orphanage was really fun, the people working there are sooo good at what they do. When we first got there I had the impression that it was going to be very unorganized and unsanitary. At first we got there and played with the kids for a while then we had "tea" time (milk or juice) then teeth brushing,washroom and then we had silent reading. At the orphanage I had a new best friend, his name was Brian, he was the second one to greet me but he was soo nice.He would sit with me and read then leave and put it back then come and relax in my lap. At one point he left and a little girl sat in my lap, Brian came back and tried to sit behind her, I tried to tell him to sit next tome but he stayed stong and finally the girl left and he sat down. The teachers are great there at the end to leave the teacher would ask you to say your name and even if you pronounced it wrong then she would sing a song and you could leave. She sang the same song for each person but each kid had ther little moment to shine cause they would dance their way out the door. When they heard their named called their faces just lit up and they did a little jig.Before we left we stopped at the gift shop and bought more stuff.I spent more money in one shop than I did at a market with 25 + stores. We ate lunch and then left for Neteete.

At Neteete the first thing I see is a little girl jumping up and down saying " A Mzungu A Mzungu" (white person). It was soo fun there,we got into two's and went to a classroom and they asked questions about Canada like, do you have bananas, do you grow bananas and do you eat bananas.They also asked what do you eat, do you have supermarkets, do you have snow, and what animals live in canada. They were quite amazed when we told them that we keep dogs as pets and feed them special food. After we were done answering questions they told us a bit about Uganda. Here there are seasons for food one season for bananas one for potatoes one for rice and so on and so forth. After we got back a tailor came to get our mesurments for anything we wanted made, I got a button up t-shirt and my friend got a traditional african t-shirt. It is soo amazing here!!! Good night Everyone.

Malcolm

Musings after 4 hours of sleep...

The question is not: Are you a global citizen but rather: What type of global citizen are you?

This was one of the statements that really hit me at the UN conference I attended in April. It’s true that we are all now global citizens because of media, Internet and basic ease of travel. We know “everything” that is happening in the world around us at the click of a mouse button.
But what type of global citizen are you?

This is my third trip to Uganda and lying in my bed at 2:30am and listening to the sounds of the city made me feel like I was back where I needed to be. I cannot explain what it is that I feel inside of me except to say that it is like a tingle that reassures me in what I am doing. I feel right here despite appearing out of place.

Having the three youths with us this time is very exciting. They are seeing Uganda with young eyes and already they are making statements that show they appreciate how different life is at home. Emily shared from her journal that while there is so much poverty evident, the people seem so happy. Dylan, who had what I would consider a mortifying experience yesterday when he was dragged on stage in front of hundreds of spectators to dance with a local celebrity at Kawanda (what a good sport!), said that he felt very proud of himself for making it here. He also commented on how he would never complain about school and the hours he had to attend ever again! Malcolm watches the people carrying huge loads on their heads and backs and has vowed not to complain about his backpack and skateboard ever again.

These three are global citizens because they have come to see for themselves what life is like in sub-Saharan Africa. They are adding another dimension to their friends’ global citizenship by facebooking every night and letting them know what is happening. And they will also continue this by being the voice for the youth here when they talk to their peers and show photos about what they have experienced.

Sam put I beautifully at dinner on Friday when he said that bringing these three students to Uganda was like the tap roots forming on a plant. These three will motivate other youth to be involved, to care and to serve the global community.

Several years ago, the Dalai Lama had a meeting with various leaders from around the world to discuss what the greatest challenge the modern world was facing. After much debate, it was decided that youth apathy was the greatest challenge. Seeing Dylan, Emily and Malcolm here and hearing all their comments about loving everything around them here, I think these three global citizens are going to be the tap roots for establishing hope and nourishing minds.

The center is coming to life. The sun will appear in about 45 minutes and the adventure will continue.

I am truly a lucky person.

"Imagine a World...

...where every child has a smile."

Saturday at Kawanda...

The students at Kawanda High School created a social and political commentary through their music, dance, and dramatic competition today! It was an inspiring cultural experience where children had a voice and expressed themselves with confidence.

