Deja Vu?

English Service at Kisoro Cathedral

It seems like we've been here before.

Over the years there have been several photos in our blogs of coaches that we were travelling on, which had broken done, often because of a puncture. To continue the trend here is a picture of the coach Malcolm travelled on this week from Kisoro to Kampala.

Anyone have a jack?

 Malcolm had completed his 5 day task of ‘Examining’ the accounts of Potters Village Crisis Centre for children. He had a good time with the Director and her doctor husband (Sue and Mike) who manage the home and run the Paediatric medical centre. 

Ruth, Rebecca, Mike, Rosie and Sue relaxing at Sunday Lunch

The Crisis Centre opened as a 30 bed residential home for orphaned and abandoned babies about 9 years ago but has recently opened a medical centre and baby care unit open to children from the local community and referrals from the hospital. The medical work has quickly grown with 21 inpatients whilst Malcolm was there.

Staff with  babies that they care for

A new, and abandoned baby

 

The journey from Kisoro to Kiwoko via Kampala took about 13 hours in total, with 10 hours (including break down) on one of the more reliable coach services. When at last he arrived at Kiwoko Hospital, once again Malcolm was made very welcome, and would like to say he got straight down to work.

 

However……………………………. it is the Children’s Holiday Club week (Ekisa, which is Lugandan for Grace) and he could not resist turning up to take photos of the fun the children were having. The theme was ‘Pauls Journeys’. Children of hospital staff and some from the community had 3 days of fun, singing, playing games and learning about Jesus.

Ekisa Club sing along a song

 One of the activities was to make a bracelet out of loom bands 

Hard at work making bracelets

(editors note. We can’t quite remember where loom bands come up in the New Testament – although we are certain there would have been looms (for weaving) in Paul’s time which he may have used as a tent maker??????)

Children at Ekisa Holiday Club

 

So next week – Malcolm really ought to get down and do some work! We shall see if he succeeds

 

 

He's Off - Again!

The rainy season has started in Uganda. A sensible person might think this would not be the best time to travel there. Not so for Malcolm. It’s also the open season for Auditors so he is off to Uganda for 7 weeks, to audit the annual accounts at Kisoro’s Potter’s Village Crisis Centre for Children, and then onto Kiwoko Hospital to help finalise their accounts for audit.

His family ensured he had a good send-off. A couple of weeks earlier all the family got together to celebrate the dedication of David and Sarah’s 2 sons, Samuel and Joseph. 

Pamela, Stephen and Eve inspect Lara's manicure

Nick, Rachel, Stephen and Josie

Then, to make sure he got away well fed, David and Sarah invited him and Irene for a farewell meal.

 ,

Irene, Sammy, David, Sarah and Joseph

When traveling to an airport you need to leave plenty of time in case of traffic delays. Malcolm went by National Express Coach and left enough time – just! Firstly there was congestion on the M1 – so the driver detoured through Buckinghamshire country roads. Then an accident on the M25 meant a detour though the London suburbs of Gerrards Cross and Denham. He arrived at Heathrow in time to drop off his bags, get through security and arrived at the Gate just as they began boarding. Not even time for a loo-stop.

Potter’s Village is very busy. In addition to providing accommodation and care to over 30 babies the medical centre has grown into a bustling unit providing care to premature babies and children from the local community up to 12 years old. However, the only involvement Malcolm will have is to go through the financial records for the past year.

Carers and Babies enjoying the sun - before the storm

 

Next week – onto Kiwoko Hospital

He'sOff - Again!

The rainy season has started in Uganda. A sensible person might think this would not be the best time to travel there. Not so for Malcolm. It’s also the open season for Auditors so he is off to Uganda for 7 weeks, to audit the annual accounts at Kisoro’s Potter’s Village Crisis Centre for Children, and then onto Kiwoko Hospital to help finalise their accounts for audit.

His family ensured he had a good send-off. A couple of weeks earlier all the family got together to celebrate the dedication of David and Sarah’s 2 sons, Samuel and Joseph. 

Pamela, Stephen and Eve inspect Lara's manicure

Nick, Rachel, Stephen and Josie

Then, to make sure he got away well fed, David and Sarah invited him and Irene for a farewell meal.

