Tailoring class

This week we managed to move everything into the new office and start the tailoring and business class, which was exciting and tiring.

On Monday Farook and I spent the whole day (from 8.30 am to 6.30 pm) running around town, getting materials, buying equipment and shifting into the office. It took a long time as we had lots of heavy furniture and tailoring equipment to move.
In the end we still needed to do some final touches on Tuesday and Wednesday to get everything in order.

It was really exciting to see the office come to life, and although starting up new projects can be tiring and draining, it is also a satisfying experience. We had our first class with the young women yesterday which went really well. We started with introductions and explaining what we were all here for, as well as explaining to the girls that the point of this class is to practically demonstrate Gods love to them.
The girls then went on to start their first business training class and getting an idea of what they will be learning over the next six months.

Most of the young women have also shown a lot of interest and commitment, being at the office half an hour before class time (which is a rare blessing in Uganda). Many of them have also been around the last two days, cleaning the floors, windows and furniture purely on their own free will. It really shows ownership over the project, and an appreciation that has been great to see. The young women in the class have seemed to all really get along well (as they didn't know each other before hand) and they all seem to enjoy being around the class room. I wonder if the course is also a bit of an escape for them, as many of them do not enjoy a safe home life. Farook mentioned that they told him they are sick of being at home so that's why they love coming here to help out and to come early. I think the support of each other will also be a very valuable thing for the young women.

So a good week, I love the lessons in patience! We can become so obsessed with control sometimes that it seems God gently reminds us to lean on him and trust that he has things working for the good of those who trust him.

A short blog post today as I still have lots of things to do. Just want to say a big thank you to all those people in Australia who helped make his tailoring course happen (HopeBuilders, One Hope Community Church and IM Group)

Another week

This week has been an interesting one, I have to say it hasn't been the smoothest of weeks. It has been full of little challenges that build up together to make it feel like a bit of a frustrating week.

Farook and I have been draining ourselves this week to prepare for the tailoring class, which we had planned to start Monday next week.
Problems started with the office we had rented not being up to scratch to what it was advertised to us as. Mainly the office had water and power included in the price, but being that the office is inside an old run down house, we found out that every power outlet, and the lights, did not work in the office. The rest of the house has power, just not the office we are renting. We had also had a small kitchen that is attached to the office thrown into the deal, only to find someone living in our kitchen this week. So now we have to board up the small window that connects the kitchen with the office, since we will be having expensive tailoring equipment in the office and this window is easy to jump through. On top of that, locks for the doors were promised to be installed. Of course the owner of the house, and who we are renting from, is no where to be found (Farook, and the other teachers who are renting some rooms in the house, think it is because he is avoiding us). So this has delayed our moving day as we have had to hire electricians and builders to fix up the place. Once we get a hold of this man we are going to say we want one month rent free (seeing as we have spent our own money to fix up the place to the standard of which it was offered to us).
Finally after getting everything sorted (and shifting back the registration day for all the eager young women) we went into town today to go buy everything and move into our office. Of course when we got to the shop where we were supposed to be buying all the expensive tailoring equipment, it was closed.
Never mind that we had called the man the day before to inform him, and arrived at the shop at the time he told us to come. We ended up finding out he had apparently gone for family business that day. We ended up being led to another big electronics store (which actually owns the first one we went to). This store is run by an older Indian couple who have a few chains. After we explained everything they said that we actually had to pay a deposit and then in 3 days time they will order all the machines from the capital city, Kampala. Never mind that the first man we talked to a week prior, and knew we were coming, had told us they had everything in stock ready for us and there was no need to pay a deposit. Many times people here just tell you want they think you want to hear, even if it is not true.
So after talking and negotiating with the Indian couple (who were actually rather helpful, and straight to the point, honest, business people) we paid the deposit for all our things, with a promise that they will be ready for pickup on Monday morning. So this means cancelling our arranged pick up truck transport, and delaying our registration day again. We will have to make the course starting date on Tuesday now, which means more money spent on phone calls to the young women, and transport money too and from town.
On top of all this I have been feeling very sick this week. Starting around Sunday I have been so weak and dizzy, often with bad headaches and very bad joint pains. These are all the symptoms of malaria, so I went and got checked up last Tuesday (a little pin prick to the finger and some checking of the blood). The problem is I only stopped taking my anti malarial tablets a week and a half ago, so I may very well have malaria, but they wont be able to pick it up until a month or so after I have stopped taking the anti malarial tablets (as these seem to hide the parasites from view). I ended up getting some antibiotics to help me through, and in a months time I will get checked again to see if the parasites are still there (as the antibiotics don't kill the virus, just keeps it at bay I am told).
So a bit of a stressful week, while having to push through with some serious sickness, all while 9 eager young women, who are in desperate situations, are very keen to start this course.

