Blogs From Uganda

Final Blog From Uganda

2011-07-12T15:23:00.000-04:00

Even the bad news is good news sometimes. We head out for our Safari weekend and there was a small problem with the Safari vehicle. Apparently a metal piece that holds the back door shut had broken, while it was temporarily wired shut, it needed to be welded. Bad news, Masaka does not have power again and several villages on our route are also affected so there is no welder that can help. Good news, our driver, Charles, finds a welder in Mibiriizi and they are located almost directly across from Sylvia’s Children. We had planned on stopping to see Sylvia’s school after the Safari but we made our surprise visit while the truck was being repaired. Sylvia is a wonderful woman who has essentially adopted a small village school and worked hard to transform the school into a community of hope and promise for the villagers. There are just so many people doing wonderful things in this part of the world. They make a connection and they can’t turn their backs on the people they meet and Sylvia is another one of those wonderful people. She is from New Jersey and the last time I saw her was in a Starbucks half way between Albany and her home in New Jersey when Theresa and I traveled to meet her talk about the school she works with and learn from her experience. It was wonderful to see the school and to see Sylvia in Uganda. Her website is www.sylviaschildren.org. You just never know in life when a chance meeting will send you on a path you didn’t think you would find yourself on.

We arrive for the safari – there is such beauty in this country that one can quickly understand why it has been referred to as the “Pearl of Africa”. The natural beauty and wildlife are breathtaking. We saw, hippos, warthogs, Bush Bucks, Water Bucks, Zebras, Impala, monkeys, baboons, and African buffalo to name a few. We even had the added adventure of the monkeys entering our tent when we were out on a game drive one afternoon. They didn’t find any food, but they did take a few of our items and scatter them outside our tent. It was just too funny and I would have loved to have the video of their adventure in our room. The next morning they were waiting in the tree outside the tent, probably hoping we had something for them or that we would leave so they could finish their mischief.

After the Safari, we headed back toward the city of Kampala where we were to stay the next couple of nights. We stopped by Engeye on our way and of course stayed longer than planned. It is always hard to leave Engeye once you have stopped. We saw John’s injured leg (John the clinic manager had an unfortunate encounter with some steel sheets over the weekend) and we gave him what we had to help in his healing – we hope he heals well and takes care of himself. We know he will because so many depend on him. Brian and I also had an opportunity to see a bit more of the health clinic operations. What an amazing staff. Rose treated a few children and we were blessed with the opportunity to see her in action and the amazing health care provided at the clinic. There was also a photographer at the clinic from Harper’s magazine photographing for an article to be published very shortly- I guess we will have to wait and see what photos make the publication. She was taking some great photos. Always something happening at Engeye. It just has that energy it draws people from everywhere.

We finally said our final Engeye goodbyes and we were on our way. Then we had another one of those good luck/bad luck adventures. Unfortunately the safari vehicle broke down about 30 minutes from Engeye. Good luck was with us because it broke down just outside of the town of Masaka right in front of a Petrol station (gas station). We were so lucky it didn’t break down in a more remote section of road or on a stretch of that dusty construction. Now here is the interesting thing, when your car breaks down in Uganda this is what happens, Charles our driver hops on a boda boda (motorcycle) and heads into town to find a mechanic. He returns shortly with a mechanic on the back of the boda boda and he looks at the vehicle. Then the mechanic leaves on the boda boda and returns 20 minutes later with his toolbox, parts and his young son to begin the repair. Brian and I sit in a shady spot with our 50 cent bottle of soda that we purchased from the Petrol station and watch. The whole thing start to finish was 2 hours. Then we all got back in the vehicle and we drop off the mechanic and his son in town back at their shop and payment of about $30 was made for the parts and time.

We are on our way and we make it to Kampala in time to experience the rush hour traffic. I can’t even explain what that is like with boda bodas coming in from all sides and cars passing each other with mere inches between them. It is just crazy and I am happiest when I am safely at my resting place and out of the madness of the city. Short experiences are plenty for me when it comes to the city.

Well we are wrapping up and we have had a wonderful journey and we are anxious to get home and be with the other half of our family. We are also looking forward to the comforts of home. Thank you for sharing in our journey and thank you for your support.

