Another full and interesting day delivering more nets and all the fempads. Neither of them enough and never will be, but to those who receive you are all such a blessing to them as they are both life changing, yes even ‘just ‘ for five reusable sanitary pads!

Today we headed for a little village called Nawantumbi only 20 minutes drive from Nawanyago but deeper inland.  Innocent thought we ought to put some more fuel in the car as, without a fuel gage we have no idea how much we have remaining. FYI There’s no speedometer either! I do love Uganda!! I turned off the ignition like we’re always advised, (though no one does in Uganda!) but then couldn’t turn it on again! The key wouldn’t budge! I fiddled as much as I dare, thinking the flimsy key was likely to break, then handed the problem over to Innocent, as I often do and, yes you’ve guessed it, his fiddling succeeded! I think I’m just too gentle with the old vehicle!

Our journey today soon had us on rough track again but nothing like previous deliveries, thank goodness! We were delivering nets to the homes of all the pupils from a tiny but growing school called Good Luck Junior School. We called on many homes on the way to the school, all extremely poor but their occupants equally friendly and welcoming. If we came across any teenagers we offered them the fempads. Innocent didn’t hesitate to help me explain how they work, panties in hand (bought new from local shop, not a pair of my big knickers that had my lovely friends in stitches the other day!)

I think the day is described better in photos from the newest born baby (3 weeks) to the oldest lady I’ve ever met in Uganda, 100 and still looking after her grandchildren and great grandchildren, so here goes. Hope you enjoy!

By-the-way I’ve been sending most photos of individual net donations out to their sponsors so many won’t be shown here. Thanks to everyone by-the-way. Amazing effort, we’re almost to the 700 nets sponsored this time when I originally only put in an order for 400!

First family to receive nets

I kept eyeing that gorgeous baby!

And yes I succumbed to his gorgeous little 3 week old face!

Cheers went up when I kissed him!

Mum came chasing the car with two avacado!

Mum and 12 year old daughter were the first to receive fempads after I demonstrated!!

My team! All kitted out with Poynton Football Club strip, donated a few years ago but only just managed to bring it out!

Jackfruit are growing enormous this year with all the heavy rains!

Traditional welcome and thanks. I used to feel awkward but it is just their way. I do feel humbled though as they are amazing people who I admire.

Shy but grateful for their fempads. Rags or even dried natural materials is the norm.

Definitely pleased!!

In the kitchen

Just gorgeous!

Kobe and Kaiden gave a bag of ‘dinky’ cars to give away. Boys and girls loved them!

They ran to the cool of the shade to play.

This husband and wife, he was disabled, were a pleasant surprise to me, they physically showed affection for each other. Sound strange? Well I’ve never witnessed it before in Uganda.

Real happy love birds. They told me they had been married 25 years and were in love, so cut! It made me feel a little homesick for a hug from my hubby! Only only one week until I get one!

My friend Fazie, also disabled, joined him and his wife for a photo. So many smiles and so much love 💕 I felt quite soppy!!

Thank you 8 year old Joy for your special gift. These two little girls and their mum have no money, not one penny, but at least now they won’t get bitten by mosquitoes as they sleep.

Good Luck Junior School

I could only just stand up!

Ibrahim the head teacher, opened this little school to educate those children who would have no chance otherwise. A good caring man. The children even want to come to school during the holidays

The school office is part of his and wife Oliviers home. Two teachers sit with me.

Marton Primary in Macclesfield supplies the nets for many of the children at Good Luck

No one goes hungry in the jackfruit season

My knickers and fempads demo!

Norman your shirts will enjoy being in Uganda !

As word got round about the fempads we were followed buy young women and girls begging that we should please give them some too. They were desperate for this luxury. Some said it wa better than food!!

All the teachers and others say Asante sana for their fempads, they were so excited!

Gifts for me of two avocado even before she gets nets for her family

One happy lady!

The pick-up up was getting filled up with all the gifts! I though Innocent might have to walk home!

I thought this lady must be the oldest person living in Nawantumbi, she was born in 1925. I gave her a shawl that had been donated, she loved the feel of it

Then I was introduced to this lady who had lost her sight and she was 100! Very usual for Uganda !