 

Its times like this that I just have to take a deep breath, say a prayer, and give all my frustrations over to God. Honestly it's my faith that gives me peace and keeps me grace filled when I am feeling irritable from all the stress.

Otherwise my time has been filled up with this project. I did get to start a program with a group of young men (between the ages of 18 to 23 ) last Saturday morning.
It is really interesting when I learn something new from the youth here, often I realise I can go into these programs thinking I know exactly what the issues will be amongst the young men, only to learn something new. The boys were all keen to study the main subjects like H.I.V and drug and alcohol issues, but a few of the boys were really keen to explore relationships with their parents, or adults. It seemed that many of these young men really ached for their parents to be proud of them, and to have a better relationship with them, even asking me if it would be possible that I go and speak to their parents to tell them that their boys are involved in a educational program. It just helped remind me of the depth and different levels to a young persons life, these young men really valued the opinions of their parents and the adult community, and wanted to do a project that would make them feel proud.

Another humbling moment this week was when a friend of mine approached me to talk. He simply wanted to tell me how his younger sister constantly gets beaten up by her drunk husband, and is practically starving alongside her children, due to the husband spending all their money on booze. This friend of mine was going to go approach the husband to his sister the next day, and he was simply asking me if I could please pray for him, his sister, and the husband.
It's little reminders like this that make you see the devastation that alcohol has done to families here, and I guess it makes me feel blessed at my very privileged and loved life that I have lived. I really do feel heartbroken from these stories.

There are moments of joy though.
Maybe I will end this post with a picture I took last Saturday, when I rode my bike up to the top of a mountain to read the Psalms and watch the sunset over the sugarcane fields.
Enjoy


                                 

Things on the move

The last week has been a very busy week (as usual) with the beginning of programs and activities running for YSU.

The other morning I had an accident on my bike. While I was riding down to the lake early Sunday morning I had a collision with a little flying insect. We were both traveling at speed towards each other when the bug went crashing straight into my left eyeball. Instantly I was blinded, as I hit the brakes and almost crashed, and I could not open my eye as the pain was pretty intense.
Luckily a woman was watching and came up to help me, she told me to pull my eyelid down and said she could see the insect, which was drowning in my eye juices. Using a blade of grass she gently removed the insect from my eye while a bunch of little African kids giggled and screamed merrily.
Even though there was a bit of relief after she removed the bug, my eye ended up hurting for at least another 5 hours because of the trauma of it all (physical trauma to the eye I mean .. I handled it pretty well emotional .. even continuing my ride down to the lake).
That night my friend Ivan told me of a local pastor here who had the same thing happen to him, although he was not so lucky, and ended up losing an eye.
After hearing that story I felt pretty good.

