Monday, June 29, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Drive from Mbarara to Entebbe continued....
unable to continue on post below.... so I will continue here!
1980 Felix was married and his son Dennis was born. In 1989 Kuny's Lord's Resistance Army came to Lira.... they selected a few and Felix was one of them. Survival was paramount since he had a wife and family at home in Lira, he survived the torture and escaped by pretending to chase a chicken into the woods where he hid until he could get away. His turmoil was not to end here... the Ugandan army found him, he looked like a rebel and they imprisoned him. The torture he endured while in his own army's prison surpassed that of the rebels but still he survived. Eventually the soldiers were convinced by villagers who said they knew this man and he was released. Months in a healing center and then back to his family. Felix, the man we know today is who he is because of these horrific experiences, they did not cripple him but caused him to become a true believer in God, in family and in helping others. MTI/Uganda has benefited by it's association with this great man along with the 11 biological children and the 10 "adopted" children he supports. This is a man to respect and this team certainly does. Thank you Felix for sharing your love with MTI and the people of Uganda. May your dream for Uganda become reality!
Goodbyes were shared behind eyes filled with tears... tears that reflect the many experiences we shared during these 10 days. Uganda.... may you continue to rise and to fulfill your dreams of peace, of good health, of enough food to feed your people and an economy to support these beautiful children. You are in our prayers and in our hearts... forever!
1980 Felix was married and his son Dennis was born. In 1989 Kuny's Lord's Resistance Army came to Lira.... they selected a few and Felix was one of them. Survival was paramount since he had a wife and family at home in Lira, he survived the torture and escaped by pretending to chase a chicken into the woods where he hid until he could get away. His turmoil was not to end here... the Ugandan army found him, he looked like a rebel and they imprisoned him. The torture he endured while in his own army's prison surpassed that of the rebels but still he survived. Eventually the soldiers were convinced by villagers who said they knew this man and he was released. Months in a healing center and then back to his family. Felix, the man we know today is who he is because of these horrific experiences, they did not cripple him but caused him to become a true believer in God, in family and in helping others. MTI/Uganda has benefited by it's association with this great man along with the 11 biological children and the 10 "adopted" children he supports. This is a man to respect and this team certainly does. Thank you Felix for sharing your love with MTI and the people of Uganda. May your dream for Uganda become reality!
Goodbyes were shared behind eyes filled with tears... tears that reflect the many experiences we shared during these 10 days. Uganda.... may you continue to rise and to fulfill your dreams of peace, of good health, of enough food to feed your people and an economy to support these beautiful children. You are in our prayers and in our hearts... forever!
Drive from Mbarara to Entebbe - – 6 hours
Tuesday, June 24, 2009
“On the road again”…. the promise to stop at the Equator to visit the acclaimed shops there keeps our spirits up. This highway is undergoing construction and the dusting, bumpy ride doesn’t seem like fun on this last day of ours but off we go amid the continuous color, noise and smells. Somehow this country has gotten to each of us, we “get” why Megan will return in July for her fifth visit to this country. Our MTI drivers have become our friends, the work that MTI has done and is continuing to do is so incredible that we want to help; the natural beauty behind the din is captivating.
The Great Adventure auction will have some wonderful Ugandan crafts; we have bought some wonderful items under Deb’s knowledgeable direction. The silent auction will have treasures that represent Uganda and it’s charm. The Equator shops have some delightful batiks, baskets and soap stone sculptures that complete our buying. The MTI bags that came here filled with supplies will return filled with Ugandan crafts.
The Lake View Hotel near the Entebbe airport is under renovation but is well appointed. Our rooms have every comfort and we are delighted to regroup and most of all to have dinner with Felix Omodi, MTI/Uganda Program Manager. Felix has promised us that tonight he will tell us his story, we have all heard enough of this that we can't wait to hear it from him. A man whose big heart and strong character are visible, he throws his head back and laughs easily but if you look closely you see the scars on his face and his nails... what were once his nails are empty nail beds. Evidence of the torture he incurred and will share with us at dinner.
This beautiful starlite evening is the perfect setting. Our team, David Alula, MTI/Uganda's Health Manager are seated on the terrace. Felix begins by sharing that his father, as was his grandfather, was the Chief of his tribe. As Chief, Felix's father took 5 wives. The first 3 did not give him a son so her married Felix's mother and a son was finally born. This man had 34 children and because his duties as chief were absorbing he had no time to spend with these children or wives. His family lived in a hut where the children all slept in the kitchen, hygiene was impossible so all the children had jiggers. Felix's mother was a religious woman and took Felix to the Catholic Church where an Italian priest noticed his poor condition and asked his mother if he could take him into the church family and help to educate him. At 6 years old Felix was devestated when he was pulled from his family and certain that this white man must have plans to eat him... after all these stories were all he knew of the white people. After some time Felix grew to trust and even love this man who treated him with respect and gave him an education that would have been impossible if he had stayed with his biological family. When the priest was called to another post this unlikely pair said goodbye for good. The priest continued to send money for Felix's education and care but to this day Felix has no idea what happened to this man who changed his life. His dream to become a Catholic priest was ended when the Church found that he came from a polygomist family his dreams were crushed because of his father's sins. One year later his mentors came to him and said they would send him to Kampala to become a veterinarian. Felix completed school and worked for 4 years as a veterinarian.
War in the form of Kuny's
“On the road again”…. the promise to stop at the Equator to visit the acclaimed shops there keeps our spirits up. This highway is undergoing construction and the dusting, bumpy ride doesn’t seem like fun on this last day of ours but off we go amid the continuous color, noise and smells. Somehow this country has gotten to each of us, we “get” why Megan will return in July for her fifth visit to this country. Our MTI drivers have become our friends, the work that MTI has done and is continuing to do is so incredible that we want to help; the natural beauty behind the din is captivating.
The Great Adventure auction will have some wonderful Ugandan crafts; we have bought some wonderful items under Deb’s knowledgeable direction. The silent auction will have treasures that represent Uganda and it’s charm. The Equator shops have some delightful batiks, baskets and soap stone sculptures that complete our buying. The MTI bags that came here filled with supplies will return filled with Ugandan crafts.
The Lake View Hotel near the Entebbe airport is under renovation but is well appointed. Our rooms have every comfort and we are delighted to regroup and most of all to have dinner with Felix Omodi, MTI/Uganda Program Manager. Felix has promised us that tonight he will tell us his story, we have all heard enough of this that we can't wait to hear it from him. A man whose big heart and strong character are visible, he throws his head back and laughs easily but if you look closely you see the scars on his face and his nails... what were once his nails are empty nail beds. Evidence of the torture he incurred and will share with us at dinner.
This beautiful starlite evening is the perfect setting. Our team, David Alula, MTI/Uganda's Health Manager are seated on the terrace. Felix begins by sharing that his father, as was his grandfather, was the Chief of his tribe. As Chief, Felix's father took 5 wives. The first 3 did not give him a son so her married Felix's mother and a son was finally born. This man had 34 children and because his duties as chief were absorbing he had no time to spend with these children or wives. His family lived in a hut where the children all slept in the kitchen, hygiene was impossible so all the children had jiggers. Felix's mother was a religious woman and took Felix to the Catholic Church where an Italian priest noticed his poor condition and asked his mother if he could take him into the church family and help to educate him. At 6 years old Felix was devestated when he was pulled from his family and certain that this white man must have plans to eat him... after all these stories were all he knew of the white people. After some time Felix grew to trust and even love this man who treated him with respect and gave him an education that would have been impossible if he had stayed with his biological family. When the priest was called to another post this unlikely pair said goodbye for good. The priest continued to send money for Felix's education and care but to this day Felix has no idea what happened to this man who changed his life. His dream to become a Catholic priest was ended when the Church found that he came from a polygomist family his dreams were crushed because of his father's sins. One year later his mentors came to him and said they would send him to Kampala to become a veterinarian. Felix completed school and worked for 4 years as a veterinarian.
War in the form of Kuny's
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
June 25, 2009
London! We arrived yesterday late afternoon. Blog for Tuesday to follow! Some time to process before we board our plane tomorrow and return to Portland/Woodland with a new appreciation for MTI's incredible work in Uganda!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Congolese Refugee Camp
A one hour drive from the Lake View Resort Hotel where we are staying in Mbarara. The drive is difficult and dusty, red dust covers everything near. The car is quiet, our apprehension consuming our thoughts and imaginations. Medical Teams-Uganda set up their mobile clinic December 29th of last year. MTI is one of the only medical NGOs (non-governmental organizations) in the 87 square miles of arid land that was given by the Ugandan government as a settlement for the thousands of Congolese seeking refuge. 28,000 people are served by this clinic, it’s staff and the teams of American volunteer medical people who come here to help. Peter points out white tarps with UNHCR markings that are homes for the refugees. These are scattered over the dry landscape in 50 x 100 sq. meter plots. The corn stalks are dry and there is no water for irrigation – this area needs rain badly.
David Alula, MTI-Uganda’s Health Manager, explains that MTI has made a three-year commitment with the goal of sustainability at the end of the three years. The border still has Congolese crossings every day but the numbers are down from the first enormous influx, now averaging about 15 families or 45 people per day. The induction process is detailed and precise, in spite of the critical situation a protocol to track numbers, history and health records is adhered to. Cholera was the most common disease when MTI first began treating the refugees but now general health issues with malaria has the most serious. 200 to 400 patients are seen a day at the Clinic.
A MTI sign and large structures of UN stamped white tarps and we have arrived. Groups of women with babies are sitting in the shade of trees. Dusty, barefoot children quickly gather around our two cars – many have running noses and open sores on their skin, they stare at us with curious but sad eyes and then we emerge with smiles and hand shakes. Our one smile is returned by a hundred dark smiles. Many are missing teeth or they have very discolored teeth – the toothbrushes and toothpaste we brought in hygiene kits will have jobs to do! Color is abundant, the mothers all wear long wrap skirts of colorful patterned fabric, and most have head wraps that may be of a different colorful fabric. The children are mostly ragged, some in old “party” dresses whose seams have given way to an occasional washing.
The staff gathers us into a circle for a prayer, introductions and a brief overview of our tour. Davis leads us into the largest tent – we push our way through the line, many which have been waiting here since morning. There are three areas partitioned off with more white UN tarps. Pregnant women are seated on the floor of the first room. Dr. Leo is examining an infant who has tested negative for malaria but he has a high fever and his lungs are congested. He asks David if he transports the baby by ambulance to Mbarara Hospital would they be equipped to do a spinal tap. David is unsure so a call will be made. The difficulty to diagnosis without adequate facilities and equipment becomes immediately apparent. The volunteer nurses are each seeing patients in the other two rooms, there are Ugandan medical staff with each of them also seeing patients. Malaria… of the four patients we watched being diagnosed three of them test positive. Prescriptions are given or orders to start quinine IV’s. The pharmacy is another tarp-partitioned room where 4 staff sit either recording into large books prescription/patient data or filling prescriptions. They work quietly and efficiently. These records are kept so that statistics and trends can be compiled and analyzed. Amid the cries, colors, smells and apparent chaos is order – again we are reminded that Uganda is a country of contrast.
The UN representative from the Office of the Prime Minister has asked us to come to their compound so we can meet the new Director. Introductions are made, thanks given and we are excused to visit the school.
The school is run by another NGO, Save the Children. Tarp classrooms with pieces of wood make up the benches, there are no desks. The classrooms are layed out around an open compound in a L shape. Some of the rooms hold over 50 children, there were about 20 older boys seated at the first classroom we observed from the half wall on the interior side. Megan joined a teacher who was teaching body parts with the eye, ear, nose, and shoulder song. Again the children were delighted by Megan’s enthusiasm and big smile. Our art project was curtailed due to the shear number of students and the fact that we had supplies enough for around 100 and there were easily 500-600 students here. Of the 1800 school age children at the camp, there are 792 girls who attend school. Sue commented on how many more boys she saw in the classrooms. We unloaded the MTI supply bags we had brought from Portland and the staff will sort and divide among the children after we leave. As we walk to our vehicles we are surrounded by children wanting to touch our mzungu (white) skin, after stroking our arms they all giggled. Do we feel different too? Children are resilient and if these beautiful children can stay healthy and get an education they stand a chance – and with that chance comes a better Uganda and perhaps Congo as well. Our prayers surround this future of hope.
As we drive through the dirt lanes lined with dirt huts or tarp tents the children run to the road “Mzungu, Mzungu” they shout – when the numbers are small enough to allow we stop and blow up balloons for them. The delight to have such a small new toy makes us ache that we can’t do more. I think of the number of toys in American that sit untouched that could help these children escape the day to day monotony of their lives at camp. Families gather together under the shade of trees, you can see the importance of the family unit. Some plots are well maintained but the majority have given in to the harsh environment and to the pervasive red dust. Garden areas are dry and forlorn looking only adding to the feeling of hopelessness that tries to creep into our thoughts. But there is hope, these people have escaped with their lives, they are being given medical treatment that has saved their lives, most are together…. They do have hope. Let us pray that our work here continues to feed that hope, to feed their spirits and to give them the strength to rise from poverty.
