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Published: August 26th 2010
Hello my family and friends back home! Sorry I haven't written in awhile. Things have been pretty low key for awhile. Spent my first week at the Uganda Women Concern Ministry. If you want to learn more about what they do, google UWCM or Edith Wakumire. She is truly an inspiration to me, and having the opportunity to live in her home with her and see an inside glimps at her life has been beyond my wildest dreams. You truly get to know a person by living with them. I knew her work in the ministry was far-reaching, but to get to see the work she does from her home helps draw a bigger picture. One neat thing I got to witness was how she "employs" some of the children in her village area. They collect banana leaves from her garden, and she uses them for weed control or something. They all have their piles of leaves, and she measures them to determine how much to pay them. I had the pleasure of watching them all gather around her (I counted 12 kids) and patiently and eagerly wait for their name to be read, and then she gives them a coin depending on how much they collected that day. For me to get to watch these young children, probably 8-12 years old, stand there so patiently and watch her with such respect, and then gratefully take their earnings, sent chills through me. It is such a small act of entrepenuership, but to see these kids have a chance to work and earn money based on their own efforts, I imagine it is shaping their work ethic and sense of self-worth/ability. They are all so little. That is just one example of how this woman takes an active role in her "neighborhood". Reminds me of my boss. He is always trying to find opportunities for people to earn an honest living for themselves. Over the years, I have watched him provide more opportunities to people than I could ever count. And I am so grateful for all the opportunities he has given me, including this trip. I have spent the last week here in Kampala, the capital city. It almost feels like a city back home, with it's coffee shops 😊 and malls and so on. I guess the biggest difference is the endless slums and beggars on the streets. Most of them are crippled, so it's hard not to have my heart strings pulled when I walk past them. I read this book recently, called "Hope for Africa, and what the Christian can do." It is one of Edith's books, and it really helped me understand why Africa is where it is today, in terms of politically, economically, spiritually, etc. I am NOT an expert on Africa, and never will be. But what I took away from this book is two things-one, it has to be Africans that take charge of their continent to change it for the better. The governments MUST do what is best for the people, not for themselves (which seems to be the case). But second, my/our part as Americans/westerners, is what rules for engagement we are using through the international organizations like the World Bank, World Food Programme, IMF, UN, and any other forms of aid. I know very little about these organizations, but what I do know is they are run entirely by western countries and benfit us greatly and keep this cycle of poverty and debt going in "developing" countries. I am eager to learn more, and am beginning to understand that is where our part of the problem is.
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Dano
non-member comment
a new education
Wow - sounds like you are really getting an eye-opening education into the way things work when you take off the red-white-blue glasses. Those glasses really distort things, but it is difficult to take them off when so many have no exposure to anything different. Hopefully you can help us all learn about what steps we can take to make a real difference. I am so proud of the work you are doing! And proud of the courage that you show us all when you go out there and do your damnedest to make a difference! Keep up the good work and we will look forward to seeing you in about another month!!! 3 cheers for Deb!!!