Saturday, July 28, 2012

One Door Closes and Another Opens

In July 2008 I was there for the grand opening of the Eva Ruf Resoure Centre on Kalinabiri Road in Ntinda, Uganda. My role in getting the centre ready for opening was a minor one (there was an amazing team of volunteers that created the centre while the rest of us worked in the schools) but I remember my face hurting from smiling so much as the children laughed and played with all the resources now available to them.

Since then, the centre welcomed close to 1,000 visitors each month. Primary school children came to play and read, secondary school children studied quietly in the garden, and adults used the internet cafe or used the resources to increase their knowledge. Between 7:30am and 6pm, Monday to Saturday, the ERRC was a hub of activity.

Here we are at the end of July 2012 and here we are at the end of the existence of the Eva Ruf Resource Centre. Financial constraints and an inability to become self-sustaining has forced the difficult decision to close the centre at its current location. Unfortunately I was there to arrange the end as well.

But as always, when one door closes, another opens. The resources are still there and are now moving to a new home.

When the resources travel to Uganda, they make the journey in a 20' big steel container. These containers are now slated to become literacy centres that can be "easily" set up anywhere there is a desire and commitment to have one. This is what is happening to the ERRC.

I have worked with the staff at Kawanda Secondary School since July 2008. The teachers, administrators and students are committed to literacy and so it is a perfect for the first mobile literacy centre. A beautiful spot has been selected under a big tree, near the entrance to the school. There is a grassy area where the students will be able to sit and enjoy the books. A side gate will be create so that other school groups can come to use the centre and so that members of the community can utilize it as well.

 For Kawanda it will hopefully be a win-win situation as the students will have access to thousands of books and the school will be 'advertised' within the community. As a private boarding school, this is important.


I am sad and sorry that the community of Ntinda is losing the centre. The neighbours were all dismayed when they heard that the centre was closing. They wanted to try to find solutions to keep the centre open or to move the container to the local secondary school instead. Unfortunately that wasn't possible.

 It was a difficult situation to be in as I had to answer many questions from the community. But even more difficult was having to share the news with the staff that has been employed there for the past 4 years. In a country where the unemployment rate is 62%, jobs are few and far between unless a person has a specific skill set. I hope I will be able to keep in contact with the amazing people I have met and worked with. I wish them all the best and thank them for their dedication to the project.

The doors to the ERRC will be closed on July 31st, 2012.
It will be a very quiet place until the end of October when Niteo finally vacates the property.


Saturday, July 21, 2012

Meet my son (and his family)


When I first came to Uganda in 2008, we visited Living Hope Primary School on the afternoon of our arrival day. It seemed like cruel punishment to have to pile back into the bus (we were 15) and head to another part of town but that’s when I first fell in love with the place.

After the team set up the centre, students from Living Hope were invited to come to the grand opening. I think there is a post on this blog about that first day. It was just amazing and my cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

One boy in particular caught my attention. He was always smiling and showing off his football goalie skills. I have several photos of him posing with his “team” and the soccer ball. His name is Vicent.

I always sought Vicent out when I returned to Living Hope in the following years. He was a drummer for the dancers when they performed for our team. I believe he was a prefect one year as well. He never spoke a lot but always asked how I was and made sure to connect with me when I was there.

In 2010, I spoke to him about attending Kawanda Secondary School and sponsoring him. He said that he wanted to go very much. I planned on meeting his mother in 2011 when I travelled with Mum but Vicent had switched schools. The headmaster was insisting that he attend evening prep classes for his exams as he was in P7 but his mother did not want him walking back to school and home so late every night.  She transferred him to a closer school. I enquired about him and was told that he was absent but when Mum and I returned to Living Hope a second time a girl (who I now know is his sister) gave me a letter from him explaining why he wasn’t there. Unfortunately there was no time to go to meet him.

Linda, a team member that I have travelled with twice, met with Polly, Vicent’s mother, in the summer of 2011 and extended my offer to her to sponsor her son to attend Kawanda. I did not want to presume that it would be okay without asking her first. It was arranged and after passing his P7 exams, Vicent started attending Kawanda in February 2012.


When we went to Kawanda to visit two weeks ago, Muhamad said we would pass Vicent's class so that he could greet me. I was expecting the little boy to come and say hello but a young man, almost as tall as me, exited his classroom and gave me the biggest hug possible. “I am so happy to see you Mum.” Everyone refers to him as my son.

The second time we visited Kawanda, Muhamad arranged for Vicent to miss his art class and we spent an hour in an office just talking. We had never really sat down and talked together. He told me all about himself and his family. He is 15. His birthday is November 24th. He is the youngest of 4 boys and 3 girls (2 have died) but one sister is still in primary school. His favourite fruit is jackfruit. His mother and father farm their land as subsistence farmers. That have a variety of fruits and veggies that they grow but it is only for their family.

