A Visit to A Village

Don't be fooled, I am merely serving the food...I did NOT cook it on the fire!

These six orphans,with their Aunt Santa and I, are sponsored by the Well of Hope Foundation. 

Today I spent the afternoon in the village of some of the kids that we sponsor. They cooked me a great feast and treated me like royalty. The grandmother of the children wrote me a letter of thanks that is so touching. I wanted to share this with you. She says " Hello Mummy Kayla. I am thankful for what you are doing for the children of my sons who are not alive. Here in the village I have a piece of land which I need to provide for you to build your own house as much as you want. I need to do this because of what you are doing for my family and I would appreciate for you to be my daughter forever until further notice. Thank you"

Ummmm, isn’t this an amazing letter of thanks? Wow!

Starting left to right: Boo (greens and eggs), posho (corn), millet, beans, beef. 

This is typical local food and was so delicious.

Then, this morning another great thing happened to me. When Agnes was 14, she was kidnapped and given as the wife to a rebel soldier. She had his baby. Eventually she escaped, came back home, and found a job. She kept her baby and is a very good mother despite her situation. That was 7 years ago. We sponsored her last year as she went back to high school. She did fantastic, and was number one in her class at Alliance High School for Adults. She recently lost her job as cook with the UNHCR, so she had to move back to her village which is far from town. She humbly asked if I could buy her a bike to ease her transportation difficulties, and I was very happy to do so. It was a wonderful investment in this bright woman’s future. I love being here and doing what I am doing. I wish my money would never run out and that I could do this forever :)

Agnes and her new bike :)!

I have interviewed and met some amazing young people as I was awarding the scholarship money from African Promise. All of the youth had extremely difficult stories to tell. Almost every one of these young adults has lost one or both parents in the war. One young woman lost both of her parents to poisoning over a land dispute, which is not uncommon! One young man recalls the rebels entering his home at night by surprise. He was able to escape to safety, but he never saw his parents again. The other great cause of death here, if not by war, is by HIV: Mothers, Fathers, Uncles, Aunts, brothers and sisters. It is really such a sad thing. I can’t put on paper all of the stories and horrifying facts that I have heard or read. And I am sure that I have only been exposed to a tiny bit of the real truth. Their stories have made our troubles, yours and mine in America, seem trivial. Whatever it is that we have been/are/or are going to go through is nothing like what these kids have already experienced and lost.

Jackie is the Social Worker at St Judes Orphanage that helps me with the scholarships, and a great friend!

I’ve been here about a month. I have been very busy paying school fees every day, working with St Jude’s to find new recipients, and doing all of the paperwork and accounting that must be done for proper record keeping for both the Well of Hope Foundation and African Promise Foundation. I have/will have awarded about 20 students and $4600 from the Well of Hope Foundation, and covered 15 students with $4,000 from African Promise. The money is about finished, and I will turn my attention to other tasks. St. Jude’s has been asking for help in their accounting office, and I look forward to changing gears to help in that area. Another NGO, Favor of God, has also asked for my help with their Quickbooks and in their accounting area. There is always work to be found here. It keeps me busy. It keeps me happy. It keeps me smiling.

Santa is roasting fresh peanuts at the orphanage.

 

Paying School Fees

Agnes was abducted at 14 and given to a LRA soldier.  She eventually escaped and returned home.  This is her second year in our scholarship program at Alliance High, and she is one of our highest performers.

Paying school fees is a lot more than just paying money to a bank. Sometimes it is a joyful experience, sometimes it is stressful. I met with each of my girls to discuss their progress and review their grades. I took their picture and spent some time with each of them to get to know them better. I want to put a human face to their school money so that they appreciate where the money is coming from. I tell them how the sponsors who donate money are very hard working and honest people. Some of the people that donate money to us live check to check themselves, yet they find it in their heart and pocketbook to still send money to Uganda to support education. One of my donors is paying college expenses for three children of her own!

