THE FINAL BLOG

To everyone who has been checking, I do apologize for not being able to write an entry in the BLOG since last week. Everytime I tried, and began, either the power would go out, or the internet connection failed. It was frustrating! Believe it or not, I am writing this entry from an internet cafe in Paris! (Paris is beautiful, by the way.....and what a culture shock!..... and the keyboard is different).
It is with mixed emotions that I write this,my last entry in my BLOG. Saying good-bye to Uganda, the teachers, and of course the children was very difficult. I leave Namuwongo a very different person. I have learned so much and have developed a new appreciation for .......... life.
I know this project has made a difference here. The program does not, and will not end with my departure. Thanks to all the donations we have received to date, as well as the phenomenal amount of school supplies all the participating schools donated, school will continue for the forseeable future.
Teams of volunteer teachers will be working in Namuwongo every month, up to, and including the Month of September. I can assure them all that this will be an experience that they will never forget!
For those of you who are wondering, I did get to go on SAFARI last week thanks to the help of the Minister of Tourism of Uganda. He heard of my disapointment from the mayor of Kampala (it helps to have friends in high places), and arranged a safari to the Queen Elizabeth Park, with my own personal driver and park guide. YES........I saw tons (literally) of HIPPOS! In fact, one was grazing right out-side my suite's door at 11:00 p.m. (they feed at night); they certainally are massive creatures! I also saw a leopard, wart-hogs, a black, spitting cobra, elephants, all kinds of antelopes, spotted hyenays, striped badger, water buffalo, long horned steer, and many different types of beautiful birds.
I am now in Paris for 3 days, London for 2.......and I will be home on Thursday, the 14th.
Thank you everyone who supported this project via your moral support and/or your donations. Since I have received many emails inquiring how individuals can support the Namuwongo Literacy Project, please free to make a donation by cheque or cash payable to/ McGill University; the subject line on the bottom should read: Namuwongo Literqcy Project G.F.I.C./Howard Shapiro - 5676 Merrimac Rd, Cote St Luc, Quebec, Canada; H4W 1S6; Tax receipts will be issued.
Thank-you everyone for following this BLOG!

PLEASE....TAKE MY BABY!.......AND I THOUGHT THE CRYING WAS OVER

This morning I had scheduled some time for our team of teachers to do some home visits. Four of the children were to be our guides since they claimed to know where most of the children lived. Although the sun was now brightly shining, it had rained heavily the night before. The pathways in Namuwongo were still muddy, so this Mzungu had to walk carefully so as not to slip into the fetid little gullies and latrines.
As I walked through what passes for a street, filled with people, the occasional chicken, goats, ducks,.... a hand grabbed my wrist. I turned to see a woman, of indeterminate age, clutching a squirming bundle in her arms. "Mzungu! Do you want a baby? Please take my baby!" My heart stopped and then started with an extra beat. I wasn't quite sure how to respond. My group was already ahead of me, but I just couldn't ignore this woman. "Take my baby!" she again begged. "I cannot", I said, "I am too old" (it was the only excuse I could think of quickly). I had to inquire why she wanted to give me her child. It was not her's, she explained, but the child of her sister's daughter. Her sister was killed by the L.R.A. rebels in their northern village. The baby's mother died in childbirth. "I am too old," she continued, "I will soon die and then what will happen to this child? Please take my baby!" I tried to explain that I could not take the baby, even if I wanted to. Ugandan law requires 2 years of residence, without leaving the country, to adopt a child. I walked away reluctantly, not even knowing if the baby was a boy or girl,...... my eyes once again filling with tears, unable to really fathom what I had just experienced.
I caught up to the rest of my group to continue on to the first home visit. The children were delighted to have us visit their homes. I took pictures of the children with their caregiver, sometimes a mother, grandmother, aunt or uncle. I was invited into their homes. The homes were always 1 room shacks, a curtain for a doorway, earth floors and a variety of furnishings. A mattress, rolled up & hung from the roof was the bed. This was placed on the earth floor in the evening for the family to share while sleeping. The adults were always very welcoming of our group, thanking us profusely for taking their children. In some homes we visited, no adult was present as they were away working. The children looked after themselves in the mornings until it was time for school.
When we arrived at Jofrey's home, he quickly rushed in and put on his school shirt (the same, attractive, blue-stripped shirt he has worn to school every day since school started) which was clean, and very fresh looking.
How do the children continue to laugh and smile? How do they ever manage to grow up? I hope I have been able to bring a little comfort, warmth, affection and knowledge into their lives. I have definitely received it from them!

