Saturday 24th February – net delivery in Nawantumbi. As we arrived back at Good Luck we ‘gathered’ children along the way having to warn them off when they got too near the car! We were running a little late after our rather lively night before! The teachers were already there keen to get their nets. Everyone is so grateful for their gifts. Then a couple of hot🥵 tiring and very sweaty hours followed delivering to families with children at the school, plus several others we just couldn’t leave out! The routine at each household for a visit is they rush and get a seat of some kind, a plastic chair or at many wonky or very low slanting back wooden seats with three legs! It’s lovely to see the concern of my team, hands waiting to grab me as I lower myself down. Thank goodness for my new knee, this trip is certainly a good test for it! Always lots of handshakes, and this time a couple of tiny babies to cuddle! It was interesting seeing the different homesteads. One had the village borehole in its front yard that I took full advantage of giving myself a refreshing face splash! I would have filled my hat had I not left it in the car!

Another had a little brick making business. What I have always wondered is that taking all the mud out of the ground for each load of bricks, it must take a long time to fill in again!

I’m very lucky to have a good team of friends helping me. Innocent assesses each family’s needs, how many and do they share beds. John, who I first met at Maria’s Care children’s home, goes back to the car to collect the nets needed. Driver Peter if he can park near the home takes the photos and videos. It’s his fault it takes me hours to decide what to share, they’re all too good!

Innocent is also responsible for instructing the families on the care of their new net. Not to wash it very often (Ugandans love to wash!) and to do so gently without soap. Not to dry it in the sun. To treat it carefully so it doesn’t get torn or develop holes to let the mosquitoes in. Lastly he warms them of the fire risk and not to put candles near the bed. It was Bosco who told me he had treated several babies and toddlers with terrible burns as they slept and heard of others who have died this way!

The boys saw me flagging and kept asking if I was ok. Just one more I answered but eventually they persuaded me to accept I had run out of energy and actually cheered when I said no more!

Home for lunch same cooked ingredients matoki, fried

‘Irish’, cabbage and fresh avocado! I’m putting on weight this time, too many carbs twice a day! I have bananas and pineapple for breakfast though, and I’m also offered delicious pineapple on the same plate as my lunch and dinner but I choose to have it afterwards! BTW Innocent always makes sure I have fresh pineapples and bananas everyday and if we run out he gets shouted at by his mum 🤣!

Again apologies for delayed ‘reporting’ and messing with sending photos. Hope you’re not held fed up with me! Still haven’t got it right now! I’m going to have to keep much of the media (sounding professional there 🤣) to myself until I get home then bombard you with it then!

Be back soon!

I cooled myself down at the borehole!

This family had a brick making business.

Monday, up early as it had rained hurray! Cool and wonderful! Did wake up to my usual friend showing off at 4 but went back to sleep until 7.30.
There was a delay in leaving as Innocent was waiting for some money to arrive by boda-boda! It was my money that Innocent was keeping in his account for me. We needed some to pay the fees of Sadat, the child who fees were now being paid by Vicki and family. Amazing how easy things are here in a lot of ways. The boda man arrived, money was passed over and then we were off to GLJS.
I had arranged to go through my lesson on Kilimanjaro with the Social Studies teacher Grace in preparation for P7s lesson on the mountain which is in their curriculum and a subject close to my heart of course with it being the start of my 24 year adventure in Africa! We got to Uhuru, the summit of Kilimanjaro, at 10.30 am on 21st October 2001 and my first visit to Uganda was for a month the following July 2002. The chart I made many years ago and used numerous times in schools is showing its age but still workable. I hope P7 enjoys my lesson on Thursday. Just a shame I haven’t got any props with me!

The P1 children stood as I entered and welcomed me. I shared with them the story of the Gingerbread Man. Their English is little so Ibrahim and the class teacher Hajjira, when she could get a word in (!!) translated in very enthusiastic ways. The children enjoyed the ‘shading’ too making GBM puppets. I had taken two of the real GBM my daughter Sara had made me to bring to Uganda, which Judith cut up to share. Ibrahim asks if I can be on his staff permanently!
It was wonderful and certainly kept the children interested. The photos and video demonstrate the fun we had.
We finished off with 5 Little Monkeys Swinging in a tree, teasing Mr Crocodile 🐊 you can’t catch me! Along came the crocodile 🐊 as quiet as can be snapped up a monkey 🐵 and ate him for his tea! Again Ibrahim and the Hajjira were so enthusiastic it made my job very easy and the children loved it of course!

If you would like to see more than a snapshot that these videos give you I’m quite happy to send them to you in full through email or WhatsApp.