-Elaine

Blog #7: Teaching in Uganda (Brian)

2011-07-08T15:47:00.000-04:00

Today we got up early and headed to Sydney Paul Nursery and Primary School. After navigating across some difficult terrain, that is actually considered roads, we were greeted by Rachel, the headmaster of the school, who was awaiting our arrival. We were also immediately greeted by these wonderful welcoming signs that were placed throughout the school grounds. Rachel was so excited to see us. She immediately took us into various classrooms where each class greeted us with an enthusiastic greeting. We were then led into the P7 class, which is the last class in the primary school in Uganda. The students in P7 hope to move on to Secondary school (which is similar to our high school). I say hope because it is a matter of finances, if the family can pay and they pass their required tests they can go to Secondary school. I was asked to teach the P7 class about air travel and transportation in the United States. After giving a presentation about airplanes and travel basics in the US, the students were given a chance to ask questions. While shy at first, once a few questions were asked more and more just kept coming. I was not only impressed by how well these kids could speak English, but also by how insightful and thoughtful many of their questions were. Even the teachers asked questions, which helped to offer the class more insight into life in the US and provided more information about transportation. Some of the more interesting questions they asked were:

Can poor people travel on airplanes?

What is faster to travel a distance – a train or a car?

What about water travel, do people like to travel by boat more than planes?

How do people move about in the big cities?

Do people in the US own their own car or can anybody drive it?

Why do planes crashed?

What happens if the plane runs low on fuel?

How does weather affect plane travel?

What do people wear when they travel on the plane?

Then after the transportation questions were over they asked general questions like What is the weather like?

Are the elections in the US fair?

Do kids drop out of school in the US and if so why?

What happens to kids who drop out of school?

Do kids who go to University get jobs when they finish school?

Do we have Malaria and Yellow Fever illness in the US?

After the extended question and answer session was over, I handed out a small model toy foam airplane to each student so they could have some fun with airplanes. The class wanted group pictures and when we went outside their airplanes started to fly immediately. They were so excited to fly their planes but when the teacher told them to hold them they listened and obeyed without complaint. We then gathered for group pictures. We then were able to take several group pictures of the students with their airplanes before heading out to show and handout airplanes to the P6 class, Baby class (nursery age kids) and Top class (kindergarten age kids). We got group pictures will these classes also.

After visiting the classes we had a meeting with the teachers. The teachers also had questions for us about airplane travel and the US. Some of the questions they asked were:

Why are there are seatbelts on the plane?

Are there computers at every seat on the airplane?

How much does it cost to fly from the US to Uganda?

How long did it take to get to Uganda?

What is it like in first class?

Who owns the airplanes – individuals or companies?

Can you look out the window of the airplane while you are flying and what can you see?

It was really interesting and fun to hear their questions and to answer the questions.

After meeting with the teachers we gave some of the school supplies and soccer balls we brought from the US and some teacher textbooks to the Headmaster. While we were meeting with the headmaster someone gathered all of the Engeye Scholars from their classes and they were all waiting for us. It was nice to be able to finally meet Bena, a student who I help sponsor through the program, as well as seeing Susan again, the girl who helped to started the scholars program when she came over to the US for burn treatment and when I was able to meet her and John (the Engeye Health Clinic founder) for the first time. It was also great to meet all of the other Engeye Scholars that are sponsored by friends here in the US. They were so happy to see us and take photos with us. Today was another great opportunity to have a direct interaction with the students and children in Uganda and learn more about them and their education system.

When we got back to the hotel we quickly learned that we no longer had running water in our room. At this point these things don’t surprise me and I think I’ve learned to pretty much accept these kinds of things here. Tomorrow we will be heading out for the tourist part of our trip. We are going on a two day Ugandan safari. We aren’t sure if we’ll have any internet access this weekend, so if you don’t see anything on the blog, it just means we are enjoying an African safari and that we are out of range of technology. On Monday we head back for our final goodbyes at Engeye and back to the city of Kampala. Thank you for continuing to follow our blogs and stay tuned for a few final blogs starting early next week.

