Photos from Bubembe Island

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 Robina found some of my favorite amatungulu in the jjaja's garden.
We really don't have anything like it in the States other than passion fruit...
but this is wild passion fruit, sweet and sour together. YUM!

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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 girl was warming to the gift, particularly when the maama cradled Ferry Girl who cradled the baby doll.

Return the slightly older sister. Time to fight for that doll. The formerly uninterested Ferry Girl was now all ownership over that doll. She wasn’t going to share with anyone and…by the way…she was quite busy showing all the ferry passengers her dolly. Each person, including the men, showed great interest for her benefit. Pleased with herself she returned to her seat and plounced around with her dolly.

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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 and thorny roots tearing at my ankles, Joshua finally acknowledged that we were lost on the way to the Jjajas. We did, however, find some amatungulu (wild passion fruit) along the way and we, as Vickie reminded us all, “had an adventure.”

Finally arriving at the jjajas, some sweet pineapple was waiting. The three beautiful jjajas – late 80s and early 90s – worried that they’d not be alive long enough for their muzungu friend to see them again. They were so pleased to see us emerge from the long path with gifts in tow. We plunked down and replenished our  reserves with all the sweet, sticky juice from those pineapples the jjajas grow. Getting lost seemed a distant memory after that treat.

As is the custom, the jjajas felt obligated to serve food – and we enjoyed matooke with gee-nut sauce (boiled banana with peanut sauce) – although we had already stuffed ourselves with pineapple. Such sweet ladies. I always look forward to our restful visit on their beautiful compound. These old ladies work hard digging in their gardens every day. I’m constantly in awe of all they accomplish as I listen to their bones creak and watch other signs of pain as they lower and raise themselves to and from the ground. Muzungu are so soft.

Betty (friend of Vickie and now me), Vickie, and oldest jjaja.
This jjaja has massive swelling in her knees and she begged me to bring her some medicine.
Any suggestions? What could possibly be the problem
with this 92 year old woman digging in the garden all day?

Youngest jjaja at 80 something.

The jjaja's beautiful compound. Plus they grow food all over the place too.
Can you imagine? 92 years old and working in the garden all day digging...
because you have to?

Vickie, Aunt Robina, Jjaja Ida (Vickie's actual Jjaja), and youngest jjaja

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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 top notch duds during this visit. I was able to distribute the clothing in a more orderly fashion so I knew the clothing would fit each child and that each child got something close to a complete set. All the children were so happy to slip off their current outfits and sport their new clothes. They were also quite happy to parade in front of me to receive the adoring praise of “you look so beautiful/handsome.”

Thank you all the way up the chain from the people who handed me 55 pounds of clothing to distribute in East Africa to the people responsible for making these clothes available to a family surprised by triplets.

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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 to a boy. Well…at least the dress was blue. Wasswa has a twin sister, Nakato. All twin boys somehow use the name Wasswa (eldest boy) and Kato (youngest boy) or Babirye (eldest girl) or Nakato (youngest girl). Perhaps Nakato will get the dress instead.

Wasswa and Nakato were really too young to care much about the activity swirling about them. They just stared and blinked and stared some more. Cute little things.

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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 when a whole community comes together to help a family.

Kisakye was the perfect fit for this dress and she proudly wore that dress all day. Her mother was excited about the cute little style and all the mothers oooed and ahhhed as she emerged from her changing place. I’m not sure Kisakye cared a whole lot but she didn’t refuse, which was a start.

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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 me (click here to see the story or here to find out more about the girl). Of course, I thought a dolly might help…to no avail.

 

Since that first visit, I’ve returned twice and the children enrolled in VKids Trust Uganda are beginning to recognize me, come and greet me, and expect something fun when they do. Kisakye was no different. Having just finished bathing, she wandered over and climbed up in my lap. Yes, I melted…as usual. As we proceeded uphill toward the community-built school, Kisakye grasped my hand and this girl stayed close during our entire visit.

I personally think her artwork is the most beautiful and her little sucker the most tastey. All the children were rewarded with a sweet treat but that little sucker was perfect for Kisakye. Her mother was absolutely thrilled to learn that Kisakye would be enrolled in school for all of 2012. Thrilled. This education is something she could not have afforded. There are a number of requirements for school that are yet to be met, but she has a great start with tuition and a few books already provided. Thank you!

 

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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. Only a few were able to color with any sense of order. So many of the children behaved as though they didn’t quite know what to do with the pencils and paper. Can you imagine? What child doesn’t even know how to scribble? Uh! We had fun trading colors and showing God how thankful we are for his beautiful Creation by making these pretty pictures.

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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 were held only two days each week) and we learned that the community is paying the teachers who are willing to come some ridiculously small amount of money. Teachers here, like in America, are responsible for their own teaching materials as are children responsible for their own school supplies. We want to give the children every advantage possible.

Thanks to one very kind and generous giver, these teachers are well prepared for the coming school term and all the children enrolled in that term – regardless of whether they’re enrolled in VKids Trust Uganda or not – have books and pencils to start the term off well.

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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 dolly peered out of my overstuffed backpack and soon the small girl was well entertained. Mary peeked under the dress, of course, and proceeded to romp the dolly all over the table and all the luggage that surrounded her. For the first time ever, with all the people staring and the camera poised, Mary’s sister undressed her dolly. Mary was so incredibly disturbed by this sight that her mother quickly redressed the toy. From then on, Mary cuddled that dolly tight…until…

…the candy was passed around. An orange sucker was Mary’s chosen treat and she was easily found sucking on the stick and eating the paper. Suckers were obviously a luxury to this girl who knew not what part of the treat to eat.