Some of the highlights included the performing arts expressions on the Rights of the Child and on the progressing Eastern African Union. Not only was the festival experience novel, but the content was new and a testimony to progress.

Although we are only one sleep from the tiring, long journey where we didn't see a bed for about 45+ hours; today was a unique and fabulous experience at Kawanda.

Our connection with Kawanda goes back to 2007, when Erika participated in Teaching Together with those teachers.

The bigger picture...

Years ago, when I was writing my graduate studies project, I dreamt of teachers who would come to Uganda and connect with other educators. They would teach together and build relationships where collegial support and professional conversations abounded. Erika has achieved that goal and Kawanda is testimony to it.

Erika has nurtured long term relationships with the teachers at Kawanda and Niteo has been able to continue to partner with these fine educators. Now, we exchange ideas, we offer science resources, they gift us with their culture. It is reciprocity at its finest. It achieves our vision of "partnering with Ugandans to establish hope and to nourish minds."

I love it when dreams come true!

More from Africa soon...
Karine

Karine's Story

I found him curled up in the corner of the double-sized walk-in closet in my bedroom. My 5-year old son, who even then was tall and slim for his age, with long lanky limbs, sat huddled and sobbing. When Daniel cries there aren’t tears, just heaves in his body, a scrunched up face, and flushed angry cheeks.

My heart flooded with compassion and concern. Of course, I’m determined, with the determination of a mother bear, to rescue him and fix whatever is wrong.

As I hunch down and curl my body around him, I plead quietly, “Daniel, Daniel, honey what’s wrong?”

With big brown eyes, he looks up at me with a mixture of frustration and shame written on the scowl of his face.

“Why can’t I do it!? Why can’t I do it?!” he screams.

“Shhhhh sweetie. Shhhhh. Its okay.” I lie.

“What do you mean? What happened?” I ask. Daniel sits anguished and crying. So, with more urgency, I gently rub his back, and with my blood rushing through my veins in desperation, I prod, “Tell me honey.”

He screams again as his eyes roll up into his tipping head, struggling to get the words out, “W-w-w-w-w-why c-c-c-c-c-c-can’t I do a j-j-j-j-jumping jack?!”

With overwhelming grief I look down at his palsied body, with loose raggedy-andy muscles that are uncontrollable to him. I know that Daniel has been playing downstairs with his cousins and in that moment I’m acutely aware that Daniel is realizing his own differences. He can’t do a jumping jack and I can tell you 7 years later, he probably never will.

He was diagnosed hearing impaired at 6 months of age and with cerebral palsy at 18 months.

But knowing, well, that comes over and over again in waves. The knowing pain of the differences, the poverty of a body that just won’t cooperate. It comes with each new season, as surely as the changing leaves or the lengthening days.

There are no easy answers, simple platitudes, or assuaging words. In that moment of knowing, there is only ‘being with it.’ Being with the truth, dignifying the truth, the human being. Being together.

Of course, at the time I tried to fix with words, encouragement, cheering, but really, it was useless. Now, I can’t even remember what I said. But, I honour that moment and am proud that we shared it.

The clock speeds forward, and jumbo jets rush me into the hot heavy air of equatorial Africa.

In a tiny corner of Uganda, a little country of sub-Saharan Africa, tucked right between Rwanda and the Congo, I am visiting a little village of Rwebisengo. Back in the hotel of Kampala, the friends from the lounge had laughed as they warned me about how they will grab your forearm and bow low to the ground to greet you in this place.

The trip into the village had been long and trying, as I grabbed my straw hat and held it down over my head as the wind and dust from the dusty road and down-turned windows of the Jeep wreaked havoc with my hair and skin.

The heat was suffocating.

But, my heart was moved to see the village medical clinic serving mothers with dying babies, hemorrhaging women, and AIDS patients. We intelligently and thoughtfully discussed the issues with the community social services worker.

Our meal was planned for the “Uncle’s” house. Everyone in the village called him “Uncle” and they took pleasure in telling me how they were related. When I got to Uncles large compound with many plastered and mud huts, I was received with much pomp and circumstance. Feeling foreign and awkward, I gratefully greeted my hosts.