Weraba (Goodbye) For Now,

Brian

A Visit to Tekera (Elaine)

2011-07-07T16:31:00.001-04:00

So we finally got internet access that would allow us to post the St. Gertrude’s photos. This is the school that the ETC Bucks for Books worked so hard to help. We have had some technology challenges these past few days and although I posted a blog on St. Gertrudes I couldn’t get the photos posted until today. I hope the photos provide more insight into the experience. Please visit: http://engeyescholars.jalbum.net/

Another exciting day filled with unique sites and adventures. We left Engeye today to head to Tekera Resource Center. Tekera is a wonderful place that was founded by Brigitte and Bruce Daley. It is a community development project that essentially requires villagers who can’t pay for health or education services to work in one of the community work programs to pay for the services. It also has a wonderful school, a craft business and a small health service facility. Tekera impressed me when I visited over a year ago and it still does today. Brian and I wanted to take this opportunity to learn from their model. I think so much can be gained when organizations share information and experience with each other, especially between groups attempting to accomplish the same goals for similarly situated communities. Brigitte and Jess at Tekera were welcoming and so helpful. We so enjoyed our visit with them. Brian also enjoyed the opportunity to play some serious soccer with the older students during their lunch break. Thank you Jess and Brigitte for sharing your time and knowledge. For more information about Tekera here is their website: http://ugandavillage.org/index.htm

We also left Engeye today with plans to stay at a hotel for a couple of days in Masaka, which is the nearest major town close to Tekera. What I did not expect was resistance to this plan from Brian. I had thought that he would welcome an opportunity to have running water and a hotel bed to sleep in. Instead, Brian was disappointed to leave Engeye and he did not see why we were moving to a hotel. This just highlights something I had always believed, it is not the stuff and conveniences that matter the most it is the people. Brian and I are truly going to miss the Engeye staff, John and sweet little Jackie. Jackie did not make it any easier for us to leave when she kept crying when we said goodbye and continued to cry as we drove away. Another heart breaking image was one of the boys, Brian gave a soccer jersey to, who came over to watch us leave and he just stood there watching his soccer jersey on. I know Brian missed playing soccer with the village kids tonight and eating dinner under the night sky. We will stop back at Engeye on Monday to say our final good bye before returning home. I don’t know if that will be such a good thing for Jackie to see us return only to leave a short time later. Nor do I think that will be easy on us to say goodbye for a second time.

The ironic part of our transition from Engeye to a hotel, was that once we got to the hotel in Masaka, our room had no running water and the power was out. The hotel did accommodate us and move us to another room that did have running water and then later we learned that the power was out in the whole city. Initially we thought the power was out only in the hotel so we ventured out to a restaurant for dinner, so funny to watch Brian and I make our way and try to cross streets with fast moving boda bodas coming from what seemed like every direction. Our inexperience with the traffic must have been obvious because one man offered to take our arms and help us cross the street. And many boda boda drivers stop to ask us if we wanted a ride to where we were going. Ride no way, we were taking this adventure full on, until we reached the restaurant and we learned the whole city was without power and we knew we didn’t want to walk back to the hotel in darkness. By the time we returned to our hotel they had power again, so we ate in the hotel restaurant. The food was wonderful and Brian and I joked, because we both had two drinks, two full fish dinners and he had an extra side dish and the total meal was less than $25.00 with tip. We are now catching up on our pictures and contacts because we have this wonderfully fast internet access. Tomorrow, we venture to Sydney Paul school which is the boarding school that 16 of our scholars attend. Brian has been asked to teach 4 or 5 classes about airplane travel so we are looking forward to seeing how that experience unfolds and looking forward to seeing our scholars and Brian will meet the scholar that he helps support for the first time.

Beera Bulungi (Be Well),
Elaine

Blog #6: You Have to Be Flexible (Brian)

2011-07-07T16:28:00.002-04:00

After having our final breakfast at the Engeye Clinic and saying an emotional goodbye to our new friend Jackie, we visited the Tekera Resource Center. At Tekera we were able to learn about how they run their community—including school, health center, and craft business. This experience sparked so many new ideas and we are thankful to Brigitte (a founder of Tekera) for allowing us to spend the day there and to learn more about it and its operations.