 ,

Irene, Sammy, David, Sarah and Joseph

When travelling to an airport you need to leave plenty of time in case of traffic delays. Malcolm went by National Express Coach and left enough time – just! Firstly there was congestion on the M1 – so the driver detoured through Buckinghamshire country roads. Then an accident on the M25 meant a detour though the London suburbs of Gerrards Cross and Denham. He arrived at Heathrow in time to drop off his bags, get through security and arrived at the Gate just as they began boarding. Not even time for a loo-stop.

Potter’s Village is very busy. In addition to providing accommodation and care to over 30 babies the medical centre has grown into a bustling unit providing care to premature babies and children from the local community up to 12 years old. However, the only involvement Malcolm will have is to go through the financial records for the past year.

 

Next week – onto Kiwoko Hospital

Meeting Old Friends, and Making New Ones

  This week Malcolm started his journey home. First, he had a 13 hour bus journey to Kisoro to help with the annual accounts at Potters Village Crisis Centre for Children.

 Otis, the guard dog, was still there and gave him a warm welcome

If you show me where he is, I'll see him off

On his way to the Vocational Training Centre a snail came up to say hello.

When I'm too big for this shell I'll use your shoe

At the Vocational Training Centre, Amos is still the manager with Evasta his assistant.

Amos

Evasta

• Job done, it was time for Malcolm to return home. He was given a warm welcome by Irene, and the new member of the family, Nessie. It was just a shame the weather was not so warm

A warm welcome - despite the weather

The Little Monster

This weeks African proverb from the BBC website is Hausa: “Travelling slowly doesn't stop one from arriving, says the tortoise”

Malcolm's Get Away

This week Malcolm went on a visit to South West Uganda. For the first part of the trip he had a lift with Richard. He is the country manager of one of the hospital’s major funders. Enroute we visited another ISIS project – a home for former street children whose education and care ISIS have funded.

 Malcolm’s first visit was to Kisiizi Hospital to complete the audit of the Power Company. There is no mains electricity to the area so the Hospital has to generate its own. It sells its surplus to the local community which helps keep the running costs low. Apparently it is the most reliable electricity supply in Uganda – which is not saying a lot.

 

At the end of the audit George, the Manager who visits from the UK during the winter months, gave a tour of the power house

And then onto Kisoro to audit the accounts of Potter’s Village. We first arrived in Kisoro in late 2010 and even in that short time there have been many changes as the town as expanded.

 On Friday Malcolm returned to Kiwoko. The total journey took about 16 hours door to door. Time for a rest, me thinks

 

The ‘bug of he week’, spotted on George’s house, was a large beetle.  Even though it had lost a leg it was still able to climb up the wall. Tough these African bugs!

 

 This weeks Proverb from the BBC Africa web-site is from Kenya, and was particularly helpful to Malcolm in keeping him going in the past week: "He who starts on a long journey does not put a banana to roast under the ashes”

 

Sunset Over Kiwoko - for a short time

This is our last blog for 3 weeks.

We have returned to England to go to a friend’s wedding. This means we have had to say goodbye for a short time to our friends in Kiwoko – but we believe that at least the temperature in England will be similar to what we have become used to over the last 3 months.

 

Because we catch an early morning flight from Entebbe we stayed at the Airport Guest House. This is run by the same tour company as the Travellers Rest Hotel, our favorite dining place in Kisoro. The former hotel manager from Kisoro, Jan, (pronounced Yan), now works from the Guest House so it was a chance for us to catch up with him and to share memories of the French. (This refers to a book we borrowed from him entitled ‘1,000 years of annoying the French’).

 

This week’s bug is a large fly which visited our Kiwoko home, but made a crash landing on its back. Fortunately our BA flight was less dramatic!

