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

All My Bags are Packed

Here's a first just about had the bog done and the power went out and I lost everything.

After we delivered the books and supplies to 5 schools we returned to meet the mayor and heads out to see the land he proposed. It was a wonderful 4 acres just past the edge of town but he had already spoken to the District Council and they  support the idea of a vocational school also. We noticed that there was a bore hole near by already used for water so water should not be a problem. Sue will have to meet with the officials next week to deal with a draft agreement we prepared. Once the land is ours to use she will plant fruit trees around the edge of the property to mark it and ward off squatters.  All of this was only possible due to the demonstrated commitment of Sue's entire family, Rotary and the rest of you. We are not a fly by night operation for sure. The Mayor also gave us the letter for our mayor requesting the assistance of Ottawa to deal with the garbage problem here. After all was done the mayor presented me with a plaque and stated that we have "changed the face of Luweero".

And we have:

When I arrived we would sit outside and watch 2 kids run by pushing an old tire for play. Last night we sat outside and watched 30 kids playing soccer, basketball and generally laughing and having fun till dark. We have had visitors in greater numbers everyday to the library even though it is not open for business yet! To further to good and hard work of all of you who donated time, money and energy we have also laid the "foundation" of another library at the "source of the Nile" and we are on track for our vocational school with an immediate "buy in" from a town that has never experienced the power of Rotary and scores of committed individuals who had never even heard of Luweero, Uganda one year ago.

I look froward to my final report and and blog, finally being able to provide all of you with the pictures that show this incredible  journey made possible by Rotarians, strangers, friends of us all and especially my wife and family who have supported this adventure.

Brad

Valentines Day

Tuesday morning started with me hitching a ride to the far end of Kasana to deal with our desk maker. Got all his issues straightened out and then off to see my friend Patrick at the supermarket. I picked up a surprise Valentine's Day cake for the evening meal. Next the bank then off to the Internet to do some work on letters Sue needed for the mayor. I returned to Maama Watali and then decided I had to go to the wood supplier to get the wood delivered a little faster. Some confusion as to what was ordered yesterday but we got it straightened out and back to sorting with Pross. With the extra wood we had 2 extra shelves built which help reduce the volume of boxes. Pross was wondering what the blue item was that I brought in one of the boxes. It was a punching bag which I blew up ( it is 4 feet high) once up the kids started coming around and we tried to hit each other and blocking ourselves. Of course every time it hit the ground it picked up more dirt which was promptly deposited on the face and school clothes of the kids and I. I can't imagine what the parents said when they got home but we all had a good laugh.

Sue received a call from the people in Jinja and to say they are ecstatic about their library is an understatement. They are already designing their building!

Once the supper main course was over I called all the kids out from where they eat (they eat in a different area) so it was like pulling teeth to get them out to our table. I gave a little thank you speech then opened the cake. It was a big hit with the inside joke being " Happy Birthday". We all had a good time with pictures to boot.

Wednesday was school delivery day starting with Dam's school. She had all the kids outside with parents included. A little speech about the library interpreted by Jackson an then the dramatics of opening the box of soccer balls and tossing them into the crowd of kids. We followed with the soccer jerseys and the moment was a hit (More pictures)  We repeated this event at 3 other junior schools and a high school who's students showed great interest in the location of the library.  

We have to meet with the Mayor at 4 today so off we go.

Boxes and Boxes

Monday Sue had to go to Kampala again so Pross, Maureen and I unpacked and loaded shelves with books and more books. We have had to order more shelving but we still won't get all the books on shelves if we want people to be able to move around. After a "team meeting" we have decided to sort out some of the triplicate copies (How many copies of Daniel Steels and Tom Clancy does one library require?) and we will try and partner with the folks in Jinja and get them their library now. This will give us two substantial libraries in different parts of the country, a real accomplishment for our "little" Club's first major international project.

My goal yesterday was to personally inspect every box that we unloaded and unfortunately I did not find the missing items. I have sent an email to the shipping company requesting compensation for the missing computers and tools.

We had a wonderful meeting with the mayor last evening. Sue and Jackson were held up in Kampala due to traffic (nothing new) so we had a dinner meeting of fish, potatoes and matoke. He was very interested in the garbage and composting ideas and we suggested that the composting centre could actually be a "micro-credit" job opportunity for someone. We have offered the expertise of Ottawa in providing the theoretical and practical challenges that need to be surpassed in changing not only the present process but the cultural shift. I really hope our councilor, Shad Qadri, supports us on this idea or I will have to a lot of research to do instead of just using the combined knowledge of the city employees.

