Tag Archive: children

Blue House Camp, Part II

Author: April 2, 2017

A  chronicle of the afternoon camp activities

 

Morning leftover. The girls are doodling on a whiteboard waiting for the RUMPs session to let out. The lesson learned here was “What’s the difference between permanent ink markers and board markers on a whiteboard?”    ……………………………In the iconic pose of the 21st Century, Scott checks out how the Mets are doing in Spring training.

The afternoon means permagarden time for all the girls. I thought those new pants were supposed to be pajamas!

Matthews wants to dig a permagarden for the village where we did last week’s lesson. Watching Dave teach it twice was helpful.

“This hoe has seconds to live.” About ten readers will get that. Drop me a line!

Dave is ready to go MMA to disarm the hoe from the Sewing Instructor…… No, actually he is showing the width of the garden bed with his feet so you can work on it without stepping on it.

 

 

 

 

David, 58, is a fellow fossil, and Agribusness volunteer.He is our cohort’s permagarden master, He was featured in my blog a year ago here. David is from North Carolina by way of Pittsburgh and Wisconsin. After a career as a graphic artist, he did some woofing before his Peace Corps service. After service, he intends to help care for his mother in North Carolina for at least a year. He also hopes to work for a nearby branch of the Food Corps, part of AmeriCorps Eventually he’d like to do another Peace Corps tour.. David designed the Blue House camp t-shirts we used.

The last and the most simple steps in coping with situations, viagra price uk foggy mental state, poor immune response, loss of libido etc. There are various products acheter viagra pfizer in the market but their results are just for a short period of time. It is available in the denomination of 60, 240, 120 and 180 capsules at online stores. over at this pharmacy shop cialis no prescription Apart from lowering glucose levels, ginseng also lowers cholesterol and cures erectile dysfunction Cinnamon, a common spice in the various generic viagra mastercard food recipes is a good remedy for lowering glucose levels.

Elphaz stopped by. He serves on the board, amd is the brother of Beatrice, the late founder of Blue House. At one point he was caring for 20 children under his roof. His is 64.

The ground was transformed in less than two hours. Aine tells me they have had rain, and the straw has come off at both sites after germination.

“…and then that P-2 kid accidentally whacked me with her hoe right here….”

“If you can learn to levitate a ball, like this, you get into Hogwarts. Or Makere U. in Kampala, your choice.”

The older girls talked about HIV, consent, and condoms. The men were kicked out during question time. Scott mobilized the younger ones for “Hide the matoke”

Sweet Victory

Scott, 25, an Agribusiness volunteer, and hails from New Jersey. He is a recent graduate of Duquesne, as a Business Major. Before Peace Corps. he worked in the marketing department for the New York Mets baseball team. He is still thinking about his post-Peace Corps options, perhaps doing some consulting.

The venerable Ugandan tradition of handing out certificates. House Mom Matene is pleased.

Fossils propping each other up.

This is the link to Hope Multipurpose Inc, the org that supports the Blue House.

When a camp is over, Mackenzie just gets carried away.

Almost time to go to the pork joint.  A favorite Ugandan culinary delight. My brother-in-law loved it. Wish I had a photo of it.

…..but lets do a silly one first. Where is my mount?

 

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Peace Corps Uganda Rocked It at the Blue House Camp- Part 1

Author: April 2, 2017

I don’t know how our cohort nick-named itself “Cohort Best” rather than a more mundane title like Education Cohort 3. I thought maybe it was Becky, who loves Superlatives, but she credits Katy J.. Anyway, we were a pretty veteran crew who came to Kazo Uganda and put on a camp for the Blue House girls orphanage on a recent Saturday.  I had written about the Blue House here...That photo above is another frame-able.  It belongs in a brochure.

We started proceedings with a welcome and introductions and a little talk I give to schools about trying your best and always being honest

We ended my little portion with an energizer called “Rainstorm”

Mackenzie led a session for the whole camp, including staff on Nutrition

“Now, is this a healthy plate?”