Finally we visit a group of new buildings! This former site of Medicins Sans Frontiers (MSF, Doctors Without Borders) was given to Medical Teams when this NGO left the refugee camp. A contractor has been working there for 3 months and we are all very impressed. The clinic itself will have actual exam rooms, a pharmacy, a waiting room with benches that is out of the sun, shower buildings are next to the clinic where patients can wash. There are several new bathrooms, an incinerator, and an area cleared of brush in the middle for children to play or families to gather while they wait for a diagnosis or a family member to be released. This compound is filled with HOPE and to think that within the last 6 months MTI/Uganda has grown from a make shift tarp tent to an actual building. It is truly God’s blessing and a miracle. Our spirits are raised and we are able to leave this refugee camp with that hope in our hearts.
Water is expensive and as we drive out David Alula shares that they pay $11,000. a month to have water trucked in to the holding tanks. Water is distributed on a “as time allows” schedule but if water is needed the refugee has to walk to the tanks to fill their container that is issued when they are registered. $40,000 would allow them to dig a well that allow them to pump fresh water for their use at the clinic. They need to fence the compound before they can open in order to discourage theft - the clinic pharmacy is always in danger. To us these are simple things but when your budget is already stretched to the limit these costs are mountains.
Dinner at the hotel is a good time to reflect, we each share what impacted us the most during our time in Uganda. Most share that Brenda, the 14 year old with HIV at the Ogur Youth Center is the image that is foremost in our minds, she has no hope but she has today and her smile brought both joy and sadness to each of us. Again, that ever present contrast.
Tomorrow we leave for a six-hour drive to the hotel near the Entebbe airport. It will take some time for us to process Uganda, the people, the staff… each other! This experience will change us forever, we hope to return one day to see a stronger, healthier and economically more sound Uganda. That is our hope and our prayer.
Congolese Refugee Camp
A one hour drive from the Lake View Resort Hotel where we are staying in Mbarara. The drive is difficult and dusty, red dust covers everything near. The car is quiet, our apprehension consuming our thoughts and imaginations. Medical Teams-Uganda set up their mobile clinic December 29th of last year. MTI is one of the only medical NGOs (non-governmental organizations) in the 87 square miles of arid land that was given by the Ugandan government as a settlement for the thousands of Congolese seeking refuge. 28,000 people are served by this clinic, it’s staff and the teams of American volunteer medical people who come here to help. Peter points out white tarps with UNHCR markings that are homes for the refugees. These are scattered over the dry landscape in 50 x 100 sq. meter plots. The corn stalks are dry and there is no water for irrigation – this area needs rain badly.
David Alula, MTI-Uganda’s Health Manager, explains that MTI has made a three-year commitment with the goal of sustainability at the end of the three years. The border still has Congolese crossings every day but the numbers are down from the first enormous influx, now averaging about 15 families or 45 people per day. The induction process is detailed and precise, in spite of the critical situation a protocol to track numbers, history and health records is adhered to. Cholera was the most common disease when MTI first began treating the refugees but now general health issues with malaria has the most serious. 200 to 400 patients are seen a day at the Clinic.
A MTI sign and large structures of UN stamped white tarps and we have arrived. Groups of women with babies are sitting in the shade of trees. Dusty, barefoot children quickly gather around our two cars – many have running noses and open sores on their skin, they stare at us with curious but sad eyes and then we emerge with smiles and hand shakes. Our one smile is returned by a hundred dark smiles. Many are missing teeth or they have very discolored teeth – the toothbrushes and toothpaste we brought in hygiene kits will have jobs to do! Color is abundant, the mothers all wear long wrap skirts of colorful patterned fabric, and most have head wraps that may be of a different colorful fabric. The children are mostly ragged, some in old “party” dresses whose seams have given way to an occasional washing.
The staff gathers us into a circle for a prayer, introductions and a brief overview of our tour. Davis leads us into the largest tent – we push our way through the line, many which have been waiting here since morning. There are three areas partitioned off with more white UN tarps. Pregnant women are seated on the floor of the first room. Dr. Leo is examining an infant who has tested negative for malaria but he has a high fever and his lungs are congested. He asks David if he transports the baby by ambulance to Mbarara Hospital would they be equipped to do a spinal tap. David is unsure so a call will be made. The difficulty to diagnosis without adequate facilities and equipment becomes immediately apparent. The volunteer nurses are each seeing patients in the other two rooms, there are Ugandan medical staff with each of them also seeing patients. Malaria… of the four patients we watched being diagnosed three of them test positive. Prescriptions are given or orders to start quinine IV’s. The pharmacy is another tarp-partitioned room where 4 staff sit either recording into large books prescription/patient data or filling prescriptions. They work quietly and efficiently. These records are kept so that statistics and trends can be compiled and analyzed. Amid the cries, colors, smells and apparent chaos is order – again we are reminded that Uganda is a country of contrast.
The UN representative from the Office of the Prime Minister has asked us to come to their compound so we can meet the new Director. Introductions are made, thanks given and we are excused to visit the school.
The school is run by another NGO, Save the Children. Tarp classrooms with pieces of wood make up the benches, there are no desks. The classrooms are layed out around an open compound in a L shape. Some of the rooms hold over 50 children, there were about 20 older boys seated at the first classroom we observed from the half wall on the interior side. Megan joined a teacher who was teaching body parts with the eye, ear, nose, and shoulder song. Again the children were delighted by Megan’s enthusiasm and big smile. Our art project was curtailed due to the shear number of students and the fact that we had supplies enough for around 100 and there were easily 500-600 students here. Of the 1800 school age children at the camp, there are 792 girls who attend school. Sue commented on how many more boys she saw in the classrooms. We unloaded the MTI supply bags we had brought from Portland and the staff will sort and divide among the children after we leave. As we walk to our vehicles we are surrounded by children wanting to touch our mzungu (white) skin, after stroking our arms they all giggled. Do we feel different too? Children are resilient and if these beautiful children can stay healthy and get an education they stand a chance – and with that chance comes a better Uganda and perhaps Congo as well. Our prayers surround this future of hope.
As we drive through the dirt lanes lined with dirt huts or tarp tents the children run to the road “Mzungu, Mzungu” they shout – when the numbers are small enough to allow we stop and blow up balloons for them. The delight to have such a small new toy makes us ache that we can’t do more. I think of the number of toys in American that sit untouched that could help these children escape the day to day monotony of their lives at camp. Families gather together under the shade of trees, you can see the importance of the family unit. Some plots are well maintained but the majority have given in to the harsh environment and to the pervasive red dust. Garden areas are dry and forlorn looking only adding to the feeling of hopelessness that tries to creep into our thoughts. But there is hope, these people have escaped with their lives, they are being given medical treatment that has saved their lives, most are together…. They do have hope. Let us pray that our work here continues to feed that hope, to feed their spirits and to give them the strength to rise from poverty.
Finally we visit a group of new buildings! This former site of Medicins Sans Frontiers (MSF, Doctors Without Borders) was given to Medical Teams when this NGO left the refugee camp. A contractor has been working there for 3 months and we are all very impressed. The clinic itself will have actual exam rooms, a pharmacy, a waiting room with benches that is out of the sun, shower buildings are next to the clinic where patients can wash. There are several new bathrooms, an incinerator, and an area cleared of brush in the middle for children to play or families to gather while they wait for a diagnosis or a family member to be released. This compound is filled with HOPE and to think that within the last 6 months MTI/Uganda has grown from a make shift tarp tent to an actual building. It is truly God’s blessing and a miracle. Our spirits are raised and we are able to leave this refugee camp with that hope in our hearts.
Water is expensive and as we drive out David Alula shares that they pay $11,000. a month to have water trucked in to the holding tanks. Water is distributed on a “as time allows” schedule but if water is needed the refugee has to walk to the tanks to fill their container that is issued when they are registered. $40,000 would allow them to dig a well that allow them to pump fresh water for their use at the clinic. They need to fence the compound before they can open in order to discourage theft - the clinic pharmacy is always in danger. To us these are simple things but when your budget is already stretched to the limit these costs are mountains.
Dinner at the hotel is a good time to reflect, we each share what impacted us the most during our time in Uganda. Most share that Brenda, the 14 year old with HIV at the Ogur Youth Center is the image that is foremost in our minds, she has no hope but she has today and her smile brought both joy and sadness to each of us. Again, that ever present contrast.
Tomorrow we leave for a six-hour drive to the hotel near the Entebbe airport. It will take some time for us to process Uganda, the people, the staff… each other! This experience will change us forever, we hope to return one day to see a stronger, healthier and economically more sound Uganda. That is our hope and our prayer.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Mweya Safari Lodge
Our day of rest…. we gave thanks to God for our safe journey and asked for his continued Grace in raising these people out of war, disease and poverty. God’s hand is apparent with every smile and warm handshake, with the hard work we see being done by the MTI-Uganda staff, and by the volunteers. This is a beautiful country but the enormous population leaves few opportunities for employment that would sustain the large families. Vincent, a Ugandan we met at the Mweya Safari Lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park shared that he has 3 children and is trying to save money for them to be able to go to University but how difficult this was.
Mweya Safari Lodge is beautiful… built in 1952 it is owned by Canadians who divide their time between Canada and Uganda. You can see the Congo shore across Lake Edward. From this vantage everything seems so serene and peaceful – hard to image that we are able to see the shore of the country whose internal turmoil has sent so many of it’s citizens to seek refuge in Uganda. Tomorrow we will meet these refugees but today we are enjoying God’s natural beauty. Tourism and end resorts like this could employ many Ugandans. The staff was efficient, well trained and seemed interested to hear about MTI and our work here in Uganda. This was a quality resort that was equal to any in a first world country. Another stark contrast in the depths of Uganda!
A game drive! 6 a.m. – a Land Rover, our guide and Frank, Scott, Deb, Dana, Peter & Anthony loaded up to see what new sites Uganda might hold for us. On the drive from the Lodge we immediately spotted a leopard but since it was still dark she was hard to see clearly. Wart hogs, water buck, cape buffalo, leopard, herds of elephants, 2 lions, plovers, egrets, palm nut vulture, Egyptian geese, hippos, yellow weavers, large herds of kob (like our deer) were all spotted during our 3 hour drive. A flat tire made us miss our 10 a.m.. boat tour of the Kazinga Channel but gave us time to sit on the terrace and enjoy the panoramic views of East Africa.
As we were leaving Sue spotted a tree that was filled with hanging nests (it looked like a Christmas tree filled with ornaments). Our favorite little yellow birds, “Weavers” have obviously been given their name for these amazing structures. Yellow birds were flying in and out of these upside down nests by the 100’s – we stood in awe of another of God’s wonders.
Back to Mbarara through the rural and pastoral Rift Valley. Frank rides with Deb, Sue & Dana who were singing “oldies but goodies”… when we apologized for only knowing the chorus to many of the tunes Frank replied “snippets of terror”. Joe, Scott, David, Patrick and Megan attended a meeting with the UNHCR Director for the Nakavale region, Veronique Gentaille, followed by a dinner given by the 3 medical volunteers who are here serving for a month. The dinner was to thank the MTI staff for all the support and help given to them. honoring the volunteers. Scott has written below about this experience.
“David Alula, Joe, Patrick, Megan, and I (Scott) met with UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Mbarara. Joe introduced Megan and myself as volunteer fundraisers. The UNHCR for Nakavale was Veronique Gentaille. She wanted MTI to put together a proposal to take over and operate all four medical clinics in the Nakavale area. This responsibility is currently divided up among three NGO groups. The UNHCR representative wanted MTI’s proposal to cover four areas of need. 1. Capability 2. Competency 3. Capacity 4. Funding UNHCR has been impressed with MTI’s performance in operating the Nakivale Congolese Refugee Camp Medical Clinic.
After the meeting the group was invited to attend the Volunteer Team’s party for MTI Nakivale Medical Team staff to be held in Mbarara at the Hotel Classic. Twenty of the staff were in attendance. The volunteer team headed by Dr. Leo Criep from Houston, nurse Shaton Tissell from Portland and nurse Chris from Calagary, Canada. Volunteer teams normally serve for a period of one month. This team will leave next weekend. After filling our plates from the Ugandan food buffet we listened to speeches of thanks from the volunteer medical team. A trivia question game was played for small prizes.
One of the Nakavale staff, Davis (who is fluent in 5 languages), spoke as representing the entire staff in thanking the volunteers for their work and for the great party. The Nakavale staff then lead the group in three Ugandan songs backed up by an Ugandan instrument called a Dungu (looked like a miniature harp). The volunteer Medical Staff was visibly moved by this party and of course, this experience. Our team expressed the same gratefulness.”