 

This week’s Swahili proverb from the BBC Africa web-site is from Liberia  “The sun will shine on those who are standing before it shines on those who are sitting”

A Long and Difficult Journey

Our last few days visiting Kisoro allowed Irene to meet the staff at the Diocese Vocational Training Centre where she used to work. Amos, the Principal, updated her on developments including an increase in the number of students and the acceptance of the Centre as an examination centre. She was also pleased to meet Evasta who had been one of Irene’s first computer students but is now sponsored by our Chesham church on work experience as the Centre’s administrator

 

Potter’s Village Child Crisis Centre received a new baby referred from the local Hospital. Sadly her mother had tried to illegally abort her late-term baby who had survived the traumatic experience. However, the hospital does not have the facilities to care for the 1 kg premature baby, so had sent it to Potter’s Village for care.

 

And then it was our turn for a long and difficult journey. The safest way to travel back to Kiwoko is by Post Office Bus. It is amazing how tiring it can be sitting on a bus all day. The total journey is about 350 miles, or 14 hours door to door.

 

Back at the hospital there was time to take a photo of as many of the 375 hospital staff as were available. This inevitably meant that most of the nurses and doctors were caring for patients at the time. However, a good selection were available together with the support staff such as cooks, cleaners, security and grounds staff.

 

This weeks bug is a preying mantis that decided to drop in for a visit, no doubt looking for her mate.

 

 This week's proverb from the BBC Africa web-site is from Somalia: "Don't set out on a journey using someone else's donkey”

 

 

.....Get Set......

It’s been another week of packing and saying goodbye to friends:

The Diocese held a reception for us at the Faith House guest house, and the Bishop presented us with presents to thank us for our work.

The Vocational Training Centre provided a lunch for us and all the students. This included a song and local dances.

When one of the students was asked why he was happy, he said it was because he meal was a change from posho (which looks like very stodgy mashed potato) and beans – their normal daily menu. (Malcolm was relieved he didn't say' because the Crawfords are going!!!!)

And the Senior staff of Potter's Village took us out for our last meal at Traveller’s Rest.



Now, all we have to do is pack up (and start our diet!!!!)

Finally, to complete the series on the local ‘delicacy’, the drink Bushera. Once the seeds of sorghum are dried and left to ferment for a few days in water you end up with the drink. It may look like drinking chocolate, but is tastes like slightly rancid fruit juice. Definitely an acquired taste and a bit of a shock to a mzungu!!!!

This week’s proverb from the BBC Africa web-site is from the Gambia: “A thin chicken cooked and shared tastes better than a fat one eaten alone”

On You Marks........

We are getting ready to return to the UK next Friday. It has been a week of farewells.

Our friends kindly arranged a farewell ‘do’ for us at the Coffee Pot restaurant, a place we frequently go to for a meal for a treat!!!! It was a bring your own (but we didn’t take anything) and we ate well on lasagne, chicken stew and strawberry crumble.

It as also the last week we see Jenny as she has now gone to Kampala to spend half term with her daughter, Hannah. As a surprise we presented Potter’s Village with a cross stitch of an African mother and baby, as this seemed very appropriate for a Babies' Crisis Centre.

We were surprised to be given a present of a locally made basket and place mats.

Now, all we have to do is pack our bags!!!!

This week’s Zulu proverb from the BBC Africa web-site is from Zambia: “A person is a person through other people” “

Meanwhile, Back in Kisoro.........

Malcolm spent some days away from Kisoro.

 

Firstly, he went to Kampala to meet the Medical Superintendent of Kiwoko Hospital. Kampala is a large, noisy African City abut 400 miles from Kisoro.

Part of the city, the ‘New Taxi park’ is being redeveloped

 

On his way back he stopped off at Kisiizi Hospital to finish off some work before we return to the UK.

 

Meanwhile, back in Kisoro……

 

Irene was not left alone. A death defying lizard almost ‘dropped in’ on her by walking across the bedroom ceiling.

 

The Archbishop of Uganda came to Kisoro to say farewell before his retirement in December and Irene went to 2 meals with him.

 

 

Also to meet him were a group from the Boys and Girls Brigade who, as is typical here, rode on the back of a pick-up – We just hope they didn’t go over too many bumpy roads (except all the roads here are bumpy!)

 

(The President of Uganda, Museveni, also came to Kisoro- but this time Irene was not invited to any meals).

This week’s proverb from the BBC Africa web-site is from Nigeria: “A house built with saliva will be washed away by the morning “