The students were taking exams when we arrived, but when they took a break after exams before lunch, one of the teachers, Julius invited me to participate in a soccer game with some of the older students and members of the soccer team at the school. I was impressed by the skills of many of the kids and their passion and interest in the sport, as they were very serious and determined as they played. All the while they ran up and down the field in their bare feet. I had a great time meeting the kids and was happy to be able to take part in their sports time. After saying goodbye as the kids headed in for lunch, I met up with my mother as we learned more about Tekera from Brigitte and Jess. Not only did Tekera have an impressive school and health center, but its management board and structure were extremely impressive. Brigitte wrapped up by taking us on a tour of the surrounding area and showing us some magnificent views before we headed off to Masaka.

Planning to stay in a hotel for the night in Masaka, we entered into a city with no power and a room lacking running water. But in Uganda you learn to go with the flow, and so we decided to walk down the sidewalk of the crazy, busy city streets to stop somewhere for dinner. We soon were alerted that power was lost in almost the entire city, and we figured we better head back to the hotel before nightfall in order to avoid having to walk back in complete darkness. Thankfully we had a nice dinner and power returned after we were relocated to a different room with running water and a toilet, something we have missed since leaving the United States.

Tomorrow we will be visiting Sydney Paul School, one of the schools in which many of our Engeye Scholars attend. I have been asked to teach several of the classes about air travel and transportation, which is sure to be an interesting experience. It’s always a nice feeling to be able to be personally involved with the children at the schools and everywhere I travel in Uganda.

Thanks for Reading,

Brian

Photo Galleries Being Posted

2011-07-06T15:28:00.003-04:00

We have been working to post photos from our trip so far at http://engeyescholars.jalbum.net/
Check out the pictures in the Bishop Ddungu Gallery. Internet is very slow here, more coming soon!

Blog #5: Running, Bubbles, and Sunshine (Brian)

2011-07-06T15:19:00.001-04:00

Today I woke up to the smile and laughter of my new friend Jackie, the daughter of the cook at the clinic, not a bad alarm clock. I am going to miss her smile and laughter when I leave here. She is about 3 years old and she talks and talks in Luganda of course. It’s amazing how well we can communicate even though we do not share a common language.

It was a sunny and warm morning, and after eating breakfast I went for a run while my mom walked. We got ready and headed out down the newly repaired dirt road, myself running and my mom walking way behind. Aside from the joy of from being able to go for a run, it was exciting to get to run in a new place on a nice day. As I ran, children and adults waved and yelled hello as I waved back and even a few of the younger kids ran with me for a short time. While not a fast run, it will always be one that I remember.

After enjoying the sun and some sunshine, the local kids started to gather again. At that point I brought out a container of bubbles that we had brought along. The kids had a blast running around trying to pop bubbles and were grinning from ear to ear. Sometimes it’s even the simple things that make a big difference. We even saw many of the kids from yesterday who received the soccer uniforms, and they were still wearing them today. For them it meant so much, and your donations are something they’ll cherish. We were also able to distribute the remaining uniforms as kids in brightly colored soccer jerseys ran around the clinic yard playing soccer and just having fun.

Tomorrow we will be leaving the clinic for Tekera, a wonderful community with a successful business and school started by a woman from Canada named Brigitte . We will be visiting the school and deliver some additional supplies while looking to learn more about the workings of the community there. In addition, I will have the opportunity to join the children there in their sports day, which is sure to be another exciting experience.

Have a Great Day,

Brian

The Day at St. Gertrudes (Elaine)

2011-07-06T14:51:00.000-04:00

What a wonderful celebration and day filled with hope. Thank you to each and every one of you that made it all possible. A special thank you to Theresa and Sara Weinman, who laid the groundwork for this amazing project. You set in motion and then you allowed Brian and I to see it through. I wish Theresa, Sara and all of our supporters could have been there to witness the change that has been set in motion for this small rural school and its students. I do want you all to know though, that you were all there in our hearts and we will do our best to post pictures to transport you to this world so far away from your own. You don’t need to travel here personally to effect change. The change has been set in motion and we were honored to be your ambassadors. I have never witnessed such gratitude for school textbooks and supplies. It makes it so easy to continue this project when you see the real possibility for positive change and such gratitude for each and every thing offered. Our hearts were overflowing during each part of the school’s presentation. But, I have to tell you that it really hit home for me when we went to each classroom to post the Classroom sponsor signs. The class walls were barren and if I didn’t know better, I would think that these classrooms had been abandoned and were no longer in use. The presence of student desks was the only visible sign that it was possibly a working classroom. I can’t wait to see how the classrooms are transformed when the posters are up, the teacher desks are in place and the supplies in use. It will be our very own ETC classroom makeover.