Megan expressed in her beautiful prose thoughts that she agreed to share:
“Can I offer you any services?” he asks me. Unassuming, just helpful on this serene, dream-filled veranda, restfully overlooking Uganda’s vast sprawl in all directions, particularly south and west. If your vision was good enough you could see the Congo, sitting peacefully right there. No war, no refugees, just forests and birds and flowers and green…if your vision was really, really good. Butterflies flit and flirt with the birds and sunbeams, a mid-morning serenade exclusive of no one. The lakes reach out their fingers, thirsty for more land and lush, green marsh. The breeze lifts the ripples from a crocodile’s tail, the same breeze that’s gently mingling the scents of all of Africa: the raw, feeling smells of rock and earth and water and sweat and life all brought together. The primal, natural things about which we always forget. Foreign words in strange voices mélange with life, and the services, sir?
Please bring me this, forever.
Mw
Mweya Safari Lodge
Our day of rest…. we gave thanks to God for our safe journey and asked for his continued Grace in raising these people out of war, disease and poverty. God’s hand is apparent with every smile and warm handshake, with the hard work we see being done by the MTI-Uganda staff, and by the volunteers. This is a beautiful country but the enormous population leaves few opportunities for employment that would sustain the large families. Vincent, a Ugandan we met at the Mweya Safari Lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park shared that he has 3 children and is trying to save money for them to be able to go to University but how difficult this was.
Mweya Safari Lodge is beautiful… built in 1952 it is owned by Canadians who divide their time between Canada and Uganda. You can see the Congo shore across Lake Edward. From this vantage everything seems so serene and peaceful – hard to image that we are able to see the shore of the country whose internal turmoil has sent so many of it’s citizens to seek refuge in Uganda. Tomorrow we will meet these refugees but today we are enjoying God’s natural beauty. Tourism and end resorts like this could employ many Ugandans. The staff was efficient, well trained and seemed interested to hear about MTI and our work here in Uganda. This was a quality resort that was equal to any in a first world country. Another stark contrast in the depths of Uganda!
A game drive! 6 a.m. – a Land Rover, our guide and Frank, Scott, Deb, Dana, Peter & Anthony loaded up to see what new sites Uganda might hold for us. On the drive from the Lodge we immediately spotted a leopard but since it was still dark she was hard to see clearly. Wart hogs, water buck, cape buffalo, leopard, herds of elephants, 2 lions, plovers, egrets, palm nut vulture, Egyptian geese, hippos, yellow weavers, large herds of kob (like our deer) were all spotted during our 3 hour drive. A flat tire made us miss our 10 a.m.. boat tour of the Kazinga Channel but gave us time to sit on the terrace and enjoy the panoramic views of East Africa.
As we were leaving Sue spotted a tree that was filled with hanging nests (it looked like a Christmas tree filled with ornaments). Our favorite little yellow birds, “Weavers” have obviously been given their name for these amazing structures. Yellow birds were flying in and out of these upside down nests by the 100’s – we stood in awe of another of God’s wonders.
Back to Mbarara through the rural and pastoral Rift Valley. Frank rides with Deb, Sue & Dana who were singing “oldies but goodies”… when we apologized for only knowing the chorus to many of the tunes Frank replied “snippets of terror”. Joe, Scott, David, Patrick and Megan attended a meeting with the UNHCR Director for the Nakavale region, Veronique Gentaille, followed by a dinner given by the 3 medical volunteers who are here serving for a month. The dinner was to thank the MTI staff for all the support and help given to them. honoring the volunteers. Scott has written below about this experience.
“David Alula, Joe, Patrick, Megan, and I (Scott) met with UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Mbarara. Joe introduced Megan and myself as volunteer fundraisers. The UNHCR for Nakavale was Veronique Gentaille. She wanted MTI to put together a proposal to take over and operate all four medical clinics in the Nakavale area. This responsibility is currently divided up among three NGO groups. The UNHCR representative wanted MTI’s proposal to cover four areas of need. 1. Capability 2. Competency 3. Capacity 4. Funding UNHCR has been impressed with MTI’s performance in operating the Nakivale Congolese Refugee Camp Medical Clinic.
After the meeting the group was invited to attend the Volunteer Team’s party for MTI Nakivale Medical Team staff to be held in Mbarara at the Hotel Classic. Twenty of the staff were in attendance. The volunteer team headed by Dr. Leo Criep from Houston, nurse Shaton Tissell from Portland and nurse Chris from Calagary, Canada. Volunteer teams normally serve for a period of one month. This team will leave next weekend. After filling our plates from the Ugandan food buffet we listened to speeches of thanks from the volunteer medical team. A trivia question game was played for small prizes.
One of the Nakavale staff, Davis (who is fluent in 5 languages), spoke as representing the entire staff in thanking the volunteers for their work and for the great party. The Nakavale staff then lead the group in three Ugandan songs backed up by an Ugandan instrument called a Dungu (looked like a miniature harp). The volunteer Medical Staff was visibly moved by this party and of course, this experience. Our team expressed the same gratefulness.”
Megan expressed in her beautiful prose thoughts that she agreed to share:
“Can I offer you any services?” he asks me. Unassuming, just helpful on this serene, dream-filled veranda, restfully overlooking Uganda’s vast sprawl in all directions, particularly south and west. If your vision was good enough you could see the Congo, sitting peacefully right there. No war, no refugees, just forests and birds and flowers and green…if your vision was really, really good. Butterflies flit and flirt with the birds and sunbeams, a mid-morning serenade exclusive of no one. The lakes reach out their fingers, thirsty for more land and lush, green marsh. The breeze lifts the ripples from a crocodile’s tail, the same breeze that’s gently mingling the scents of all of Africa: the raw, feeling smells of rock and earth and water and sweat and life all brought together. The primal, natural things about which we always forget. Foreign words in strange voices mélange with life, and the services, sir?
Please bring me this, forever.
Mw
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Travel Day – Lira to Kampala
Albendizole and donuts! The military march at 6 a.m. with the chanting make it easy for us to rise early so that we can be at the MTI office early to we can say goodbye to the people who we met only 4 days ago. Our respect for this dedicated group has grown every day. The Ogur Youth and Information Care Center is just one of the projects that MTI-Uganda is implementing to help transition this “Pearl of Africa” into the vital and healthy country of it’s promise. Smiles are abundant and the tasks overwhelming but they just keep chipping away, one task, one day, and one goal at a time. The hope is palatable. We join hands and bow our heads as Felix first sings a Ugandan hymn and then Joe gives a prayer of gratefulness. This MTI/Uganda has energized us to our mission of keeping their programs growing – and that takes funding! It is just so important.
The drive is filled with more images and contrasts – our senses bombarded with each passing mile. After about three hours a petrol station appears on the horizon promising the potential for a much-needed stop – Peter pulls in and asks the attendant if they have a restroom we can use. They graciously escort us to the back of the garage where 3 locked doors are opened to clean facilities with actual toilets! There is a sink on the outside of the building but the attendant first squirts some soap into our hands. He asks Sue if we are Christian and when he hears that we are asks if we have a bible we could give him. Joe finds out that he can read Swahili and it just happens we are carrying 51 Swahili Bibles. Joe is delivering 50 of these to a Ugandan contact – and we have one extra. Providence? Simon was delighted! As we drove away we realized that we each tipped the woman manager or Simon individually so we have paved the way for future visitors to this rest stop.
Kampala Kolping House by 3 o’clock and we quickly unload our luggage. Shopping duties for Frank, Sue, Dana, Deb & Megan – a meeting for Joe and David Alula at the Mulaga Hospital. Scott is writing about this incredible experience right now. Our car makes a brief stop at the African Craft Store and then to the Beads for Life factory and offices. Bead for Life is a unique poverty eradication organization proving income generation through bead making. They connect people concerned with extreme poverty with Uganda beaders and tailors, giving them sustainable opportunities to lift their families out of these circumstances. “Eradicating poverty one bead at a time”. This was an amazing enterprise with not only beautiful product but also the energy from the beaders and the American women who are being empowered by this training. Our bags were filled with this jewelry made from colorful recycled paper, such as magazines or posters then skillfully rolled into a unique bead.
The following is written by Scott who was deeply moved by being able to sit in on the meeting between Joe, David Alula, MTI-Lira Health Manager and Dr. Jacqueline Mabweijano who is the Director Head of the Casualty Unit (similar to our Emergency) at Mulago Hospital In Kampala. Dr. Mabweijano had learned of MTI on a visit to a conference in Victoria British Columbia. MTI had a booth at the conference manned by MTI’s Paul Bollinger. Dr. Jacqueline, as she was called, was very interested in MTI’s first responder training program.
There is no systematic method for bringing injured people to the Mulago Hospital in Kampala. Normally, it is the police who respond to the accident and are the ones to transport the injured to the hospital They have very little training or equipment to provide emergency medical assistance to those injury victims. In some case they actually cause more harm to the patient. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS infections in Uganda complicates first responder’s actions when they are untrained in handling cases where there is bleed or resuscitation is necessary.
Joe and David explained the program of training that MTI had successfully implemented Euro Asia and Asia here a core group of first responders give a 40-80 hour training course by volunteer Doctors from the United States. This core group then acts as master trainer to teach these methods to others. Dr. Jacqueline related to us that it had been a very difficult day in her casualty unit. There had been a bad motor accident where ten people had been injured and had been transported in various ways to the Mulago Hospital. The hospital was understaffed and very short on medical supplies to treat patients. She told us that her job was at times over whelming.
Dr. Mabueijano was an extremely bright, caring and articulate physician. I thought to myself that with individuals like her the future of Ugandan medicine was very bright. We could see that she felt some relief at the prospect of getting help. MTI’s Paul Bollinger will pursue the option of providing this first responder training.
Again, the enormous tasks this country faces of bringing Uganda out of poverty and all that ensues as a result is daunting but the courage we saw leaves us with hope and our own mission.
Dinner at one of Joe and Felix’s favorite spots, Phaz Two! What a shocking contrast, we could have been seated in Florida or LA! Beautiful outdoor patio with a waterfall and candle lit tables! The food was delicious and the entrees all well under $10. There were more white faces on the patio than we had seen for quite awhile!
Megan who has been to Uganda 4 times said that she finally thought of a word that describes it…. RAW!
Travel Day – Lira to Kampala
Albendizole and donuts! The military march at 6 a.m. with the chanting make it easy for us to rise early so that we can be at the MTI office early to we can say goodbye to the people who we met only 4 days ago. Our respect for this dedicated group has grown every day. The Ogur Youth and Information Care Center is just one of the projects that MTI-Uganda is implementing to help transition this “Pearl of Africa” into the vital and healthy country of it’s promise. Smiles are abundant and the tasks overwhelming but they just keep chipping away, one task, one day, and one goal at a time. The hope is palatable. We join hands and bow our heads as Felix first sings a Ugandan hymn and then Joe gives a prayer of gratefulness. This MTI/Uganda has energized us to our mission of keeping their programs growing – and that takes funding! It is just so important.
The drive is filled with more images and contrasts – our senses bombarded with each passing mile. After about three hours a petrol station appears on the horizon promising the potential for a much-needed stop – Peter pulls in and asks the attendant if they have a restroom we can use. They graciously escort us to the back of the garage where 3 locked doors are opened to clean facilities with actual toilets! There is a sink on the outside of the building but the attendant first squirts some soap into our hands. He asks Sue if we are Christian and when he hears that we are asks if we have a bible we could give him. Joe finds out that he can read Swahili and it just happens we are carrying 51 Swahili Bibles. Joe is delivering 50 of these to a Ugandan contact – and we have one extra. Providence? Simon was delighted! As we drove away we realized that we each tipped the woman manager or Simon individually so we have paved the way for future visitors to this rest stop.
Kampala Kolping House by 3 o’clock and we quickly unload our luggage. Shopping duties for Frank, Sue, Dana, Deb & Megan – a meeting for Joe and David Alula at the Mulaga Hospital. Scott is writing about this incredible experience right now. Our car makes a brief stop at the African Craft Store and then to the Beads for Life factory and offices. Bead for Life is a unique poverty eradication organization proving income generation through bead making. They connect people concerned with extreme poverty with Uganda beaders and tailors, giving them sustainable opportunities to lift their families out of these circumstances. “Eradicating poverty one bead at a time”. This was an amazing enterprise with not only beautiful product but also the energy from the beaders and the American women who are being empowered by this training. Our bags were filled with this jewelry made from colorful recycled paper, such as magazines or posters then skillfully rolled into a unique bead.
The following is written by Scott who was deeply moved by being able to sit in on the meeting between Joe, David Alula, MTI-Lira Health Manager and Dr. Jacqueline Mabweijano who is the Director Head of the Casualty Unit (similar to our Emergency) at Mulago Hospital In Kampala. Dr. Mabweijano had learned of MTI on a visit to a conference in Victoria British Columbia. MTI had a booth at the conference manned by MTI’s Paul Bollinger. Dr. Jacqueline, as she was called, was very interested in MTI’s first responder training program.
