Isee Ketty

My dear Muzungus,

Isee Ketty. I am Ketty. Well actually I am Katie but we spell it a little different here in Uganda. I really may never leave this beautiful country. The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of emotions as we as a team finished up our first meetings with partners and begun projects.

Okay time to be honest… Remember last time how I wrote about Zions medical clinic? Well to remind you...We rode Bodabodas straight up a mountain, toured the clinic, and ate our first bit of Matooke, or steamed and smashed green plantains. Sidenote...I am determined to become a true African and was taught to eat with my hands. EVERYTHING we do here is laughed at because we do not do it as well as the true Ugandans. BUT I will improve!Anyways…. I have to come clean that… I had a bit of an adventure on the way up the mountain and now that it is almost completely healed I can share that I got in my first Bodaboda accident…. OKAY IF YOU ARE FREAKING OUT - STOP! I AM FINE! However, my bodaboda did  run straight into another bodaboda coming down the mountain. Then our handles were stuck together and myself, two boda drivers, and two bodas went tumbling down the side of the mountain. The boda landed on my leg and gave me a good second degree burn  but I have an AMAZING team member who has taken care of it and there was no infection and it is healed over now just completely red and will be a beautiful scar. Just part of Africa to take home with me right?!?!? Other than the burn my right side of my body was covered in some pretty spectacular bruises but no permanent harm. ANYWAYS now that that is out there in the open…the rest of the journey on the mountain was wonderful. The people there are doing such a good work. They give everything to the clinic to insure that people have medical care. Those interested in medical care on my team are making this one of our main projects so that the clinic can become independently sustainable 

 

Last week we took a taxi ride to Bududa district and were able to see the primary school Liahona Education Center. Sarah and Stephen started the school with just five students and in a short five years it has soared to over 500 students. While the student population has grown the facility has not. We were brought into dark classrooms with standing room only for students. The school has been considered unsafe by government officials due to its close proximity to the road. This news has caused great strain on the already struggling school and left our hearts heavy as we traveled back to Mbale because while we can describe our adventures here and share pictures, there are some things that simply cannot be adequately shared. The smell of 50 children packed into a 6x6 classroom, or their heartbreaking smiles (despite the conditions) because they are just so happy to be at school, are not experiences that can be described or even fully captured on film. Needless to say Liahona is one of the projects we will be working very hard to fund. Here is a picture of Saleh, one of our other partners, with the middle class. See all the children and lack of space?!?!

On a happier note one of the highlights of the week was the start of the girl’s empowerment class and dance club: “Girl Power!” The empowerment team is focusing on teaching confidence to the primary age girls in the community school, Child of Hope located in the Namatala slum.  We began our three week course of confidence boosting by emphasizing dream building and the response was astonishing! Bradi then taught a dance portion to the girls which they loved. We were amazed by their enthusiasm and love for music and are anxious to return.  We decided that we would make a video for the girls so we took pictures of each girl with her name and a word describing her. I am excited to make the video and will post it when that is done. These girls are seriously amazing.

Our first meeting with the girls was so humbling. Man can these girls dance and melt hearts. I am amazed by their ability to dream beyond their circumstances and was a huge lesson to me!

We are partnering with many wonderful organizations here in Mbale one of which is Islamic University in Uganda. We have a few potential projects in the works but I have become the team lead of a project for a teacher training for primary school teachers. The teacher training will cover topics to encourage an interactive learning experience for children. Workshops will include: “Enrichment and Involvement vs. Lecture teaching styles”, “Gathering Activities: An Interactive classroom”, “Understanding the Child and Their Learning Styles”, and “What is my role as a teacher?”. So if any of my teacher friends- or any of you have any ideas please send them my way we are finalizing the curriculum this week!

Yesterday I felt like I lived up to my Grandfathers name and helped paint and use my lettering skills when our team painted the wall of a school in Buyobo. Dan sketched it out and we did all the painting and labels

 This school was started by a phenomenal man named Dan who runs an orphanage of sorts. A few years ago Dan noticed that children were being abandoned and could not fathom the thought so he began legally adopting abandoned children. He has adopted over 100 children. 100 CHILDREN! He then created his own foster system where he pays local families to care for the children. Then they along with others from the community come to the school on his property. He funds this with many income generating activities. But most of the income comes from his art. He calls himself a “fine artist” and that is true! He does mosaics with banana leafs, makes greeting cards, paper bead necklaces, and many other things. You name it he will make it. Then the funds are used to support the children he has adopted. His most recent adoption was a baby he named Emmanuel, who he found abandoned on the bank of the river.  He is now what Dan assumes to be 4 months old and Dan has had him for the last month. It is people like Dan that make me see the good through the despair in Africa.

I am again sorry for the delay in updating but I hope you enjoy the bit of information this time. Please know that I am safe and happy in Africa. I have fallen for the people. I have fallen for the culture. I may never come back.

Remember that I am fundraising throughout the summer for not only my expenses but also for individual projects if you want to donate to them specifically go the www.Help-International.Org just be sure to put the project or my name in the donate box!

Love,

Ketty

P.S. To follow posts from my team on Instagram look up #HelpUganda or #HelpIntl2014 to see what Help is doing worldwide this summer.