Issue #3

28.05.2008

AFRICAN ADVENTURES!

It’s been a month of people. Natalie, my lovely nurse friend from Canberra, has now been here a month with Bec and I; we’ve made American friends, Cliff, Julie and Bryan, who have literally changed entire villages; and we’re always touching more people with work, and life, as you do. J  And, all three of us girls have preached at least once.  Woo!

So how’s ISA going with changing the world? We’re not there just yet, but a few kids have definitely been impacted…

Between the 2^nd and the 5^th of May, we recruited 22 more children into the Care4Kids home. We were going to spread it over longer, but the situations the kids have been taken from were so horrendous we had to take them all then!

Let me give you an example:

On Friday 2^nd May, four of the Care4Kids staff went to Kikaramoja to collect the children that had been identified as the neediest in the community. Many children and parents came to us requesting support for themselves – unfortunately not everyone can be given jobs and sponsorship. We even had to have five adults surrounding the van door when we were leaving; people were so desperate to get out of their situation. But there was one case that was not about themselves. He was a malnutritioned boy, like the bony children you see in famine documentaries; with no home, no family; he slept on the streets at night alone, did not speak the local language, and did not even have a name. Apparently someone had brought him to this village and left him. His health was so bad that, aside from extreme malnutrition, his feet and even hands were full of jiggers (bugs that bury into your body and suck your blood, leaving behind eggs and horrible infection) – by the hundreds!

I named him Stephen Mukisa.

Mukisa means ‘blessing’.

And so you can see the severity of jiggers:

(note: this is after some have already been removed and with clean feet)

After many sessions of trying to remove the jiggers, which have to be cut out one at a time (aah!), Mukisa was prayed over. The next day the jiggers were gone, his facial complexion was refreshed, and he has since been happy and playful!! I am not exaggerating at all: complete change!

Between having amazing new staff, and transformed new children, Care4Kids is such a happier, community-impacting home. Many of the children have been healed of illnesses we don’t ever see in Australia, and emotionally renewed. Sure, issues of neglect, hardship and the inevitable “why?” questions will come out as they grow up, but I also know that the ease, satisfaction and joy easily outlasted the intensity.  (Intense because the children have suffered, and many others still do; there are many material and financial needs for that many more children, and everything had to happen very quickly; as staff we were responding to the urgent when the normal jobs and responsibilities still had to be met.)

There are now 44 children who stay at Care4Kids, and a further 18 sponsored who stay with a family in their home village.  ISA mostly takes in school aged children, but you bend the rules when you’re taking in families of orphans. So, we now have 3 babies. Now I get to be the one teaching (limited) Lusoga.  Sweet!

                                                                                                                            Rebecca

Even though I’m here doing development, child monitoring in the villages, project reporting, and related bits of administration, I’ve been making sure I get in good amounts of hang time with the children at the base. I am blown away with how they open up to and radiate from being with me, and the other staff. What awesome opportunities! God does say that He’s Father to the fatherless, the defender of widows, and that He’ll place the lonely in families (Psalm 68:5-6, as just one example). We all get to be part of that!

I know you’ve all got your own things happening, but I’d love if you could help us out here:

Please pray for the children:

-         they started school this week, and half of them are not schooled yet, so it’s a big change

-         that the staff will not wear out.

Praise God that:

-         so many children and families are being helped!

-         the old and new children have bonded so well. They have been so kind to share and help one another

-         that the new children have opened up to the staff and settled in well generally

-         the new school gave us a good discount on the school fees, consequently all except one of the previous children will go there too

-         wounds and diseases cleared so quickly

-          the staff have adjusted and blossomed with the increase.

Mukyala Irene                                                                                                 !

Thank you!

May all these things stay fresh in your minds and inspire your lives.

Love Emily

~

The Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do.”

Psalm 12:5

~ Poverty is so much greater than physical suffering ~



Issue #2

AFRICAN ADVENTURES!

Wow, a lot happens in a month. I’ve been part of activities that range from recruiting children, to building wells, preaching, and getting stuck in random villages in a down pour. How exciting!

Others have come and gone: Allan Toole, who was in charge of the water development; Voula (head of ISA), Ben and Geoff (film men), who filmed and pushed forward the work happening here; and Bec went off to Kenya for two weeks, but is now back in great form. As for me, I’m pretty settled into life here; even if it is consistently unpredictable (yeah, I love it).

See the cutie above? This is Waiswa Peter. He is the twin of one of the girls here, Babirye Elizabeth. Pastor Kawoya and I went and took him into the home a few Saturdays ago. I was so touched to see how the other children embraced his arrival – the girls shared dolls, the boys showed him how the place functions, and he was surrounded by a crowd of smiles. This is a particularly sad case because Waiswa has sickle cells. God willing he will be healed, but for now we are grateful for the temporary release from pain God has granted thus far (truly).

The white man in the front of the stage is Allan. We’re in church, where he got everyone up doing silly tricks. I love it! A professional water development worker, who is completely God and people focused, and able to make fun in any situation. Allan was such a blessing to Bec and I; personally and work-wise.

Allan taught an effective evangelism technique, which only requires a piece of paper. I say effective because three new Christians were in church the next week from it!

To the development work. We built a well! Allan made Bec and I his side-kicks, and so crammed our heads full of water information so we could help teach it. Pastor Kawoya selected the team, and we started training. We only had two weeks to learn about sanitation, water, and building a well, and then we got into the physical work. The method we used is called the percussion drilling method. It was a great time getting to know some people – who I now see regularly – and seeing peoples skills, ideas and commitment. One of the most devoted and skilled men, Kisambira Patrick, got a job with ISA.

Geoff and Ben filming the team.

Dropping the bailer to dig the mud out of our hole.

