Day 9 & 10- Goodbye Uganda

The final leg of our trip has come all too quickly and we now find ourselves living a life of luxury at Tau Game Lodge. After the confronting scenes we faced in Uganda it is hard to comprehend that we are now relaxing at a world renowned game park. However, it is a good chance to reflect on the past week and the wonderful people we have met in Uganda.

I think it is safe to say that we will each carry with us certain events which touched us, unlocked our compassion and perhaps even changed the way we see the world.

For me it was when a small group of teenage girls at M-LISADA Orphanage sang us a song they had composed in their soft, sweet voices. The simple words of their song summed up what I have learned in Uganda. They sang ‘We are different, but we are one. We are different, but we are one.’ 

We should not feel guilty for the difference between our circumstances and those of many of the children in Uganda but we must remember how lucky we are, and that we are one people.  We all need food, we all need water and we all need hope for tomorrow.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Kain C+C Charitable Foundation’s 2011 Uganda Project. From those who donated cash, clothes or toys to our loved ones back in Australia who have worried for our safety while in Africa. Your assistance has made a small contribution in giving the people of Uganda hope that their circumstances will one day be different.      Goodbye Africa, we will not forget you.

Tegan ‘Mallarie’ Knight

DAY 8 – M-LISADA and Gateway Mercy Orphanages

Day 8 represented the final day of our time in Uganda, as well as the final day of Rocky Elsom’s reign as Wallaby captain. We can only hope that we have had a bigger impact on the lives of some poor Ugandan children than Rocky has had on the rugby field in recent times.

The plan for the day was to visit two children’s orphanages (M-LISADA and Gateway Mercy Orphanages) and make donations of the clothes, shoes, toys and school equipment that had been brought from Australia, and stop at UACO and Missionaries of the Poor to donate some food.

The first stop was Missionaries of the Poor where we dropped off over 75 kilograms of rice, sugar and other basic foods. While it seemed like an enormous amount, with over 300 hungry people to feed, it was a shame we couldn’t fit more in the van to deliver to them. Nonetheless it was very gratefully received by the brothers at Missionaries.

The next stop was M-LISADA Orphanage, an orphanage that had been visited by the 2009 team which helps lift children out of poverty by teaching them to play musical instruments. M-LISADA’s band regularly gets paid to play at events in Kampala. After a tour of the surrounding slums we were treated to a fantastic concert by the children, featuring performances by a brass band, African dancers and acrobats. It was great to see the positive impact M-LISADA is having on these children’s lives, and our donation of clothing, school equipment and toys was very gratefully received. It was also amazing to see the impact that these visits have on the children, with several of them remembering Mini and other members of the 2009 team.

With time in the day running short – no thanks to Kampala’s seemingly endless traffic jams – we made a quick stop to UACO to deliver some food for their patients before proceeding onto Gateway Mercy Orphanage.

In hindsight we were lucky to make it to Gateway. It is buried deep in the heart of one of Kampala’s slums and the road in would have been a difficult one to navigate on foot let alone in a 10 seater minivan. However, thanks to our wonderful driver Remmy, we made it.

Unfortunately there weren’t too many children at Gateway due to many staying with extended family during the current school holidays.

We left the final load of clothing and school equipment with teachers at Gateway which once again was very gratefully received. It was obvious that these items would be treasured by the children with one of them still wearing a North Adelaide guernsey donation by Pat Hodby from the 2009 team.

The day ended with a great Indian meal at a restaurant in Kampala’s CBD, followed by an early night with the prospect of a 4.00 am airport departure curtailing any ‘last night’ celebrations.

Off to Tau Game Lodge in South Africa tomorrow for two nights of much needed R&R. We will check in with a final blog tomorrow to round off our trip.

Rob ‘Shandy’ Shand 

Day 7 - Missionaries of the poor

We’ve certainly earned some points with the big guy upstairs today.

After two really enjoyable days we set off on the first of two days working in Kampala’s orphanages. The first on the list was Missionaries of the Poor.

We were all hit with a sight we weren’t prepared for. 300 people sheltering on a quarter of an acre block. Most staying there had some form of serious mental or physical disability and had been abandoned by their family and society.