There is no systematic method for bringing injured people to the Mulago Hospital in Kampala. Normally, it is the police who respond to the accident and are the ones to transport the injured to the hospital They have very little training or equipment to provide emergency medical assistance to those injury victims. In some case they actually cause more harm to the patient. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS infections in Uganda complicates first responder’s actions when they are untrained in handling cases where there is bleed or resuscitation is necessary.
Joe and David explained the program of training that MTI had successfully implemented Euro Asia and Asia here a core group of first responders give a 40-80 hour training course by volunteer Doctors from the United States. This core group then acts as master trainer to teach these methods to others. Dr. Jacqueline related to us that it had been a very difficult day in her casualty unit. There had been a bad motor accident where ten people had been injured and had been transported in various ways to the Mulago Hospital. The hospital was understaffed and very short on medical supplies to treat patients. She told us that her job was at times over whelming.
Dr. Mabueijano was an extremely bright, caring and articulate physician. I thought to myself that with individuals like her the future of Ugandan medicine was very bright. We could see that she felt some relief at the prospect of getting help. MTI’s Paul Bollinger will pursue the option of providing this first responder training.
Again, the enormous tasks this country faces of bringing Uganda out of poverty and all that ensues as a result is daunting but the courage we saw leaves us with hope and our own mission.
Dinner at one of Joe and Felix’s favorite spots, Phaz Two! What a shocking contrast, we could have been seated in Florida or LA! Beautiful outdoor patio with a waterfall and candle lit tables! The food was delicious and the entrees all well under $10. There were more white faces on the patio than we had seen for quite awhile!
Megan who has been to Uganda 4 times said that she finally thought of a word that describes it…. RAW!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Travel Day – Lira to Kampala
Albendizole and donuts! The military march at 6 a.m. with the chanting make it easy for us to rise early so that we can be at the MTI office early to we can say goodbye to the people who we met only 4 days ago. Our respect for this dedicated group has grown every day. The Ogur Youth and Information Care Center is just one of the projects that MTI-Uganda is implementing to help transition this “Pearl of Africa” into the vital and healthy country of it’s promise. Smiles are abundant and the tasks overwhelming but they just keep chipping away, one task, one day, and one goal at a time. The hope is palatable. We join hands and bow our heads as Felix first sings a Ugandan hymn and then Joe gives a prayer of gratefulness. This MTI/Uganda has energized us to our mission of keeping their programs growing – and that takes funding! It is just so important.
The drive is filled with more images and contrasts – our senses bombarded with each passing mile. After about three hours a petrol station appears on the horizon promising the potential for a much-needed stop – Peter pulls in and asks the attendant if they have a restroom we can use. They graciously escort us to the back of the garage where 3 locked doors are opened to clean facilities with actual toilets! There is a sink on the outside of the building but the attendant first squirts some soap into our hands. He asks Sue if we are Christian and when he hears that we are asks if we have a bible we could give him. Joe finds out that he can read Swahili and it just happens we are carrying 51 Swahili Bibles. Joe is delivering 50 of these to a Ugandan contact – and we have one extra. Providence? Simon was delighted! As we drove away we realized that we each tipped the woman manager or Simon individually so we have paved the way for future visitors to this rest stop.
Kampala Kolping House by 3 o’clock and we quickly unload our luggage. Shopping duties for Frank, Sue, Dana, Deb & Megan – a meeting for Joe and David Alula at the Mulaga Hospital. Scott is writing about this incredible experience right now. Our car makes a brief stop at the African Craft Store and then to the Beads for Life factory and offices. Bead for Life is a unique poverty eradication organization proving income generation through bead making. They connect people concerned with extreme poverty with Uganda beaders and tailors, giving them sustainable opportunities to lift their families out of these circumstances. “Eradicating poverty one bead at a time”. This was an amazing enterprise with not only beautiful product but also the energy from the beaders and the American women who are being empowered by this training. Our bags were filled with this jewelry made from colorful recycled paper, such as magazines or posters then skillfully rolled into a unique bead.
The following is written by Scott who was deeply moved by being able to sit in on the meeting between Joe, David Alula, MTI-Lira Health Manager and Dr. Jacqueline Mabweijano who is the Director Head of the Casualty Unit (similar to our Emergency) at Mulago Hospital In Kampala. Dr. Mabweijano had learned of MTI on a visit to a conference in Victoria British Columbia. MTI had a booth at the conference manned by MTI’s Paul Bollinger. Dr. Jacqueline, as she was called, was very interested in MTI’s first responder training program.
There is no systematic method for bringing injured people to the Mulago Hospital in Kampala. Normally, it is the police who respond to the accident and are the ones to transport the injured to the hospital They have very little training or equipment to provide emergency medical assistance to those injury victims. In some case they actually cause more harm to the patient. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS infections in Uganda complicates first responder’s actions when they are untrained in handling cases where there is bleed or resuscitation is necessary.
Joe and David explained the program of training that MTI had successfully implemented Euro Asia and Asia here a core group of first responders give a 40-80 hour training course by volunteer Doctors from the United States. This core group then acts as master trainer to teach these methods to others. Dr. Jacqueline related to us that it had been a very difficult day in her casualty unit. There had been a bad motor accident where ten people had been injured and had been transported in various ways to the Mulago Hospital. The hospital was understaffed and very short on medical supplies to treat patients. She told us that her job was at times over whelming.
Dr. Mabueijano was an extremely bright, caring and articulate physician. I thought to myself that with individuals like her the future of Ugandan medicine was very bright. We could see that she felt some relief at the prospect of getting help. MTI’s Paul Bollinger will pursue the option of providing this first responder training.
Again, the enormous tasks this country faces of bringing Uganda out of poverty and all that ensues as a result is daunting but the courage we saw leaves us with hope and our own mission.
Dinner at one of Joe and Felix’s favorite spots, Phaz Two! What a shocking contrast, we could have been seated in Florida or LA! Beautiful outdoor patio with a waterfall and candle lit tables! The food was delicious and the entrees all well under $10. There were more white faces on the patio than we had seen for quite awhile!
Megan who has been to Uganda 4 times said that she finally thought of a word that describes it…. RAW!
Travel Day – Lira to Kampala
Albendizole and donuts! The military march at 6 a.m. with the chanting make it easy for us to rise early so that we can be at the MTI office early to we can say goodbye to the people who we met only 4 days ago. Our respect for this dedicated group has grown every day. The Ogur Youth and Information Care Center is just one of the projects that MTI-Uganda is implementing to help transition this “Pearl of Africa” into the vital and healthy country of it’s promise. Smiles are abundant and the tasks overwhelming but they just keep chipping away, one task, one day, and one goal at a time. The hope is palatable. We join hands and bow our heads as Felix first sings a Ugandan hymn and then Joe gives a prayer of gratefulness. This MTI/Uganda has energized us to our mission of keeping their programs growing – and that takes funding! It is just so important.
The drive is filled with more images and contrasts – our senses bombarded with each passing mile. After about three hours a petrol station appears on the horizon promising the potential for a much-needed stop – Peter pulls in and asks the attendant if they have a restroom we can use. They graciously escort us to the back of the garage where 3 locked doors are opened to clean facilities with actual toilets! There is a sink on the outside of the building but the attendant first squirts some soap into our hands. He asks Sue if we are Christian and when he hears that we are asks if we have a bible we could give him. Joe finds out that he can read Swahili and it just happens we are carrying 51 Swahili Bibles. Joe is delivering 50 of these to a Ugandan contact – and we have one extra. Providence? Simon was delighted! As we drove away we realized that we each tipped the woman manager or Simon individually so we have paved the way for future visitors to this rest stop.
Kampala Kolping House by 3 o’clock and we quickly unload our luggage. Shopping duties for Frank, Sue, Dana, Deb & Megan – a meeting for Joe and David Alula at the Mulaga Hospital. Scott is writing about this incredible experience right now. Our car makes a brief stop at the African Craft Store and then to the Beads for Life factory and offices. Bead for Life is a unique poverty eradication organization proving income generation through bead making. They connect people concerned with extreme poverty with Uganda beaders and tailors, giving them sustainable opportunities to lift their families out of these circumstances. “Eradicating poverty one bead at a time”. This was an amazing enterprise with not only beautiful product but also the energy from the beaders and the American women who are being empowered by this training. Our bags were filled with this jewelry made from colorful recycled paper, such as magazines or posters then skillfully rolled into a unique bead.
The following is written by Scott who was deeply moved by being able to sit in on the meeting between Joe, David Alula, MTI-Lira Health Manager and Dr. Jacqueline Mabweijano who is the Director Head of the Casualty Unit (similar to our Emergency) at Mulago Hospital In Kampala. Dr. Mabweijano had learned of MTI on a visit to a conference in Victoria British Columbia. MTI had a booth at the conference manned by MTI’s Paul Bollinger. Dr. Jacqueline, as she was called, was very interested in MTI’s first responder training program.
There is no systematic method for bringing injured people to the Mulago Hospital in Kampala. Normally, it is the police who respond to the accident and are the ones to transport the injured to the hospital They have very little training or equipment to provide emergency medical assistance to those injury victims. In some case they actually cause more harm to the patient. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS infections in Uganda complicates first responder’s actions when they are untrained in handling cases where there is bleed or resuscitation is necessary.
Joe and David explained the program of training that MTI had successfully implemented Euro Asia and Asia here a core group of first responders give a 40-80 hour training course by volunteer Doctors from the United States. This core group then acts as master trainer to teach these methods to others. Dr. Jacqueline related to us that it had been a very difficult day in her casualty unit. There had been a bad motor accident where ten people had been injured and had been transported in various ways to the Mulago Hospital. The hospital was understaffed and very short on medical supplies to treat patients. She told us that her job was at times over whelming.
Dr. Mabueijano was an extremely bright, caring and articulate physician. I thought to myself that with individuals like her the future of Ugandan medicine was very bright. We could see that she felt some relief at the prospect of getting help. MTI’s Paul Bollinger will pursue the option of providing this first responder training.
Again, the enormous tasks this country faces of bringing Uganda out of poverty and all that ensues as a result is daunting but the courage we saw leaves us with hope and our own mission.
Dinner at one of Joe and Felix’s favorite spots, Phaz Two! What a shocking contrast, we could have been seated in Florida or LA! Beautiful outdoor patio with a waterfall and candle lit tables! The food was delicious and the entrees all well under $10. There were more white faces on the patio than we had seen for quite awhile!
Megan who has been to Uganda 4 times said that she finally thought of a word that describes it…. RAW!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Lira – Ogur Youth Center
Rain! Heat lightning! The crops are saved for another year! It had not rained for a time and the crops were beginning to look a little droopy so when we heard the rain begin to fall last night we cheered!
Breakfast in the main room and then we are off again, first we stop at the MTI office to download the blogs. There is breakfast awaiting us… we don’t share that we have just eaten! Breakfast/tea is normally around 10 a.m. here after the people have worked since 6:00 a.m. – then a snack of biscuits and juice around 2 p.m. and dinner at 9: p.m. The eggs we are served in the mooring are a very pale yellow and when we saw a hard boiled egg we saw that the yolk is barely discernable from the whites. The chickens are free range so obviously their dietary differences account for the change!
Our team is anxious to get up to see the kids so off we go! The people walking the road are so colorful, there are few cars but since the pavement is only in the middle of the road we have to move to the dirt side and honk our horn when we encounter a vehicle coming the other way. It’s considered a form of pothole dancing, a little bit of tarmac amidst the potholes. Again we are amazed that it somehow works. Felix shared with us that if you are in an accident here you leave as fast as you can because if someone is hurt from the neighborhood the neighbors will come and beat you up! So, the injured are left for the neighbors to deal with and you report to the police (if you think you were recognized).
It is a little after 11:00 a.m. when we arrive at the Ogur Youth Information and Care Centre. The main room is filled with students with pink and black uniforms. The boys wear what we now call African pink shirts and black shorts and the girls wear black jumpers with pink shirts underneath. Some have rubber flip-flops; some leather shoes and several have no shoes at all. There are 48 students sitting facing the raised stage at the front of the room! They are between 11 and 15 years old and have walked here from their school. The boxes of colored crayons, colored pencils and tablets are brought out and we decide to divide into 4 groups – a group for Sue, Deb, Megan and Dana. Each student gets 2 sheets of paper, a package of 12 crayons and a box of unsharpened colored pencils. Sue explains with a natural teacher’s enthusiasm that we would like them to draw something that makes them smile! Anything… a friend, a family member, a flower, their school, this center, we would like to take one drawing back with us and they can keep the second. At first everyone sits and stares quietly at their papers but once one student begins to draw the pencils fly! We all noticed that the majority drew what the first person started – but a few were original! A young man in my group drew a large soldier with a rifle; he made camouflage design on the clothing. Sue had a young man who drew an eagle that was outstanding. Every drawing was beautifully drawn. The students were very well behaved, the talk in whispers (even to each other) and we noticed that they don’t look you in the face. Later Felix shares that they are taught to be seen but not heard and to keep their voices low, it is disrespectful for them to look their elders in the eye. You would not see 48 pre-teens and teens in the U.S. behaving so well! The two doors were jammed with children who were not in uniform so we gave each one a crayon and a piece of paper. Little guys about 3 came in immediately and orderly, then sat in the corner and began to draw pictures themselves. Smiles spread across their faces when we exclaimed at their work will forever remain in our hearts and memories. Frank was everywhere taking pictures and then sharing the image on the replay screen of his cameras – the children were delighted, as usual with seeing themselves. Franks brought his small HP 4x6 printer so Deb began to print the individual shots and give them to the children. They took them and stared – giggled and showed their friends. I am sure these will be treasured for years to come!