And now we have a water pump! (Please note: no curious children were harmed during the making of this well – we worked in teams, so it was easy to child mind and construct simultaneously.) Allan will hopefully be back at the end of the year for further training… if World Vision, who came to see the project and was very impressed, doesn’t steal all his time first.

Another adventure was the flood. We came back from church to find a river, in place of our driveway and land. Fortunately we work well together, and half the adults were inside feeding and caring for the kids, and the rest of us were wading up the drive to divert the water (yes, still in church clothes).

                                                  

But as you can see I am still well and happy, and you’ll have to trust me that the others are too.

That’s just some of the major things that have happened. In between that is normal work and daily living.  

Thank you for reading and for caring,

Emily (Nabirye)

God expects so much of us rightly because He knows how able and willing He is.

Praise Points!

• We are becoming increasingly organized and stable in our work on this side of ISA
• Allan, Geoff, Ben and Voula came and went safely, and were all loved on this side, and able to do a really good work (not bad for a 2 week and 1 week stay!)
• Bec came back refreshed from Kenya, and praise God there was a family there to spend time with, and she is looking prettier than ever
• All of the children are alive and well
• The new matron and cook are lovely, even better than the last ones in work standards, and adore the children (staff change a lot, don’t worry about that)
• Social connections are going well, especially since joining the church choir, and I’ve made friends with families all up the road (unfortunately, I also got stuck to their chair)
• Favour with those who have monitored us, and the necessary work put in by the staff behind it. Bless them

Prayer Points.

• That restrictions of travel, weather (I’ve redefined my understanding of downpour), blackouts, and how those things may be effecting people you need to work with will be minimal and easily compensated for later
• Natalie, gorgeous girl, is arriving this weekend. Please pray for her safe arrival and that she settles in well
• Sleep for Bec and I
• There is a team coming in July, please pray that the program set for them will be what God wants for them, for us on the receiving side, and that preparation would be good
• For the continued organization of ISA, which relies on many signatures and papers. But hey, we’re getting known by a lot of different people J

Prayer is “powerful and effective”

So thank you for your prayers.

Issue #1

AFRICAN ADVENTURES!

I was going to start with a “normal” day of life in Uganda, but I can't. Everyday is an adventure. Yesterday Rebecca and I, Emily, came to Jinja to send off the newsletter, and who should be on the coaster in front of us but an escorted hand-cuffed man!

As the first newsletter, this will be a general report on Care4Kids ISA.

  Care4Kids Children's Home  

                                    

Emily and Rebecca in a village

The Children

The Children's Home has just moved to its own property closer to Lake Victoria. There are 24 children staying there, and many other sponsor children in hostels or still at home in the villages.  The aim of Care4Kids is to look after children who have nowhere to stay. That's why we're getting 70 children come from Lira over the next few months. Lira is one of the main areas the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) is focused. These children have lost their families and seen (or even had to commit) violence worse than anyone should have to.

Staff – on and off the base

Mebbre, Jesca and Christine sleep at the base, and do the cooking, cleaning and child-care. Annet washes the clothes – a full day's work when you're washing by hand. Pastor Kawoya, Raechel and Aidah do the administration, reporting and fieldwork (this is where Bec and I are also focused, at least until the Lira children come). Cosmas is the driver, and does bits of work on the property. And Lawrence is the farmer. He cares for the 14 pigs, 12 piglets (more to come this week!), 4 goats, 2 kids, chickens, and 2 cows. The animals provide us with eggs, meat and (soon) and income. Income is also generated by the coaster and two matatus (public buses) ISA owns. Plus, an internet cafe was established at the end of 2007.

It's been interesting getting to know Bec and the staff. There's nothing like a bit of shock factor to get yourself known... It was Bec's second day in Africa – still feeling a bit vulnerable, as you can imagine. So, I was helpful and took her for a walk. Lawrence came to show us the way to the lake. On the way back, my until then vaguely light head got the better of me, and I ended up out of it on the road, carried by villagers into the shade. Just as well Lawrence was there to translate! They called for a boda boda (motorbike taxi), and Lawrence carried the still passed-out me on the back to Jinja (the local town) Medical Centre. Bec made her way back to Care4Kids, met Aidah, and then was introduced to town by having to come and find where I was. Lawrence, Bec and I have gotten along wonderfully ever since.

Projects

Much time is spent taking clothes, medicines and school fees to children in surrounding areas. Plus, we encourage self-sustainability, and so have a number of agricultural projects set up. For example, in 2006 Care4Kids established a piggery in Kikuuku. It is  run by a group of 12 widows, which is expanding and will soon be big enough to generate an income that isn't fed back into caring for the pigs. Projects enable locals to use their own ideas, skills and resources to set them up for the future; and so encourage development on the basis of local desires and initiative.

Clothes to Karen and Kevin

         

School near Namaganga

“Give me a child until he's seven, and I'll show you the man.”

Judging by peoples testimonies – young and old alike – it is what happens in these first few years that is most significant. But by grace it's also wrong!

Shakira's Story - Shakira is a 16 year old girl who stays at Care4Kids. An absolute pleasure to have around. Her father died when she was born, and she and her older sister Sarina have lived with a series of  families since.  First they stayed with their step-grandmother's daughter. As a three-four year old, Shakira dug, cooked and carried her guardian's baby.  At 5, they went and lived with their grandmother. Here they had to dig everyday, often with only hot water to fill their stomachs. The grandmother died and they moved again. When her mother died, none of the relatives from her home town came to her (it is custom for the eldest child to care for a deceased sibling's children).

In a country with the second highest number of orphans in the world, this story is not uncommon.

Becka with 'Poddy' (my childhood bear; still have it)