Hope you all have a great weekend and nice weather! I'm at the PC office in Kampala today - we have a meeting to continue to plan the All Volunteer Conference in May. Took the early matatu and got off at the mall and walked up - but I thought I'd try a new route - bad idea. I didn't realize that the streets in Kololo (ritzy community on a hill) loop up and down and don't connect!!! Had to go up and down and back up again!! It's all walled and gated so you can't even walk through - lots of embassies and UN type places - very lovely but steep!
Got a CD from Bert and Naomi of Riley's BD party and the family stay (minus Jean and Kody) at St. Cloud Holiday Inn in April - can't wait to watch it!!! I'm really starting to get excited about my visit in August and the trip to Lake Vermillion!!!
Satuday was our trip to the zoo - we actually got off on time (nearly), but the girls had to hire another matatu to add to the bus - too many people and wheelchairs. There were 53 people and 6 wheelchairs on the bus (capacity 40) and 16 people and 5 wheelchairs in the matatu (capacity unlimited)! The kids love the trip through Kampala and the traffic jam. The zoo is small but very nicely kept and they have enough animals - kids really liked the monkeys running all over! It was BIG day for them (and me). The don't have a giraffe or elephant but have most of the other big animals and nice spaces for them. Ostrich was another big hit! The trip was a gift from the girls from Germany who are OT students in Holland and have been working here for 3 months! They have been a fabulous addition to Providence and we'll all miss them a LOT!
Two Sisters in the elderly wing died - one Friday and one Sat. and at Sunday Mass both coffins were in the church (simple wood boxes). Sunday was a slow day - I'm starting to like the slow days! I went up to RASD to use the internet; it wasn't working but found out they are housing two new volunteers from Florida. They are here as part of Real Uganda - an organization that of arranges private volunteer work. It's a mom and daughter - mom grew up in Puerto Rico and this is a lot like there she said!
The Sisters in the chapel sang all nite for the deceased nuns - I woke up at 3:30 a.m. and they were singing Amazing Grace...that was the one song my mom requested and Jessica sang at her funeral. Got to thinking that her funeral was exactly 5 years ago to the day (it was the 18th here, but May 17th in Minnesota). Thought a lot about that day.
Monday a.m. the Florida people came to PH and I gave the tour....the girl wants to work w. children and I'm hoping she can help w. the afternoon classes the Holland girls set up - they trained a young resident who's going to try to continue the groups, but think it will be hard for one person and I don't have time to help. Moses and I went out to see Baby Nakato (the malnourished baby)...she looks good tho' I don't know if she's gaining. I bought some fortified infant porridge, powdered milk and sugar for them and told them we'd pick them up on June 2nd to take her to the Nkokonjeru Hospital to be weighed - hope she's at least at the 4.8 kg. she left Mulago as!
Monday nite was the celebration for the Holland girls. Josephine planned it all and it was really nice. Lots of singing and dancing and the handicapped kids (who they mostly worked with) joined in several numbers - well done!!! Late dinner at the convent after that!
Been reading Between Here and April by Deborah Kogan - strange book about a mother who killed herself and her two daughters - and a lady who knew one of the girls in elementary school and who was writing about it and about hormonal depression - very scary book!!! Now am reading the 2nd book in the Golden Compass series...fantasy is way safer than reality.
Tuesday was CBR and then the Holland girls had a "give-away" - they gave the kids numbers and as they were called they gave them clothes, shoes, towels...whatever. They have bought a lot of souveniers and need to cut weight in their luggage! Pretty exciting afternoon. The girls (Annika, Catharina and Verena) also left me w. some money to use and Nelson (our OT) and I have already decided on more low tables for the wheelchair kids, a nice set of adjustable parallel bars and some local laying hens to train some of the kids in Nelson's class about how to raise layers for income....it's fun to plan! Shopping here is not as much fun, tho'....always a project!
Wednesday I went to Mukono to use the internet, go to the PO, supermarket and bank. Actually, I was avoiding the final goodbye for the Holland girls I think! I also went to the NAADS District office (National Agricultural Advisory Service) hoping it would be like a US Extension Office, but it was a huge disappointment - have no information and really don't want any! They did suggest I try some local NAADS farmers - they are supposed to have demonstration farms, but get no funding and little help from the government, but I'll try. Some of Holly's Project Hope volunteers have NAADS signs by their places - signs even look bad. Guess the funding has been not used well for the department and money goes to already wealthy people instead of the guys out in the villages!
I had some other stops to make, but people weren't around so I was back by noon and did go with the girls and Sr. Juliet to Kampala for a last goodbye. We started 2 hours late because one of the older boys "forgot" to return one of their MP3 players and we had to track him down....Sisters were embarrassed and angry!!!
While we were making our stops w. them in Kampala I got a call from PC and my grant was approved!! YEA - but now the "work" begins....have to wait till it goes through Washington and I get the check but part of the program is to do some market research and see what we should make that would actually sell, some training, if we can find some "experts", to learn best practices in farming and marketing, lots of record keeping to do! And, we really need a new tailoring teacher too....Didas can handle the paperwork, but Matovu is just too undependable for me.
Fred and Vincent settled on 3 female pigs - from a local farmer but he has a bigger operation and they said the piglets are nice. 40,000 shillings each ($20) but only 1 month.....they planned to spray the house yesterday and maybe buy them and move them in today!!! YIKES! Things are moving. The cow purchase is just waiting for us to go "shopping" at a few places but first Sr. Juliet has to sell the old cow and she's either not getting the price she wants or they don't have the money or some other problem....should be soon tho'.
So, lots of projects upcoming and school starts next week - the kids won't actually arrive till the week after (or another week) so I'm not really ready but I'm working on it. Will have a teachers' meeting next week and I'm going to ask for more accountability and timliness!!! Also, will introduce the grant - we will be purchasing some new sewing machines and fixing up the shoe ones, but FIRST is the planning, research phase - that will be hard!!! And the bookkeeping teacher has to teach how to keep simple books. Everyone just wants to spend the money!!!! (so do I, but that's not how I wrote the proposal).
Hope you all have a lovely weekend and the weather cooperates!!! Life here is good - will be getting busier when school starts but it's been a nice break. Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers!!!
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Hi Kathy,
You mentioned in one of your posts that one could feed a certain number of people for a month for $600 in your community. Is there a fund of some sort that one can give to? What other sorts of needs are there in this community? How can one help from over seas? Are people in need of wheelchairs and things like that?
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