Perspective

Nancy — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 18:09:00 +0000

Boys eagerly awaiting a meal

I know you have other things going on in your lives and other causes, but this evolving story is one worth telling, not only as a thank you for those of you who have so generously contributed to the GoFundMe campaign to feed the homeless children in Gulu, and to inform others who may consider donating, but also because it offers some perspective on our own lives.

Travis, my oldest son, and I were talking a few days ago, and he made a statement that defines so much about our culture, “few people are aware of prosperity they/we enjoy.”

The kitchen

For those of you following this project, here are the latest updates regarding how the funds are helping. I love this shot of some of the smaller kids lining up for a good meal, cooked in the kitchen you see to the left.

Just as a point of interest… if you look at the kitchen picture to the left, you’ll see what looks like a wooden paddle leaning up against the wall on the right. It’s called a mingling stick, and it’s used for stirring.

The round white ball in the middle is the dough for making chapatis, similar to Mexican tortillas in size, taste and texture. It’s tasty, accompanies most meals, and doubles as a utensil.

~~~

The pandemic has forced greater awareness than ever before, but as we grouse about face masks, scarcity of some food items (not to mention toilet paper), and lock-down, it can be helpful to remember that it’s temporary, even if it’s maddening and frightening. For many people around the world, scarcity is a fact of life, not merely an inconvenience, and… it’s not temporary.

Cooks and serving women

One of the things I appreciate about M-Power (the organization receiving the funds) is its commitment to go beyond a band-aid fix of just providing an immediate food source. While that is the critical need at the moment, the larger goal is to a) reconnect these kids with their families and b) determine long term solutions to help the kids become self-sufficient and productive through education, vocational skills, and farming.

I’m sharing a few of the photographs Peter has taken to document activities made possible by the GFMe funds, as well as a few success stories.

To the right, the ladies are serving the food from huge pots, large enough to hold food for seventy kids! And of course, below is a picture of one very happy little boy!

Happy little boy!

Some of the children wrote thank you letters for for the food and the care, and almost without exception they added that they really want to return to school. Other letters explained how they came to be on the streets. The vast majority are there because one on more parents died, and they had no way of contacting surviving extended family, so ended up on the streets.

During the pandemic, Peter has received a few donations to shelter thirty of the most vulnerable children in a home. The long term dream is a mud-brick structure on land that can be farmed, and where the kids can earn money for their daily needs and ultimately, to send them back to school. If anyone knows of a Rotary Club, church or other organization that might be interested in funding such a project, let me know. Around $6,500 would do it. But for now, the focus is on food and getting as many kids as possible back home.

The letter to the right is from Ojok Morgan, orphaned for eight years and living on the street.

Last week, another two boys, Okot-age 16, and Opiyo-age 17, joined their families after living on the street for 4-5 years!

It’s a rough life for anyone, but children are especially vulnerable, as they sleep totally unprotected on the street, as shown below. In rainy season, they must find an awning to sleep under or slip into huge rice sacs to give them some protection from rain and chilly nights.

Asleep on the street

As funds hopefully continue to come in, more children will be returned to their villages, where there is community to help care for them, and a place they, themselves can contribute and learn to be part of a family again. Uganda is a tribal culture, and living on the streets separates them from all of the benefits of communal life. It will be a tough transition for some of them, because the other homeless kids have been their family.

One of the things that is so important about Peter’s organization, is that he knows and cares about each child and tries to create some sense of belonging in the absence of family, instilling the values important to help them not only stay safe, but rise above their stories.

A typical Ugandan village, accessible only by footpath.

There is such deep gratitude expressed by these children and their families. Over time, we hope more children will be returned home, back into the small villages, such as the one pictured, where they are safer.

Thank you all for you donations, your care, and your generous spirits.

Sending my blessing to you and your families to stay safe and well, and live in gratitude for the abundance that surrounds us.

Nancy

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Whew! Closing One Door, Opening the Next…

Nancy — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 02:50:00 +0000

Well – it’s here. The night before leaving. What a fire drill! I can’t believe how much help has been offered, given and ever-so-gratefully received. It really does take a village to get someone out the door to Peace Corps. Closing down the accumulated possessions and detritus of 63 years is daunting. Add to that the new requirement to get a house ready to lease and you have the perfect storm. Still – it is done and what is not – well – I suppose that’s part of the journey: to learn to let go and trust that it will work out. It will work out with a lot of help from my friends and systems put into place – and once again that translates to friends. Thank you one and all.

Two 40 pound suitcases and one carry on later (all have been weighed and measured to conform to Peace Corps regulations) it’s been a challenge to think ahead to what one will need for two years away.
And I’ve had to get more techno-savvy to go to a country without technology. Go figure! Enough of that tho – here’s the schedule: fly out tomorrow for Tuesday staging- where we will get lectured on safety, get Peace Corps passports, sign papers, etc. Wed. morning we check out of the hotel and climb on a bus a head to JFK for a 6:25 PM departure on American Airlines to fly to Brussels. Then from Brussels to Entebbe – 22 hours. I’ve been able to discover there are 46 of us on the flight.

Now you know about as much as I do! In Kampala, we will be matched to Ugandan families with whom we will live for the first three months during training. They will try to get us oriented to life in Uganda (bucket baths, latrines, Luganda language, customs, food, etc.). I’m nervous about learning Luganda or Swahili!!!

Up ’till now it’s been mostly the mechanics of getting out the door. Tomorrow it gets real!

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Perspective

Whew! Closing One Door, Opening the Next…