The orphans, praying silently in their hearts for sponsorship and support, were lined up in the courtyard in a Sound-of-Music line up…to greet ME?! I had little to offer but some pencils and candy. I proceeded slowly down the line, introducing myself to each child through a translator.

Swahili is beyond me.

When I get to the end of the line, I am greeting the littlest ones. And, I squat down, taking the child’s hand and cheerfully announce, “Hello, my name is Karine! What’s your name?” I’m aware of the heat and my loud voice; I look forward to sitting down again.

I wait though, holding the little girl’s hand and gaze as my hostess is translating for her. The girl shrugs. The question is repeated with a hint of frustration as the girl shrugs her shoulders again. In this moment, there are some nervous giggles from the adults and a couple of the children present.

They have my attention.

They look at me, as I am quickly looking around and trying to sense what is going on. I look back at the tall lean girl, obviously from the Congolese tribes. I’m sure she is about 6 years old, but she hasn’t started losing her teeth yet. Nervously, my host grips my shoulder and whispers, “She doesn’t know her name. She doesn’t know the name of her family. She is an orphan and she doesn’t know.”

I rage inside. Who has called this girl over to them? How does she know where she belongs? How can I fix this?! The futility of the pencils and the candy! DAMN! This child who is about 6 has no identity, name, or place. She isn’t just wearing a stained and torn pink party dress; she doesn’t even have her name!

I look into her eyes.

With a rush of conviction and inspiration I declare, as if I can change something, “You are Precious! From now on, and forever, you will be known as Precious.”

What happened in that moment? Was something profound or simple? Did anything change or move?

What gives me comfort is that we were together. Just together. Present. Connected. Sharing a moment. We dignified each other’s humanity and existence just by being together. There was nothing to fix; only two little girls affirming each other.

Dignity is “being with” in the moments of sheer and utter poverty and helplessness. It is important to be together.

With Flights Grounded, Kenya’s Produce Wilts (from the NY Times)

We worry about our flights being delayed and the added costs. What about those who are losing their $90 a month income? - Erika

April 19, 2010
With Flights Grounded, Kenya’s Produce Wilts
By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN

NAIROBI, Kenya — When Kenneth Maundu, general manager for Sunripe produce exporters, first heard about a volcano erupting in Iceland, he was excited. “I thought, ‘Oh, wow, a volcano,’ ” he said.

And then reality hit him in the face like a hurled tomato.

Because Kenya’s gourmet vegetable and cut-flower industry exports mainly to Europe, and because the cloud of volcanic ash has grounded flights to much of northern Europe since Thursday, its horticultural business has been waylaid as never before.

On Monday, Mr. Maundu stared at the towering wreckage: eight-feet-tall heaps of perfectly good carrots, onions, baby sweet corn and deliciously green sugar snap peas being dumped into the back of a pickup truck.

“Cow food,” he said, shaking his head. “That’s about all we can do with it now.”

If farmers in Africa’s Great Rift Valley ever doubted that they were intricately tied into the global economy, they know now that they are. Because of a volcanic eruption more than 5,000 miles away, Kenyan horticulture, which as the top foreign exchange earner is a critical piece of the national economy, is losing $3 million a day and shedding jobs.

The pickers are not picking. The washers are not washing. Temporary workers have been told to go home because refrigerated warehouses at the airport are stuffed with ripening fruit, vegetables and flowers, and there is no room for more until planes can take away the produce. Already, millions of roses, lilies and carnations have wilted.

“Volcano, volcano, volcano,” grumbled Ronald Osotsi, whose $90-a-month job scrubbing baby courgettes, which are zucchinis, and French beans is now endangered. “That’s all anyone is talking about.” He sat on a log outside a vegetable processing plant in Nairobi, next to other glum-faced workers eating a cheap lunch of fried bread and beans.

Election-driven riots, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and stunningly bad harvests have all left their mark on Kenya’s agriculture industry, which is based in the Rift Valley, Kenya’s breadbasket and the cradle of mankind.

But industry insiders say they have never suffered like this.