Lillian on the left is a bright leader, but that is a lot of butter!

What’s Dave looking for?

Mackenzie. 24, a Health Volunteer, has roots in both Chicago and Iowa. She is a graduate of the University of Iowa, double majoring in Political Science and International Studies. She studied in Tanzania for a year. After service, she intends to obtain a Master’s Degree in Public Health. I believe she has been accepted by eleven schools so far. Hard choice coming up.

We all went outside and Scott led a variation of Simon Says.

The older girls went to the sewing room, where Kelly, assisted by David, learned to sew RUMPs

Kelly, 25, a Health volunteer, is from Indiana PA. and has a degree in French from the University of Pittsburgh. After her service, she will attend nursing school, and eventually would like to work for the French organization, Medicens sans Frontiers (Doctors without Borders). If you follow the news, you know that will take courage

On the left is the house mother, Ziporah Matene

…from the rafters?


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Karen gives it a shot

Doin’ the RUMPs shuffle

Well done!

Meanwhile, the Primary age girls learn about washing their hands properly

Getting it right

Only the roof of the Blue House is blue. We were lucky to have great weather during our visit, which is supposed to be the beginning of rainy season, but now those permagardens need to get wet!

After Scott observed many of the girls did not use their mosquito nets properly,, they segued into a session on why nets are important. Scott had a bad case of malaria last year.

Mosquito tag! A couple of kids with cardboard mosquitoes try to ‘infect’ their mates with malaria. Scott and Mackenzie make a safe haven ‘net’. in the background.

If you get malaria, you need a doctor to get back in the game.

My turn as mosquito was exhausting! Those kids can turn on a dime. I eventually adopted the lion hunting strategy and let another mosquito drive a victim towards me.

 The district probation officer, Fortunate Abaho, gave an inspirational talk.

Fortunate had never heard of the Peace Corps so Karen recruited Mackenzie to explain how during training, you learn how to make those duck shadows..

Yum! Part two of the camp is in the next post!

 

 

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PCVs Sharing Knowledge with Kazo town

Author: March 29, 2017

Our first working day was on Friday, providing sessions to benefit the town of Kazo. We dug a demonstration permagarden behind the Catholic Primary School, taught financial literacy to local farmers, and taught RUMPs to a vocational sewing school. It all went well.

They removed too much top soil in prepping the land so we had to bring some of it back. Notice the adjacent roof which will help drain rain into the garden

David brought his illustrated grain sacks to explain this type of garden

A color-full plate grown in a garden next to your house provides year-round good nutrition even in hard times.

 

Add ash for minerals, manure for nitrogen, charcoal for water retention, and egg shells for calcium

Scott pours a full Jerry can into one of the corner holes to show how much the garden can retain. The water seeps deep under the garden.

The MaMas dig as well as the men!

We planted our color-full plate of cabbage, carrots, eggplant, cucumbers, and simi greens (collards)

Since the garden is dug so deep, you can plant the seeds closer together. The roots will go straight down and seek out the water that is stored. The surface growth, being closer, adds shade and so there is less surface drying.

Spectators from the classroom

Finish with a cover of straw. Water a bit if it doesn’t rain, allow the seeds to germinate, remove the covering.


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After digging the garden, we moved inside a class room to teach a session of record keeping

They are paying attention too!

Scott invited the farmers up to record the cash book entries

Meanwhile at the town’s vocational school run by the Blue House on it’s grounds, Kelly and Mackenzie teach how to sew Reusable Menstrual Pads (RUMPs) with the school’s teacher Musiime as their able assistant and translator. These students come from the town and nearby villages. Some board in a nearby building during the week. One student is a Blue House girl.

I love this photo but I can’t rotate it!