Webale (Thank You)

-Elaine

The Gift of Education

2011-07-05T13:53:00.003-04:00

Today we had the honor of delivering the textbooks and school supplies to St. Gertrude’s school. We delivered over 700 textbooks that were purchased through the generous donations to our ETC Bucks for Books program. We also delivered some other essential school supplies including chalk and word maps. In honor of our delivery of the books, the school organized a celebration day. The celebration included some wonderful performances by the student choir and some speeches from the Headmaster and the head of the school PTA. It was a bit overwhelming in that the students and the parents were so expressive of their appreciation and deep gratitude for the donations. The children performed for us for almost an hour. They sang and danced, singing our names during one song. The songs included “Welcome visitors” a song about their gratitude and appreciation. Most of the songs were sung in English. The headmaster went on to express his deep thanks, speaking to the crowd and they all applauded the donors and supporter of the Bucks for Books project. They made a presentation of the books and school supplies and they were all brought into the room by the children. John (the Engeye Clinic Manager) also gave a speech and explained and showed the book plates with the names of the donors in the books. Thank you donors, you truly made a lasting difference! I was humbled to be able to represent each and every one of you at the ceremony. After the ceremony, we proceeded to place signs with the names of the half/full Bucks for Books Classroom donors in the various classrooms. That conditions of the classrooms was striking and bleak. I look forward to seeing updated pictures of the classrooms after all of the posters, world maps and school supplies are placed in the classroom. Some of the donation money is also being used to build 8 teacher desks and chairs. The classrooms did not have one teacher desk for use by the teachers. When I get better access to the internet I will post pictures of this special day and at some point video of the students’ performances. It was a very special day and I thank you for making it all possible. There is no doubt that your contributions will make a difference.

One funny thing that happened when we were getting ready to leave, was that one of the parents asked to have his picture taken with me. We moved over to some trees and a gentleman that seemed to be acting as the school photographer took our picture, then a line formed. So many of the parents and the students wanted their picture taken with me as a representative of the organization that was going to make such a difference for their school. The picture request just kept coming, I had a small sense of what it must be like for famous people. No one would let me leave until they got a picture with me. After posing in about 100 photos, I finally left out the back so we could get back to the clinic. I didn’t dare leave the way we came in or I might still be there having my picture taken. I got to experience all the gratitude directly and it was amazing, but it was really all the donors that made this possible, so thank you!

When I arrived back at the clinic, several local kids were gathered nearby. I went and got a soccer ball and cones to make goals to get a soccer game started. Within minutes more and more kids came by to play. Since soccer is the most popular sport in Uganda, we figured it would be a fun activity. My mom and I thought it would be a good time to bring out some of the donated soccer jerseys (Thanks to the donors at Afrim’s Sports in Colonie, NY) to give to the kids. The kids got suited up and were smiling in their new gear. Several more kids joined, got their uniforms, and started to play. It’s nice to be able to see children who face so many struggles to have fun together and have recreational opportunities, so thank you again to those who donated supplies, I wish you could have been with me to experience the joy of these children. It was so cool to seeing children in Uganda wearing Latham Circle, Rotterdam and other local club soccer jerseys.