MAKYNDE....& THE MAYOR'S OFFICE

last summer, Judy Labow, Bob Feinstein and 4 other cohorts laid the foundation for the Namuwongo Literacy Project. Although they worked with the children of Namuwongo, they did spend part of their time working with children in P-4 at Makindye School. Makindye is approximately 20 minutes away, by car, from Namuwongo and may be equally impoverished. Judy and group initiated 2 projects at Makindye: an an African Alphabet book created entirely by the children; and, Stories of Our Lives, a photo book created by the children who were given cameras and asked to photograph family members and then write brief autobiographical stories. Their work was taken back to Montreal where it was turned in to 2, color-printed booklets. Today was my opportunity, together with Hannah Grey , a G.F.I.C. coordinator who volunteered in the program last summer, to distribute copies of both booklets to all the children who had created them. Please keep in mind that Makindye is a 'real' school where students who attend must pay school fees.
We were driven to the school by the local member of Parliament. We were greeted warmly by the head-master who escorted us to the P-5 class (last year's P-4 students). The greeting we received from the students was enthusiastic. They were all delighted to receive their personal copies of the books! We were then given a tour of all the class groups.
Once again, the pictures above tell the whole story.Hillcrest Academy in Laval it is not! Nonetheless, the children are eager learners!
Following our visit, the member of parliament sent back a new driver, informing Hannah and myself that we were invited back to Parliament to meet the Mayor of Kampala. The parliamentary compound was well appointed. In our meeting room were several officials who extended their greetings and thanked us for our efforts in their country. It was a quick visit, but made me feel 'special' and appreciated.
Monday marks my last 5 days in Uganda. It's hard to believe that 4 weeks have already passed!

EAGER LEARNERS! THE PHOTOS SAY IT ALL!!

"TEACHER.....WE ARE HERE TO LEARN!"

My "slow burn" has evaporated .............because we had our first, real class today. Boy did we luck out with Rona and Lillian. They are really wonderful teachers, and great with the kids. The teachers were so excited with all the material that they finally had in their possession, saying that they wished we could start a 'real' school. They certainly did have enough teaching material and school supplies. Our students were absolutely delightful! The first two, in their eagerness, arrived 1 hour too early. "Teacher, we are here to learn!", they shouted as they walked through the gate of the In-Need Home. There was a little bit of shyness and reluctance to talk on this first day, but they soon warmed up under the guidance of the 2 Ugandan teachers,myself AND Adrian. Today was more of a get acquainted day, where we tried to learn even more about the children and their skill levels. We introduced them to the building and the most amazing spot that some of them had ever seen......the bathroom with its toilet. The majority of the children are more familiar with the pit/latrine in the back of their homes. Many had to try out the flush a number of times! You should have seen their eyes when we brought out their schoolbags to present to them at the end of the day. And then when we showed them what we had put inside....... - a pencil, a notebook, a comb, crayons, a sharpener, an eraser, and stickers.........the smiles on their faces indicated that every penny we raised, every school & student that contributed material, whatever trials and tribulations and costs we went through here until today was worth everything! The teachers explained that these items were a gift from Canadian children and their schools. Many of the children have never received a gift before. You could see how special they felt! They had schoolbags and supplies! In many families these children are cared for by relatives with children of their own. The relatives' children may go to school, but the families do not have the fees for these children for whom they are caring. They remain at home watching the other children, in their school uniforms, leave with schoolbags and return later in the day.They left the In-Need Home proudly today, trudging down the dirt road with schoolbags on their backs. For the next hour, many of them returned with friends to proudly show them 'their' school!

As far as the shipment goes.....the story continues! Talk about contrasts! Yesterday Awel (our G.F.I.C/host) brought us along on a lunch that we were all invited to, in Jinga, at the home (mansion - pictures above) of the Ugandan Consul General to the United States, She is a born and bred Ugandan of Indian heritage. Her family owns the Kakira Sugar Cane plantation and the makers of Kakira sugar....among many other things they own. The home and grounds were absolutely magnificent. Truly, I have never seen a home so beautiful. When we arrived we were each presented with a tall, chilled glass of home made sugar cane juice, heavily spiced with ginger. Later, we were served, by the house staff, a traditional Indian lunch on the patio (while the peacocks strutted right next to our chairs. I couldn't help myself but bring up my Friday's frustration with the $'s we were charged for storage and taxes. The consul general was also shocked.....but not surprised! She felt that the taxes should have been forgiven on this first occassion. However, she explained that the Cargo is run by a private company and they set their own rules. However, she agreed that she would bring up the issue with those in the government who might make a difference. We can only hope, but we have learned valuable lessons for next time!