I have started a program with a group of boys here in Wairaka looking at social issues in the community, the boys will then come up with their own film and will host a little event at the end of it all. For the first session we looked at drug and alcohol abuse, mainly the abuse of the local spirit brew here called Wairagi. The boys were all pretty shocked when we watched a documentary that explored how in 2007 the world health organisation declared that Uganda was the number one nation in the world for alcohol consumption per capita. Alcohol has been a huge curse here in the communities, leading to violence (emotional, physical and sexual) neglect, broken families, propelling the cycle of poverty and more.
The boys were really interested in creating a film that looked at the two main drugs that they see as a problem here in their communities, being alcohol and kuber (a form of tobacco which is placed behind the lips or chewed on).

Running programs in the local high schools here has been good fun as well. We have been looking at drug and alcohol education, but also wise decisions when it comes to relationships, as well as some of the human rights issues around sex here in the community. It is interesting running the activities with mixed groups of girls and boys. When ever we play the agree or disagree game (where a statement is read out and everyone has to go to rather the disagree, or the agree side of the room, and then voice their opinions) the boys and girls can have very different opinions. For example when the statement is read "Women should be given more rights in the community", quite obviously the girls run to the agree side, but many boys run to the disagree side. Its great to get the girls to voice their opinions (and insist that the boys listen up hard to what they have to say) and I find it is the girls who are the most firey and opinionated, and who usually have the most questions to ask as well. Its interesting to see a shifting Uganda, where for a long time many women have been considered lower in society, and still are in many places, but also to see a Uganda where cultural views are now changing, and young girls in high schools are the ones speaking out the most.
I have to say it is pretty funny when I get introduced to the class and the headmaster is very serious and tells all the students they most be very quiet and give the utmost respect and sit still in their chairs or they will be disciplined. The funny part is once the headmaster leaves the room I get everyone to push the tables and chairs to the side and all come into a group in the middle to start playing games and activities and encourage them to have group discussions. Seeing all of their faces light up makes me feel a bit like Robin Williams character in "Dead Poets Society" ha ha.

 

I have also been running a cell group with a bunch of teenage boys every Friday night. The group is basically a forum and a platform to discuss issues and thoughts on life from a Christian perspective. Many of these young guys are hungry for discussions and questions, I don't think they get a platform in many cases in the church to express their opinions and ask tough questions. I mean many of these guys are wrestling with deep theological and philosophical questions that have never really been addressed, or at least studied and looked at. It has been great to get together and discuss some of the weightier theological topics, and I am continuously surprised at how deep the guys here actually are, and how deep they want to go. Its not all questions on sex and girls, but these guys are curious to explore what makes grace unique, what is the evidence for a creator, nature of salvation and much more.

The sewing class is also almost on its way! Farook has been working hard to find young women to join the group, and we have spent a few days profiling and talking with the ones found (He is great at this as he is a well known and respected member of the community, and has many contacts). Many of these young women are so disempowered they have a really high risk of sexual abuse from a lot of men in the communities. They basically see themselves as not worth much, so any man with a bit of money basically has a say over them. It is heartbreaking to see the many cases of single young mums, but at the same time it is awesome to see their faces when they realise this is not a course that is asking for money from them, but we are pursuing them, to offer them help, to empower them, completely free. Farook going deep into slum villages to seek them out and offer them this opportunity has made me think of God's grace in a way. To think that in our spiritual poverty God came down to us and offered us grace and love, completely free .. he seeked us out, and just like these young women, it is up to us whether we chose to accept that gift of grace.

 

It has also been awesome to hear that my church (One hope) has had a number of people willing to help in sponsoring these girls through the course. Again this makes me see that this is not my own work, none of this is possible without a community of people getting involved, and ultimately God pulling the strings.

                                                                         

 

    Farook about to go search for some young women who need help (while wearing my bushman hat)

So its all very exciting! I have recently put up a facebook page which will have all of Youth Support Uganda's updates on it.
You can check out the page here https://www.facebook.com/YouthSupportUganda

Thanks again to everyone who has been praying for me and supporting me, your love is most appreciated, and I really do feel the support of everyone, even all the way over here.