 

In the background on the chalkboard, Kelly has has done the math to show the cost of commercial pads for three women in the family is 216,000 UGx, compared to 15,000 UGx for RUMPs. They help keep girls in school the full month. They also can be made and sold to other girls as an Income Generating Activity

Finished RUMPs. A girl snaps it into her panty and can remove the absorbent cloth from under the ribbons to wash and re-use. I’ll show this better in the Blue House camp post

Karen set out piles of clothes for the girls made at, and donated by, students in a clothing design class at the University of Minnesota

Back at the Guest House we relax and plan for the Blue House Orphanage Girl’s Camp the next day

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The Muzungu Invasion of Kazo Uganda

Author: March 29, 2017

We left Bugiri and visited Jinja and the source of the Nile, meeting PCV Nick for lunch at the PCVs’ favorite Indian restaurant. We drove on to Kampala for the night, where Karen greeted five Secondary School graduates who were raised at the Blue House. They are still supported by the orphanage’s NGO, Hope Multipurpose, Inc. in their studies at University or vocational school.

On the way to Kazo we took the obligatory Equator Photo

I join the other Peace Corps Volunteers at the BAM Guesthouse after our arrival in Kazo. In another post I will provide more information about each of them. Note the African country names for the rooms.

We arrived at the Blue House on a Thursday afternoon. Dave and Kelly chat, while Mackenzie fills out the guestbook, a necessity everywhere you go in Uganda

Karen greets Blue House Girls, while the Director, Aine, looks on

This is Alice, the Blue House Social Worker

Each dorm room has two bunk beds for four girls. They actually live in somewhat better conditions compared to the dingy dorms and dining halls I have seen in the schools I have visited. If a youth doesn’t board at a school but still attends, he is a “desk scholar” and there seems to be a stigma attached to it.


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David isn’t just a good permagarden instructor. He is good with the kids.

Sharing a book

Aine Abel, the Director of Blue House

Girls bring Jerry Cans of water up from a spring-fed pond. I love the simplicity and symmetry of this photo. I will print and frame this some day.

This is the spring-fed pond which supplies water for the Blue House. It is also off of the Kazo electric grid, but is well solar powered.

When Karen, my other sister Marian, and my niece Hannah last visited the Blue House in December, 2013, they brought the girls soccer uniforms. The girls later personalized them. The jerseys have held up well. In an evening performance after dinner, they wore them and preformed drum, song and dance routines for their visitors. Hopefully I will be able to link you to the video(s) soon.

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November

Author: December 4, 2016

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Who needs a truck when you have a boda boda?

Sorry to be negligent about the blog recently. I’ve been a bit sick and had some low mental energy. It’s normal according to Peace Corps. Perhaps while I was gone for three weeks, my mind minimized some of the frustrations of my experience here. There is also distress about current events back home, a very late but moderate rainy season being so disruptive to the town’s grid and my meetings, and the challenge finding my niche in our new project to help youth groups. Its hard to ignore the internet, but reading books is a good distraction..

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I finally gave up on my smart phone, replacing it with new cheap one which I hope will get me through to the end of service. Photography might suffer, although I might still use my crippled phone for that. This Phone Doctor place in Jinja had my phone for a week. I lost a great picture of a lady transferring the SIM card that didn’t work on my phone to test it in her own phone, all the while nursing her baby.

ATEFO’s new contract required us to put in place nearly 600 “backyard gardens” This an ideal opportunity to spread the gospel of permagardens. However, the approach by the field staff is to get out there and slap gardens down, without the little bit of extra work to dig a permagarden, which ultimately will mean less work to maintain over the long haul and more resiliency during dry season. My counterpart and master gardener Matthews says the permagardens we dug recently are thriving. I chide Adams a bit, but ultimately what ATEFO does is a business, and profit trumps what would be best for the beneficiaries. There are many boxes the trainers will have to tick off to complete the contract, so corners will get cut.

