Feb 11th, 2012 Happy Birthday Meg - you are 1 in a Million, Cuz!
No Money in Uganda
I am asked for money daily – usually by strangers –
occasionally by co-workers. Often it is for transportation, money to attend a
funeral, for a relative with AIDS, for a wife who needs surgery, or to help pay
school fees. I always say I can’t help
them. Which may seem awful, but as soon as I give money to one person, the
floodgates will … and I am here for 2 years.
So I empathize, say how sorry I am, and often give them a hug, which is
not a Ugandan custom. I assume they
think it’s a weird American custom for saying something like life is hard.
However a week ago was the most difficult dilemma. Our
Matron (lady who oversees the girls’ dormitory) and grinding mill operator
mentioned again how sick she was feeling, especially in the chest area, and how
it hurt to breathe and spit. She welled up with tears and said “I am dying and have
no money for the hospital”. She was obviously very frightened and really thought
she was dying. I have no medical training and had no idea how sick she was, but
I could tell she believed she was very sick and dying. She never asked me for
money, she just said she had no money for transportation, hospital fees and
medicines. I believed her, since our staff has not been paid since November.
On top of this her grown daughter was recently severely
beaten by her husband. So she was gone for a few days to nurse her daughter.
The husband was arrested. Although it is OK to hit your wife, you are not
allowed to almost kill her. I have no idea how old the Matron is, as her life
of poverty has prematurely aged her. I do know she also has kids in primary
school and her husband is either dead or “gone”.
So I hugged her and told her I was so sorry and I would pray
for her. I felt so torn. My heart was
talking and my head was talking. I listened to both knowing there are millions
more stories that are equally horrific and compelling.
So I decided to find things in my home I didn’t need – the package
of incredibly large old lady panties a friend sent (to my horror), some mint
leaves and lemon verbena as herbal medicines for her chest, an extra package of
Band-Aids, and 2 extra pillowcases in a brown cloth pouch. Not much, but I told
her she can use or sell any of the items as she feels fit. So I skirted around
my “no giving money to Ugandans policy” by giving things she can sell. Funny
how the heart can out rationalize the head!
The outcome has been she has recovered and is now looking
almost 100% - I like to think it’s the lemon verbena and mint teas that helped
cure her. Maybe it was just that someone cared and tried to help that lifted
her spirits.
Lukodi
On Wednesday Feb 1st, 2012 I went with a reverend
from Kampala and representatives from Bright Futures Australia to visit Lukodi
Village – 17 Kilometers north of Gulu town. This village was the site of a
massacre during the 20 year war with the LRA. The village was attacked because
the LRA felt someone in the village had given information to the Ugandan army about
the LRA’s whereabouts. People were burned inside their homes, cut into pieces
and abducted – along with many other atrocities. This is not unusual in this
section of Uganda and I am reminded daily that almost everyone I meet has lived
through so many horrors. It was a bright,
hot day and everyone was smiling as they welcomed us. We interviewed many women
and village leaders to learn how aid provided from Bright Futures is helping
them recover. We toured homes, inspected agricultural stores, attended a
Village Savings and Loan (VSLA) meeting and inquired what their needs are at
this time.
They have received seeds, oxen, and education on farming to
help attain more secure food sources. They have been given chickens and goats
to help generate new sources of income. They have received improved water
sources and a grinding mill for the community. We were warmly greeted and even
watched some youth perform cultural dances.
One thing they asked for that I am trying to assist them
with is a mobile HIV/AIDS testing vehiclethat can come to their village. Most
women get tested – it is required if they go for treatment during preganancy.
However many men do not get tested and say they don’t want to pay to go to town
for testing. So the women want to get their men educated, counseled, and tested.
They feel a mobile vehicle is the only way it will get done. I am hoping I can
set this up through Peace corps, USAID or another organization.
GUSCO
Gulu Support the Children Organization (GUSCO) http://www.gusco.org/index.php is an
NGO that has selected 3 vocational schools to provide 3 month courses to war
affected youth to help them acquire skills to make a living. My school is one
of those selected schools, and I have been registering the potential students
as they come to register for the subsidized courses. This has been taking place
for the last 2 weeks and we have signed up almost 80 potential students to
date. Part of the registration is asking them a series of questions. “Were they abducted by the LRA? Dates of
Abduction? Are they child mothers? Did they drop out of school?” The
majority of registrants were abducted. Many come with papers documenting their
reintegration into the community and detailing the dates they were “in the bush”.