I had taken my iPad with me and spent some time showing him family photos as well as pictures of home. He was quite surprised about the snow and laughed when I told him that my cat’s name is Kabaka (the lugandan word for the King.) We had a lovely visit. He told me that he was working very hard and only sleeping 3-4 hours a night because he stayed up after the noisy boys went to bed to be able to study.

I was able to visit and talk with Vicent one more time the third time we visited Kawanda. I had received my lost luggage by then and had the backpack of school supplies for him that I had brought.  Mum had bought a t-shirt with a Native print on the front which he was thrilled with. I am so happy to have had the time to connect with my son. I am a very proud mama!

Vicent’s mother called me early in the second week to say that she would come to see me on Friday at noon. Betty was here when she arrived with a 2 year old and her husband. It was the first time that Betty met Vicent’s father because he runs a ranch either in Mbarara or Masaka both of which are over 4 hours away.


Vicent’s dad spoke about his pigs that they raise. They only have a couple at the moment because they sold 2 to pay school fees. It seems that is why people keep animals here – to sell when they need money. I asked if they had chickens and he said that he would like to have chickens for the eggs but finances are preventing them from buying any.


There is no doubt that Vicent’s is his mother’s son, they are spitting images of each other! Both Polly and her husband were so kind and happy to see me. They shook my hands over and over and thanked me for what I was doing for their son. They gave me gifts (I wish they hadn’t done that)and stayed only about 15 minutes. Silly me. I was so overwhelmed to see them that I didn’t offer them a drink or any food. What a rotten Ugandan hostess.

It was lovely to connect with them and I hope that we will be able to meet again in the future.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Being Caught with my Pants Down


Most people would be a bit upset about being caught with their pants down but it has happened twice to me this trip and I am ready to do it again!

Bree, Ellen, Kathy and I have done two presentations on women’s health: one at the vocational school in Gulu and one today at Living Hope primary school in Nateete. I had offered the program to Pastor Chris before we left Canada but had not heard back from him. As we were driving home from Gulu, he called and asked us to come to his school Tuesday at 10am. So this morning we packed the van with 100 bags of sanitary pads and headed to the school.


The program we offer starts with Ellen who talks about the reproductive organs and the menstrual cycle. She touches briefly on pregnancy especially if she’s asked but she does stress the dangerous times to have sex if you want to avoid pregnancy. Ellen’s part is quite serious except when she imitates sperm swimming up. In Gulu the young women laughed. At Living Hope the young girls just stared and the ladies of the church (the Tuesday morning bible study group) didn’t react at all because they were under the watchful eye of Pastor Sylvia..

My turn next. I am responsible for teaching about health during menstruation. I talk about drinking lots of water, eating well, and keeping clean. Then the fun part begins. We have travelled with almost 300 bags from Days for Girls that contain 2 ziploc bags, a bar of laundry soap, a pair of undies, two re-useable pad holders, 10 flannel pads, a facecloth, 2 safety pins, and a nail file for fun. I take off my shoes and to the giggles of young and old (especially Bree) I put the undies over my pants and pull them up to my knees. Then I show them how to use the pad holders and pads.  It’s really quite ingenious and if the pads are washed well, the set can last the girl three years.


Once I’m free of my extra undies, Bree and Kathy teach about HIV AIDS and the ABCs of safe sex. Bree talks about being faithful to yourself as well as your partner and shows the girls how to assertively say “NO!” when they don’t want to have sex.

Our presentation lasts about 2 hours depending on the amount of questions. The women and girls all had great questions ranging from the biological (where is the placenta?) to personal (is it okay to bleed more than once a month?). Before handing out the kits, we tell the audience that they are now the teachers for their sisters, mothers, aunties and friends. It is important for women to educate each other about healthy sexuality because we know best what is happening to our bodies. The presentation was a great success and Gaylie, our interpreter, was awesome.


After we handed out the bags, the girls went for lunch and we talked a bit more with the women. One woman dressed in a wool blazer and a long woolen skirt asked why she was getting hot flashes at the start of her menopause. Ellen explained it biologically but we all wanted to tell her to not dress so warmly. I was hot just looking at her. The women then proceeded to bible study with Pastor Sylvia, Pastor Chris’ wife. I would have loved to understand what she was talking about. They were all kneeling and confessing. Our sex talk probably gave them lots to confess. Sylvia had attended our lecture as well and took notes but there was nothing but a very serious face from her for the whole two hours we presented.


We stayed in the church for the lunch hour (we were in church almost 4 hours!) and then we moved to different classes to teach. Bree and Marina went to the K-P3 classes to read and sing songs, I took postcards from Canada for the children in P4 and P5 to reply to, Ellen taught the excretory system to the P6 students and Kathy reviewed the respiratory system with P7. Her review was short though and then she did some soccer tricks for her group. They were thrilled.