While Matthews runs around spraying pesticides, I have gone out to visit the youth groups with a different counterpart, Amos. Each group has chosen a business, such as tomato growing, poultry rearing, vegetable selling, and candle or soap making. ATEFO provides funds to each group for start-up capital, but before they get it, I worked with a few of them to make a budget, and teach them to keep a cash book to account for it. These kids are usually very deficient in education, and not surprising, some of the money has not been accounted for very well. Amos is easier to understand as a translator, but he prefers to summarize a long conversation to real time translations,

Meanwhile I press forward to facilitate Rotary grant funding to renovate Hindocha Primary School, basically by nudging the relevant actors in the Clubs in Bugiri, Colorado and California. I really want to show something for my effort before the end of next summer, but it’s a bit of a slog.My cohort has passed the 2/3 mark, 18 months down, 9 to go. The PCVs of the Education cohort from the Fall of 2014 are starting to go home this month. It’s hard to believe my own cohort will soon to be the most experienced.

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These are coffee beans getting scooped up into bags.

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Carpenter shops. On the left beds to sleep, on the right coffins for that final sleep.


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Cute kids outside my place

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More cute kids.

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I haven’t published too many pictures of other volunteers. Some of us celebrated a pot luck Thanksgiving in Jinja. All three guys from my cohort on the right have not cut their hair since arrival. Coy in the middle is a “no shave in 2016” guy.

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Peace Corps Ladies. Carm in the middle is leaving soon, she’s been filling out applications for grad school.

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Birds land in front of my mirrored window and can’t see me.

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First picture with the new phone. A selfie in Kampala with Aine, the director of the Blue House girls orphanage in Kazo which my sister Karen and I are planning to visit next year. We might do a Peace Corps camp there. I picked up a new pair of glasses while I was there. Each PCV gets a new pair during service. The dust and grit scratch them horribly. Forget about contact lenses.

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Blair’s treatments are going quite well, based on a recent PET scan to evaluate it. She sent me this photo from a recent chemo session. Her last chemo is February 2. She will be happy to stop being sick every two weeks, and looks forward to growing her hair back.

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1/2 Full

Author: July 25, 2016

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Ugandan dawn over the pitch. There are up to 25 players in my morning workouts, so the coach splits us into two groups for the drills and exercises. The other group wore the fluorescent green bibs.

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I followed these two cute kids the other day…

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Hump day It’s hard to believe in some ways, but Friday, July 15, was Hump Day. I have been in Uganda for 13 ½ months, and 13 ½ months remain in my service. They always say the process of integration and adjustment can take a year. I am hopeful I can make a better and more lasting impact on my community before I leave. It’s hard to appreciate changes I might be influencing on the farmers’ customary sustenance-only approach, but I will continue to monitor this. You hope to change the behavior of early-adapters, show success, and then the rest of the village will buy in. The grant I was awarded to teach sack gardens is small, and the Peace Corps says I can’t get another grant until that money is consumed (i.e. construct 19-20 sack gardens, plus evaluations of their adaptation by the villages).
In the meantime, I hope to help the Bugiri Rotary Club achieve at least one major project. The Bugiri community has so many needs, and the Club needs to tap into Rotary International Foundation funding. It must develop international partnerships with other Clubs. There is a bit a stumbling, as this new club finds its way.

Dizzy in the head…In an effort to learn why I have occasional spells of dizziness, I’ve had occasion to go to Kampala twice in recent weeks for further tests, including ultrasound scans of my thyroid, an MRI of my brain, and seeing two outside specialists. The Peace Corps Medical Office is top notch, and very aggressive in trying to figure this out. The consensus conclusion is that I have Benign Positional Vertigo. In other words, none of the scans showed anything scary, and it’s probably not harmful. It’s just something I have to get used to. In fact, I do think it is better, with less frequent episodes.

