Final Blog - I'm Home

The final day started off with Jackson meeting me at the room to get my bags and take them back to the house. The guest house meal coordinator met me in the lot saying she had laid out my food and all was ready for me. She was quite happy that she remembered it was my last day and she was prepared. As I entered the restaurant I noticed a group of four eating at a table and no other food anywhere else. As they continued to chow down they remarked there really wasn’t enough for them and tried to get the service staff to rustle up some more food. I went out to find the coordinator and we had a chuckle as we both realized this group had been eating my food. A hot replacement meal was served and off I started for the day. 

First to Kasana to get some money – didn’t work as the bank said the Mastercard network was down (I have realized this means the bank machine is out of money). Next, off to the Internet to do a little blogging and catch up on the news. I then arranged to meet Sue at the supermarket to purchase some chairs for the library. As I was walking down the main highway the town doctor drove by on his motorcycle and I waved. He promptly stopped and turned around to pick me up and drive me to the house. Many waves and laughs from the residents at the Muzunga being driven by the doctor and smiles from ourselves as we arrived at the house. Sue and I walked to get the chairs which I promptly carried home on my head. I was not as efficient at the head carry as the local women and the fact that Sue was walking and I was doing the carrying caused more comments and smiles. We puttered around all day getting the sewing machines up and running on the tables we had originally bought for the computers. I cut the legs down and then we cut the small pieces of wood in half and Dam made blocks for the kids in her school to use for counting. Nothing is wasted. More books were sorted and prepared for the trip to Jinga and we, of course, had to have some fenne to snack on and a little matoke, potatoes and nut sauce for a final meal. Jackson arrived at 4:30 with his son to drive us to Entebbe, hugs and waves to the girls and Ibram and we were off.  Becca had asked to go to the airport with us so we stopped in Kampala to pick her up and we drove through a different section of the City to continue our journey. We arrived at the airport at 8pm and after more goodbyes and Becca presenting me with 2 kilos of peanuts and some Uganda coffee, I was on my own, probably for the first time in 7 weeks. When I was allowed to enter the gate to get the boarding pass I was greeted by the agent saying there was a problem with my flight. Apparently there was a strike at the Frankfurt airport and they weren’t sure how I was going to get past Brussels. I met another Ottawa bound traveller and with tried to explain that this was not our problem but the airline’s. Confusion reigned and we were unable to get any confirmation of flights past Brussels and we couldn’t even get our baggage checked through. Sue had packed an extra suitcase of crafts for me to bring so I was lugging 2 carry on and 2 checked. The head agent was also of no help other than saying she would send an email to Brussels to try and ensure we got on a flight! Off we headed only to find out at the gate that she had not put the baggage claim stubs on my ticket. More confusion and a second set of claims were generated and off we went, Brussels bound at midnight. Arriving in Brussels we could not find an airline desk on the arrival side of the airport so we claimed our luggage and out through immigration. Of course the question at Brussels’s immigration “how long will you be visiting?”   We didn’t know 10 minutes or 2 days. The officer shrugged and said Frankfurt was a mess and let us through. We found a desk at the departure gate and they advised that we were still booked on the Frankfurt flight and everything was okay. We left Brussels 2 hours early and had a meal in Frankfurt waiting for our plane that left 1 hour late. Our Air Canada flight had fewer than 100 people on it and we were spaced out all over the plane with lots of leg room and everyone getting a window seat if they wanted. Too bad it was cloudy all the way. To complete the trip, as we exited the plane, the doors to Canada in the hallway would not open. Maintenance arrived 10 minutes later and opened them and we stepped into Canada, greeted by Sam and Spencer carrying balloons Mom, Dad, Chris, 2 grandkids (Will and Jack) and a great hug from my wife Sue.

