Don't forget your jumper

I’ve had a very happy month - spreadsheets, lists, agendas, planning, presentations… The comfortable place for a data and admin nerd! I’m working on the principle that if I work to my strengths in the UK, it’ll be easier for the team to work to their strengths when we get to Uganda. Tom is making sure I take rest days … computer work is as fatiguing as exercise without breaks.

I’m finally becoming excited, feelings of anticipation are outweighing anxiety. We had our Trip Orientation day last Saturday. The team met each other in person at last – we’re a bit spread out geographically and its mostly been WhatsApp and Zoom so far. Talk about reassurance and positive expectations. What a brilliant team of 10! At this point I will admit to a complete failure for any of us to remember to take team photos despite reminding each other several times. Sorry.

The ‘gelling together’ was painless, ideas flowed – and my goodness so much work has been done already. The planned crafts are superb, we sang our ‘theme song’ and had lots of ideas for a creative music session, and the sports afternoon planning is epic –I’m incredibly glad I’m not organising it! I still shudder remembering being asked to prep for children’s activities on two previous trips, being told to expect about 80 – 100 children, and turning up to find 300- 400.  Oh I love a team…

We introduced the team to Uganda, Rukungiri in particular, and the local Rukungiri team.  There was  a lot of practical and administrative detail. Forms and policies to sign, discussions around culture, food and drink, travel, clothing (Rukungiri is cool at night) …and so much more. We all took away more admin/ tasks – DBS and visa applications, vaccinations, sourcing kit – for us and the activities (for some this included buying a below-knee skirt!).

It will take 2 days to get to Rukungiri via Heathrow, Kigali, Entebbe and Mbarara (for the geographers). Huge excitement because two other Uganda staff are joining us – Gertrude from Kampala and David from Soroti. They’re both on my ‘heroes’ list – people who inspire me with their dedication, commitment, care, integrity, and wisdom. Can’t wait to see them again and hopefully have time to catch up.

One of our sponsored girls - 2016

3 groups of children are attending 4 days of ‘kids club’ activities:

Firstly, 114 children are sponsored through Global Care. These children all live in extreme poverty and most families struggle to provide adequate food and basics. Without Global Care, they couldn’t afford education. They receive support which enables them to go to school, and provides welfare, healthcare, and supplementary food when necessary.

From 2018, the Children with Disability (CWD) project helped 19 children with mobility difficulties access education.  Those who started education couldn’t manage to go to school every day and arrived late after struggling to travel 2-3km on unmade roads from their homes. The schools did not have accessible toilets. Global Care provided mobility aids, school transport, some medical care/ physiotherapy, and enabled the construction of toilet blocks with accessible toilets.
Towards the end of the project, families received bicycles to take the children to school and livestock (2 pigs or 1goat - a major form of investment in Uganda). 

Tom & I met most of these children. Their situations were desperate. They were discriminated against at home and at school. Now most are at school and progressing well. The second group is the16 of these children invited to activity days. Some children melt my heart – this group have brought me to tears looking at photos and hearing their incredibly positive stories over the last 5 years. I promise I’ll try not to be embarrassingly emotional!

Thirdly, 393 girls are registered at Girls Clubs at 4 Primary Schools. The project started last year, and the girls learnt how to make reusable sanitary products while also having opportunity to talk about any worries and ask questions.

If they all come, that’s over 500 children over 4 days! But this is Uganda, always prepare to change your plans and expect the unexpected (that’s my Uganda mantra).

Our first trip to Uganda in 2008 changed our lives forever. We returned home committed to support Global Care and the children and families they serve. Over the years, the more GC projects we’ve seen or heard about, we’re increasingly impressed. GC demonstrates how much can be achieved for whole communities, with a little money, a lot of dedication, and partnerships with local people, communities and organisations. On that first visit, we met one of the girls we were sponsoring – we’ll call her Mary.  Our 17-year-old son came with us – Mary was 17 too. They’d been writing to each other for a few years and greeted each other like brother and sister. Mary told us she had our photos on the wall of her home. She finished her education and went to study a degree. Then she set up a business and married a teacher. We saw her again outside her warehouse in the local market with her baby. She told us that without our support she would never have gone to school, and she certainly wouldn’t be able to support herself or her family.

It’s not a scam! These children are real. Often, it’s a struggle to survive day to day – and they certainly have no hope for the future. With the right support, education is still the key to break the cycle of poverty. Disabled children had no hope, we met them at home when they were hungry and isolated, had mixed support from families, and were often rejected and discriminated by their community. Now they dream of being lawyers, teachers, and doctors.

The aim of this trip is to encourage the staff and children. To give the children some fun away from their grinding lives of chores and school. They’ll probably have to fetch water, sweep the compound and prepare food before they come, and I suspect some may bring younger siblings (it’s the school holidays and they have to look after them). Let’s hope they have an enjoyable day of fun!

P.S. We’re providing food at the ‘camps’ and some children/ staff will need transport. We also need to buy kit and small gifts. All money will go to the Rukungiri project. If you’d like to donate, we have a JustGiving site: https://www.justgiving.com/page/barbara-heyes-rukungiri-2024