A SLOW BURN.................

Today has probably been the most frustrating, if not the angriest day I have spent since arriving in Uganda. As I have mentioned in previous BLOGs, we have working endlessly trying to get our shipment of donated school supplies and teaching material from the airport to the In-Need Home in Namuwongo. It has finally happened......but there is a story!

Today, Friday was the day I was supposed to leave for my Safari adventure to Murchison Falls and finally see all those African animals, including HIPPOS! However, my plans were changed Thursday evening the moment I heard that the Ugandan Revenue Authority was prepared to release the shipment. Having everything available for Monday was of paramount importance and took precedence. Thing continued downhill from there when I was informed that we were going to be charged a total of 1.5 million Ugandan shillings ....................... almost $1000.00, Canadian. The majority of the charges stemmed from 'storage' fees assessed because the boxes had to remain at the airport until they were cleared by Ugandan authorities. My rant/tirade was delivered to Awel, my host here at GFIC (he was the messenger of the news).

I was flabbergasted!! The goods remained at the airport not because we didn't want to pick them up, but due to bureaucratic inefficiency and, as far as I am concerned, corruption.

I could not understand how a group coming in to Uganda, wanting to assist the poorest of its poor children by providing an educational program to those who would not otherwise be able to go to school, was being charged such an exorbitant amount of money for goods that were donated by other children and teachers, to be given, free of charge to the children of Namuwongo. This African country, I felt, was pleading for assistance, yet throwing roadblocks in the way of those who were trying to help. Money we needed to give to these officials for 'storage' was being taken away from the children!

I was to be picked up at 8:00 a.m. the next morning by the clearing agent and taken to Entebbe. I was in a fighting mood! At 9:30 a.m. the clearing agent called to say he was in Kampala and forgot to pick me up. I took a Moo Ta Too to Kampala, went to the bank to get sufficient funds, called the clearing agent at 10:15 to say I was ready. "5 minutes" he said. At 11:30 he finally showed up..........I have been told that this is typical Ugandan time.

During the hour-long drive to Entebbe I released my tirade once again on the clearing agent. He seemed sympathetic. I was determined to get the storage charges waved. Once at the airport, there were other lines we had to wait in, and then.........everyone we needed to speak to was at 'lunch' or 'away'. By 3:00 p.m. I was defeated!

I was angry I had missed my Safari! I had no one else to vent my frustration upon!

But then, I remembered the real reason I was in Uganda.............the children! When I look at their faces, see their smiles and eagerness to learn, and remember the little one who kissed my feet and thanked me for being his teacher, I just paid the money, arranged for a truck, and thought of how wonderful Monday morning would be. I hope I can arrange another Safari.

The Bead Ladies of the In-Need Home

Today, I have decided to focus on the mothers or caregivers of some of the children in our program. There are a group of women who have been coming to the In-Need Home for 2 years to work on a small business venture........Bead Making. They create these wonderful looking beads, completly by hand, and then try to sell them to earn some money for food for their families. They all live in Namuwongo, and we have given priority to their children to attend our program. During their time together, they are taught business practices such as material cost vs selling cost, inventory management, etc. However, for me, the really facinating part of this story is how they make the beads.

Believe it or not, these beads are made entirely of paper. They use clossy, magazine pages. These pages are cut in particularly shaped strips. Starting at the pointy end of the paper strip, they roll, onto a string, with infinite patience, the entire strip into a small, ball/cylindrical shape. The color of the bead is dependant on the printed material that was on the magazine page. Once they have created a long strand of these paper beads, they dip them into varnish.....repeating the dipping several times. They are then hung to dry for several days. A very hard, glossy bead has then been created. They then separate these beads and create wonderful necklaces, earings, bracelets, small baskets, etc. They are truly beautiful. It is hard to believe that the finished product has actually been made out of paper!

If any of our teacher volunteers are reading today's BLOG, it would be helpful if you could bring as many glossy magazines as you can carry. The women must buy these pages from someone else who has scrounged them elsewhere, thereby diminishing their profits. Everyone is trying to make a few Ugandan shillings. I will be bringing back to Montreal a stock of these necklaces,bracelets and earings to use a fundraisers with a portion of the profit going back directly to these Bead Women of the In-Need Home. The pictures that acompany this Blog really do not do justice to the beauty of their product. Feel free to conatct me at my email address (oppih@vdn.ca) if you wish to purchase any, or arrange for a BEAD PARTY to help raise funds for the Namuwongo Literacy Project. By helping the moms, we are helping the children!