Amazing experience

---

My intro note : the challenge with writing a joint blog, in particular for these first two weeks, is that we have had individual and shared experiences of joy and sadness. I hope that what we write conveys that feeling. There will be one or two items of duplication along the way, and difference in writing style.



And so to my first day away from Jane and the medical team. An easy introduction for the build team with a walk into town to buy some material for our 'African' themed dinner next week. Simon, our Mission Direct staff team leader took us on a brief tour of the town, and to the market, which was an attack on the senses, in particular, the butchers section. It more portrayed a scene from a horror film and would convert the most ardent carnivore to become vegetarian. And of course there's no refrigeration, the meat is cut and left hanging in the sun! Aside from this, we had our first opportunity to meet some of the local people, who were all very welcoming, in particular the kids, and not for the last time, just loved walking along and holding hands with a Muzungu, a white person. This is not racial term, it's just how we're described here, you can even buy cheesy t-shirts with 'I'm a Mazungu' on them. Getting side tracked chatting to the locals was a thing that would happen to Allison, a lovely lady from Gloucestershire, a lot during our trip. On this occasion I stayed back with her, only to see the rest of the group disappear out of sight, we did eventually catch them up. So with material bought, mine being green with small motifs, our thoughts turned to what we would have made, for me it would be traditional African shirt, our taylor, Darran, would measure us all up later.



The build team is wonderful mix of personalities, Mark and Judith, Ian, Aaron, Allison I've mentioned, Derek husband of Sue in the medic team, Kristy a Mission Direct staff member in the UK and Simon the team leader headed then off with our great driver Columbus, who really is part of the team, to see the build project, which a school some 15 minutes out of town at Kitazigurukwa . A dormitory building is being built for the disabled children of the area, this being the first of its kind outside of Kampala,where able bodied and disabled children are integrated together during the school day, something that is the norm in the UK. Disabled children are often seen as "useless" as they cannot assist their family with work and looking after younger siblings. This and the other projects visited are seeking to change that mindset.

So at the school we met the headmaster, Henry, and some of the teachers. Simon then showed us around the classrooms, and were introduced to the three deaf children and their teacher, and we got to learn some basic sign language. And so to project itself, where we met Wilson, a lovely guy, the foreman and his team. We would be painting the inside of the dorm building and assisting with the landscaping around it. I should point out that we are not taking work away from the builders, but here to assist them, this did on occasion include tasks such as collecting water from a borehole, not the most inthralling thing to do, but it did give us all the chance to talk and get to know each other better. We also had our first opportunity to play with the children during their play time. With mazungu's in town, we would be the star attraction over the next two weeks. Any sign of camera and they would crowd round to wanting their picture taken, and more so to see the resulting photo, oh the joys of digital photography.



A group reflections time would be a part of our day, this was guided by Ian, with simple thought provoking questions : what excited, challenged and frustrated us that day. Many and varied things were discussed, more team bonding, and much tea drunk in the garden prior to dinner, and rejoining up with the medics.



We would work on the build project half the day, then visit other Mission Direct supported projects during the other half, compared to the medics who had full on days for most of the two weeks, as can be seen from Jane's words, so I think apart from some physical work, we have it pretty good.



Our first was to the Mothers Union, and project set up to support and train adolescent girls from poor backgrounds in life skills, where Mission Direct had provided funding to build a dormitory block for the girls a couple of years back.

Another was the Chilli Children's Project, where families with disabled children in the area grow, yes you've guessed, chilli's to provide extra support, run like a co-operative. This is linked to the Life Skills clinic, where a lot of our aid went to. Here there is a clinic for deaf and brain damaged children, and a clinic for club foot. A wonderful if emotional morning was spent here,in particular for Jane. And thanks to Mark, Kirsty and Arron for putting on an impromptu performance of Goldilocks and the Three Bears for the children.

One afternoon the children from the deaf unit came to visit, I now have a 'sign name' something to do with a furrow in my forehead, thanks kids. For Ian and I it was a chance to show off our footballing skills with some of the older boys, or lack of them, culminating in game to finish the afternoon off.



To continue on with the story of Ella the goat, bought by Aaron at the church service, I guess you maybe thinking that she was heading for 'the pot', well no she wasn't . She was donated to the another project, Mosaic Vision, the focus is on supporting families of orphaned children often from parents dying from Aids, and where a high proportion of the children have HIV themselves, enabling them to stay and live at home, when the parents have died. This was particularly poignant, as the family we visited had the graves of their parents in their small a piece of land. Let me point out! the family we visited, the eldest brother and his wife, look after his three younger siblings. So to Ella, she was brought with the team, yes we have photos of a goat on a bus !, and then presented to the family, who were overwhelmed, as they had never had a goat before. Columbus then took charge to organise and build a crockery drying rack with a little help from us. As we headed back to the bus, we left Aaron to say an emotional farewell to Ella.



Another enjoyable morning was spent at the Modern Primary School, started by our hosts at Roundavels, John and Alice Tumusiime in 1996. The school has around 860 students, with about two thirds being orphan.

We met the extremely well behaved nursery classes, and were treated and encouraged to join along with their songs. Then onto the primary school where after being welcomed by the school band, the more musical amongst us, ie Aaron and Kirsty entertained the whole school, ably assisted by rest of us with many hand actions, after which there was much hand clapping with a never ending stream of children, all waiting there turn to play.

We've said it more than once here, that all the children we've met have all been so well behaved, something The kids back home could learn from.



And so to conclude, what are my highlights and experiences, firstly two teams were like one, no divisions, lovely people, did you really have to go back to the UK, we missed you when you left on Saturday, hope we can catch up when we get home.



The church service, the goat donation, eating a deep fried grasshopper provided by Claire, the manager of the hotel.



And so to the visit to see Abdul, we had been told back home of him, but nothing quiet prepares you for what was an emotional visit.

Abdul, is 21, has cerebral palsy, and never been to school, something he desparately wants to do. He sits at his doorstep each day watching all the other kids going to school. The build team visited him with a donation of some clothes, to see his reaction was overwhelming for us all, he was over the moon, to say the least. We found whilst there, that his wheelchair was broken, a neighbour thought it would need fixing in Kampala. No need, with some help from a man that does back in town, we got it sorted two days later. It was a very moving visit, and on the way back to the bus, Ian and I both shared a 'manly' lump in the throat moment. I'm not sure I can properly describe what we felt, those that were there will know what I mean by this.

Then there is Evase, who runs the Life Skills clinic, mentioned earlier, a lady of true passion and vision, trying and making a difference for the disabled in the area. She visits Abdul, and hopes to enable him to be one of the first students at the new unit that we are helping to build.

We had chatted in our reflections, about what our 'ding' moments had been, this was mine, and kept bringing me back to the boy and starfish story, we could make a difference, if only in a very small way.

---