“It’s a terrible nightmare,” said Stephen Mbithi, the chief executive officer of the Fresh Produce Exporters Association of Kenya. He rattled off some figures: Two million pounds of fresh produce is normally shipped out of Kenya every night. Eighty-two percent of that goes to Europe, and more than a third goes solely to Britain, whose airports have been among those shut down by the volcano’s eruption. Five thousand Kenyan field hands have been laid off in the past few days, and others may be jobless soon. The only way to alleviate this would be to restore the air bridge to Europe, which would necessitate the equivalent of 10 Boeing 747s of cargo space — per night.

“There is no diversionary market,” Mr. Mbithi said. “Flowers and courgettes are not something the average Kenyan buys.”

Thus, the trash heap of greens. At Sunripe, one of the most profitable sides of the business is prepackaging veggies for supermarkets in Europe. Most of the peppers, corn, carrots, broccoli and beans are grown in the Rift Valley, trucked to Nairobi, and then washed, chopped and shrink-wrapped. There are even some packages labeled “stir fry,” which few Kenyans have ever heard about.

The vegetables are marked with the names of some of England’s biggest supermarkets. (They requested not to be mentioned in this article.) But those supermarkets are very particular about their brands and do not allow Sunripe to give away excess produce with their labels on it.

So, on Monday, a man in a Sunripe lab coat and mesh hair net stood at the back of the pickup truck in the company’s loading bay tearing open plastic bags of perfectly edible vegetables, each worth a couple of dollars, and shaking out the contents. Sunripe does give away unpackaged food, and two nuns from an orphanage stood nearby, waiting for some French beans.

Upstairs, Tiku Shah, whose family owns Sunripe, shouted into his cellphone. “Give us half the plane, you take half, we take half!” he said to someone.

“Arusha and Dar are also packed,” he followed up, referring to two Tanzanian cities whose warehouses were full.

Before he hung up, he said, “I’m waiting for Raila to call.”

Raila Odinga is Kenya’s prime minister, and exporters are hoping that the Kenyan government will help defray the costs of organizing special cargo flights to ship out produce.

No one here knows when the flight chaos will end. Countless tourists are also stranded in Kenya, although many of them on spotless white-sand beaches.

By Monday afternoon, a few tons of vegetables had been flown to Spain, where airports had reopened. From there, the produce will be trucked the rest of the way to northern Europe.

“The cost is doubling,” Mr. Shah said. “But we don’t have a choice. If we don’t have product on the shelves, our customers will look for alternatives.”

Among them, he said, Guatemala was a rising threat, along with North Africa.

Beautiful Fundraiser

Glenmore Elementary in partnership with figurative artist Chiara Costa have put together a fine opportunity for art collectors or anybody who wishes to help children in Uganda. Donate $20.00 (minimum) or more and you might get a beautiful artwork created by Costa.

Please mail your contact information and donation (name, telephone number, address, e-mail address and amount donated) to 'Hope for the nations' - 'Niteo' c/o Rhonda Draper 1180 Kelview St. Kelowna, BC V1Y 3N8.

The highest bidder/donor will take home the large portrait entitled Orphan. The other two artworks entitled Mango Sweety and Dennis will be taken in a random draw.

Please write the cheque for 'Hope for the Nations' with 'Niteo' on the memo line. Please write the information correctly so a receipt can be mailed to you after the draw. The draw will occur upon the count of 200 bids.

For more information about Chiara Costa and to see the three pieces of art that are part of this fundraising initiative, please visit her website.

On Generosity and Greed

I was reading Tricycle, the Buddhist review, and I came across a great article and a series of quotes about generosity and greed. Are these not the two opposing forces that are at the core of most of the world's woes?

Generosity does not need to be monetary and in actual fact we have many examples of how money and stuff do not serve those who most need it.

How are you generous? With your affection? Your time? Your kind words? Your service?

Generosity does not need to be big. It just needs to be done with a pure heart.