Frisbee time! Frank brought a stack of Frisbees so Joe and I each took a stack and the students followed us to the lawn area for flying Frisbees. We don’t know if they had ever seen Frisbees but they quickly learned how to cock your wrist and let them go. Laughter and flying saucers everywhere. Joe and I noticed several groups of children watching from afar who were not a part of this class – they were also not in uniform which most likely means they cannot go to school because there is no money for uniforms and books! Joe and I broke off from the melee and approached several group with Frisbees in hand – one wave and a toss and we had more children join us! This was such fun!
Meanwhile Deb, Sue and Scott were interviewing Brenda, the young AIDS girl who talked to us yesterday. She told her story again in front of Deb’s movie camera. There is some question as to whether the microphone was working but hopefully we will be able to share this moving story with others. Brenda joined the drawing group even though she was not part of the classroom. She drew a picture of her Mother (who has died) holding a sunflower and then she wrote in perfect printing “I would be happy if I could see my Mother again”. Unfortunately she will probably sooner than she should.
African music began to play on the loud speakers that were set up in the grassy field, Megan began to dance and very quickly we all joined in the mix. Fun… just pure joyous dancing and fun! We will ever remember the big toothy grins of everyone on that field!
The team was called to “tea” while the students prepared for the Drama performance that was scheduled for us. We sat in the white plastic chairs on the far side of the Center and enjoyed Mango juice and biscuits. One little guy who was almost in rags but was the first to dance joined us so I asked the school counselor if I could share a cookie and a juice pack with the boy – he said yes, and George then asked the boy to not show the other children. He sat on the trunk of a tree hidden from the group and watched us while he obviously enjoyed his treat!
While the Peer Group performers prepared for the afternoon program we were invited to tour the Health Center and Maternity Ward that are within this compound of buildings. These buildings are older and were taken by the rebel forces that lived there for over 10 years and destroyed the little equipment the clinic had. This was hard… very hard! They have recently been rehabilitated by one of Medical Team’s many volunteers over here, Elizabeth Lie. The halls were lined with people lying on blankets or sitting quietly, sick babies, thin and frail, adults curled into balls. The head of the Health Center is a woman who made a plea to us to get them chairs, equipment, anything. Evidently the Ugandan government agreed to do the repairs to the structure and the Department of Health would be responsible for the interior furnishings. For whatever reason this has not happened so there is very little there. This was so hard for all of us to see. Several patients were in the hospital building, a few with I.V.s running and one with a chicken sitting on the bed! The maternity ward had two new Mothers, one who was holding a one-day-old baby with a cleft pallet. This cleft will probably not be repaired for a long time, if ever. At the back of the hospital was gathered what we assumed to be a group of different family members – cooking pots, chickens, a skinny dog, blankets. An encampment of support! While patients are in the hospital, it is the family’s responsibility to provide cleaning and food for them, though they do not provide housing for them. Often, one patient’s visit to the hospital takes two, three, or an entire family away from their village to care for the one sick person. This was a sobering experience for us after the afternoon of lighthearted fun.
The Drama! 7 white plastic chairs amid a sea of color – loud speakers and a music mixer were set up on a table and run by the generator. Older Peer Group members performed the play. When Megan was here the first time she helped to interview and pick 65 young people between the ages of 16 and 20 to act as mentors for the community. Megan is such a part of Uganda – the people and children love her. They know that she loves them, her energy and caring are acknowledged and appreciated by all! There are still 47 of peer educators active in their community today on behalf of the youth centre and MTI. They participate in weekly or bi-weekly meetings to strategize how to teach HIV/AIDS prevention to the youth, as well as behavior change to reduce stigma and preventive health. An impressive commitment that must mean some personal sacrifice. This drama was unbelievable – well over 2 hours – the crowd sat mesmerized and respectful as the performers shared a tale whose lesson was the importance of being tested and of being responsible, as a couple. Of course, we could understand a word since it was all done in the Luo dialect but the two staff members who sat with us to interpret were having a difficult time doing so because they were laughing and enjoying the performance so thoroughly themselves. This lasted until after 5 p.m. and it was a tired team that piled into the MTI vehicles to return to Lira. Another day filled with rewards and heart wrenching experiences.
A quick shower and we were off to dinner at the Lillian Towers restaurant in Lira. Felix, Anthony and Peter joined us for a delightful evening of shared tales and lots of laughter. The stars are brighter than you can imagine, then the heat lightning performance lit up distant dark clouds. Uganda is a special place and the staff that make up this MTI Main Office are incredible. They are a dedicated group full of challenges and hope.
Lira – Ogur Youth Center
Rain! Heat lightning! The crops are saved for another year! It had not rained for a time and the crops were beginning to look a little droopy so when we heard the rain begin to fall last night we cheered!
Breakfast in the main room and then we are off again, first we stop at the MTI office to download the blogs. There is breakfast awaiting us… we don’t share that we have just eaten! Breakfast/tea is normally around 10 a.m. here after the people have worked since 6:00 a.m. – then a snack of biscuits and juice around 2 p.m. and dinner at 9: p.m. The eggs we are served in the mooring are a very pale yellow and when we saw a hard boiled egg we saw that the yolk is barely discernable from the whites. The chickens are free range so obviously their dietary differences account for the change!
Our team is anxious to get up to see the kids so off we go! The people walking the road are so colorful, there are few cars but since the pavement is only in the middle of the road we have to move to the dirt side and honk our horn when we encounter a vehicle coming the other way. It’s considered a form of pothole dancing, a little bit of tarmac amidst the potholes. Again we are amazed that it somehow works. Felix shared with us that if you are in an accident here you leave as fast as you can because if someone is hurt from the neighborhood the neighbors will come and beat you up! So, the injured are left for the neighbors to deal with and you report to the police (if you think you were recognized).
It is a little after 11:00 a.m. when we arrive at the Ogur Youth Information and Care Centre. The main room is filled with students with pink and black uniforms. The boys wear what we now call African pink shirts and black shorts and the girls wear black jumpers with pink shirts underneath. Some have rubber flip-flops; some leather shoes and several have no shoes at all. There are 48 students sitting facing the raised stage at the front of the room! They are between 11 and 15 years old and have walked here from their school. The boxes of colored crayons, colored pencils and tablets are brought out and we decide to divide into 4 groups – a group for Sue, Deb, Megan and Dana. Each student gets 2 sheets of paper, a package of 12 crayons and a box of unsharpened colored pencils. Sue explains with a natural teacher’s enthusiasm that we would like them to draw something that makes them smile! Anything… a friend, a family member, a flower, their school, this center, we would like to take one drawing back with us and they can keep the second. At first everyone sits and stares quietly at their papers but once one student begins to draw the pencils fly! We all noticed that the majority drew what the first person started – but a few were original! A young man in my group drew a large soldier with a rifle; he made camouflage design on the clothing. Sue had a young man who drew an eagle that was outstanding. Every drawing was beautifully drawn. The students were very well behaved, the talk in whispers (even to each other) and we noticed that they don’t look you in the face. Later Felix shares that they are taught to be seen but not heard and to keep their voices low, it is disrespectful for them to look their elders in the eye. You would not see 48 pre-teens and teens in the U.S. behaving so well! The two doors were jammed with children who were not in uniform so we gave each one a crayon and a piece of paper. Little guys about 3 came in immediately and orderly, then sat in the corner and began to draw pictures themselves. Smiles spread across their faces when we exclaimed at their work will forever remain in our hearts and memories. Frank was everywhere taking pictures and then sharing the image on the replay screen of his cameras – the children were delighted, as usual with seeing themselves. Franks brought his small HP 4x6 printer so Deb began to print the individual shots and give them to the children. They took them and stared – giggled and showed their friends. I am sure these will be treasured for years to come!
Frisbee time! Frank brought a stack of Frisbees so Joe and I each took a stack and the students followed us to the lawn area for flying Frisbees. We don’t know if they had ever seen Frisbees but they quickly learned how to cock your wrist and let them go. Laughter and flying saucers everywhere. Joe and I noticed several groups of children watching from afar who were not a part of this class – they were also not in uniform which most likely means they cannot go to school because there is no money for uniforms and books! Joe and I broke off from the melee and approached several group with Frisbees in hand – one wave and a toss and we had more children join us! This was such fun!
Meanwhile Deb, Sue and Scott were interviewing Brenda, the young AIDS girl who talked to us yesterday. She told her story again in front of Deb’s movie camera. There is some question as to whether the microphone was working but hopefully we will be able to share this moving story with others. Brenda joined the drawing group even though she was not part of the classroom. She drew a picture of her Mother (who has died) holding a sunflower and then she wrote in perfect printing “I would be happy if I could see my Mother again”. Unfortunately she will probably sooner than she should.
African music began to play on the loud speakers that were set up in the grassy field, Megan began to dance and very quickly we all joined in the mix. Fun… just pure joyous dancing and fun! We will ever remember the big toothy grins of everyone on that field!
The team was called to “tea” while the students prepared for the Drama performance that was scheduled for us. We sat in the white plastic chairs on the far side of the Center and enjoyed Mango juice and biscuits. One little guy who was almost in rags but was the first to dance joined us so I asked the school counselor if I could share a cookie and a juice pack with the boy – he said yes, and George then asked the boy to not show the other children. He sat on the trunk of a tree hidden from the group and watched us while he obviously enjoyed his treat!
While the Peer Group performers prepared for the afternoon program we were invited to tour the Health Center and Maternity Ward that are within this compound of buildings. These buildings are older and were taken by the rebel forces that lived there for over 10 years and destroyed the little equipment the clinic had. This was hard… very hard! They have recently been rehabilitated by one of Medical Team’s many volunteers over here, Elizabeth Lie. The halls were lined with people lying on blankets or sitting quietly, sick babies, thin and frail, adults curled into balls. The head of the Health Center is a woman who made a plea to us to get them chairs, equipment, anything. Evidently the Ugandan government agreed to do the repairs to the structure and the Department of Health would be responsible for the interior furnishings. For whatever reason this has not happened so there is very little there. This was so hard for all of us to see. Several patients were in the hospital building, a few with I.V.s running and one with a chicken sitting on the bed! The maternity ward had two new Mothers, one who was holding a one-day-old baby with a cleft pallet. This cleft will probably not be repaired for a long time, if ever. At the back of the hospital was gathered what we assumed to be a group of different family members – cooking pots, chickens, a skinny dog, blankets. An encampment of support! While patients are in the hospital, it is the family’s responsibility to provide cleaning and food for them, though they do not provide housing for them. Often, one patient’s visit to the hospital takes two, three, or an entire family away from their village to care for the one sick person. This was a sobering experience for us after the afternoon of lighthearted fun.
The Drama! 7 white plastic chairs amid a sea of color – loud speakers and a music mixer were set up on a table and run by the generator. Older Peer Group members performed the play. When Megan was here the first time she helped to interview and pick 65 young people between the ages of 16 and 20 to act as mentors for the community. Megan is such a part of Uganda – the people and children love her. They know that she loves them, her energy and caring are acknowledged and appreciated by all! There are still 47 of peer educators active in their community today on behalf of the youth centre and MTI. They participate in weekly or bi-weekly meetings to strategize how to teach HIV/AIDS prevention to the youth, as well as behavior change to reduce stigma and preventive health. An impressive commitment that must mean some personal sacrifice. This drama was unbelievable – well over 2 hours – the crowd sat mesmerized and respectful as the performers shared a tale whose lesson was the importance of being tested and of being responsible, as a couple. Of course, we could understand a word since it was all done in the Luo dialect but the two staff members who sat with us to interpret were having a difficult time doing so because they were laughing and enjoying the performance so thoroughly themselves. This lasted until after 5 p.m. and it was a tired team that piled into the MTI vehicles to return to Lira. Another day filled with rewards and heart wrenching experiences.
A quick shower and we were off to dinner at the Lillian Towers restaurant in Lira. Felix, Anthony and Peter joined us for a delightful evening of shared tales and lots of laughter. The stars are brighter than you can imagine, then the heat lightning performance lit up distant dark clouds. Uganda is a special place and the staff that make up this MTI Main Office are incredible. They are a dedicated group full of challenges and hope.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOTT!
