One time someone told me my photos never have people in them.
I don't think that's true anymore
but sometimes the people-less photos are nice too.
All the children come running when we show up. Thanks to you, we always have
something fun for them.
The maamas were so happy to receive Bibles and hymnals.
Vickie is tossing candy and the children piled on one another to reach it first.
Aunt...
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
A Dolly for Ferry Girl from Lucy
Ferry girl peeked over the edge of the seat at me but wasn’t interested in any attention from me at all. She and her only slightly older sister were being stubborn with one another so the sister was taken away to be entertained elsewhere. I peeked a dolly over her maama’s shoulder and she resisted. Maama gladly accepted the gift, thanked me, and proceeded to cradle the dolly like a baby. Soon the...
Monday, January 30, 2012
Lost on the Way to the Jjajas
“We’re going the wrong way…” I said. “We’re going the wrong way…” I said a few more times. Vickie asked, “What’s the difference between a forest and a jungle.” I admitted that a dictionary would be most useful but guessed a forest to be trees and a jungle to include vines and lots of undergrowth. Regardless…we were somewhere…not where we should have been. Finally, after about 5 kilometers of no path...
Triplet Clothing All Over the Island
Oh I love the opportunity to share these adorable clothes with children around East Africa. Coming to Bubembe Island was even more fun because I got to see children dressed in the clothing delivered during the last visit, clothing form my grandchildren. I spied one 4’ish year old boy wearing bib overalls designed for a baby. I could see the snaps between his legs. Oh sigh.
These kids got some...
Sunday, January 29, 2012
A Dress for Wasswa from Donna
Nakato (youngest girl twin) and Waswa (oldes boy twin)
I spied a little tyke in her mother’s arms and sporting a tiny sundress. To prove how little Ugandan’s concern themselves with gender-based clothing, check this out. The baby dress Donna sponsored was the perfect size for little…who? I asked. The reply…Wasswa. Wasswa is the term used to refer to the eldest boy twin. Yep, I just gave a dress...
A Dress for Kisakye from Ashley
I had my eye on this particular dress because I used African fabric to make it and Ashley saw its beauty too. This is the only dress where I used the African fabric just like the dresses the Konoweka ladies will make. The dress was earmarked for Kisakye…well…because she and I share a Luganda name and because she and Kisakye’s education sponsors come from the same church. It’s fun to see what happens...
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Education Sponsorship for Kisakye
Friends in South Carolina heard about VKids Trust Uganda and the ridiculously small amount of money it takes to sponsor an education for a whole year for a child. Left the task of selecting the child to be sponsored, Vickie chose Kisakye because she shares a name with me. During our first visit to the island, when we were selecting children to enroll, Kisakye screamed bloody murder at the sight of...
Children's Bible Story
My part of the program for the day included a short Bible story teaching about the Creation story. The children enrolled in VKids Trust Uganda are young and starting “In the beginning” was perfect. Start the school year with the knowledge that God created everything, God created them, and God loves everyone he created.
We used a few coloring pages and observed the skill level of each child....
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Teaching Supplies for Bubembe Island
Pretty much anything is hard to come by on Bubembe Island. Unless it grows there, the item must be brought from Kalangala Island and nothing gets to Kalangala Island except by the mainland. You can only imagine what that kind of distribution system must cost the residents of this remote but beautiful place.
We learned that this coming year will include a full week of school (formerly classes...
A Dolly for Mary from Tessa
The three and a half hour ferry ride from Entebbe to Kalangala Island is quite comfortable compared to any taxi or boda-boda ride in Uganda. The not-too-cramped lower level gave us plenty of space to spread out…but Mary was being a little pistol anyhow. Perhaps past naptime, this child fussed and fidgeted and generally caused her mother all forms of grief. One look at me and she fell backwards wailing.
A...
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Olivia is Growing Up
Behind the Kawuku market, past the giant stacks of charcoal, through a narrow trough-floored alleyway I can find Olivia helping keep her home clean and proper. Olivia is the reason I came to Uganda for the first time. Her education is being sponsored by my friend and there’s always some small gift to deliver. I love that Olivia lives nearby, which makes staying in touch with her easy.
While she’s...
Web Development Workshop
The guys were crammed 3 and 4 to a computer.
Sixteen youth from Nkumba Presbyterian Church eagerly participated in the three day web development workshop. During the last two days (two different Sundays), we could be found crammed into the Equator Internet Café doing hands on application of all that was planned for their websites during our first meeting. Two or three people per station made practice...
Monday, January 23, 2012
Study, Teach, and Work Abroad (STAWA)
Jamie, Juliette, Leslie, Annette
Study, Teach, and Work Abroad is a university with a unique approach. They strive to bring international lecturers to supplement local talent so that students get an education that readies them for work anywhere in the world. The university has two campuses – Ntinda outside Kampala and Bombo nearer the village. The Ntinda campus is housed in a four story building...
Konoweka Women Sew Girly Dresses
The women used paper sacks from Tororo Cement to practice using the sewing machine along with a few small scraps of fabric. They’d obviously learned to use the sewing machine but the idea of using a pattern and pins seemed foreign to them. We began by looking at a finished girly dress to examine the intended outcome and we talked about how to get there. Then we reviewed the girly dress pattern instructions...
Sunday, January 22, 2012
More Bibles for East Africa
Nine boxes of 160 Bibles arrived from six churches in South Carolina. With thanks to Paul and Pastor Phil, these Bibles will reach a variety of places throughout East Africa. But first…to get them home from the post office. The process is somewhat tricky and goes something like this:
1. Walk to Clock Tower Post Office box and check for the slip...
Flashcards in East Africa
Flashcards are such a fun gift. You know children will play with them and you hope they’ll remember some of the principles. Still, they have fun sorting through these cards and when challenged to help their younger friends learn, the older children quickly agree to play teacher.
Honestly, I wrote down photo numbers for more than six different locations where the flashcards were given and now I...
Christmas Dinner at Bugembe Prison
Two generous donors sponsored Christmas dinner and apples for the folks at Bugembe Prison. The cost to travel there myself would have been more than the cost of the food, so after arguing with myself about the value I would add to the event, I handed over this responsibility to Carpenter John and he managed the task well. I've delayed the post in lieu of getting more information about the event....
Saturday, January 21, 2012
A Dolly for Mary from Kayla
My trip to Bombo and STAWA University resulted in parking the little car in a neighbor’s yard where a small pile of school aged children gathered under the cool shade of a tree. One younger girl stood among the lot and her little smile radiated out from between the pretty little beads in her hair. Without hesitation and with a giant smile she received her little dolly.
None of the children...
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