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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 on holiday, she stays in this two bedroom apartment with her sister (her parents are deceased) with her sister’s five other children. She seems quite happy there and her sister is always pleasant to visit with. I try to find ways to spend more time with Olivia rather than a just a simple visit. This is a challenge, though. Olivia continues to be soft spoken so conversation often lags. Open ended questions are met with single word responses. This behavior is typical of Ugandan girls. She is very respectful, kind, and welcoming.

Olivia eagerly shows me her books from school – books where she writes her homework and where that homework is graded. She’s done well in science this year and her scores are improving significantly. These kinds of results are exactly why we sponsor childhood education in the first place…we want to make a difference in the lives of people who may have little hope otherwise. I’m so thankful for my friend and the many, many other people who sponsor education for children around the world.

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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 challenging but they were all quite cooperative. We used simple template-based development tools, but mastering these tools will render the youth ready to take their skills to the next level with more complex software and development.

I emphasized to the students that learning these skills well can really help them earn some money in Uganda. While most of the youth were interested only in creating personal websites, their interests were peeked when we talked about how simple it would be to go next door to the pharmacy and ask if they wanted a website for their business and that they could charge a reasonable price for that work. I pray they continue working to master their web development skills but fear that they’ll fall behind due to lack of funds to pay or the necessary internet time.

One man stood out among the group. His grasp of programming logic was quick and his

 teaching/helping was professional. I began thinking he might be a great person to raise up as the web development workshop teacher taking my place. I learned that he is in fact a business teacher at a small college nearby and that he was quite interested in working alongside me and eventually taking over this training. Hmm…I love when God brings people together like that.

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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 where students stay, classes are held, and lecturers are lodged. The neat building is attractive and welcoming for anyone willing to come. The Bombo campus will eventually become the main campus but for now they’re meeting in a wood structured church building. Groundbreaking should happen in the next few weeks right behind the church.

Larry in front of the church where the school meets on a temporary basis.

Students at the Bombo campus would likely otherwise not have access to university level education, which is why STAWA offers diploma and certificate level programs as well. Bringing lecturers from around the world can certainly lift the level of achievement but without some consistent teaching leadership the overall growth may be limited. I’ve been invited to be a regular lecturer with STAWA and am evaluating how this invitation fits into the ministry objectives. I sense the guest lecturer or some type of administrator might be most suited to my schedule and commitments. I love seeing how God will weave these joint ministries together.

 

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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 and proceeded through those instructions step by step.

The concept of laying the pattern on the fold and cutting two pieces simultaneously was confusing to the women. As we progressed, however, they began to see how and why the pattern must be cut in this way. Pinning the pattern to the fabric was another new experience. Placing pins so that the scissors could freely cut around the edges or so that the sewing machine could continue without stopping was another complex task the women mastered after some time.

I sat with the first daring woman as she sewed the dress, again following the instructions step by step. Machine control was a challenge given that the manual pedal doesn’t easily allow for slow stitching. Practice, practice, practice. Once the whole process was finished they were so proud…they oohed and ahhed over the surprising result. Tasked with as much practice as they could muster, I look forward to delivering more machines and seeing the progress they’ve made in developing their skills with the machine.

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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 of paper indicating that a box has arrived (pray that they all come at once, which they don’t usually).

2.      Boda with said slips to the main Post Office on Jinja Rd (it’s all uphill from Clock Tower and about 1 km distance).

3.      Wait in “line” for Rachel, who knows me by name now.

4.      Debate with Rachel’s manager about the charges given that the slips say the boxes were delivered on one day and that the papers were NOT in the box until after that (i.e., thus the fees should be reduced).

5.      Wait for staff to retrieve one box at a time and plunk it on the high counter.

6.      Pay the negotiated post office fees, pay no customs fees on Bibles.

7.      Push all nine boxes to the low counter for customs inspection.

8.      Wait for the customs person to open each and every box and inspect the content. Books are not subject to VAT but the trail mix stash is…they overlook it.

9.      Reseal all nine boxes and hoist them to the security counter.

10.  Security checks the slips against the box numbers to be sure the right boxes are leaving the building.

11.  Figure out how on earth to get 9 heavy boxes to the car, which I refuse to drive in central Kampala.

Really, it’s always an adventure and one I’d never want to miss. Thank you to six churches for lovingly providing the Word of God in East Africa.

Beaverdam Baptist Church

Elizabeth Street Church of God

Clinton First Baptist

Lydia Pentecostal Holiness Church

Fairview Baptist

Bellview Baptist

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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 can't find half the photos. Everyone loved the cards though :)

The Sanctuary Babies Home - F is for Foot.

Konoweka Orphans and Widows Hut Children

Marurui Slums, Kenya

Marurui Slums, Kenya

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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. Here's what I learned.

For some reason they wouldn’t allow photos of the prisoners that day…although they’ve allowed me to take many photos in the past. A few photos of the servers were allowed, though. I believe the new officer in charge prohibits photos now. I did hear, though, that the group was so very well fed and grateful. I’ll head back for a visit later this week and see if I can convince the OC to return to allowing photos. I might even be able to get the former OC to endorse our work there. It’s no fun to give for an event like Christmas and not even get to see a few pictures.

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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 spoke English well enough to translate my little story about how Mary was Jesus’ mother and that their names were the same. Mother Mary had a big responsibility taking care of Jesus as a baby and little Mary should take care of her dolly the same way. I told the little story in English and figured the Holy Spirit would have to do the rest because no one really understood me. Little Mary would have nothing of sitting near me but was quite happy to spy on me for the rest of the afternoon. She happily toted her dolly along for the spying expedition and sweetly waved good-bye when it was time for me to go. I hope to see this girly and her dolly again.

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