More Exercise!

Wednesday was Uganda's Independence Day and so was a public holiday. As such we were not able to visit the Refugee Transit Camp as planned. This gave us the morning with nothing to do so Mary's son Eric arranged for us to go on a canoe trip on Lake Mutanda which was only a short 15 min boda boda ride. Because there's not a lot of water where Miriam comes from, she wasn't initially very confident in the canoe, but she was fine after just a little while.

But we weren't just passengers - we also needed to paddle! We did a round trip of about 8 km so next morning, by bum and shoulders were quite sore (poor baby!) We first went to Snake Island where there are meant to be lots of pythons, but we didn't see any. Then we paddled over to Punishment Island - in past years, if a woman was found to be pregnant and unmarried, she was dropped off on this tiny island. If a man wanted another wife, he could go and get one of these women and wouldn't have to pay the normal dowry. I wasn't able to find out how long they usually had to stay there!

Yes, I actually Paddled 8 Km!

Just as we were going to leave Punishment Island our guide told us that it was going rain. However, we didn't really have time to wait for it to pass so Miriam got the umbrella and I got wet (my choice!) I was pretty exhausted by the time we got back and a warm basin bath was most welcome.

Me, Sam, Hope, Eric, Joanne, Jacquie, Mary & Benon

At 4pm, the Wakisa Kisoro Committee all came to the office, with the exception of Ezra and Immaculate. We introduced ourselves and I asked each one why they had chosen to be involved with Wakisa even though it was a voluntary position - naturally there were a variety of responses. We had a quite open discussion of all things Wakisa over the next 2 hours, focusing on the specific challenges the Kisoro Committee were facing. We had a late supper and turned in about 11pm.




Thursday was not a full day so Miriam went to have her hair washed at a local salon about 10am while I headed off to Hope for Orphans & Vulnerable Children, just a 10 min walk away. Tim & Margaret at my church are sponsoring 3 children in this project and I said that I would go and visit them and record a short video. HOVC takes the most needy kids and gets them back into school, with all the sponsors coming from Australia. They also provide each family with a 1500 lt water tank to improve their hygiene conditions and for the most desperately poor families, a mud house with a  tin roof. It seems like a very well run project and is doing a great work with many of the challenges similar to those of Wakisa. The Director is a 28-year old man called Innocent. He was like one of the kids now under his care - her was sponsored via Compassion through a lady called Marion who attends Parramatta Baptists - she and Innocent are the driving force behind what is done and I plan to meet with Marion when I get back.

For the past 6 months or so, there has been trouble in the Congo again and so refugees have been escaping across the border into Uganda. The Ugandan Govt has established a transit camp about 10 km out of Kisoro. Some months ago, Vivian led a team of counselors to Kisoro and they trained about 30 people in the basics of trauma counselling. Since then these people have been going out to the transit camp three times a month to encourage them and where necessary, provide counselling.

Amazingly some friends in Australia have provided about $1000 to support these people by way of transportation costs. These faithful ladies (and some men) travel out there on the back of a pickup. They are so grateful for the funds as some live some further distance away. They may also use some of the funds to provide emergency clothing where this need presents itself.

We had dinner in the near dark at Hope's place because one of the transformers in town was struck by lightening a few weeks ago. We had a lovely meal with good food and conversation.

Friday morning were due to visit a school so that Mary and Joanne could talk to both the boys and girls about the dangers of early pregnancy. There were about 300-400 kids and they were quite attentive. I was so impressed with Mary and Joanne - most people when talking on issues of sex usually talk around the subject hoping the kids will get the point - Mary and Joanne were courageous enough to talk on the subject in a very direct manner and pulled no punches. Good on you ladies!

After lunch, Miriam and I went and visited Potters Village, a project run by an English lady - they mainly take in orphans whose mothers have died in childbirth. They currently had 31 babies from one week to almost two years. Many mothers still died during childbirth because they live in remote areas and don't make it to hospital in time when complications occur. Jackie, a member of the Kisoro Committee, is the administrator and is also the sister of Patience, the administrator at Wakisa in Kampala.

On the way back we stopped at the local market so that I could say hello to Fortunate's mother - Fortunate
 is on of the Wakisa girls who is sponsored to attend a high school in nearby Kbale. She ekes out an existence by buying large sacks of bananas or potatoes and then selling then in smaller quantities at a slightly higher price.

Miriam & Mary at the Coffee |Pot

Finally we went home via the best coffee place in town - the Coffee Pot!

While at the market, we bought some smoked fish, g-nut paste and cassava for our last night's dinner in the west of Uganda.

Sam, Eva, Assumpta, Mary, Miriam & Eric

We will be sad to leave this place where we have been made so welcome - Ugandans really know how to show hospitality and we have been humbled by their care for us.