Cecilia's father was killed by the LRA rebels and her mother is also dead. St Judes Orphanage brought Cecilia to our attention.  She performed very good this past year.  

I will start with the good news. Most of the kids did very well. We have to take into consideration that we took orphans out of a traumatic situation. Many of them had never been in a formal boarding school environment and they found themselves behind. Some had a difficult time catching up and adjusting. I applauded the kids that overcame this obstacle by working hard and getting good grades. I expressed my joy for them and told them how their hard work would bring a brighter future for themselves and for Uganda.

Mercy's father was killed by the LRA rebels in 1999.  She lives with her grandmother.  She is attending Sacred Heart SS for her second year in our program :)

On the other hand, if their report cards were less than average, I had to explain that they were now on probation; either for the next term, or for the next school year. Two were dismissed totally from the program. Some of the girls wanted to switch to a new school, or switch to a boarding school from a day school. I reviewed their grades to see if what they were asking for had been earned. Some requests were accommodated and some were denied. Some were very happy, and others cried tears of disappointment. It has been tough on me the last two weeks to make these types of life decisions. “Yes” here, “No” there.

Vicky was brought to me by St. Jude’s Orphanage. She is also attending Sacred Heart through our Well of Hope program and she is doing very well.

I have also learned how to pick better candidates for the new money I have from African Promise. I learned to kindly request the formal parent letter that officially tells me the amount to pay for tuition. I started doing this after I was asked by one child in my program to pay an amount 3X more than last year! Without that parent letter stating the amount, I could be paying a price much higher than necessary. Each girl also needs to have support from St Jude’s Orphanage or a family member or clan that can pay their school requirements; things like cement, mattress, brooms, paper, uniforms, bus, etc. The NGO, or charity, should only pay for tuition because we don’t want to get involved in purchasing individual items.

Vicky found herself quite behind when she entered school and is struggling to catch up in her studies.  She is working hard to bring her grades up and is thankful for the opportunity we are giving her.  She came to us from St Judes Orphange.

School fees have also gone up for almost everyone, and the money is going to run short. I have had to make some tough decisions. But for the most part, it has been a very rewarding experience for me. It brings me great joy to know that we are changing the lives of so many young people and we are improving the future of Uganda. These girls have been given a treasure of a life time; Education . I love my work here.

Agnes' parents are gone and she is living with her grandmother who cannot afford the school fees for Agnes.  She is attending Pope Paul boarding school for her second year in our program.

As I finish paying the school fees of the Well of Hope kids, I will begin to find more youth to sponsor for the new money of African Promise. African Promise is a charity that sells Acholi beads in the US and then uses that money to pay school fees in the Gulu area. I am so lucky to be helping them spend their money on such a good cause! This is money I will enjoy spending!

Charlette’s father died from HIV and her mother died in an ambush during the war. She is living with an Auntie who cannot afford Secondary School fees because she is caring for 6 other orphans. Charlette is also attending Pope Paul Boarding school.

Gulu, Uganda March 2011

I am helping these ladies buy the Acholi beads. Money from beads is used for school fees.

Wow! It’s just like I remember it; the same amazing people, the same fine red dust everywhere on on everything, the smoke from open pit fires, and of course, poverty is seen everywhere. Life is different here in Gulu, Northern Uganda, in Africa. Life slows down. Everything slows down (even the computer, he he). Whatever problems you brought with you now take a back seat, because they are not as bad as the problems that are surrounding you day and night right here. Seeing such poverty is the hardest. I am always asked for assistance, whether I am on a bus, in the sauna, in a restaurant, at the bank; people want help. It can be draining.

The Acholi Women selling their beautiful beads.

In my first week here, I met almost all of my friends from last Spring. It has been a happy reunion; they are glad I am back. I am also very glad to be back. I attend the Gulu Rotary meetings every week and have caught up with my great Rotary friends. Every day, I meet someone else, and it is a happy reunion.