As we travel over the Atlantic Ocean I wonder what I have experienced over the past seven weeks. It seems fitting to do this as the great expanse of water separates two very distinct cultures. The people of Uganda are very proud and struggle to make a living in true small business fashion. They work out of small metal containers or brick shops of less than 100 sq. feet yet they always greet you with a smile and take time to make you feel very welcome. Their homes for 6, sometimes smaller than our bedrooms, are neat and clean with a pride of ownership that has them cleaning the dusty floors before they go to bed with a wet rag so they can wake up in the morning with a new start on the day. When you are invited for a visit you are provided food and drink even though you know in some cases this means they will do without for the next meal. Those who own a vehicle meticulously wash it daily to remove the red dust and dirt that covers everything.

Unfortunately as in all cultures there is a certain group who take advantage of their position of power but there is a new generation coming that no longer accepts this as proper. Whether it is the manager of the shipping company, the new members of Parliament, or a forward thinking Mayor, change is in the wind. The local talk shows enjoy the freedom of the press and are encouraging the present administration to step down proudly while they still can. The hosts and callers are telling them that like Egypt, Syria and the many other nations in Africa change is coming and it is up to them how they are dealt with.

I have been blessed to see the members of Sue’s extended family who give so much of themselves to help better their people. Becca’s family in Jinja, who are coordinating the distribution of micro grants, and are now, the hosts of a library for their community. Her brother John, who was our contractor, gave all of his time and expertise at no charge over the 3 weeks of construction.  Sue’s immediate friends in Luweero who have helped her create and maintain an innovated and much needed program for young women whose lives will be forever changed by the compassion of a family using their family home to provide a place of refuge for the victims of horrible tragedy. This is a program, much needed, but not yet delivered anywhere else we could find. These same family members ensured that we experienced the best of Uganda and they humbled us by calling us friends in an area of the world we only knew from books. Strangers who invited us to their wedding and friends who told of their stories letting us know the real drive of the people who call Uganda home.

I look back upon our assumptions at the beginning of this project and try to comprehend our expectations verse the reality. We realized early on that our preconceived notions should have been left on the plane when we arrived to be sent home immediately. How can we expect a donation of wood from one company that can only make wood boards for 2-3 hours a day when the power finally is turned on and this may be during a Sunday evening? This not only uses valuable time that they need to make a living it also cuts into their families’ earnings not those of a big company.  

We came up with what we perceived to be simple solutions to very evident problems. However, this is a culture that has been doing things a certain way for hundreds of years and they have worked quite well. Do we think creating a fire is a good way of handling garbage and dry grass problems? No! But, in an area that is dry and dusty ½ of the year they do need a process that removes the dead grass and prepares the soil for new growth once the rains return. Do they have the ability to recycle or reuse items that are presently discarded? Yes, but it took us in North America decades to deal with the issues and in some cases we still are so we are not the ones to judge. They do reuse everything they can from wood to metal. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has banned all plastic bags and will fine anyone who brings them into the country. Change is happening and it is the forward thinking mayors of the country who can lead the next generation. How can we convince them that kerosene lamps and fires are not a good way to light their night when they have no reliable source of electricity? Solar is a perfect answer to their situation but it is expensive and not in reach of the majority of the residents.

How many of us could take a $40 grant and turn it into a life changing event? Most of us would spend more than that amount on one meal and think nothing of it the next day. How would we as parents make the decision to send only one child to school if that was all we could afford? Which child would be the beneficiary of this life altering gift and how would we struggle to get this one child into high school and onto university with a payback period of more than two decades. This investment would affect the food on the table for the rest of the family for the same period. 

Can we make a difference? Yes, I believe we can. When we first spoke of this project with Rotary we were told that the best way to work in Uganda was through a dedicated family. We have something that most partners can only dream of, a large extended family who truly sacrifices for the good of their country. This family has the credibility to work in a community and get things done because they have demonstrated a genuine interest in bettering their communities.

Where do we go? More micro-credit loans would help struggling families improve their lives immediately. More education grants putting the youth through school would ensure a better future. A centre of excellence for technology, trades and business would give the country a bigger edge for future employment and competition. Composting and recycling or power generation from garbage would improve the health of both the people and the land and more centres dedicated to protecting and assisting the youth struggling with unimaginable horrors could give them the opportunity to once again dream.

I look forward to the opportunity in the future to work with all of you to make these dreams real!

Brad