Tomorrow will be a more relaxed day. We plan to help out around the clinic and get to see how things work more. It’s amazing to see these young children who are sick but so optimistic and determined. Thank you for following our blogs. If after reading you feel compelled to help make an impact, a donation of any amount to our programs is always appreciated and I have personally witnessed the difference it is making. To donate please visit http://www.engeyescholars.com/donate.html

Webale (Thank You) For Your Support,

Brian

Simple Joys (Brian)

2011-07-04T15:02:00.001-04:00

Blog #3: Simple Joys

Today we awoke and had a nice breakfast with a beautiful view outside. From there we worked for many hours placing bookplates and stamps in the many books we purchased through our Bucks for Books Program (www.etcbucksforbooks.org) where we worked to fundraise for donations that we used to purchase textbooks and school. While we were working in a building adjacent to the Health Clinic, we were able to see the various patients that waited for hours in order to be seen by the doctors at the clinic. People had been waiting since 4:30am (many that traveled many hours on foot or bike just to reach the clinic) without any complaints, something that would never be seen in the United States. One of the patients, a young girl maybe 8 years old, kept peering into our building and finally decided to come in and she helped us organize and sort the textbooks to be delivered. After, all the bookplates and stamps were added we sorted the books by grade and boxed them up for delivery. After organizing the books we sorted other school supplies to be delivered to schools, as the schools lack basic supplies including pencils and paper, allowing us to make a lasting difference.

Later in the evening a few kids from the village saw me and came over to talk with me. We listened to music and the kids told me their names. We had some extra stickers from the school supplies so I asked them if they would like any and they became very excited. I gave them each a few stickers and then a few small toys, and before I knew it more and more kids started showing up. All the kids started jumping up and down asking for stickers and toys and it went from three kids to at least thirty in a matter of minutes. The kids also had a dance contest to the music on my Ipod. The kids were so grateful for anything, and I felt bad when I ran out of items to give out. My mom had to tell me to stop so they wouldn’t fight over things. The kids chased me around and gave me a tour of a part of the village before I had to return to eat a late dinner. The village kids were so happy to see a muzungu and were sad when I had to leave.

It’s great to see kids who are so grateful for something as simple as a sticker and can still be so happy when they have so little. They manage to have fun and play with each other with no television, video games, or computer and with almost no toys. It’s so different than in the US in this aspect and will definitely take some time to readjust to when I get home. When here you realize how much you can do without having to use technology and modern devices.

Tomorrow we will be delivering the textbooks to St. Gertrude’s school, where the headmaster is overjoyed and plans to hold a celebration when we arrive. It should be something truly special to see this appreciation and how willing and eager the students here are to learn when given the opportunity. It’s always a joy to see the kids here and I can’t wait to see their faces when we bring the books tomorrow.

P.S. Happy 4^th of July to everyone in the US!

Until next time,

Brian

Elaine Pers Hickey-Blog 1

2011-07-04T14:24:00.001-04:00

It is such a long journey to get here, but once I am here, I am reminded why the journey is worth making. It is a very different trip this time traveling with my son rather than a team of Doctors and Medical students. Each journey is unique and special in its own way. I have to admit though that watching Brian embrace the experience and sharing this trip with him, is simply priceless. There is so much meaning and purpose in all that we do here but it is just amplified watching Brian with the kids and the adults that he has met so far.

I was so blessed yesterday to be able to see our Engeye Scholars at Bishop Ddungu on visiting day. They were so proud of their work. They showed their families, Brian, John and I every single work book. I was very impressed by the level of work and the care they took in taking care of their papers and keeping them organized. I saw math work, work about the life cycle of the cockroach and other insects, work about the human body, the heart, liver and lungs. They work very hard and it is incredible that generous supporters in the US have given this gift of education to them.

We were also fortunate to be able to visit our only scholar in Secondary School, Mary. It was visiting day for Mary also, and her eyes lit up when we stopped in to see her. Before our arrival she didn’t have any visitors. We didn’t arrive at the school until around 3pm, so I am sure she thought the day would pass without visitors. Unfortunately she does not have any parents to visit her, so she could only hope for John or another relative. When John, Brian and I arrived she was so proud and grateful. Of course she was the only student with visitors from America. We had an opportunity to see the school and visit with the school principal. The principal told me that the school would welcome any volunteers from the US to come stay at the school to teach Math, computers or music. They even have a vacant house with running water for the volunteers to stay in. If any readers of this blog know anyone at a University that is looking for an amazing volunteer experience for its students, have them contact me. Or if there is a college student out there that would be interested in this type of experience let me know. Nice housing and an opportunity to teach at a private school in rural Uganda. The principal did say that it would be better for at least two volunteers to come at one time so the they wouldn’t get lonely. Every journey presents new opportunities.

