Africa - January, 2015 (Day 9)

January 19, 2015

It’s my birthday!  Uganda is kind of an interesting place to celebrate my 70^th birthday.  70 sounds so old – but I don’t feel particularly old, at least most of the time.  Usually birthdays/getting older bother me not a bit, but I have to admit I am feeling this one a little.  I am SO fortunate, however, that it really is easy to concentrate on the positives – so I shall!

                                                                                                                                            

Woke up too early and couldn’t go back to sleep (excitement about my birthday?!) so got up and did some blogging.  We all went to the office/secretariat about 9 a.m. where we volunteers waited while staff organized and then we headed to Mari where we were scheduled for a joint meeting with the Mari and Hera communities.  Christine, the business specialist, accompanied us.    At the office staff proudly posted pictures of the previous directors -- which don't look very much like the people they're supposed to portray.

Mari is a village of houses constructed with Give Us Wings funds on land purchased by GUW for the community.  The people in the Mari collective came together because each family has at least one member who has a handicap, physical or mental.  Life in Uganda is difficult for the large majority of people but especially so for those with disabilities.  They supported and cared for one another even when they were living in a scattered manner in the slums of Tororo.  Now they live together in new houses with adapted latrines where each has a little land for farming and they can provide support and security for one another.  

Hera is a group of women, mostly with children but without male support, who live scattered in the Bison slums of Tororo, paying rent for hovels in a very unsafe environment.  Like the Mari group they also support and care for one another and have the dream of having a village as Mari now does.  Unfortunately, buying land and constructing houses is extremely expensive and not currently on the “possible” list for Give Us Wings.  Instead GUW has provided some basic literacy training (most of the women could not read/write) and business training.  They are also in the 3^rd round of micro loans for their small businesses.  Their lives are not wonderful but have improved dramatically as a result of this assistance.

So the purpose of the meeting is for both groups to express appreciation for the assistance provided, to discuss immediate needs, and, of course to lobby for additional funding.  The leader of each group spoke as did Christine and David and Therese on behalf of GUW U.S.

It was very nice that as we sat and listened we could be under the cool shade of the umbrella tree.  The groups even sang “Happy Birthday” to me.

The Mari community presented a gift to David acting on behalf of GUW.

A couple of members of the Hera group had brought examples of their small businesses, in this case a woman who sold yams at the market.

.

The Mari people have been taught to do some crafts, skills that they are developing.  Christine is working with them to develop a marketing plan for selling to others than just GUW volunteer groups.  They created some posters highlighting their wares.

The GUW folk purchased most of the items that they had ready for sale, especially Jered who must be planning a big sale at St. John’s (or lots of gifts for friends and relatives!).  The seller on behalf of the community was Fairh Margaret, a young woman with deformed, non-functioning, legs; I first met her 4 years ago.  She finished a certificate in accounting but, because of her handicap, finds it difficult to be hired.

One of the vans and part of the group drove through the market area and saw some of the businesses operated by the Hera women.  Several of us had meetings scheduled and drove directly back to the office.

I arrived at the office at 12:15, only 15 minutes late for my noon meeting with Eunice, who is the liaison with sponsored children.  We discussed Mariam’s report from the last term.  First, Eunice had to try to explain the Ugandan grading system then we talked about the specifics of Mariam’s report card.  Her grades are average to good in subjects such as languages (English and Kiswahili), literature, geography, and art and very poor in the sciences.  Since extremely good grades in the science subjects is required to qualify for the nursing program, this might not be her best career choice, even though it is a good one for a woman in Uganda.  I told Eunice I’d try to talk to her and her aunt about this (which I did).  I want to encourage Mariam to do the best she can but don’t want to pressure her into fields or subjects she does not enjoy/at which it’s unlikely she will excel.  A difficult balance to maintain.

Returned to the hotel and had a relaxing afternoon updating my journal, working on my blog, taking a soothing bath, and, at 6:30, getting a glass of wine.  Dinner at 7:30 was a bit of a birthday celebration with another round of “Happy Birthday.”  Cammie had arranged with the hotel to provide cake for dessert.  There was no frosting, and the cake was presented in odd-sized pieces – but it was pretty tasty and I much appreciated the thought.