Uganda orphans update

This week I received this wonderful report from the Uganda orphans. I've also done some updating on the website, which you can visit here.

News like this makes my heart sing (well, the happy stuff in it does).

GROUP REPORT FOR THREE MONTHS
JANUARY – APRIL 2009
Date of report: April 14, 2009

ACTIVITIES PLANNED

1. Visiting children at their schools and homes
2. Taking all our children under our sponsorship back to school.
3. Starting more money – yielding projects
4. Visiting our children’s goat – project

ACTIVITIES SO FAR DONE.
1. Visited children at their respective schools and homes under this criteria, we have been able to visit each and every one’s family at least twice in a Month to enable them strive hard with their education as well as training them the best primary health habits they can practice while at home and school and we are very optimistic about their wellbeing since they have shown some improvements.
2. Children were taken back to school.
They were taken back as early as possible to start their first term studies and as by now, they are fully concentrating competitively since they were given their scholastic materials in time.
We are very convinced that there performance will be better off than their previous performances.
3. We started one more project to yield more funds under this project, we had planned to start-up a project dealing in chicken raring to help us yield more resources for the smooth “running” of our programmes but, we failed to solicit the required funds.

Instead, we have resorted to growing beans this season and we are optimistic that after selling these beans, we shall be able to get the required amount to start the chicken-raring project.
4. Visiting our children’s goat-projects. The goats we gave our children have increased in number after giving birth to kids and they are looking healthier.
Joyfully to say, some of our children’s goats have extremely multiplied at least twice but some have up to four (4) goats the likes of Namuddu Gorreth who was given one goat at the beginning and now has 4 goats.

ACTIVITIES DONE THOUGH HAD NOT BEEN PLANNED FOR.

1. Giving vegetable seeds to boost their diet and they are now busy growing them at their homes.

PROBLEMS WE ENCOUNTER.
Some of our children often fall sick seriously but when the project can’t afford paying for their hospital bills yet their parents are poor.
Our students in secondary schools have no school fees for their second term.
Transport is always our burden during times of visiting our children.


FUTURE PLANNED ACTIVITIES;
Training and equipping our children with vocational skills during holidays.
Further visits to children at their schools and homes and also following-up their studies.
Training our children in music, dance and drama.


THINGS IN WHICH WE NEED A HELP.

Schools fees for our secondary students for their second term, begin on 11 May 2009
2) A sponsor who can help us to set –up building in which we can train our children during holidays in vocational skills and practices 3) Equipping our choir with T-shirts for easy identification.

We are very grate ful to you all our beloved sponsor who toil to work hard for well being our sincere orphans by giving them funds for studying ,goats, bed sheets although the world is facing the financial crunch most especially in your most Hospitable country, thank you really very, very much.
We also appeal to you that, we shall Endeavour to thoroughly use these funds appropriately as allocated for the benefit of these orphans.

GOD BLEESS YOU.

IT ′ S IN HIM WE TRUST

2000 kilograms of maize

I just got the following letter from the leader of the Uganda orphans group, and I am so delighted:

On behalf of my of my fellow members Iam happy to inform you that we were able to harvest two thousand fifty kilograms (2050 kilograms) of maize from the land we bought. We sold off Two thousand kilograms (2000 kilograms) totaling up to five hundred thousand shillings (shillings 500,000/=) .we as members contributed Twenty thousand shillings each (20,000/=) making total of three hundred thousand shillings (360,000/=).
When we added it to the money collected from the money we got from maize it totaled up to Eight hundred sixty thousand shillings only (860,000/=)
After that collection, we decided to construct an office to be able to conduct meetings and training our orphans in modern farming methods. We will also be able to have bible studies from this office. The office we used to have has been costing us so highly. But, this money is not enough to push us through the whole job, we have therefore, bought some of the building materials as below


Cement 6 bags
265,000/=
Bricks 4100 bricks 225,000/=
Poles 20 poles 50,000/=
Sand 3 Trips 15,000/=
Window 1 40,000/=
Door 1 50,000/=
Nails 3kgs 15,000/=
Labours 1 200,000/=
TOTAL 860,000/=
We kindly request you and your friends, members to help us accomplish the constructions we are on by proving the remaining material.
The following are the estimated material we request you to help us into

1. Iron sheets 12 240,000/=
2. Furniture 160,000/=
3. Paints 1 Jerrycan 40,000/=
Total 440,000/=

In case, we get the assistance from you we hope to finish the job in March 2008.
We are energy hoping for more fruits after the a completion of the office because we will be able to train our orphans
We will be pleased if our request is put into consideration. Pictures showing the office will be sent after we have fully done on it

We wish you and all happy Easter days
Yours! James

a goat, a Bible, a blanket

I am in Uganda for 3 ½ days, which seems about 3 days too long considering how much I miss my husband (and then it’s off to South Africa for 3 ½ days), but being here has its benefits (besides two of my guilty hotel room pleasures, room service and Bollywood music videos on the Indian channel). Like being able to meet with the orphan group.

The leader of the group and his brother came up to Kampala to see me, since I didn’t have time to go down there. We spent less than an hour together, yet I am feeling completely topsy-turvy with emotion—glad and sad and daunted and most of all humbled.