God bless

Daily Life

It has been a while since my last post, so I thought I better get onto it and write up a blog post for everyone reading back in Australia.
It has been over a month since arriving in Uganda, and I have been keeping busy and getting ready for programs to start running.
At the moment I am now house sitting for good friends Ron and Anne who have been a part of building a school here in Uganda. I do admit it feels rather comfortable eating freshly baked bread, having internet access, warm showers and sodas. I am enjoying the blessing of it all, and its good fun being on a school ground with a community of friends around me to greet me every time I walk out of the house.

I have also recently got my hands on a bike, it needed new tyres and a touch up, but after getting the mechanic to fix the bike (twice, because he put dodgy tubes in the first time) I have been enjoying the freedom of riding around everywhere on a bike. It makes it easy to go to meetings as I am doing community development type work. I seem to be moving everywhere around the community, and the walking seems to take up a lot of time. This morning I rode along African village roads to sit by the shores of Lake Victoria to read and pray, which was a beautiful experience.

 

Recently I have rented a large office space here in Wairaka, which I will use to run projects out of before a youth centre is built. The first program running out of this will be a sewing and business class for young women who are vulnerable in the community and need a source of income. Most of these young women will be single mothers who are really suffering in the community. I have met a few of the girls we have chosen and it is exciting to know that they will be joining a class that will empower them, give them self-worth and allow them to be making money for themselves.

The room I rented is next door to where farook (my best friend, brother and partner in helping youth) will be living with his wife and newborn baby. Farook and I have been working hard to get this sewing class up and running, and his wife Beatrice who is a sewing teacher will be teaching the tailoring class, while we have another good friend and professional teacher lined up to teach the business side of things.

                                     

This weekend I will be starting a two month program for teenage boys in two different locations. Saturday mornings will be in a place called Njeeru with a project called Divine Holistic Ministries, run by Fred and Judith ( A lovely local Ugandan couple ). On Sunday afternoons I will be running the same program with a group of boys here in Wairaka.
The program goes for two months and will be focussed around getting the boys to come up with a creative project, most likely a film or a number of short films. Each lesson will also look at social issues in the community like H.I.V, drug and alcohol abuse, poverty or sexual abuse. These topics will be covered in engaging and creative ways and at the end of the program the group will present their project to people in their community. 

I will also be starting to run some programs in school next week. I have been talking with the headmaster of a school called Wairaka Modern. The school has been struggling with high rates of H.I.V and sexual issues, as well as drug and alcohol abuse, so I will be running 1 hour sessions on both Mondays and Tuesdays. The sessions will cover H.I.V education, making wise choices and drug and alcohol education. Often young people here have no access to information on these topics, and youth here can be very ignorant about issues, so by educating them we hope to be able to help in early intervention, and prevention.

I am beginning to see how busy I am already with these programs, and it has become apparent how necessary it will be to start training up leaders here to be able to take over and run these programs. I have been blessed to know a few trusted friends who are interested in working with the youth on these issues, and are looking for interesting ways to be able to educate them.

So all in all it has been a busy month, but it is always full of special moments of community, faith and love. I especially love it when a big tropical storm rolls in and seems to stop everyone’s schedule for about half an hour.
I have also been preparing for the day when my anti malaria tablets run out (4 days). I have heard that there is a local plant here that when brewed into a tea has anti malaria aspects to it. It is hard to get onto these things here as herbs and natural medicines have been heavily associated with witch craft (which is associated with things like child mutilation and sacrifice), so for the most part the Christian community here are very weary of using natural medicines. But there are a few older generation Christians who use different plants and herbs for things like common colds and malaria. My good friend Ivan has an older mother working at his community house who makes a tea for the children who live there, to help in stopping them from getting malaria. I have been getting some lessons from her on how to brew a tea. 

Otherwise I bought a bucket just in case I do get malaria and get very very sick.

                                  


God bless and thank you to everyone who has been praying for me and supporting me.