Sue was on a role so she decided to see if the mayor was in the mood to discuss a vocational school "centre of excellence". He most certainly was and we are off on Wednesday to look at some city land that could be used for a nominal lease amount. We have been encouraged but his desire to push Luweero to the Uganda forefront in recycling, composting, and technical education.

Maybe we will get a "twining of cities" between Ottawa and Luweero and we will all make a substantial contribution to this area of Africa.

Unpacking

The trick to getting water is to be up at 04:30 before everyone else is and get the water that has been pumped overnight. A very slow pump apparently as once 7 comes around the tank is empty. I did get my 3 litres of water pumped and purified and I will have to clean up in a basin again.

We found out that they had power for just over an hour this morning so the wood made it through a planer once and most were cut close to size. We had to get the carpenter in the next shop to hand plane all the edges of the 60 - 5' boards - that cost another 20,000 shillings. Once they were all delivered by bicycle we cut them all to the proper length much to the delight and wonder of many as the battery power saw kept on trucking without power anywhere else and the batteries were charging as fast as required. Putting them together was a challenge as I had one real hammer and a kids one that I was going to let them play with but once again improvise and it was much better than using a brick!  We will get about 8 - 8' high shelves out of this wood which will make a great dent in the piles. The girls have taken interest in arranging the novels by author - so far Danielle Steele wins the most donated book prize.

We have a section on Project Management, Accounting, Geography and Ecology, Canada, French, Arts and Crafts,Religion, kids books and novels. Some of the sections keep getting bigger so we have to move books a few times to keep it organized. Note to anyone contemplating another such event - sort in Canada with people who know the subject matter!

We had a visit from a teacher in another town that heard what was going on and he wants to get his school involved. Another minister came by and he was interested in the religion section and being able to direct his congregation here. The story in Uganda is if you want to hide money put it a book as no one knows what it is for. He agreed that our resource was the start for the people to gain knowledge and begin  the change. A Kampala radio announcer came up and he praised the resource and wanted us to autograph a soccer ball for him to take back to the station. (Not sure how far that contact will go but he did say he wished he had been at customs with us once he heard the computers were missing!)

We have looked at our inventory of books and decided that we have enough to give each school a set of encyclopedias and a dictionary. We don't think we will be able to get the school sets together before I leave so we will present these items when Sue is booking appointments for them to come and see and work out the logistics including our head librarian Ms. Pross. Sue is returning in July so she should be able to get an idea of how it is going and fine tune the process before we expand the service.

We had a visit from the town Councillor, sort of a ward Councillor by job description, so over morning break we spoke about the subject of garbage and environment, Sue and I had talked about some solutions as that is her next endeavor for Uganda which is well on the way. I suggested that since their garbage collectors drive around and pick up stuff with shovels they should give everyone a garbage can which the guys could dump quicker and easier - okay it isn't original back home! We were discussing how everything is blowing around and how a the collection could be turned into energy - I will have to speak to Plastco. The discussion continued to the poor soil and since it dries out so quickly it stays dusty. Plan B, how about a community wide compost pile which could be mixed with the sand to make soil, plant some grass along the road and dust problem solved. We have a meeting with the mayor at 5pm Monday (he wanted 7am but we declined).

Well tomorrow is market day so it will be interesting to see how the basketball net is incorporated into the sales out front of the house. The kids were here all day playing basketball and enjoying the building of shelves, helping by holding up the shelves as we nailed the supports. Even the delivery guy was smiling after his third bike trip in the middle of the day. I think you could say our plan is a hit.

Speaking of garbage we now have one of the kids cutting the bottoms off the water bottles and we will use then for seedlings to sell - our tomato plants are over 2" high now.