Aruna update While I was in Kampala last week, I was pleased to spend time with my friend Aruna, one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, whose story I told over a year ago, and whose refugee camp we recently visited. Aruna had just returned from his home in Portland Maine, where he got surgery for a torn MCL. He injured it on a four hour bicycle ride. He was gone for nearly the 45 day maximum time you are allowed to recuperate before Peace Corps “Early Terminates” you.
In the two years preceding the Peace Corps, Aruna sent his earnings to South Sudan to pay for building a new home for his parents in their family’s village. The home had been destroyed in fighting when Aruna was child, leading to his epic tale of survival with his brothers, eventually walking to Uganda where he lived in a camp until being relocated to Portland. South Sudan is on the brink of civil war again. As I write this, there is a fragile cease fire. Uganda has evacuated its citizens, and tens of thousands of new refugees have crossed the northern border of Uganda. Unfortunately, while Aruna was in Portland, there was fighting in his family’s village again, and the new house was heavily damaged. His parents were temporarily relocated to yet another camp, but now have returned to the village, which is now under control of the South Sudanese army. They think they can repair the house. A brother who did not relocate to Portland is available to assist them. Aruna says it was probably for the best he was back in Maine while this was happening. He would have been tempted to join the fighting “now that I am not a child”. But as I quizzed him with my limited understanding of the situation, he admitted he wasn’t sure which side he would join. Probably determined by clan or tribe, I suppose.

Malaria update- In the last few weeks, Matthews, and three of the kids (one came home from school) that live on my compound got malaria. It is so common for everyone. I switched meds as part of my anti-dizziness regimen.  So far, half way through service, no malaria, although I wonder what the drugs are doing to my liver as they kill the parasites. I worry more about getting hit by a boda boda.

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Refuse burning day in my neighborhood. Gag.

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Heh- they interrupted a class so they could interview the Educate Club’s patron Martin (my adult from Youth Technical Training) with a class in the background. D.U. grad Rachel holds the mic.

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The film crew learns about RUMPS

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Sign on a tree at Bukooli College. Would this sign be posted in an American High School?

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I was happy to find a great Mexican restaurant, Que Pasa, near my hostel in Kampala. It had been a long time since I had Mexican food, and this place would fit right in at Capital Hill or Boulder. It is owned by an Australian!

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A touch of my past: ReMax in Uganda! Jan was a ReMax broker for 15 years before she was a nurse.

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A very pregnant lady in one of my villages.

 

 

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Goats Head Soup (A fitting punishment)

Author: June 25, 2016

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This is Adams’ passion fruit field where I picked beans last December

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Some dastardly goats

I was disappointed when I came back from vacation. Matthews reported that goats had ruined my permagarden for the season, with the exception of a few surviving tomato plants. Also when I got my home, I went to the field behind the compound I had featured  in my blog earlier with the cows plowing and Margaret digging. Matthews had given her some banana seedlings that were doing quite well. Even with a surrounding fence however, goats got in and ate the leaves from the banana plants right down to the stalks. The sweet potatoes and cassava are still OK. I have said before goats are tethered everywhere, but some get loose and roam around.
While talking with Margaret about the banana plant calamity, she picked some “greens” for me. Some of them was do do (long o), a bitter green which is a sad substitute for spinach in my opinion. I don’t even know what the other greens were, nor can I tell the difference with weeds very easily. Then the caretaker for Adams’ passion fruit field, where I had worked in December to pick beans, gave me a bag of beans, from the same place. So I am preparing and eating them. It’s only fair I emulate the natives. Its so time consuming for a pampered American from the suburbs.

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A handful of greens to rinse three times, chop, and cook on the griddle.


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After cooking the greens, I made a grilled cheese and avocado sandwich, and that was dinner. I could not eat all the greens. How I miss broccoli. I will grow it someday.

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A bag of Adams’ beans to clean while I watch some movie on my computer.

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In my current situation of managing my monthly living allowance, these are relatively expensive, but labor saving, alternatives. Shame on me, the pampered American has not totally escaped processed foods.

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In my new neighborhood, a new group of kids to treat me like a rock star. They come running, and I am obliged to lift and toss each one up a bit. Its good for my arms. Here, they clustered at my door and “helped” me knock while I waited for someone to let me in.

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Ronnie Would

Author: June 5, 2016

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About 50 youth gave up their Saturday afternoon for our program. Ron was hoping for 80 but there was a Village Council meeting at the same time.