Roosters crowing a 5 a.m., trucks on the highway and then the military marching by at 6:10 chanting a march song – time to rise and meet another day in this country of contrasts. Another cold buffet breakfast with the ability to place an order for eggs is served in the main building – a good time for our team to gather and share their evening and thoughts of the day before. We load Frank’s photos onto my MacBook and watch a slide show that is stunning. Frank’s talents are immediately apparent, he catches through pictures what are imaginations are only dreaming of. The quality of pictures, the color, the composition all stands these photos miles apart from our shots. What a gift it will be to be able to share this experience through these photographs!
Allan, Peter and Anthony arrive in the MTI vehicles. Allan confers with a group of men who work for the wireless company. I have been able to connect to the Internet only one time and they spend some time trying to figure out why to no avail. Off we go, my laptop in hand to an orientation at the MTI headquarters. So much for posting to our Blog daily! I write in Word application and I will cut and paste into the Blog once we find a way to connect!
Felix Omodi! This larger than life man who heads MTI Uganda greets us at the front of the headquarters building– his smile is infectious, his hugs show that he is genuinely happy to see us. He greets Joe and Megan in a way that shows us how important these two are to MTI Uganda. The staff comes out to meet us and we tour the building. Small offices surround a courtyard with a 6” drainage ditch around the perimeter to drain the rainwater. Everyone is gracious and obviously happy to see us. This office is impressively organized and obviously run with precision. The records are clearly kept meticulously so that Joe can follow what is going on from his office in Portland. There are Dell computers and flat screen monitors, newer HP printers, rows of labeled notebooks. A top-notch operation!
Felix leads us to the newly furbished conference room that he is obviously very proud of and begins an orientation program. The slide show and the talk by both Felix and David are eye opening. There are slides of men, women and children who have been slaughtered and are lying together – innocent victims of the Joseph Kony’s reign of terror. Northern Ugandan was torn apart, families destroyed, farms abandoned, villages deserted. The diseases that were increased by the devastation are just one of the areas that this amazing organization are dealing with daily. The tasks are daunting and the hope inspiring. They methodically approach each goal with thought, the Department of Health and the government, the Church, all are players in helping Uganda to restore and transform. It is overwhelming to hear about yet these amazing people are not overwhelmed. Their personal stories are even hard to hear but they have risen out of their own experiences and now use their strength and determination to help bring change to their beloved Uganda. Their visions are grand and to be admired. We can help their dreams become realities through our support. The money we raise at our auction will SAVE LIVES – to think that $30 we raise will translate to over $3500. In support aid seems suddenly so easy compared to the daily tasks of this MTI force. They need our help and we can do it – together!
Now to the Ogur Youth center - a project funded through the generosity of the Grieger Family of Portland, Oregon. “The goal of this project is to decrease HIV infections among youth and increase access to treatment services through provision of youth friendly services and behavior change communication strategies in Erute North HSD, Lira district by 2010.” HIV statistics show a raise in the numbers of people infected. Counseling, testing and treatment are available at this first of its kind center in the Lango (district) sub-region. The drive brings us through small villages with groups gathered together, sitting on the ground, men (few women) riding past on bicycles, women carrying huge water canteens balanced on their heads or bundles of farm produce. That is if they don’t have a baby tied to their backs and we notice that most do have babies. Birth control is one of the project objectives. Then we are here – we can see a group of single story buildings down a long drive. The first are a care center and a maternity ward – they are not part of MTI but are the same style of building so I am sure that many associate the three as being together. Again, the staff comes out to greet us warmly, hands are shaken and we are directed to sit in a circle of chairs set up in a field near the center. George, the center’s director passes out an orientation sheet and then explains the project objectives and the services offered. We try to listen intently but are distracted by the trail of people walking down the path to the water pump nearby. The women and children carry water jugs – most balanced on their heads. Debra quietly leaves the circle to take a movie of the scene around the public water pump. The adults are all smiles, the children not so sure… soon Debra has the group gathered around her so they can see movies of themselves! Imagine if you had probably never seen your own image clearly and now you see yourself in a movie! A young mother fills a round rub with water and brings her nude little boy over and scrubs him with a bar of soap in spite of his vocal protests. Children giggle and prod each other exclaiming over having seen themselves in a movie. Again, we can hardly wait to share this experience with the help of our cameras. Frank is clicking constantly!
George, the Centre director urges us to follow him into the centre for the next part of his program. He leads us through a waiting room of pregnant Mothers – one small baby spots us an immediately bursts into tears. Guess this group of white people must be scary to her. The lab is basic but the technician is knowledgeable and dedicated – she shows us the procedures available and shares that they need some more equipment in order to be able to do more intensive testing. Next we visit the staff offices (youth counselor, program director, health director) and then meet the pharmacy staff person. She has already dispensed 24 prescriptions and it is just 2 in the afternoon. Even the Tylenol requires a prescription before they are filled. George then leads a Reverend and us to a large room with about 100 men seated at the podium. This is a group of local pastors who have previously been trained in how to educate their youth in HIV/AIDS prevention. We are introduced and Joe thanks the Pastors for their support and tells them how important they are in helping to decrease the incidence of infection. A round of appreciative applause and we are directed out to a group of children seated in front of a semi-circle of white plastic yard chairs. The staff person is handing our biscuits but we don’t see smiles greeting us from this group of 16. In fact, I immediately spot a tear running down they cheek of one of the girls who appears to be about 8 (the same age as one of Scott’s and my grand daughters). We are told that all of these children have AIDS, most were born with this disease but a few contracted it because of their own uneducated life choices. A little girl who was not yet walking was seated at the feet of an older girl; we were told she was found abandoned living in a chicken coop. Her family didn’t want her – they might contract AIDS if they were around her. A generous hearted villager has taken her in but with no money for treatment all of these children will soon die. They know this; they come together to share their realities, to be comforted by each other and by the staff. They are encouraged to go to school, to join in the activities of the center and then to meet to discuss their feelings with a center counselor. Two of the youth stood to share their stories. First a young girl about 12 began to speak in her native Longay tribal language – we couldn’t understand her but when she began to cry we felt her pain. I looked down the row and our entire team had tears streaming down their faces. George translated her story – her parents were both dead and she lived with a stepmother who treated her like a leper. The children were told to stay away from her for hear of being infected themselves. She couldn’t go to school because she didn’t have a uniform. She didn’t feel hugs or love except when she came to the center. Next was a young very stoic young man about 16 years old. He fell in love while in the sixth grade and his girl friend had AIDS. These children live in such tight quarters with their entire family in one small hut that they often see their parents having relations. There is no sex education from school or parents so they thinks this is part of how everyone is – when they are old enough to feel the desire they act on those biological feeling never knowing that this could be their death sentence. A young lady is seated on a gym mat on the ground – apparently unable to stand because she is so thin and ill. Her story is that she has AIDS, her husband was killed; she has two children who are eight and two years old. The children have been tested and by grace of God are not HIV positive. She will soon be gone and we all wonder what will become of her children. Counselors talk with these children about dying, about going to heaven, about enjoying their days on earth! The emotion is enormous – our entire group is stunned to silence but we stand immediately and approach each child with hugs and love.
Next we are to drive to the massacre site at Barlonyo. We steel ourselves for what we know lies down this beautiful country road lined with fields of vegetables and children playing in the dust. The marble memorial is ahead – there are semi-circles of cement about 5 feet deep extending about 200’ out on each side of the memorial. These are mass graves to bury the 350 or more villagers who were massacred right in their own safe village. The horde of children that desended on us were a saving distraction. Megan soon had a group of at least 20 surrounding her on top of the cement mass grave walk – she did the traditional handshake and greeted them in Luo. Peter translated that they were talking about her waist long blonde hair so she bent down and invited them to touch it – one said, “it is like the tail of our cow”. Poor Megan may never hear that end of that description. Felix joined the group and led them in song – it was so beautiful as these innocent faces sang out their own traditional song. Another contrast in Uganda – we stand at the sight of unfathomable tragedy yet are raised up by the light in the eyes of the children. Again, we know we have to help to save them. They need us and we can make a difference – each of know we have been given a mission.
The team is waiting to leave for Ogur so I need to end so we can start Thursday! A stop at the headquarters building to see if we can get my computer on to the internet and we head back to our hotel. Dinner was by candle light (power went out) and iPod tunes in the conference room - Scott’s surprise birthday cake complete with candles and song! A beautiful end to a day that challenged our hearts and spirits!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOTT!
Roosters crowing a 5 a.m., trucks on the highway and then the military marching by at 6:10 chanting a march song – time to rise and meet another day in this country of contrasts. Another cold buffet breakfast with the ability to place an order for eggs is served in the main building – a good time for our team to gather and share their evening and thoughts of the day before. We load Frank’s photos onto my MacBook and watch a slide show that is stunning. Frank’s talents are immediately apparent, he catches through pictures what are imaginations are only dreaming of. The quality of pictures, the color, the composition all stands these photos miles apart from our shots. What a gift it will be to be able to share this experience through these photographs!
Allan, Peter and Anthony arrive in the MTI vehicles. Allan confers with a group of men who work for the wireless company. I have been able to connect to the Internet only one time and they spend some time trying to figure out why to no avail. Off we go, my laptop in hand to an orientation at the MTI headquarters. So much for posting to our Blog daily! I write in Word application and I will cut and paste into the Blog once we find a way to connect!
Felix Omodi! This larger than life man who heads MTI Uganda greets us at the front of the headquarters building– his smile is infectious, his hugs show that he is genuinely happy to see us. He greets Joe and Megan in a way that shows us how important these two are to MTI Uganda. The staff comes out to meet us and we tour the building. Small offices surround a courtyard with a 6” drainage ditch around the perimeter to drain the rainwater. Everyone is gracious and obviously happy to see us. This office is impressively organized and obviously run with precision. The records are clearly kept meticulously so that Joe can follow what is going on from his office in Portland. There are Dell computers and flat screen monitors, newer HP printers, rows of labeled notebooks. A top-notch operation!
Felix leads us to the newly furbished conference room that he is obviously very proud of and begins an orientation program. The slide show and the talk by both Felix and David are eye opening. There are slides of men, women and children who have been slaughtered and are lying together – innocent victims of the Joseph Kony’s reign of terror. Northern Ugandan was torn apart, families destroyed, farms abandoned, villages deserted. The diseases that were increased by the devastation are just one of the areas that this amazing organization are dealing with daily. The tasks are daunting and the hope inspiring. They methodically approach each goal with thought, the Department of Health and the government, the Church, all are players in helping Uganda to restore and transform. It is overwhelming to hear about yet these amazing people are not overwhelmed. Their personal stories are even hard to hear but they have risen out of their own experiences and now use their strength and determination to help bring change to their beloved Uganda. Their visions are grand and to be admired. We can help their dreams become realities through our support. The money we raise at our auction will SAVE LIVES – to think that $30 we raise will translate to over $3500. In support aid seems suddenly so easy compared to the daily tasks of this MTI force. They need our help and we can do it – together!
Now to the Ogur Youth center - a project funded through the generosity of the Grieger Family of Portland, Oregon. “The goal of this project is to decrease HIV infections among youth and increase access to treatment services through provision of youth friendly services and behavior change communication strategies in Erute North HSD, Lira district by 2010.” HIV statistics show a raise in the numbers of people infected. Counseling, testing and treatment are available at this first of its kind center in the Lango (district) sub-region. The drive brings us through small villages with groups gathered together, sitting on the ground, men (few women) riding past on bicycles, women carrying huge water canteens balanced on their heads or bundles of farm produce. That is if they don’t have a baby tied to their backs and we notice that most do have babies. Birth control is one of the project objectives. Then we are here – we can see a group of single story buildings down a long drive. The first are a care center and a maternity ward – they are not part of MTI but are the same style of building so I am sure that many associate the three as being together. Again, the staff comes out to greet us warmly, hands are shaken and we are directed to sit in a circle of chairs set up in a field near the center. George, the center’s director passes out an orientation sheet and then explains the project objectives and the services offered. We try to listen intently but are distracted by the trail of people walking down the path to the water pump nearby. The women and children carry water jugs – most balanced on their heads. Debra quietly leaves the circle to take a movie of the scene around the public water pump. The adults are all smiles, the children not so sure… soon Debra has the group gathered around her so they can see movies of themselves! Imagine if you had probably never seen your own image clearly and now you see yourself in a movie! A young mother fills a round rub with water and brings her nude little boy over and scrubs him with a bar of soap in spite of his vocal protests. Children giggle and prod each other exclaiming over having seen themselves in a movie. Again, we can hardly wait to share this experience with the help of our cameras. Frank is clicking constantly!
