Discovering Uganda

I have travelled to more parts of Uganda than most of our Ugandan staff. Recently however I had the opportunity to travel with a few of our staff to different parts of Uganda. It was so funny to see their responses. Julius from Kampala came to Lira (north) with me. He found it so hot and said that he had never slept without a blanket before! Jackson from Lira came to Kamwenge (west) and he was shocked at how cool it was. He said he had never slept with a blanket before!

It is easy for me to forget how privileged I am to see and experience so much of this beautiful county.

 

You’re all Man

You may remember me writing about our friend and colleague Miah who left Uganda in August. Well here replacement has arrived and we are having great fun with her here. Chris is happy for her to stay as long as she like if she keeps coming out with comments like,

“Chris, you’re all man!”

 

This was as we were driving to the airport and Chris was very distracted by the massive army helicopter taking off. I think his smile was about as big as when our wii fit described him as a “muscle legend” the first time he tried it!

 

Oxygen at last

Last week we hosted a visitor from our head office. It was a flying visit but we managed to fit a lot in. The highlight for me was visiting Mulago hospital to see our children’s heart project. We had a team of cardiologist and other medical staff here for two weeks to conduct 10 open heart surgeries on children to repair holes in their hearts. The team come twice and year and work with the local staff training them up so they are able to conduct the surgeries and provide the same care when the team from the US are not here. It was amazing to go in to the intensive care unit and see a child who had only been out of the theatre 1 hour breathing on his own and looking remarkably well. It is amazing what getting enough oxygen can do for a child. The impact is almost instant.

 

2 for 1 deal ~ or should I say 16 for 8

We took a number of our friends and colleagues to a local restaurant yesterday as Monday is 2 for 1 on burgers. We checked that the deal was still on and then all ordered burgers. Having ordered 8 burgers we expected to pay for 4. However nothing is that simple in Uganda. Once we were all tucking in to our burgers the waitresses appear with 8 more complementary burgers. We look at them in shock and ask what they are doing. Did they really think we all wanted 2 burgers each! After much dialogue back and forth we finally convince them that we will only be paying for 4 burgers. The promotional material (from South Africa) states, “Buy one burger and get one free, the cheaper burger is free.” The Ugandan interpretation of that is that if you order a burger you are given the cheapest burger on the menu free with no side dishes etc. We told them they need to clarify their advert as that is not how it is understood in English. They said they had already changed it 4 times and it could not be changed again. Obviously we are not the only ones who were confused by the promotion.

 

Mis-information

When there is a disease outbreak you really want the Health Officials to be coming out with clear correct information. At the moment there is an outbreak of Hepatitis E in North Karamoja. One senior health official is quoted in the national newspaper as saying the following,

“This virus has no cure and is sexually transmitted. We need to care and support the infected. People should keep their hygiene and avoid live sex,”

Hepatitis E is not sexually transmitted, it is acquired through food or water contaminated with faeces. Therefore telling people to practice safe sex, although in itself is a good message, will do nothing to reduce the spread of Hepatitis E.

A senior Government official, was more informed about the virus and understood the routes of transmission, however his suggestions for disease control are a bit removed from reality.

“Leaders in Kampala and Karamoja should ensure all homes have latrines or toilets, and observe proper sanitation.”

This is a great aspiration but when latrine usage in Karamoja is currently at less than 1% it is unlikely that it will increase in time to control this outbreak! What is needed is practical advice that people are capable of taking. Like wash your hands, cook your food, boil your water. Surely this would have a more immediate impact than digging a 20ft pit latrine for someone who culturally doesn’t believe in using it.

I think I am too pragmatic to ever be a politician.

 

Calm amidst a storm

While there were riots and civil unrest in Kampala we were enjoying a retreat with 110 of our 150 staff, 10km outside of Kampala. It was amazing to all be together. So many of our staff were overwhelmed by how big our “family” actually is. It is easy to feel isolated when working on a small project in some remote part of Uganda but coming together was so encouraging. One staff said, “I can now walk in the community with my shoulders high as I am a part of something big!”

God worked in amazing ways during our time together. Most of the sessions were focusing on holiness and pursuing the presence of God. Many staff were challenged about their lifestyles, recommitting their lives to Christ and determining to purse holiness. A number gave their lives to Christ for the first time. In a country such as Uganda where almost everyone would say they are a Christian it is hard to know if people actually know Jesus. This retreat gave an opportunity for God to move and people to respond. Now we are looking forward to the fruit that will come from lives transformed by Jesus.