I was so happy to connect with the students that are in photos on my wall at home. Patricia, Hakimu and William are now in P6 and Patricia is the student prefect for the second year in a row. Fred has finally passed P4 (I think he repeated twice). I was especially thrilled to see him as I was worried he may have left school. He must be 15 years old and at an age where his parents could easily pull him out of school. Shafik shared his big smile with me from his P4 class. Florence, the amazing dancer, is in P7.


When I walk into the classes the students now greet me. “Hello Teacher Erika” they say with big grins on their faces. “When are you coming back?” They are always shocked when I say that I won’t be back until the following year but I promise to return and see them when they are in the same grade or one grade above if they have passed all their exams. I feel like I belong there and they are excited each year when they see me step out of the van.

It is my hope that if we do come to Uganda for a year (or more!) that I will be able to volunteer at Living Hope in the afternoons and evenings a couple times a week to help the students pass their exams and stay in school. I love the children there and the teaching staff that I have worked closely with is wonderful as well.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Welcome to the Eva Ruf Cente on July 16th, 2012

After another amazing day at Kawanda Secondary School where Kathy taught as S6 lesson on the brain and Ellen and I went through the Science lab to make a wish list for equipment, we have just returned to the Eva Ruf Resource Centre. It is currently a hub of activity. 

There are primary students (grades 1-6, ages 6-15) involved in all sorts of activities.

Outside there is a group of girls playing “dangerous sport” which is like dodgeball except the girls are running back and forth in the middle while one girl on each end tries to pelt them with a sock with a rock inside. They fly well and no doubt hurt so it is very important to avoid being hit.


Another group is playing chase and the children are running around screaming trying to catch one another. A third group has dragged some chairs outside and are playing a game of checkers.

On the porch there are two young boys, about 7, who are dragging each other back and forth with their feet. I hope their uniforms were already dirty because if they weren’t before, they certainly are now! Another group is using the base 100 blocks to build towers and is creating an imaginary city where the blocks have to move around in a certain way. One boy is reading and watching all the action.


 Inside a group of students in P5 and P6 are working on postcards for the students in Canada. Liz, our awesome volunteer teacher and current centre director is overseeing the students working on the cards and making sure they understand what is written from their Canadian friends.


Some students are playing Chinese Checkers, others are reading, and puzzles are a popular pastime. The centre is full of smiling and laughing children and there isn’t a chair available for the team members to come and sit with the kids.  



The secondary students however are very quiet. They are reviewing for their final exams and are patiently awaiting 5:30 when the primary students are shooed out by Apollo and the centre becomes a good place to study. Justine sits on the patio reviewing her notes for her economics exam. She is in S6 and is writing her A level papers (exams) in Humanities. Her courses are Economics, Geography, History, and Religion. I told her that the centre was not a quiet place to study at the moment and she agreed and laughed. She knew the silence would soon arrive.

And through all of this the shipping container is being cut with a metal band saw by a man wearing goggles and standing on a wooden ladder. As the square or rectangle is cut all the way around, the piece of metal falls crashing to the ground and everyone screams and jumps then giggles madly.


This centre is wonderful and so well used. I cannot imagine it being a bigger success than it already is.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

A few more pics of my cornbraids





I finally have a faster connection on the internet so I can upload these last few pictures of my hair experience!

Saturday, July 14, 2012

To cornbraids and back in 24 hours!

We spent Wednesday at the vocational school on Diocese land in Gulu. Marina, Cris and Andrew moved books that had been stored at the school for the past year while Ellen, Kathy, Bree and I taught a class on women’s health including the reproductive system, pregnancy, menstruation (using the kits from Days for Girls), HIV AIDS, sexual health, and empowerment. It was a fantastic class and the counselor who did the translating was amazing. She obviously had an excellent relationship with her girls.


After our class was through, the van had just left to deliver more books and so we went to sit under the mango tree to wait. I said to Grace that maybe the hairdressing students could do something with my hair such as braid it but it would be very small braids because my hair is so short! Next thing I knew I had the hairdressing instructor, a man, looking at my hair and then fetching a bag of copper coloured hair to make braids. I told him that I had maximum 30 minutes for my hair to be done.


Suddenly I had 12 hands frantically braiding my hair. Ugandan hair normally takes 2 bags of fake hair to make the braids but my head of hair required 5 bags! They kept commenting on how soft my hair is and how much of it I have. Needless to say that it took more than 30 minutes to do. The van returned and the team went to buy a rolex (think roll-eggs) for each of us. That took another hour and by the time they returned I had a nice head of braids.


It was heavy!! I managed to sleep with the braids but I didn’t think I would survive until July 23rd with them in. The base of my head was sore and when I washed my t-shirt in the bucket, I had to force my head back up with the extra weight! I wore the braids home but decided that I didn’t really like them (I felt like a poser to be honest) so my lovely team agreed to remove them.


I have always wanted cornbraids and Corey has always said that he doesn’t like them. Now I’ve had them and I will never get them again!