Missionaries is run by a Catholic order of brothers that started in Jamaica. It has now expanded its operations to East Africa and focuses its work on the poorest of the poor. Our team now has a greater appreciation of the value of religion in Ugandan culture. A team of brothers rotates duties to spend time at Missionaries to care for the people. Without these brothers, and their faith, these people wouldn’t have a place to live.

Once inside, we were all allocated duties. It’s fair to say that some of us drew shorter straws than others. Shandy was given the sporting rotation and spent the morning playing soccer with the kids. Shandy was unimpressed that he let a goal through during the game (the longest straw). Shags had the second longest straw, and spent the morning on the toilet at the guesthouse absent from Missionaries. Mini was asked to lead a classroom and sang songs and imparted wisdom to a class of 80 children. Teegs and Green were asked to spend some time with small girls with intellectual disabilities and HIV. Leylan and Remmy (our driver) had laundry duties and washed soiled clothes out the back. Neil and I arguably drew the shortest straw and were asked to wash and clothe adult men with physical disabilities who were unable to care for themselves.

A confronting day but one that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. Hats off to the brothers who spend their lives giving to the people who most need their help.

Michael ‘Richo’ Richardson

Day 5 and 6 - Jinja and the final build

 
Day 5 - Jinja

The day started with much anticipation – today was the day we would reward ourselves with some fun and games in the adventure capital of Uganda – Jinja.

The first item on the agenda was a quad bike adventure through the villages surrounding Jinja.

Once the team was suited up and given basic instruction on how to operate a quad bike we were off. We felt like Princess Mary waving to hundreds of kids who came running from their houses screaming 'Jambo' (Swahili for hello) when they heard the bikes coming.

After lunch and couple of coldies at what would have to be one of the greatest bars in the world (ask one of us when we get back) two very brave team members (Richo and Neeps) ended the day with a dunk in the Nile attached to the end of a bungee cord!!!


Day 6 – The final build day

According to the schedule, today was a build free day. However after much discussion on the bus on the way home from Jinja the team agreed that we would put in few more hours on the worksite to make up for the time lost due the rain on Saturday.

The morning song on the build site was dedicated to Rob 'the Dog' Shand – Happy 30th Birthday. The team also contributed to the morning singalong with a rousing rendition of Advance Australia Fair that would have brought a tear to any Aussie with in a 100 km radius of the house!!

Following the singalong, substantial 'technical building works' were undertaken by all team members under the close supervision of Oakes and Kruschel.

After morning tea the 'House Dedication' ceremony was conducted. This involved a number of prayers, a 'handshake corridor' as often seen on soccer pitches and a roaring rendition of Waltzing Matilda from the Australian crew.

The final event of the day was to visit the house built by the 2009 team and meet its current occupants over a lunch of traditional Ugandan food. We can report that, contrary to speculation, the house is still standing.

After lunch it was time to play a few games and after looking for a ball or toys we quickly remembered that these things don’t always exist in Uganda. When all seemed lost one of the children came back with a roundish piece of plastic and we spent half hour playing ‘catch’ - a quick reminder to us all that kids don’t need the latest toys to have a good time.

Tonight will be dedicated to Rob’s 30th. Happy birthday Shandy!

Neil 'Oaktree' Oakes

DAYS 3-4 ‘The Building continues…..’

Sorry about the delayed posts. Uganda's internet infrastructure is about as reliable as the Port Adelaide Football Club.

The team was awoken again to the early rising resident rooster next door and the persistent rain. Muscles were sore and it was a fairly quiet breakfast, all contemplating the day ahead. Luckily by the time we got to the building site the rain had eased and the gloves went on. The ‘Technical Build Twosome’, Shannon ‘Shaggz’ Kruschel and Neil ‘Oaktree’ Oakes were up to the challenge to reclaim their status as the most efficient brickies from Sarah ‘Mini’ Chia and Michael ‘Richo’ Richardson. The team’s Lugandan (the local language) is coming along nicely with quite a few ‘misenyu’ and ‘muchungas’ (mud) being thrown around the building site. Bathroom facilities are quite a walk away but a local builder, Yosiah, mentioned that the bushes are fine for a ‘short stay’ but we need to go up the hill for a ‘long stay’! The dormitory is coming along fairly quickly and the foreman is constantly praising our efforts. We’ve made some great friends on the site and they love learning and having a joke with us even if we can’t understand them. We did learn ‘polide’ which translates to ‘I heard that’, in case they are having a laugh at our expense. Later in the evening, after an hour traffic jam, our host, Angel, took us to Caffe Roma in a fairly upmarket area across town. The meal was fantastic and a great way to round off a hard day on the tools.