Today Brian and I got some much needed sleep as the rains fell and filled the near empty water collection containers. After breakfast we worked the whole day organizing the more than 700 books purchased using the donations collected through ETC bucks for books. We organized the books by grade and put donor recognition stickers in the books and stamped them with the name of the school receiving the books. Then we organized all the wonderful school supplies donated and purchased for the schools. We are looking forward to visiting St. Gertrude’s school tomorrow to deliver their books and school supplies. When we were working and organizing the books today, the clinic patients were waiting ever so patiently to be seen by the Engeye Health clinic staff (one arrived as early as 4:30am). One of the patients was a sweet young girl, named Gertrude, who happens to attend St. Gertrude’s school. She saw us working and came in to help. Brian and I were struck by what a hard worker she was (and she was waiting to be seen because she was sick). She was beyond her years in many ways, we didn’t even have to ask her to do things she just watched us for a moment and then just jumped right in and stacked and organized books. When Brian and I could not keep up with her, she would casually pick up a book and read and look through it with such appreciation and interest. Thank you to all the ETC Bucks for Books donors, it is amazing what the simple gift of books and school supplies can do for a community. We may share this in words and pictures but I hope you can feel it with your heart. We will do our best tomorrow to share the experience with you so you can not only read about it and see it in pictures but hopefully you can feel it.

Our day finished so magically. Brian had kids surrounding him, dancing for him, laughing with him and just sharing some fun. The stickers he gave them helped draw even more children. At one point they were walking him down to the bore hole where they get there water and he had a parade of children following him. Then Headmaster Paul paid a visit so we could prepare for our visit to St. Gertrude’s tomorrow. One of our wonderful supporters (Curt) had given Theresa a refurbished laptop for us to bring and she dropped it off to me right before we left. The smile on Headmaster Paul’s face said it all. One of those moments when you know deep in your heart it is so much better to give then to receive. Thank you Curt for sending that laptop with me. I want you to know it is so appreciated. I got the pleasure of giving it to him, but it truly was your gift to him. Looking forward to an amazing day tomorrow of giving on behalf of so many of you. Thank you for that opportunity.

Hope you all had an amazing 4^th of July. We were thinking of you and sending good wishes. Thanks for sharing in our experience by reading our blog.

Uganda Photos

2011-07-04T02:56:00.000-04:00

Finally Arrived! Blog #2

2011-07-03T14:03:00.002-04:00

After over 24 hours of travel time with over 7,500 miles of flying, hours of driving and almost no sleep we finally reached Ddegeya village today. The seven hour time difference made the transition a bit more challenging. When we drove down to NYC to catch our first flight I thought driving in NYC was crazy, but after seeing how people drive in Uganda nothing compares. Cars weaved in and out and pass recklessly, people just walked across the street at will, and people rarely yielded or stopped at stop signs. Luckily our driver was cautious and safe. On our drive we also made a quick stop to take some photos on the equator line, which also runs through Uganda. Then we went directly to Family Visiting Day at Bishop Ddungu school. All the families and students gathered at the school where performances were put on, a picnic meal was shared, and families had the opportunity to visit the classrooms. It was really exciting to meet the scholars and other children.

Currently six Engeye Scholars are enrolled at Bishop Ddungu through Engeye Scholars sponsorship because of generous people in the United States. Without these sponsors these students would never of had the opportunity to receive such a quality education if any education at all. Once arriving at the school the excitement of the children and students helped to give us a much needed boost of energy. I’m extremely happy to finally get a break from the long travel. Just seeing how happy these children were to be at school and to be with their families was really empowering. I made many new friends who I will get to see over the next few days, as children often yelled “muzungu” (white person) each time my mom and I passed by. White people are a rare sight in rural Uganda so it’s really fun whenever you go down the street and many people yell and wave. After Bishop Ddungu we were able to visit another one of the scholars at St. Bernard’s Secondary School, another interesting experience. Definitely a very different way of life here, but its refreshing to see how happy, friendly, and grateful the people here really are.