This has been a real front row experience for me. Most can only speak a little English
and we get through the questions using my infantile Acholi language skills and
their often better English abilities. The hardest part is when the effects of
the experiences are still severely debilitating to the young person sitting
across from me. I can see it in their eyes. They look like they may cry at any
moment and will not maintain eye contact. Frequently they stare at the ground
and answer in a whisper. I am also encouraged by those who appear to have
overcome the trauma to a large extent and are smiling and communicating with a
light in their eyes. They all seem grateful I am there and smile broadly when I
try to speak in Acholi.
Minister of
Parliament Visits Koro Abili
On Friday Feb 3, 2012 the Omoro County Minister of Parliament(MP),
and Deputy Speaker of Parliament, the Hon. Jacob Oulanyah rolled through Koro
Abili to address School and Business Leaders. Since the Director of our school
was not there I was selected to go along with our Deputy Director. The meeting place was across Kampala
Highway directly across from our school offices. I tagged along to witness the
event and was completely surprised when a man took my arm and led me to the
front of the room and placed me 2 seats over from the MP’s seat. I was then
asked to address the crown of approximately 80 and introduce myself. It’s funny
but if you are white person in a small village you are automatically an
important dignitary. I took a breath and with a translator introduced myself
and the objectives of Peace Corps and said I was excited to work with the community
to help in any way I could.
After the MP addressed the audience in Acholi, he turn to me
and spoke in English thanking me and saying he was very familiar with our
school and will work hard to help us. Who knows, but I am hopeful he will keep
his promise.
Business Advising
We just began a new term at school and I put the word out
that I am happy to meet with any students who want business training and
advising support. So presently I have 3 students whom I meet each Wed and
Saturday. Since this is a vocational school almost everyone will leave here and
try to support themselves with their skills. I plan to cover some theory, but
mostly practical steps to help them get started. I also I am working with the
administration on a speaker series of successful graduates and other local businessmen
to come talk to the students about their business journeys. This will be very
interesting to them and to me. Finally when I spoke at the Minister of
Parliament Meeting, I met 2 Gulu University Students who are studying business
and they have both asked for mentoring from me.
Dry Season
Disasters
Yes it is the dry season and I am very well equipped to deal
with the heat and lack of water. However, I did not realize the other
challenges I would face. The biggest problem for me has been that in Acholi
land all animals are released during the dry season to forage for themselves.
This has led herds of goats and cows to roam freely onto our campus to eat any
green thing they find. This means they have finished off our remaining cabbages
and in the process damaged a number of the irrigation pipes on our drip
irrigation field. They had also eaten almost everything I painstakingly planted
and watered over the last few months. I am very annoyed with this setback, but
I will rebound once the wet season returns. Thanks Mom and Dad for the
sunflower seeds!
I wrote last time about Africa Burning and this continues –
however last night I found out they don’t always contain the fires. My friend Nancy’s
compound caught on fire around 1:30 am and she was awakened to the fire
crackling precariously close, just outside her window. She, I and her neighbors
frantically worked to contain it and keep the buildings from catching on fire.
This was all done with no running water – just filling jerry cans from the
water source just down the road and carrying it back to the fire. There was no
major damage but it was a very close call. Read more on her blog...
Poetry
Sunscreen Jan 31. 2012
A happy
memory to take out
And roll over
in my mind
Applying
sunscreen to my sons
A protective
tender ritual
While
vacationing
Taking time
to pay attention
To the beautiful parts of life
Smiling while
asking to be still
Giggling at
the grimaces
Anointing all
magical surface areas
Lobes, Toes,
Neck, Nose
Arms, Legs,
Foot tops!
One simple
moment
Encompassing
so much of motherhood
Overflowing Eyes Jan 31, 2012
A favorite
movie line
God is in the Rain
Returns to me
often
And I
manipulate it
As the moment
requires
God is in the
breeze
God is in the
effort
God is in the
resting
God is in the
sunrise, sunset, light & darkness
God is in my
heart
God is in
your smile
I keep seeing
God
And
understand why
My eyes
overflow