Things that I forget to mention:
- when we came back from the Internet on Thursday one of the girls said that a friend of Sue's dropped over some cassava and chicken. I walked into the back and found the chicken tied up to the water container. I am not quite a local yet as I did get a bit of a start. It was a good dinner on Friday night.
- Maximum number of kids on a boda boda (100cc motorcycle) 5 - age 20
- Maximum number on a bicycle - 4 - Mom Dad and 2 kids headed to church Sunday morning

Saturday Feb 11

I was up early so headed to Kasana to get money and nails for today. Too early, as the stores were closed. Back for breakfast then off to the house. Sue met me at the woodworkers but they had not had power since before we placed our order so no shelving material. We negotiated for some 2x4's and  had them delivered by bike. This wood enabled us to create shelves in the storage room so we could get stuff out of the way. Sue's "sister" Becca arrived to help sort and we were off fixing the shelves and getting everything we had on shelves straightened up. Paper backs are 3 deep in some sections and we have a whole section of National Geographics 3 feet wide and 8 feet high of shelving stuffed. Reference and religious sections, reader's digest and novels. We only need the wood to get it finished but there has not been power all day.

Kids dropped by while we were working and asked for a basketball to play and more men stopped to see when we would be opened. It just gets better and we wont let the loss of the computers destroy the mood as the interest in reading is fantastic and we also found some little kids dresses and shoes to give out. Soccer jerseys have been divided for the different schools and we will start that process before I leave.

The clock purchased by Sam (my son) now hangs prominently on the wall inside the library and it is the only clock I have seen in Luweero.
   

Let there be light

Okay a little Sappy but! We started Friday out with shelf building and then 5 of Moses' classmates arrived by taxi-bus from Kampala to get the power up. A quick overview and ideas and off we went, they wanted to work as a team on each segment of the task so started off with getting the panels on the roof. Roofs here are corrugated tin that is so light they roll it up and take it to the site on their bicycles. Support is 4 foot on centre top to bottom and trusses spaced between 6 and 8 feet apart. Now put 6 - 22 year olds and one 50+ up there and you can imagine the sounds. Not to mention the ladder is 2 tree trunks about 3 " in diameter with whatever for rungs. So I pointed gave the plan then got down to assist in cutting the wood etc for the braces. About an hour later panels were installed, wires run through the roof, caulked and sealed. Sue and I left as they were finishing up to order wood for more shelves. Upon return they were all over the attic and walls following wire runs and testing switches. I asked that they install the controls first so we could get the inverter installed and charge the batteries. So the "team" got to it, all of us in a storage room that is 5 feet wide and 12 feet long. A little cramped as everyone wanted to see! All connected I found a problem with the panels not charging the system so Moses got to it as I was on the phone with the company. Moses was quicker than the rep as he found the panel had been wired wrong from the factory, not bad for a guy that has never seen one before. Fixed and the panels were charging at 5.4 amps. The lights were a bit of a problem as we had one major problem - we cannot locate the tool box with all the pliers and electrical connectors so our solution was once again the multi-tool (thanks Chris). Six worker bees and one pair of pliers, one hammer, and a pairing knife. It was very humorous as we are saying it is in the box instead of the container.  Unfortunately the tools and computers are missing so far and we are not holding out much hope of finding them. I guess they were found at customs and not only did we have to pay extra because they were on the packing slip but they were taken to be sold. - I really hope I can retract this comment once every box is unpacked there are only a few left and definitely no tool box.

After the electrical was all done we had a little 3 on 3 basketball game to the delight of all the kids and parents watching. Pictures handshakes and everyone leaving with a book for themselves and one for their families it was another great day but it wasn't over. I wandered out to the adult section and there were 3 - 4 men at any time reading books before they even made it on the shelves. One child came by and said he was supposed to ask when he could sign up to learn here, and Henry our contact with the district health council, was all set to send his staff down to sort and he wants to get going on the lecture/presentation series as it is just what he needs. We ate dinner under our new outdoor courtyard light and after I headed home the girls stayed up watching the lights (not the stars) imagining the power of the sun. Apparently they saw 1 am which was quite a novelty, they even went and got water as a reason to stay up. However, they were a little tired for school and church Saturday morning.

I was really looking forward to my shower but once I got to the guest house apparently 20+ women drained the tank before me so I had to use a Jerry can and bucket.

I forgot to mention yesterday as we were unloading the container a 8 - 9 year old boy stopped to help and he was quite the trooper for almost an hour. When he said he had to go Sue offered to buy him a drink or food, he said he would rather have a book! Can it get any better than that? I asked Sue who he was - she didn't know and no one else did apparently he lives outside town and was passing through.