Friday, September 15, 2006

 


I was asked to type a proposal letter for FHI for a Uganden that does not know how to type. He had it all written out so I just had to type and when I was I thought that it is a good description of where I have been the past week.


Kapchorwa is located on the volcanic slopes of Mt. Elgon. Bukwo is distinct in Eastern Uganda, 387 km from Kampala city. It is inhabited by Sabiny majority tribe it covers six villages, 307 families, 1155 children, 349 men, and 427 women most of whom are illiterate. They earn a living through garden work, casual labor, sell of poles, grass, brewing, and domestic animals. There are high disease incidences that end in death amongst children. There is one school that has just started that has 130 children who attend regularly with 5 volunteer teachers. The only local fellowship teaches false doctrine, there is no respect for women and children in which it has caused various social problems. The Church, leaders, and families know and practice very little of their roles as God intends.

So It is just absolutely beautiful here in Kapchorwa.

I mean we are right on top of a mountain over looking as far as you can see. It is funny I can just remember watching movies and Discovery programs about Africa and seeing the views and the tribes, but never in a million years did I think that I would be among it all. It is also funny because despite me watching all that stuff before it just never really hit me till I am here seeing it for my own eyes. And so just walking on the mountains with children following behind you with natural green grass that is as lush as you can imagin that even golf corses would kill to have. And views, I bust my camera out, but even then it could not express how beautiful it really is. No matter how may pictures or how many hours of video I could show, it just would not be the same. And as I look at the chuckling children behind me I realize that this is all they know. They have been spoiled with such landscape that people would kill to have property on. The road to Kapchorwa just opened 3 years ago so it is not that hopping yet. And it is sad because of the fertile soil that it has they just grow just abundance of crops but the roads are so bad that no trucks can get the crops. And they crops that they do sell they get cheated because there is no one to buy it so they have to sell it cheep.
And they electricity is very scarce here. They will go 3 or 4 days without power. So they drink warm beer and cokes yuck I can't stand it I don't see how they do it. It is funny because when the power does come on they let the whole world know. I have been living in a hotel here which is costing me about 7 bucks a night and they go knocking on the doors even in the middle of the night to let you know that the power is on so that you can charge your phones, lamps, for me computer, electric shaver, water heater. because sometimes the power only stays on for 30 minutes. And then I go tell them then to plug in the refrigerator so I can I have a cold coke later. It is funny because here they get ready and prepare for when the power comes on. In Kampala (the city) they get ready and prepare for when the power goes off.
So enough about Kapchura and I will let you know what I have been doing in the past 3 days besides drooling over the weather and views. There was a Christian children's retreat the past 2 days so basically I was the go-to volunteer. Before they cam I was writing FHI on all the new plastic cups and plates that we got for them to use. and teaching them games to play. Like duck duck goose and freeze tag. So the kids just left today, so now I have time to tell you all this

tid bit: you have to iron everything here in Uganda, even sheets and underwear because there is a bug that is called a "mango fly" that crawls under your skin and then you have to pop it out like a pimple but can be prevented by ironing to burn 'em up.

my point wasn't to grose you out. My point was to tell you that I am having to buy an iron that you put hot coals in it because there is no electricty. I will try to get a picture of one

Thanks for listening

HenryT

Comments: Post a Comment



<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?