After my trip back to Texas, I had a hard time getting used to my isolated life in Gulu. There's only so many books to read and movies to watch before I start to lose my mind for company. So you can imagine my joy and excitement when ten friends came from the Seattle, USA area to spend a week in Gulu doing service! They came with African Promise Foundation to do a week of service. African Promise Foundation's main objective is paying school fees by selling Acholi Beads online. They think that I helped them with SO many things, but they have NO idea how much they helped me! Isn't it great when both parties think they are the winners?
African Promise Foundation turns these Acholi Beads into cash for School Fees.
When the group arrived at 10pm on Sunday night, the place they had reservations for had no room for them! They called me and I sent them to Hotel Roma for the night. The next day, I arranged for them to stay for a great rate at Saint Monica's Tailoring school. They went from dispair to such joy, especially when they met the famed Sister Rosemary, the 2007 CNN Hero of the Year. The food and atmosphere at Saint Monica's is the best in Gulu. It's my new hang out place with all my Sister friends. :)
Suzy is sitting by Sister Rosemary at the Gulu Prison demonstration.
Daina demonstrates how to use the "DaysforGirls" washable menstruation kits. Go Daina!
Gulu Prison ladies get to shop for their individual under clothes.
One of the first activites was bringing the ladies of Gulu Prison some new underclothes, yeast medicine, washable menstruation pad kits from "daysforgirls", hygiene education, and snacks. They sang for us, thanked us, and expressed their happiness for what we brought.
Suzy, the Warden of Gulu Prison and I. They need more metal beds, mattresses and blankets.
The African Promise group and I at the Prison.
We toured the prison and made some notes of other things the ladies need. These are tough times for them, and it is my own personal opinion that most of these ladies are serving time for fighting back in an abuse situation. We made some ladies VERY happy today.
How many new dresses can you count?
This little one is SO CUTE!
Blessed is one of the many lucky little girls today!
On another day, we packed up all the kids at St Jude's Orphanage and took them swimming! This was the first time most of them had ever been swimming. The handicapped kids, normally wheelchair bound, were able to kick their feet and feel the freedom of movement only found in water. I wish so much that these kids had a therapeutic pool to help them heal and get exercise for their crippled limbs.
SOme kids are feeling the freedom of movement in the water for the first time!
Can his grin get any bigger?
Suzy's son, Joseph is carrying this handicapped girl into the pool.
Loading the kids in the van....
A bus full of excited first time swimmers!
When the water was too cold, there's a merry go round to play on.
One of my many services is helping the visitors get fair prices at the market. I also make sure they dont get taken advantage of and help them solve problems if they do...yeah, some did. :)
These are the African Promise beaders. There are 20 of them. They are so happy in this picture because Suzy just broke the news to them that they are each getting gifted a brand new bike! Getting a bike here is like getting a new car! Suzy put a request to her facebook friends to help her with the funds ($100/bike for $2,000). In less then 24 hours she had the necessary money plus!
I want to thank Suzy and her whole group, my new life long friends, for sharing their week with me. They truly changed a lot of lives during their short stay in Gulu. I know they changed my life for the better....I love you all.
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