I was reminded today that I really have no idea what I’m doing, and no idea how this thing will keep going. (And for how long? What happens 10 years from now?) If you don’t know the back story, there are 25 orphans that I and some other generous souls in my life have supported over the past couple years. You can read more history here and here. In the beginning it was easy—I bought a few goats for a few kids. Then this time last year came the first big leap—with money from some friends we put as many kids in school as we could afford, 21 in primary and 4 in secondary. Once again, not that big a deal, we just spent what we had. Over the year, more money came in, a couple thousand to buy a piece of land that the kids could farm and learn agricultural skills on. Big milestone.

The school year starts again in January and this year, for the first time, it hits me that now we have commitments to these kids. Commitments to keep them in school. Two kids are passing from primary to secondary school this year, and tuition and supplies increase ten-fold. The group leader writes me up the most wonderfully professional budgets, and we’re looking at $2500 for next year. I look at the amount and think, Wow. Where will it come from, in the next 4-6 weeks, no less? I have no idea. Just faith—a mustard seed’s worth, maybe—that God is leading, baby step by baby step.

When I say baby step I mean baby step. I may work in the development field, but it amazes me what I don’t think of. How much I have to learn. When I saw the group in August I asked them what they needed. Keep in mind that we are communicating across vast language and culture barriers. (They more or less speak English, and understand me most of the time, I think.) In every conversation I am struggling to grasp what is really going on, what they are really trying to tell me. Don’t get me wrong—they are honest to the bone. But building communication is taking time. They probably feel even more unsure than I do, unsure of what to say and what to ask.

But finally last summer, when I asked them what they needed, they asked for Bibles. Of course I want every child who wants one to have a Bible (some of the kids are Muslim)-- yet it had never occurred to me to get them Bibles. I promised them I would get them Bibles. It finally occurred to me the weekend before I left on this trip that NOW would be a good time to give them Bibles. Christmas coming and all that. So Joel and I hit two Barnes & Nobles in Boston and carried home nearly 50 lbs of Bibles. Every reasonably good translation that was under $10 that they had. It came to exactly 40.

So, this is another thing I am learning—that God is in the details. 40 seemed like a good number, I thought it would be enough plus a few extra, but I didn’t really do the math. Finally on the plane over I looked at their last proposal. They were requesting 25 Bibles for the 25 orphans and 10 Bibles for the group leaders and caretakers. Another question in my mind has been how many, if any, kids we should add on for next year. Adding any at all seems risky when I don’t even know where the money will come from for the first 25. But a dear grandmother in my parents’ church had given us money when we got married, specifically for 5 goats. So today I heard myself saying to the group leader, “We have money for 5 goats, so why don’t we add on 5 more children.” At this point I've committed that every kid we give anything to will get school fees and a goat and a Bible. And only then did it hit me that 25 + 10 + 5 = 40, and we had exactly enough Bibles. (Even enough for the Muslim kids, if they want one.) Now how did God know that there would be exactly 40 Bibles at those two B&Ns on the day Joel and I went to buy them, and that those 40 Bibles would be exactly enough? Because he’s God, I guess. But to me, it’s reassurance, that he also knows exactly how many Ugandan shillings it will take to pay school fees for 30 kids. And that he has it covered.

The blanket bit. Another “How dumb could I be?” moment came today when I ran across this tidbit in their very nice quarterly report: “We are have managed to visit 25 (twenty-five) orphans and provided them with counseling services. Twelve (12) orphans out of 25 have no blankets and any other beddings for keeping them warm.” A blanket is 10,000 shillings, less than $6. I wanted to cry. I am crying as I write this. Why had it never occurred to me to ask if these kids had a blanket? So by the grace of God, the budget grows another $70. (By the way, it was a very good report. All the kids are healthy. None of the goats have died, and some have had babies, twins even.)

Anyone want to give? Here’s a rundown of “what is what” (as they say here). We have a bit left from money people gave when we got married, but there’s quite a bit left to go. We’re looking at 24 primary school students and 6 secondary school students for next year.

• School supplies (uniform, books, etc.) for a primary student = $25
• School fees and supplies for a secondary student = $265
• Blankets = $6 each

And of course there is still a huge need for funds to develop the land they have bought. We sent a couple hundred several months ago so they were able to plant maize, and will have a harvest this year! But they would love to buy tools, chickens, things like that. (Whatever one puts on a farm. I wouldn't know.) And they’re dying for a motorcycle so the group members don’t have to walk hours and hours when they visit the kids at home or visit them at school. I’m not sure I have enough faith for a motorcycle at this moment. But God is big.

One more thing (dear long-suffering reader): they are having a “Thanksgiving service” on Dec. 18. They wrote me out a very nice invitation, reading:

With great pleasure, you are invited to attend the prayers in which we are going to pray for our orphans for having ended the year while they are in school.

We are also to pray for our friends in America for the support they give to us that has pushed our orphans ahead academically and socially. The prayers will be conducted on 18^th December, 2007 starting at 9:00am-6:00 pm.

We are waiting for you with vigor.

Of course, I told them I wouldn’t be able to attend, but would be praying with them in the States. And of course, no Ugandan party can happen without a meal and a couple crates of soda, so attached to the invitation was a budget, for about $125. Ha ha—they were both inviting me to their party and asking me to pay for it. I don’t mind. The kids need a Christmas party. (One more thing I never would have thought of without help.) They can get their Bibles (probably the only Christmas gift any of them will get) and the 5 new ones can get goats and they can all have a fun day and thank God. A real Thanksgiving Day. (Anyone want to sponsor the party?)