"When you are practising generosity, you should feel a little pinch when you give something away. That pinch is your stinginess protesting. If you give away your old, worn-out coat that you wouldn't be caught dead wearing, that is not generosity. There is no pinch. You are doing nothing to overcome your stinginess; you're just cleaning out your closet and calling it something else."
- Gelek Rinpoche - Tibetan Buddhist Lama

One Million Starving for Food and Education!

One million people face famine in Northern Uganda!

The WFP is handing out food and Stanlake Samkange, WFP country director pleads that "Handing out food will not improve the underlying causes of food insecurity," which, Samkange said, include illiteracy levels especially among girls; poor access to basic health services; bad infrastructure and a narrow set of livelihood options.

Niteo will be touring Northern Uganda this summer to ask the question "What does helping look like?" in support of education.

Niteo has friends who are getting involved in Kelowna, including all of the students who performed with Mrs. Rhonda Draper and Joy Hlady, event organizers, of Raise Your Voice II at the Kelowna Community Theatre last night.

We are excited about how people are becoming sensitized to the developing world and how we can personally get involved, both in Canada and Uganda!

2010 Information Meeting

We're having an information meeting this month. Karine and Erika will be there to answer questions and explain details.

Three Team Stories

While we all went on the same trip together, the stories that stick in our minds are all different. You've already read Bree's story about Gloria. Here are three more stories from team members. These are the stories that are shared when we only have a few minutes to talk about our time in Uganda. Of course the stories become longer and more detailed when the listener has more time to listen!

Linda's Story: Name Tags

In preparation for going to Sanyu Baby's Orphanage I was able to obtain a list of all the staff members and their areas of work, mothers, cleaners, laundry etc. The list was over 40 so I had suggest to Karine that doing name tags for everyone would help them and us get to know each other better. She agreed it was a good idea so we arrived with name tags and a marker the first day there.

Initially I started with writing our names and a few of the staff but then I turned it over to one of the others and went to work with the nurse.

Sometime later I met up with Karine and she was exploding with enthusiasm over what had taken place. She said: "Linda, they were lining up to get their name tags, they were coming from all areas to get one." It is amazing what a small thing gave the staff a feeling of identity and a feeling of being important, many of them were still wearing their name tags at the end of the week.

The following day when Karine gave the first Child Development Workshop to the staff she talked about how our name gives us our identity and how important it is to call the children, even the small babies, by their name.

Kath's Story: Robert, our Driver

At the beginning of the trip he was our driver but by the end, he was part of the team.

He went that extra mile and made our journeys interesting, taking us "short cuts" that he took just to give us different experiences.We all appreciated his patience and his willingness to carry out personal requests - stopping to buy oranges for Ecko when she was sick and fries for Bree.

Most importantly, he learned about issues in his city through us and took every opportunity to learn more:
- both he and I played with the same 10 month old little boy called Joshua at Welcome Home Orphanage - the same name as his own son
- he joined us for dinner at Sally's, learning about her King's Daughters Ministries
- he drove the orphans of the Elohim troupe the 60kms home after the concert which would mean quite a late night for him

I felt he enjoyed the two weeks with us as much as we enjoyed being with him.

Ecko's Story: Life Changing!

One thing to say about my trip to Africa is ... LIFE ALTERING! How so is the question I am immediately asked after that statement.

This is how I answer... life altering to see people in such harsh conditions smiling the biggest smiles ever (holding up a spoon right now) and grateful for the smallest things... our presence, our stories, our questions for them!

I then try to cram in as much as I can about my experiences at ERRC, Sanyu, Sally and the King's Daughters, Welcome Home, and Living Hope! I always end with, "If you ever get the chance to go to Africa... DO IT! Go and ask how you can be of service and then help! You'll never regret it! I'm going back!

Most impressive is the drive that each person that I met has. Sally with her giving nature and helping those girls with the little resources that she has. Veronica, Susan and Liz for their long walks to the centre to either volunteer or read a book or two. Stellah, Lydia, Susan, and Rachel at Sanyu being so open to us coming in and teaching them new ways to interact with the kids. The faces of the children at Living Hope when we sat and read to them. And how the children at Welcome Home all called us Mommy and counted with us and held their hands out to us to stay when we had to leave.

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!