George, the Centre director urges us to follow him into the centre for the next part of his program. He leads us through a waiting room of pregnant Mothers – one small baby spots us an immediately bursts into tears. Guess this group of white people must be scary to her. The lab is basic but the technician is knowledgeable and dedicated – she shows us the procedures available and shares that they need some more equipment in order to be able to do more intensive testing. Next we visit the staff offices (youth counselor, program director, health director) and then meet the pharmacy staff person. She has already dispensed 24 prescriptions and it is just 2 in the afternoon. Even the Tylenol requires a prescription before they are filled. George then leads a Reverend and us to a large room with about 100 men seated at the podium. This is a group of local pastors who have previously been trained in how to educate their youth in HIV/AIDS prevention. We are introduced and Joe thanks the Pastors for their support and tells them how important they are in helping to decrease the incidence of infection. A round of appreciative applause and we are directed out to a group of children seated in front of a semi-circle of white plastic yard chairs. The staff person is handing our biscuits but we don’t see smiles greeting us from this group of 16. In fact, I immediately spot a tear running down they cheek of one of the girls who appears to be about 8 (the same age as one of Scott’s and my grand daughters). We are told that all of these children have AIDS, most were born with this disease but a few contracted it because of their own uneducated life choices. A little girl who was not yet walking was seated at the feet of an older girl; we were told she was found abandoned living in a chicken coop. Her family didn’t want her – they might contract AIDS if they were around her. A generous hearted villager has taken her in but with no money for treatment all of these children will soon die. They know this; they come together to share their realities, to be comforted by each other and by the staff. They are encouraged to go to school, to join in the activities of the center and then to meet to discuss their feelings with a center counselor. Two of the youth stood to share their stories. First a young girl about 12 began to speak in her native Longay tribal language – we couldn’t understand her but when she began to cry we felt her pain. I looked down the row and our entire team had tears streaming down their faces. George translated her story – her parents were both dead and she lived with a stepmother who treated her like a leper. The children were told to stay away from her for hear of being infected themselves. She couldn’t go to school because she didn’t have a uniform. She didn’t feel hugs or love except when she came to the center. Next was a young very stoic young man about 16 years old. He fell in love while in the sixth grade and his girl friend had AIDS. These children live in such tight quarters with their entire family in one small hut that they often see their parents having relations. There is no sex education from school or parents so they thinks this is part of how everyone is – when they are old enough to feel the desire they act on those biological feeling never knowing that this could be their death sentence. A young lady is seated on a gym mat on the ground – apparently unable to stand because she is so thin and ill. Her story is that she has AIDS, her husband was killed; she has two children who are eight and two years old. The children have been tested and by grace of God are not HIV positive. She will soon be gone and we all wonder what will become of her children. Counselors talk with these children about dying, about going to heaven, about enjoying their days on earth! The emotion is enormous – our entire group is stunned to silence but we stand immediately and approach each child with hugs and love.
Next we are to drive to the massacre site at Barlonyo. We steel ourselves for what we know lies down this beautiful country road lined with fields of vegetables and children playing in the dust. The marble memorial is ahead – there are semi-circles of cement about 5 feet deep extending about 200’ out on each side of the memorial. These are mass graves to bury the 350 or more villagers who were massacred right in their own safe village. The horde of children that desended on us were a saving distraction. Megan soon had a group of at least 20 surrounding her on top of the cement mass grave walk – she did the traditional handshake and greeted them in Luo. Peter translated that they were talking about her waist long blonde hair so she bent down and invited them to touch it – one said, “it is like the tail of our cow”. Poor Megan may never hear that end of that description. Felix joined the group and led them in song – it was so beautiful as these innocent faces sang out their own traditional song. Another contrast in Uganda – we stand at the sight of unfathomable tragedy yet are raised up by the light in the eyes of the children. Again, we know we have to help to save them. They need us and we can make a difference – each of know we have been given a mission.
The team is waiting to leave for Ogur so I need to end so we can start Thursday! A stop at the headquarters building to see if we can get my computer on to the internet and we head back to our hotel. Dinner was by candle light (power went out) and iPod tunes in the conference room - Scott’s surprise birthday cake complete with candles and song! A beautiful end to a day that challenged our hearts and spirits!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
How civilized! A beautiful buffet breakfast on the patio… certainly not the Uganda we anticipated. Allan presented us with our itinerary and we loaded into the cars heading for Lira for the ride of our lifetime! North we headed through the most unbelievable traffic… it even paled from our harrowing ride from the airport. Thank goodness Frank and his camera are recording this because it is certain that no one would believe the sights passing our car windows! THE NILE! We cross over the Nile – but are warned very strongly to keep our cameras hidden. There is a Ugandan army base at the edge of the river to guard against rebel forces that in the past have hidden in the woods to cross the river and for security reasons a camera could be confiscated. The base visible to us consists of a sea of mud and thatch roofed huts, no fencing and certainly not very imposing. There are baboons, lots of baboons sitting on the roadside with their hands held out for treats from the cars that slow down for the photo opportunity. The need for a restroom stop arises and we wonder how, where? There certainly are no rest areas and there are school children in colorful uniforms walking everywhere! Suddenly Peter pulls over and asks us to wait…. he returns quickly saying the lady welcomes us to use her facilities. She greets us with a huge smile and the typical soft-handed shake. Seven children from age 2 – 15 suddenly appear. They, in contrast to their Mother, are shy but also curious. We approach and shake their hands. Their Mother leads us back to a turquoise building with 4 doors. She points to the last door – our first experience with a keyhole in the floor latrine. None of us will ever claim this was a good experience but it was balanced by being with this delightful family, by seeing the round mud-cooking hut, the kidney beans drying on a sheet in the dirt swept courtyard, the drying hut. Again this was highlighted by the children, we took their pictures and when shown their digital images the squeals of delight made up for any discomfort in the latrine. As someone pointed out these people don’t have mirrors so seeing themselves in our camera screen must have seemed like “white magic”. The road has been recently improved and there are occasional stretches where we don’t see people, this brings someone to say, “we comment that we could be in Hawaii – lots of bananas, tropical trees, thatch covered roofs”. But this isn’t Hawaii; this is Uganda whose recent history is rife with terror. Idi Amin self proclaimed “President for Life” is reported to have killed over 300,000 Ugandans, including church leaders and recalcitrant cabinet members in 1977. The National Resistance Army (NRA) led by Yoweri Museveni seized the capital, Kampala, in 1986 and with the assistance of many Western countries began the process of transforming this farming country. President Museveni was reelected in 2006 in spite of a spirited and nasty campaign. Wars with Rwanda and the Congo have in turmoil. Uganda signed a peace accord with the Congo in 2002 and finally withdrew its remaining troops from the country in May 2003. Uganda’s 18-year long battle against the Lord’s Resistance Army is so barbaric that it is truly hard to imagine the horrors that were committed. Between 8,000 and 10,000 children have been abducted by the LRA to form the army of “prophet” Joseph Kony, whose aim was to take over Uganda and run it with his vision of Christianity. The boys were turned into soldiers (some as young a 5 or 6) and the girls into sex slaves. An entire village in Northern Uganda was wiped out because there was an encampment of the Ugandan soldiers near that had attacked a LRA unit. The soldiers found only 2 of the Ugandan soldiers at the camp, after they had killed them they posed as Uganda soldiers and marched into the village and slaughtered 350 men, women and children. We will visit Barlonyo where the government has erected a monument in memory of this tragic event tomorrow.
Dinner was in Lira proper at a well known Lillian Towers restaurant. We drove past a cyclone-fenced area marked Lira Prison where we could see people walking about in uniforms but also people sitting at long tables visiting. Immediately attached is an area with similar fencing but a sign inscribed Lira Hospital, much the same scene minus the yellow uniforms. The main street of Lira looked like their was a carnival going on – crowds of people getting off work, some cooking their dinners in small fires right on the dusty parking area in front of the rows of shops. Children running everywhere, again amazing how anyone can keep track of who is where and or why. The restaurant was reminiscent of the dining hall at a military base, complete with a bouquet of silk roses and a hanging fluorescent light bulb. We were joined by 6 of the MTI staff. A table of 7 children with a single Mother was seated next to us –they were fascinated by our group so after asking permission we took their picture and then shared the digital image much to their delight. The giggles were delightful! The chicken curry that Megan had remembered and recommended was delicious. This was a tired group who headed back to the Paulina Hotel and our beds! The uniformed guard walking the courtyard with his shouldered rifle, the constantine wire atop the wall should make us feel secure but instead I wonder “why are such measures necessary?” Tomorrow we visit the Ogur Youth Center and the Memorial.
How civilized! A beautiful buffet breakfast on the patio… certainly not the Uganda we anticipated. Allan presented us with our itinerary and we loaded into the cars heading for Lira for the ride of our lifetime! North we headed through the most unbelievable traffic… it even paled from our harrowing ride from the airport. Thank goodness Frank and his camera are recording this because it is certain that no one would believe the sights passing our car windows! THE NILE! We cross over the Nile – but are warned very strongly to keep our cameras hidden. There is a Ugandan army base at the edge of the river to guard against rebel forces that in the past have hidden in the woods to cross the river and for security reasons a camera could be confiscated. The base visible to us consists of a sea of mud and thatch roofed huts, no fencing and certainly not very imposing. There are baboons, lots of baboons sitting on the roadside with their hands held out for treats from the cars that slow down for the photo opportunity. The need for a restroom stop arises and we wonder how, where? There certainly are no rest areas and there are school children in colorful uniforms walking everywhere! Suddenly Peter pulls over and asks us to wait…. he returns quickly saying the lady welcomes us to use her facilities. She greets us with a huge smile and the typical soft-handed shake. Seven children from age 2 – 15 suddenly appear. They, in contrast to their Mother, are shy but also curious. We approach and shake their hands. Their Mother leads us back to a turquoise building with 4 doors. She points to the last door – our first experience with a keyhole in the floor latrine. None of us will ever claim this was a good experience but it was balanced by being with this delightful family, by seeing the round mud-cooking hut, the kidney beans drying on a sheet in the dirt swept courtyard, the drying hut. Again this was highlighted by the children, we took their pictures and when shown their digital images the squeals of delight made up for any discomfort in the latrine. As someone pointed out these people don’t have mirrors so seeing themselves in our camera screen must have seemed like “white magic”. The road has been recently improved and there are occasional stretches where we don’t see people, this brings someone to say, “we comment that we could be in Hawaii – lots of bananas, tropical trees, thatch covered roofs”. But this isn’t Hawaii; this is Uganda whose recent history is rife with terror. Idi Amin self proclaimed “President for Life” is reported to have killed over 300,000 Ugandans, including church leaders and recalcitrant cabinet members in 1977. The National Resistance Army (NRA) led by Yoweri Museveni seized the capital, Kampala, in 1986 and with the assistance of many Western countries began the process of transforming this farming country. President Museveni was reelected in 2006 in spite of a spirited and nasty campaign. Wars with Rwanda and the Congo have in turmoil. Uganda signed a peace accord with the Congo in 2002 and finally withdrew its remaining troops from the country in May 2003. Uganda’s 18-year long battle against the Lord’s Resistance Army is so barbaric that it is truly hard to imagine the horrors that were committed. Between 8,000 and 10,000 children have been abducted by the LRA to form the army of “prophet” Joseph Kony, whose aim was to take over Uganda and run it with his vision of Christianity. The boys were turned into soldiers (some as young a 5 or 6) and the girls into sex slaves. An entire village in Northern Uganda was wiped out because there was an encampment of the Ugandan soldiers near that had attacked a LRA unit. The soldiers found only 2 of the Ugandan soldiers at the camp, after they had killed them they posed as Uganda soldiers and marched into the village and slaughtered 350 men, women and children. We will visit Barlonyo where the government has erected a monument in memory of this tragic event tomorrow.
Dinner was in Lira proper at a well known Lillian Towers restaurant. We drove past a cyclone-fenced area marked Lira Prison where we could see people walking about in uniforms but also people sitting at long tables visiting. Immediately attached is an area with similar fencing but a sign inscribed Lira Hospital, much the same scene minus the yellow uniforms. The main street of Lira looked like their was a carnival going on – crowds of people getting off work, some cooking their dinners in small fires right on the dusty parking area in front of the rows of shops. Children running everywhere, again amazing how anyone can keep track of who is where and or why. The restaurant was reminiscent of the dining hall at a military base, complete with a bouquet of silk roses and a hanging fluorescent light bulb. We were joined by 6 of the MTI staff. A table of 7 children with a single Mother was seated next to us –they were fascinated by our group so after asking permission we took their picture and then shared the digital image much to their delight. The giggles were delightful! The chicken curry that Megan had remembered and recommended was delicious. This was a tired group who headed back to the Paulina Hotel and our beds! The uniformed guard walking the courtyard with his shouldered rifle, the constantine wire atop the wall should make us feel secure but instead I wonder “why are such measures necessary?” Tomorrow we visit the Ogur Youth Center and the Memorial.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Kampala, Uganda
Three MTI staff members, Anthony and Allan and Peter meet us at the airport. Allan will be the volunteer coordinator. Peter and Anthony will be our drivers for the next two weeks. Both are full of smiles and warm greetings, especially for Meagan and Joe who they have known from previous visits (this is Meagan’s fourth visit to Uganda). The members of our team….
1. Joe DiCarlo is MTI’s Director of International Programs and is the team leader. He is a warm and gracious man who makes you feel instantly that he is your friend. Joe is highly respected in the world of international relief work. His life would fill a book with incredible stories of the places he has been and the people he has helped. We all hope to learn more about his work during these two weeks together.
