One Month!

I have almost reached the one month mark of being in Uganda!  There have definitely been ups and downs, and I have found being alone most of the time to be my biggest struggle.  But there have been some great experiences as well!

One highlight from the past couple of weeks, was visiting my sponsor child’s home, which is in Kibaale town.  It’s the first time I’ve been able to go there, and the first time I’ve met his mother and his family.  There are 10 children in the family, being raised by a single mother.  While the situation is not ideal, they are doing okay and are not in a dire situation right now.  They live in a mud home which is in decent condition (though not large enough!) and have several fruit trees on their property as well as a plot of land for gardening where they have just planted maize.  They get their drinking water from a nearby borehole and get the rest of their water from the river at the edge of town.  Dickson is the oldest and has become the new “man of the family” since his father left a couple of years ago.  I know the family will greatly miss him while he is away at school, but with a good education, he will be able to better assist his family in the future.  My dream is to give this family a brick home on their property, but that will have to be at some point in the future, as it costs $5000 for this.  I will need to work on raising some funds for it!

I have started working with the team in the sponsorship office; we are working on digitizing the student files and streamlining processes in order to make their jobs a bit easier!  I’m definitely learning from them, as they have so much knowledge on the students and their families and how to best serve the community.  It’s been great to go on some home visits and get to know some of the families, what their needs are, and how Kuwasha is able to help them. 

I’ve also started driving here!  It’s been a bit of a learning curve, with driving on the other side of the road, and shifting with my left hand but I think I’ve gotten the hang of it!  My first time driving took me to a student’s home about 20 minutes away to get some pictures and updates, which meant driving down a narrow footpath and getting a bit stuck!  But I managed to work my way out and I think overall it was a success!  I often don’t even make it out of second gear, as the roads here are filled with huge potholes and ruts.  But give me a few weeks and I’m sure I’ll be speeding along like everyone else here, once I know the route better.

I'm thankful that I have been able to visit many student's homes - it's one of my favourite things to do.  I'm still struggling with finding my place and knowing my role, which always takes a bit of time, especially in a foreign country!  Please pray that I would continue to adapt and learn how I best fit in with the team in Kibaale.  Also pray that I would not feel so lonely - that I would get to know people and would learn to enjoy the quiet times and moments of solitude.

First Update in Uganda

It’s been 11 days since my tearful farewell at the airport, and 10 days now that I’ve been in Uganda.  In some ways it feels like just yesterday I was in Vancouver, and in other ways it feels like ages ago!  I am slowly settling into life here in Kibaale, and even though this is not my first time here, there is still some culture shock and lifestyle changes to work through!

I arrived at a very busy time here, with four visiting families – at one point there was a total of 27 Canadians here!  It’s been great having a lot of people to socialize with and it’s given me the opportunity to tag along on some of their experiences.  I was able to go on a home visit with one family to see their sponsor child and her family, help do crafts in some of the primary classes, and have had dinner with them each night.  They also hosted sports day for the nursery students, who had a great time playing games and ended with a giant dance party.

One highlight for me this week was meeting up with the boy I sponsor, Dickson.  I have sponsored him since he was in grade 2, and now he’s heading off to his second year of university!  It’s so exciting to see him grow up and pursue a bachelor’s degree in Economics!  He told me how excited he is that he is able to attend university and how his degree will allow him many different opportunities in life.  I know that he will go on to be very successful!  Next week I will be going to visit his home in Kibaale, just before he leaves for school.  I have never been to his home and have not met his family, so I’m excited to do so.  Dickson has 9 siblings, and his mom is raising them alone after her husband abandoned the family a couple of years ago.  Life is not easy for this family, so I hope to find out what practical ways I can help them moving forward.

Term break starts on August 20, and all of the visitors will have gone home by then, so at that point I will have a bit more time to figure out what my role here will be.  I’ve been working a bit with the sponsorship office and have connected with a few others here so far.  It always takes some time to get established and get comfortable in a new situation, so I’m trying to be patient and ease into things as they come.

Please pray for continued health for me…especially as I count the endless mosquito bites on me, that I won’t get malaria!  Also, that I would continue to settle in and get comfortable living and working in a completely different environment.

Next update to come when I have decent internet!