I just had to post this feel good story today before I left on vacation.

A few weeks ago, I posted about Youth Technical Training. The young man in my team, Ronnie, was energized by that week. He has come to embody the desired results of Youth Technical Training.

As the President of the Educate Club, he is mobilizing the members to adopt and implement the action plan the team drafted at YTT, for a chicken rearing operation at Bukooli College. I look forward to working with them throughout the process and giving you updates.

Ronnie also led the Club at a recent National Finals Competition in Kampala. It resulted in an article about the Club’s Liquid Soap in the New Vision Newspaper. He was not aware he was in the newspaper until I showed him the article today on my smart phone.

A lot of kids would rest on these laurels, but not Ronnie. He told me he wanted to pass on his knowledge from YTT to the mostly unemployed youths in his home village. So last Sunday, he went around to the local churches to announce a program on Entrepreneurship, with yours truly as a special guest presenter. After meeting to plot out our program, I arranged to make 40 copies of about ten pages of our YTT manual to use as handouts. (Digression- think how routinely we make photocopies in the USA – here this expense took a 20% bite out of my living allowance!)- These youth are unlikely to start a new business tomorrow, but I sincerely think at least a few of these handouts will be kept and referenced in the future.

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Ronnie teaches Entrepreneurial skills.

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Ronnie mentors a group plotting a mosquito net repair service

buy viagra in uk http://appalachianmagazine.com/category/featured/page/28/?filter_by=popular Its other advantage is that it can be taken orally even without food and still lasts up to thirty six hours after its intake. A dose of order levitra online http://appalachianmagazine.com/2014/10/20/wvu-win-over-baylor-tainted-by-riots-fires-assaults-on-law-enforcement54/ can make you a complete man in any way possible is a natural habit. This is not only unsatisfactory and frustrating for that particular moment but it pharmacy online viagra is also hugely confidence crushing and self-esteem crushing too. Physiotherapy Dubai has turned into a vital part of wholesale sildenafil everybody’s life. I had previously observed Ronnie’s leadership and charisma with the Educate Club members. Here, I marveled at how well Ronnie presented his portion of the material, although I had no idea what he was saying. The audience, ranging in age from 12 to late 20’s, was captivated and engaged. Ronnie and I alternated our presentation time. I was the supposed main attraction, but he was a tough act to follow! Utilizing the Peace Corps method of interactive teaching, rather than straight lecture, we broke them up into groups for a planning exercise. I enjoyed listening to their own presentations of creative ideas how they would innovate different products.

At the end of the afternoon, I asked if they wanted more, and this was met with enthusiasm. While I am gone next week, Ronnie will return to teach how to make the liquid soap described in the New Vision article. The class agreed to raise 30,000 shillings among themselves to pay for materials. I promised to return in a few weeks.

Ronnie is finishing S-6 next December. I have asked about his future plans. He says YTT has giving him hope he can be a successful businessman. But in his heart, he would like to become a doctor. He is concerned about the fees this would take, as he is the third oldest of nine children, which stretches family resources thin. I am confident his altruistic nature and skills will provide a bright future and I look forward to watching his progress.

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Village kids peeking into the class. The girl on the red dress is Ronnie’s sister.

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The day got off to a rocky start. After getting out of the taxi near the village, this little girl brought her littler sister over to me. A few seconds after this shot, I let go of the little girls hand and she tumbled back on the little rise you see. Thankfully it was just a minor shock to her.

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This math was on the black board in the room of the primary school we used for the venue. I’m impressed.

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Ronnie’s parents hosted us for a post-program meal.