The next morning the rain had set in again but off we went anyway. After two hours of power in the rain and Kate 'Green' Kain showing off her one and only poncho, we broke for smoko but never returned. It was just too wet. After saying our farewells to the locals we headed off to the city for lunch and the local markets. Into the markets we went with our chief negotiator, Richo, often using his skills to barter down USh2,000 (a whole A$0.80). The team has become quite fond of the local pub up the road, The Lugandan Bar and Restaurant, where there is technically no bar or restaurant and they walk out the front gate and up the road to fetch our medium cold beers! Tomorrow it’s off to don the helmets and ravage the villages around Jinja on four wheels! Richo claims he’s also dunking his head in the Nile on the end of a bungee cord, but we’ll believe it when we hear the scream. We will be cruising the Nile at sunset so unfortunately no blog tonight but we’ll check back in the day after.

Shannon 'Shaggz' Kruschel

Day 2 - Building begins

As the cock crowed at least a dozen times at 5.00 am this morning and the rain hammered steadily down, I was taken back to the evening before where we sat transfixed watching traditional Ugandan dances.  As we sipped our ridiculously cheap drinks (A$1.30 for a Smirnoff Red) we soaked up the dancing and music of some of Uganda’s numerous tribes, and were left laughing hysterically as Mini (of Asian appearance, for those who don’t know her) was brought to the stage and likened to a rare steak when compared to the very dark Ugandans sharing the stage!

With massive rain clouds hanging over our heads we were anxious that our first day of construction might not proceed …

Thankfully a gorgeous Ugandan day prevailed and we commenced our bricklaying duties to the student dormitory at the Watoto Suubi Village.

Watoto, an incredibly inspirational project commanded by a Canadian couple is extraordinary in giving new opportunities to the Ugandan people of all ages.

Children from all walks of life – abandoned infants, abused children and orphans have been provided for – a grooming to build future leaders for Uganda.

Not sure whether we were a help or hindrance to the Ugandan builders assisting us, we trowelled and ‘muchungered’ (laid mortar) our way up several layers of brick for over six hours!

Exhausted and happy we retreated to our ‘local’ and settled into our new roles as tradies with traditional ‘cold’ beers at the end of the day.

Kate ‘Green’ Kain

Day 1 - UACO Walking Clinic

 

After 36 hours of flights and airports, a minor car accident with a Ugandan police truck, and a good night’s rest at Adonai Guesthouse 4, our home for the next 10 nights, we set off on the first leg of our Ugandan adventure – the UACO Walking Clinic.

For most of us, it was our first taste of life in the worst areas of Kampala.  UACO (Uganda Australian Christian Outreach), which was founded by retired SA nurse Judy Steel AO and Ugandan doctor, Edward Ssembatya, allowed us to participate in its weekly Walking Clinic.  We met elderly and infirm patients treated by UACO who would not otherwise have the financial or physical means to obtain healthcare. We gave them much-appreciated gifts of Vaseline and soap, and saw an 80+ year old blind woman serenade the charming Shannon ‘Shags’ Kruschel with a Ugandan hymn.

Despite the confronting start to the trip, the team has been able to reacquaint ourselves with one of life’s simple pleasure, eating bananas. After knocking off our third banana each pre noon we set off to the Watoto headquarters to learn of our building plans.

For those members of the 2009 team reading this blog, our task is much harder than yours was – a two story dormitory for 16 boys in three days.  Luckily, the better looking and much younger 2011 team is well-equipped to conquer this challenge.

The afternoon finished with a visit to Watoto’s Bulrushes – a home for Ugandan orphans under the age of two. Mama Green was in her element.

Off to the Ndere Dance Troupe tonight for some Ugandan culture and up at 6.00 am tomorrow to start building.

Sarah ‘Mini’ Chia