2. Debra Hirsh is MTI’s Auction Director. This November 7th will be her fourth year running this incredibly successful and life saving event. Deb has traveled to Oaxaca with MTI but this will be her first trip to Uganda. She brings a “can do” attitude and top people skills.
3. Frank Nichols, our professional photographer, is from Woodland, Washington. Frank’s work is in several galleries and his talents will benefit MTI by visually showing the extent of MTI’s work here. Frank and his wife, Valerie, own an electronics manufacturing company (Silicon Forest) in Vancouver. They have been involved with MTI for 15 years and each year have seen their commitment and passion for MTI’s work deepen.
4. Megan McAninich is returning to Uganda for her 4th time. Meagan is 20
years old and she is committed to this work. She attends USC and is studying International Relations and Health Promotion and Disease Prevention so that she can continue in an even more meaningful way to save lives. Megan’s first mission was to New Orleans after Katrina with her parents Mal and Janeen McAnnich when she was only 17! She returned to New Orleans two more times leading groups of students from Jesuit High School. She is full of energy and passion for working with MTI.
5. Scott and Dana Cress are only 3 years into their MTI experience and I think I
can speak for the two of us in saying that we feel our lives are so much richer for having made this connection. Dana and Scott were to be members of a partner team of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral and MTI going to Honduras to work in rural mountains whose projects were to help build a school or work with the Honduran’s to install latrines in a village. An unexpected knee surgery prevented Scott from making the trip and Sue Preece immediately steeped in to fill the spot. Scott is President of W.H. Cress Company, Inc. in Portland – a 4-generation family business. Dana is co-chair of this year’s Great Adventure auction with Kathi McCoy.
6. Sue Gaden Preece is another “first timer” to Uganda. Once she had gone to Honduras with Dana she knew she was compelled to help SAVE LIVES. Sue came to Portland from New Orleans where she began her painting career. Sues enthusiasm and love of children will be great assets as the team works with children creating art in the Ogur Youth Center and again at the Congolese relief camp near Mbarara. Sue will be painting a picture from this experience to donate to the Art Gallery of this year’s Great Adventure Auction. Sue is Procurement committee co-chair with Ruth Tarr of the 2009 Great Adventure auction.
This team is connecting in a very special way on our first day in Uganda. Our eyes are all open wide as we drive from the Entebbe Airport to Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. Uganda is approximately the same land area as Oregon with a population of over 30 million (Oregon has approx. 4 million people) and this is immediately apparent. The road is teaming with people, bikes, motorcycles, cars, and buses all managing to miss colliding as they weave in and out in a manner that seems almost like an exotic dance. 3-4 people can be on a bike or motorcycle –sometimes little children gripping their Mother or Father’s backs. The highway is lined with small businesses advertising everything from wedding dresses to motor repair shops. There are children playing between the shops and the highway. Questions are being asked of Allan, Peter and Anthony who speak English, the official language beautifully. Luganda or Ganda and Swahili and other Niger-Congo languages, along with Arabic are also spoken here. This Eastern African county is west of Kenya, south of Sudan, east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo – also north of Rwanda and Tanzania. The highway gives us views of Lake Victoria which is the largest lake in Africa and only one of Uganda’s several lakes and rivers. The tropical climate, abundant rainfall and fertile soils make Uganda a rich farming country accounting for 80 percent There are farmer’s markets amid the myriad of shops selling their vegetables and fruits. Bikers pass us with huge bags of vegetables balanced on the backs. The smell of burning wood and cooking fires also bombards our senses – the humidity makes the smell feel thick as it surrounds us.
We noticed that each of us closes our eyes every few minutes so we don’t see the accident in the making but somehow miraculously avoided.
Suddenly we turned into some gates and entered a driveway paved with big chunks of granite. We parked in front of a long brick building which had no apparent signs of being a hotel. The manager met us and greeted Joe with open arms. Our rooms are very basic but clean and we each have our own bathrooms. Scott and I even rated a king size bed! We showered and met in the lawn courtyard between the building at the entry and the building with 20 rooms – loaded into our two MTI cars and off we went to change our currency to Ugandan shillings. When we passed a golf course our car load turned to see Scott’s reaction – certainly none of us expected to see a golf course in Uganda! Loaded with large bills that are embossed in gold and worth only 50 cents each (2,130 Ugandan shillings = $1). I quickly made conversion charts for the shoppers since we were off to buy Ugandan crafts for our Silent auction. Most (as in 5) of our group were zombies and sat on the ground in front of the booths while Debra & Dana shopped with a frenzy! The silent auction is sure to be a success with the wonderful things we bought!
A delicious dinner was served!
Bedtime couldn’t come soon enough! We walked to our rooms to the sound of a congregation singing joyously in the Church next door. A wonderful way to end our first Ugandan day!
Kampala, Uganda
Three MTI staff members, Anthony and Allan and Peter meet us at the airport. Allan will be the volunteer coordinator. Peter and Anthony will be our drivers for the next two weeks. Both are full of smiles and warm greetings, especially for Meagan and Joe who they have known from previous visits (this is Meagan’s fourth visit to Uganda). The members of our team….
1. Joe DiCarlo is MTI’s Director of International Programs and is the team leader. He is a warm and gracious man who makes you feel instantly that he is your friend. Joe is highly respected in the world of international relief work. His life would fill a book with incredible stories of the places he has been and the people he has helped. We all hope to learn more about his work during these two weeks together.
2. Debra Hirsh is MTI’s Auction Director. This November 7th will be her fourth year running this incredibly successful and life saving event. Deb has traveled to Oaxaca with MTI but this will be her first trip to Uganda. She brings a “can do” attitude and top people skills.
3. Frank Nichols, our professional photographer, is from Woodland, Washington. Frank’s work is in several galleries and his talents will benefit MTI by visually showing the extent of MTI’s work here. Frank and his wife, Valerie, own an electronics manufacturing company (Silicon Forest) in Vancouver. They have been involved with MTI for 15 years and each year have seen their commitment and passion for MTI’s work deepen.
4. Megan McAninich is returning to Uganda for her 4th time. Meagan is 20
years old and she is committed to this work. She attends USC and is studying International Relations and Health Promotion and Disease Prevention so that she can continue in an even more meaningful way to save lives. Megan’s first mission was to New Orleans after Katrina with her parents Mal and Janeen McAnnich when she was only 17! She returned to New Orleans two more times leading groups of students from Jesuit High School. She is full of energy and passion for working with MTI.
5. Scott and Dana Cress are only 3 years into their MTI experience and I think I
can speak for the two of us in saying that we feel our lives are so much richer for having made this connection. Dana and Scott were to be members of a partner team of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral and MTI going to Honduras to work in rural mountains whose projects were to help build a school or work with the Honduran’s to install latrines in a village. An unexpected knee surgery prevented Scott from making the trip and Sue Preece immediately steeped in to fill the spot. Scott is President of W.H. Cress Company, Inc. in Portland – a 4-generation family business. Dana is co-chair of this year’s Great Adventure auction with Kathi McCoy.
6. Sue Gaden Preece is another “first timer” to Uganda. Once she had gone to Honduras with Dana she knew she was compelled to help SAVE LIVES. Sue came to Portland from New Orleans where she began her painting career. Sues enthusiasm and love of children will be great assets as the team works with children creating art in the Ogur Youth Center and again at the Congolese relief camp near Mbarara. Sue will be painting a picture from this experience to donate to the Art Gallery of this year’s Great Adventure Auction. Sue is Procurement committee co-chair with Ruth Tarr of the 2009 Great Adventure auction.
This team is connecting in a very special way on our first day in Uganda. Our eyes are all open wide as we drive from the Entebbe Airport to Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. Uganda is approximately the same land area as Oregon with a population of over 30 million (Oregon has approx. 4 million people) and this is immediately apparent. The road is teaming with people, bikes, motorcycles, cars, and buses all managing to miss colliding as they weave in and out in a manner that seems almost like an exotic dance. 3-4 people can be on a bike or motorcycle –sometimes little children gripping their Mother or Father’s backs. The highway is lined with small businesses advertising everything from wedding dresses to motor repair shops. There are children playing between the shops and the highway. Questions are being asked of Allan, Peter and Anthony who speak English, the official language beautifully. Luganda or Ganda and Swahili and other Niger-Congo languages, along with Arabic are also spoken here. This Eastern African county is west of Kenya, south of Sudan, east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo – also north of Rwanda and Tanzania. The highway gives us views of Lake Victoria which is the largest lake in Africa and only one of Uganda’s several lakes and rivers. The tropical climate, abundant rainfall and fertile soils make Uganda a rich farming country accounting for 80 percent There are farmer’s markets amid the myriad of shops selling their vegetables and fruits. Bikers pass us with huge bags of vegetables balanced on the backs. The smell of burning wood and cooking fires also bombards our senses – the humidity makes the smell feel thick as it surrounds us.
We noticed that each of us closes our eyes every few minutes so we don’t see the accident in the making but somehow miraculously avoided.
Suddenly we turned into some gates and entered a driveway paved with big chunks of granite. We parked in front of a long brick building which had no apparent signs of being a hotel. The manager met us and greeted Joe with open arms. Our rooms are very basic but clean and we each have our own bathrooms. Scott and I even rated a king size bed! We showered and met in the lawn courtyard between the building at the entry and the building with 20 rooms – loaded into our two MTI cars and off we went to change our currency to Ugandan shillings. When we passed a golf course our car load turned to see Scott’s reaction – certainly none of us expected to see a golf course in Uganda! Loaded with large bills that are embossed in gold and worth only 50 cents each (2,130 Ugandan shillings = $1). I quickly made conversion charts for the shoppers since we were off to buy Ugandan crafts for our Silent auction. Most (as in 5) of our group were zombies and sat on the ground in front of the booths while Debra & Dana shopped with a frenzy! The silent auction is sure to be a success with the wonderful things we bought!
A delicious dinner was served!
Bedtime couldn’t come soon enough! We walked to our rooms to the sound of a congregation singing joyously in the Church next door. A wonderful way to end our first Ugandan day!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009 9:15 p.m.
The sun is setting over London as our British Airways Boeing 767 begins to taxi down the runway – we are leaving the glass ceiling, high tech terminal building with the high end department stores like Harrods and Sony off for our adventure in Uganda. As I look around the plane I see many dark faces dressing in colorful fabrics, a few with head wraps and quickly jump to the assumption that this might be a first or second plane ride. But a second glance and I realize that many from this group are already wearing the head sets and tuning the TV sets embedded in the back of the chair in front of them – a reminder that we can’t jump to conclusions in an environment that is so new to a least 5 of this team!
A little girl in the seat in front of Scott keeps looking at me and smiling when I walk to his seat. She said her name was Salama and that she was 5. The lady with her was blonde and they were obviously together. Laura shared that she was bringing Salama back to Uganda to her Mother. She has been with this family since she was 14 months old and the family heard that if she did not receive a new heart she would die. Laura and her husband opened their hearts and their home and gave 4 years of their lives to give Salama a future. Several surgeries and a pace maker later Salama was excited to return to her Mother. She expressed concern that she would miss Oscar the dog she had in Texas. Laura said that Ugandan families do not have dogs like this little Bichon for pets – there are a few guard dogs but she had never heard of a house pet, certainly not one like Oscar who enjoyed the privledge of sharing Salama’s bed for 4 years. What an amazing yet difficult story!
A group was also seated around us wearing red tee shirts inscribed “Libraries of Love”. This group was going to set up a library in Kampala with the thousands of donated books that preceded their trip. They will train a group of Ugandans in Dewey decimal sorting so that when they leave they can feel confident that more libraries will be set up using this system.
Yet another group of about 10 young men came in wearing tee shirts that said “Uganda 2009” and the Gardens of Love inscribed underneath. They were flying half way around the globe to help Uganda recover from devastating wars and adverse poverty. The plane is full... and many of the seats are filled with people who are giving their time and energy to make a difference in people's lives that are in serious need! How hopeful for our world!
Few of us were able to sleep with our imaginations thinking about the adventure ahead!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Preparing...
What will we need? Power bars, nuts, do the women really need to wear skirts, no short sleeve shirts? (but won't we be too warm?), not too flowery?, the power is shut off at night... how many batteries will I need for my reading light, for my flashlight? Flying coach for 20+ hours? Sure hope I have an aisle seat... what if I am stuck next to someone who is asleep and I can't get out?... or snores?... or smells?? No one would bring a baby on such a long flight... would they? Will my converter really work for my laptop? When will I have time to enter the blog with no power at night? Sure hope the portable modem the Ugandan staff has is in working order. The "monkey mind" just won't stop! Then the big questions.... how will seeing MTI's relief sites affect us? Are we equipped to process all that we will see? Will I really be changed forever like Kathy McCoy says? Can we really handle seeing children who are ill and/or seperated from their families? Is my heart big enough? So many questions.... 4 more days until we depart on this great adventure!
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