I also got to have my first Uganda experience with the pit toilet today—a simple hole in the ground for all your restroom needs. But everything is beautiful here, the landscape, scenery, and our dinner under the night sky. Tomorrow we will make preparations and place bookplates in the textbooks that we fundraised for through the Bucks for Books program. We will then be delivering the books and visiting some of the other schools during the week. Now I’m getting ready to sleep under my mosquito net and to get some rest. Stay tuned for more updates and pictures.

In Desperate Need of Some Sleep,

-Brian

Here We Go! Blog #1

2011-07-01T22:00:00.000-04:00

Here we go! I’m about to embark on a trip that I’ll never forget. Soon I’ll be flying into Uganda to further the educational goals of the programs in which I am involved, Engeye Scholars (www.engeyescholars.org) and Engeye Teen Connection (ETC www.engeyescholars.org/etc.html). Joined by my mom, we will travel to several rural villages to help deliver educational supplies and textbooks, as well as medical equipment. Over the past couple months I have helped fundraise nearly $10,000 through ETC’s Bucks for Books Program (www.etcbucksforbooks.org). With these generous donations, we have been able to make arrangements to have the books pre-purchased and ready to be picked up in Uganda so that we can deliver the books to the schools. In addition, I have been asked to teach the children at one of the schools about airplane travel and transportation, something seemingly foreign to the children in this country. I can’t wait for this opportunity as the teacher of the school says they are very excited to be taught by an American and have many questions for me. The children there are already asking if there is more than one mode of transportation in the United States. This question seems silly to most Americans, but they offer insight into the experiences of the Ugandan children and the stark contrast between our two societies.

Uganda is a country in the central part of Africa, with a population of 32 million people all in a country slightly smaller than the size of Oregon. It’s a landlocked nation surrounded by Kenya, Sudan, the Democratic Congo, Rwanda, and Tanzania. The nation’s inhabitants struggle each day to survive facing AIDs, Malaria, poverty, malnourishment, unclean water, and a lack of proper healthcare and education. It is the mission of Engeye and Engeye Scholars to work to alleviate these struggles and to improve the quality of life of the people in Uganda. My hope is that through my experience I may be able to make a difference and lasting impact in the lives of some of the people and children in the village while hopefully inspiring other teens and adults in the US to become involved and take action as well.

Many friends and family members have been asking me how I feel about going to Uganda. Of course some excitement and nervousness, but it really hasn’t set in yet that I’m about to be living in a completely different world, one that will almost will feel like I’m going back in time. Maybe when I stop seeing the swarms of cars, large buildings, and modern technology I’ll finally realize I’m there. But until then I’m still stuck in the modern world that I’ve been living in for the last 17 years. Only time will tell. Wish me luck!

-Brian

Engeye Scholars & Engeye Teen Connection

2011-06-25T21:40:00.002-04:00

Engeye Scholars: The Mission of Engeye Scholars is to support the educational initiative of the Engeye Health Clinic. Specifically, our purpose is to help meet the educational needs of children living in and around Ddegeya Village, Uganda. It is our hope to positively impact the lives of children who may not have the opportunity to seek an adequate education on their own. We will work to do this one village at a time. For More Information Please Visit: http://www.engeyescholars.org/

Engeye Teen Connection: The Engeye Teen Connection (ETC) is a group of dedicated teens that work together on various projects to assist the people of Ddegeya Village in Uganda. We have taken on various projects including shoe drives, walk-a-thons, craft fairs, school supply collections, pancake breakfasts, and more. Recently, ETC has helped raise money to purchase textbooks to be delivered this summer by ETC Board Member Brian Hickey to children in Uganda. For More Information Please Visit: http://www.engeyescholars.org/etc.html

ETC's Sara Weinman during her visit to Uganda in February

Please Help Educate Children in Uganda

2011-06-24T18:55:00.001-04:00

Education is the key to the future for students of all ages. Bright children in and around Ddegeya with great promise lack the basic school supplies and textbooks to help them learn and succeed. You can make a dramatic difference in a rural Ugandan village, and help us extend educational opportunities to needy children.

Children Lacking Basic School Supplies