A Busy Start to Term 3!

I have been in Uganda for almost two months now!  In some ways it seems like much longer than that, and in other ways, it feels like I just got here!  That also means that I will be heading home for Christmas in just over two months, which I’m sure will go by very quickly, as there’s lots happening here in the next couple of months.

At the end of term break, I was able to attend the Awana training with local Compassion Uganda churches.  It’s really great that I still have ties to Awana here in Uganda!  In Kibaale, the school runs Awana 5 days a week, each day for a different grade.  The kids and staff absolutely love it.  Ellen, who is in charge of the Awana program here at KCC, has been instrumental in organizing training for these Compassion churches, as she has arranged the dates, accommodation, food, etc.  I went along to observe, as well as take some pictures and get some stories for Awana Canada to share with all the kids and churches that donated towards funding this training.

At the sponsorship office, we have already started the intake process of the new nursery students for the new school year in February.  It’s quite a long process, as it starts with the sponsorship office staff gathering recommendations from local leaders, pastors, etc. about which families are most in need of the sponsorship program at KCC.  Once that list has been compiled, the families are asked to come to the office where an application is filled out.  Then, a number of staff conduct a home visit, to verify the information on the application and get a better understanding of their home life.  I'm excited to be able to go on some of these visits, as it's a great opportunity to learn the process and get to know the families in our community better.  It then takes a group of staff and leadership to go through the list of applicants to decide which will be accepted for the new school year.  It is not an easy process, as there are so many in need of help with their children’s education and support for their family.  Once a final class list has been produced, we work on getting these kids ready for sponsorship!  They receive their school uniform, their picture is taken and their information is added to the website.  The family is also briefed on the resources available to them, such as free medical care at the clinic, food assistance when needed, etc.  In February, we welcome them to the Nursery class, where these kids are so excited to be attending school for the first time!

There is lots of construction going on at the centre, which is exciting as well as noisy and dirty!  Right behind my house they have built an outdoor eating area, which should hopefully be ready by the time the next team comes in mid-October.  They have also broken ground on the new set of guesthouses.  These guesthouses will be able to house 6 guests each and will replace the current bedrooms in the Jeremy James guesthouse.  Once this is built, the Jeremy James guesthouse (basically the main guesthouse) will be converted as more of a common area with a large kitchen, indoor eating area and large living room.   It will be great to have a place for everyone to congregate, eat together and talk about the day's adventures!  Hopefully all of this construction will be completed by February 2019, as that is when teams start arriving and come in a steady stream until June!

A few prayer requests:

- I have been feeling a little off as far as my health goes lately, so please pray that things will return to normal and I will go back to feeling healthy and energetic!  

- Sleep is also an issue for me here, as there are a lot of noises at all hours of the night; Ugandans seem to be used to this as I often ask what the commotion was during the night and nobody else heard it!  I’m praying over time I will be able to sleep through these things as well!  

- I’m almost fully funded, but am still in need of some financial partners to bring me to 100% funded; would you prayerfully consider partnering with me to support my work here in Uganda? (https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/34626)

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!

Intro

Welcome to my blog!  This is the space where I will give regular updates on my life in Uganda!  I thought I would start off by telling a bit about myself and what this next stage of my life entails.

A lot of people have asked me, “why Uganda?” or “why do you want to move halfway around the world?”  I read a quote the other day that I felt really summed up what I’ve been feeling:

(from the film The Queen of Katwe)

I’m a big fan of motivational and inspirational quotes – just look at my pinterest and you’ll see that!  But this quote rang particularly true for me, as I’ve been struggling in the last year or so trying to figure out where my life was going and what it was I really wanted to do.  While I was comfortable, I realized that I was a little too comfortable and perhaps even stuck in a rut.  I had a great job, a great place to live, had great friends and family close by, and nothing really to complain about; and yet I didn’t feel like I was living my full life.

So, what do you do when you’re in your thirties and feel stuck?  You take a huge step out of your comfort zone and go after something you’re passionate and excited about.  And you bet I have a quote for that one too:

Of course I’m scared to move to Africa by myself; but I’m also really excited – I know this is the right decision at this time in my life.  When I first saw the job posting for the position in Uganda, it piqued my interest, but I immediately thought it would be crazy, scary, and a logistical nightmare!  Thankfully, God put the right people in front of me, and the passion in my heart, to overcome my fear and doubts.  Wait for it…

I leave for Uganda in 6 weeks.  I have moments of feeling nervous and scared, and the occasional “oh my word, what am I doing?” moment, but mostly I’m just really looking forward to going.  That alone makes me realize that this is truly part of God’s plan for my life and though it won’t always be easy, it will be exactly what I need.

People also ask me what I will be doing there and inside I laugh a little bit and think, it’s Uganda, so I’ll likely end up doing things I never even imagined.  I like to think Africa and Big Brother share the same tag line: expect the unexpected.  But here are some of the things I know I will be doing: working with the sponsorship office team who work so hard to administrate, organize and keep track of all of the children, their sponsors, their gifts, etc.; helping to host the many teams that come to Kibaale, and basically help out wherever I am needed.  I am going with an open mind and a willingness to do what needs to be done!

I got my degree in International Community Development because I am passionate about seeing the cycle of poverty broken and people being empowered through education, training, proper healthcare, and opportunity.  This is exactly what Kuwasha is doing in Uganda, so I’m pretty stoked to be able to utilize my education and do something I’m truly passionate about.

If you’re interested to hear about what Kuwasha does, the impact that they have, and want a visual of what Kibaale looks like, check out this video:

https://vimeo.com/245063181

Stay tuned for my next post - it might be from Uganda!