 

Elephants in the camp

Chris and I took a break this weekend and went camping in Murchison Falls National park with our fellow ex-pat colleagues. It was a good time of fun and fellowship with a great group of people and being up close to wild animals was just an added bonus. The highlight was definitely waking up a clunking sound, peering though the mess in our tent but not seeing anything, going back to sleep only to find out that it was an elephant in the camp crushing one of our camping chairs!

On the prowl

Diverted by an Elephant ~ he wasn't giving way

 

Why does a 5 year old run away from home?

This is the question I found myself asking while visiting a transition home for street kids we are running in Ethiopia. One of the boys’ story really hit me. I was sat on the floor talking to a tiny boy who told me he was ten. When we talked about why he ran away from home he said he was five at the time and his dad used to get drunk and beat him and his mum. In the end he couldn’t take it anymore so he ran away. When I asked what he hoped to do in the future he said he wants to be educated so he can get money and go back and rescue his mum. If that doesn’t bring a tear to your eye I don’t know what will!

 

A strange mix of emotions

Yesterday I found myself on a plane to Ethiopia. Although it had been in the pipeline for a while it turned out to be all very last minute – only booking the flight on Monday. As it turned out I was on the same flight as Miah – a good friend who is leaving Uganda to start a PhD at Oxford. She was on her way back to South Korea for a month before university starts. We weren’t sitting together as she was next to her mum who had come to Uganda to make sure she returned home!! Well that’s the reason Miah gave us anyway.

I found myself sat next to two young, spoiled Ugandan boys (I will call them boys as they definitely acted like it and they can’t have been more than 15). It turned out to be unbearable.

Before take off they downed miniature bottles of Jack Daniels and threw the almost empty bottles on the floor, which meant all I could smell for the rest of the flight was alcohol. Still before take off they were demanding beer and then food from the flight attendants. During take off the one next to me stretches right across me to see out the window and tells me he lives in a big house by the lake, as if that would impress me. I put my headphones in and try to watch Confessions of a Shopaholic – talk about escapism. No such luck – I then get a tap on my shoulder, I take one ear plug out and scawl at the boy. Not getting my subtlety he asks if we can talk. I want to say no and get back to my film but I don’t. He introduces himself and then says, “I can’t help but notice that you have a ring, are you married because you look too young.” To which I say, “Yes I’ve been married 6 years and I’m a lot older than you think.”

Fed up ~ I go and find Miah. We chat about the OVC programme I have come to Ethiopia to support as she had just been here a few months ago. Time flys as we chat and in no time the plane lands in Addis. There are only 5 people getting off the plane as it is proceeding to Dubai. Miah escorts me to the plane door where we say our goodbyes. I was actually quite emotional. Miah has been one of my closest friends over the past few years and although we are completely different, in some ways we think exactly the same and have the same approach to our work. I will definitely miss her. In this kind of work you never know if your paths will cross again.

So as I leave the plane, tears in my eyes I feel very alone. I am the only one at immigration so it doesn’t take long to go through. Coming out of the airport I was looking for name on a card as I was told the hotel would pick me up. But to my surprise and great relief, Woubi, a colleague from the Ethiopia office had accompanied the driver to welcome me. It was just what I needed at the time and snapped me out of my sadness.

After a nice chat with Woubi he dropped me at the hotel and explained the plan for the week (which by the way is non-stop from now till Wednesday, they want to get the most out of me with not even a break over the weekend!) I go down to the reception and try to order some dinner to have in my room. While I am ordering, a sleazy Italian tells me if I can’t decide what to have he would happily take me out to the town and show me a good time. I politely decline and return to my room to wait for the room service. The sleazy guy incident makes me feel alone again and I find solace in Garfield the movie – something under other circumstances I would never consider watching, but that actually make me forget the annoying drunk kids on the plane, the sleazy guy downstairs and the fact that Miah is now back in South Korea. It is a strange life I lead.

 

Getting my hands (and feet) dirty

Last week we had a team from the UK come to visit our HIV programme in Lira. The team had no idea quite what they had signed up for. We took them out to a village 1 1/2 hours drive from Lira town and left them to live in a small brick house with no electricity, running water or flush toilet. They were spending the week with a few of the community church groups the programme works with. They were going to shadow the groups and help out where they could. The purpose was to see what life is like in rural Uganda and learn how people live on a day to day basis. So after two days I thought it was only fair that I go and check they are surviving. At first I was just watching but it didn’t take long for me to want to get my hands (and feet) dirty. It was hard work but great fun. I even managed to get the manager Lillian to get involved. The team were great. They threw themselves in to it ~ even when the tasks involved smearing cow dung on the floor of a hut to stop the floor wearing away. I have to say the smell was absolutely hideous. But both the team and I survived. It was actually a refreshing break from the somewhat stressful work I normally do.

Observing

 

Don't have render ~ use mud!

  

Yes this really is cow manure!