Brother Elio is the Director of St Judes Orphanage

I am here to pay school fees for the second year. I have been collecting the money all year from friends, clients, family, Rotarians, etc. I am collecting fees through the Well of Hope Foundation. I actually have to go to the bank, withdraw the money, go to the specific school’s bank and pay the fees in person. I am also volunteering at St Jude’s orphanage; some days are with the babies, some days will be in the accounting office when my school fees have been paid. I have already made contact with all of the staff at the orphanage and we are ready to work together to get these school fees paid and find new ones to help. My name is known as “Mama Kayla”, after my daughter, who all the little children at the orphanage remember.

This big guy, Sunday, was the newborn baby I was always holding last year!

Life is harder here. Everything is covered in a layer of red dirt, and soon, when the rains begin, everything will be covered in mud. The water runs red when I shower at night from the layer of dirt covering my body and hair, and the bottom of my feet are probably permanently dyed red. It’s very hot and humid. I am always sweating. The food is back to basics; beans, avocados, eggs, peanuts, tomatoes, and bananas. It’s easy to lose weight here. I eat usually one good meal a day in a restaurant for about $3.00-$5.00/day in the late afternoon or evening. For the other two meals, I eat some of the food that I mentioned above which I keep stocked in my room. The internet is unreliable and so slow. It’s frustrating when I am trying to do work. Everything slows down here, and in most ways, that is a wonderful thing.

I Have Wheels!!

I bought a bike this weekend to save money on boda fees. Now I just need to keep it safe and not let it get stolen. It will save me a lot of money on boda fees. I can’t jog here; it’s not safe and the roads are just too rough. Biking isn’t really very safe either, but neither is riding the bodas. People drive crazy here. Biking will be my new form of exercise now. It is wonderful. Hot, but wonderful! I love biking through the villages and on trails away from the dusty roads.

My bed is my office and my TV room. I get one channel :)

I am so happy to be here, and I am doing some really great service. On my very first day, I traveled to a village to help another NGO buy Acholi Beads from the ladies. They sell the beads in America and use the money to support school fees for orphans, and also to improve the lives of the women making the beads. I will be helping the organization find the children that truly need the help and are bright and motivated to study hard. I have always wanted to get involved with the Aholi beads, now I have the opportunity. They raised the money, and I get to award it to the children. Now how great is that?

This African Cairn keeps my water cool once I boil it.

I have rented a room with its own separate bathroom. It is small, but it is secure and clean (as clean as things can get here!). I have warm water and a flushing toilet. The electricity strength is very weak, so at night if I want to read, I have to use a flashlight. I also have a mouse visitor I am trying to get rid of. I bring my bike into my room at night. I have my own entrance, so I can come and go on my own. I am back to washing my clothes by hand. This is a bit time consuming. I feel like I’m back in the pioneer times, but like I said, since time has slowed, there is more time to do things by hand. My water supply ran out Friday night. I don’t like being without water. I need water for bathing, and washing my hands and food, and for boiling to drink! I can live without electricity, but living without water is difficult. Drinking water can always be bought, so I’m just talking about the daily water we use. Half way through the day I lost my water supply, I lost my electricity too ! They will both eventually turn back on. Until then, I will shower at the Acholi Inn pool.

Two of the Well of Hope School fees girls.  I will post more in the next blog.

Bricks are being made right outside of my room. Young boys from the neighborhood work in the mud all day long for a good lunch and about 5,000UGX/day ($2.50). They are happy for the money. It’s hard for me, though, to see such young boys work in the mud so hard from 7am to 7pm. They make 100’s of bricks everyday for a brick wall that will soon be put up. I am watching the process from the beginning. Right now the bricks are baking in the sun, but soon they will stack them into towers and put firewood inside and bake the bricks. They have made 10,000 bricks so far.

The straw covered bricks are baking in the sun.

These are some very hard working kids.

Each bricks is very heavy! They've made 10,000!

Well right now my daily schedule is to withdraw money, pay school fees, head to orphanage, sometimes swim in the evening, and then go to bed. I stay busy. I sleep well. I am satisfied .