 

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Just Breathe (A Close Call)

Author: June 3, 2016

Last week, I visited my Home Stay Family from Iganga. They will be hosting their fourth Peace Corps Trainee in a few weeks. The new Agriculture/Health cohort arrived a few days ago. The schools are on holiday, so it was great to see Innocent, Peace and Adrian, and the dependents, Sharon and Esther. Sharon has completed her first semester of nursing school and I obtained information about her billing for the next semester, to pass on to my home Northglenn-Thornton Rotary Club for their continued support. Sharon has done well so far and feels she is pursuing a good path. Right now, she thinks she wants to be a mid-wife. In Uganda there will be no shortage of work for her. She is going to do a practicum for a month with dozens of other students at Bugiri Hospital. They will all live together in a house. She requested Bugiri since I reside there, but unfortunately for much of her time in Bugiri I will be gone on vacation.

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Adrian with a banana

Visit sexologist to know about your health status and discount tadalafil enjoy a healthy and safe motherhood. Then, slightly jiggle the stick, release pressure and slide the drumstick out to complete massage. 100mg viagra online Natural cures for impotence include treatments that will quit hair loss along with cheap levitra purchasing this recover head of hair securely along with effectively. The herbs present in herbal pills are effective in treating sexual dysfunction include the generic version of cialis uk called Kamagra, cialis, and cialis uk with these 10 foods that help improving erection-quality naturally. 1. Simon and Hellen told me about a scary event the previous week with Adrian, their youngest five year-old. boy. I have met many cute kids in Uganda, but Adrian is one of the cutest. He had contracted mumps. When I mentioned there is a vaccine for mumps Simon was surprised and a bit irritated the government had not implemented a vaccination program. There were others in Adrian’s school who also had mumps. They had to take Adrian to the Iganga Hospital. At some point, the hospital informed them that Adrian’s condition had worsened, and they needed to take him to another hospital, in Jinja. On the way there, they thought Adrian had died. Simon pulled over in grief, but then they decided to press on. It turned out he was just unconscious; he remained in a coma for twelve hours. The Jinja doctors said a review of his chart they brought with them from Iganga indicated he had been improperly medicated. Simon was unhappy about the money he had spent at the Iganga Hospital, but there is no recourse for malpractice here. Adrian seems fine to me now, but I worry if the coma had an impact on his mental state. It was a good ending to a potentially tragic story.

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Four of Azedy and Margaret’s boys, Ayman 5, Azedy 13, Imran 1, and Ahmed 7

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Parting Ways

Author: April 26, 2016

It’s been awhile. I have been busy, and attending last week’s Youth Technical Training (YTT).
Before I get to that in the next post, I am distressed to report that Meowri has left me. A couple of weekends ago, I went to Jinja for two nights, staying with about 30 PCVs in dorms next to the Nile River. I had left my barred window open to allow Meowri to come and go. When I returned Sunday, I was disturbed to see the window had been closed and the food I left inside was not eaten. The neighbors claimed they fed him, but in any event, he was gone. I wasn’t too concerned because cats usually come back after a few days. However, after three days home, I needed to take care of some business in Kampala, come back one night, and then attend YTT in Jinja for a week. When I returned Saturday, the neighbor kids lead me to the body of a decomposing cat in a small nearby forest. Not Meowri (whew), but “ Meowri’s friend”, they said.
On Sunday I was finally able to talk to a girl at her nearby compound, where the kids claimed Meowri was. She said indeed Meowri is staying there. This is a four unit compound behind very high walls. Only one unit is finished, however, and like everywhere else in Uganda, the other three are just shells of bricks. She borrowed my flashlight and took my basket, scampering up into the rafters and disappeared. No way was I going to attempt that high wire act. We both called, but Meowri did not come. (Cats are like that). So I have nothing definitive. I left my basket with her. A lady entered as i was leaving and said there were a number of cats that lived there. Maybe Meowri prefers this company to mine. But I want to take him home and give him a choice. I also want to see if he’s been hurt at all. The family in the compound is often not there.

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Neighborhood search party!


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Sunset on the NIle with monkey

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When you travel between the larger towns, the taxi will stop in the smaller towns to allow the local vendors to shove drinks, crackers, sis-ka-bob meat sticks etc. at you

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