These two ladies were so excited about meeting me then kept laughing as their photo was taken!

Ibrahim and Innocent in the school office, exercise books behind. Ibrahim bought me delicious sweet bananas!

On the school notice board!

‘If you can’t get what you want try to love what you have.’

‘It’s the teacher that makes the difference not the classrooms’

‘The roots of education are too bitter but the fruits are sweet.’

‘If you want to succeed:-

BELIEVE where others doubt’.

WORK where others refuse.

SAVE where others spend.

STAY where others quit.

And you will win where others lose.’

It’s good to be back staying with Innocent and his lovely family again. The home is certainly a busy one this time with Judith’s 10 year old son Paul staying as it’s the school holidays until 25th January. 18 month old Norman keeps everyone on their toes and runs circles around everyone! From the minute he wakes up in the morning he’s on the go. Someone has to keep a close eye on him at all times as he’s a bit of a wanderer too! I now appreciate how very difficult it is to restrict toddlers with it being an outside life and with no fences! It scares me how easily he can get to the busy road and often aims his little but fast legs down there given any opportunity! They certainly have their work cut out! Norman is a bright spark, always copying, or trying to, whatever his dad, or his brothers are doing. I

He has three young friends, Guster, Gifty and Angel, living next door who adore him and are often here playing. Mama Guster is a lovely lady and Baba earns a small living as a boda taxi 🏍 man.

Just like his dad and his namesake (my hubby!), Norman loves his food! He especially relishes the meat which I don’t suppose he gets much of when his Dada Gerry is back in the UK.

Innocent is looking very well hand happy and continues to work very hard juggling the responsibilities of family, farm and managing what seems to be a 24 hour pub!! And I think he’s succeeding! Every time I come there’s been some little change in the homestead and it looks more and more beautiful. He’s not only hardworking but also he is a very knowledgeable man particularly in what crop is good to grow and its individual needs. His farm like many others in Uganda was devastated by weeks of heavy continuous rains and floods before Christmas when it should have been the dry season.

But now the fields are planted up once again and looking good.

Innocents wife Betty is far more confident now that she knows me better, is always there to help me and enjoys laughing at my ‘strange’ ways!

14 or 16 year old Alex (no one seems to know how old he is!) who has been unofficially adopted by Innocent is a real benefit to the home and family. He and Innocent are like father and son now. He is hard working, caring and happy, happy that he has found a loving family.

Soon after I arrived I was presented with a live cock, a traditional gift. It’s been eaten now!

Norman’s friends Gifty, Guster, and Angel

Great photo of Innocent and Norman

One of the boys! I’ve gradually been bringing books to Innocents and they are very popular. Children here hardly if ever see a book!

The dried mud makes a permanent sandpit!

Dada (Grandma) often carries Norman on her back when she’s doing chores

Gifts of clothes from the UK

A good place to keep Norman under control! Paul in left and Alex right are often on ‘Norman’ duty!

Mum Betty has her work cut out with Norman!

Paul prepares the cock for its last days

Paul prepares the cock for its last days

Alex did ‘the deed’, Betty the preparation for cooking

I forgot to tell you about the rat 🐀, no not that one, his brother or sister, cousin or friend, the other one! On my first day at Innocents home last Sunday Judith, Innocents mum, was helping me to unpack a few things I leave in Uganda, from the metal trunk. She noticed some shreds of paper and we both knew straight away what it was! The trunk didn’t smell so we were pretty sure the rat 🐀 had moved on but I got the boys to carry it into the garden regardless. We started unpacking carefully and low and behold there was the rat 🐀 scampering about! At this point I stood back and let Innocent take charge! To cut a long story short, very short, the rat 🐀 didn’t move house that day!!

Innocent went in for the kill!

Quite a nice looking 🐀! Reminded me if the gerbils our daughters had when they were young!

These wonderful people then sorted and cleaned the trunk out while I sat and watched! There is quite a bit of damage to school books etc but at least Ratty left my personal things in tact!

I’m late getting up this morning, well it’s just after 8! There’s no electricity so I’m missing my early morning cuppa. Terrible! That is until I remember that Innocent, Alex and Paul (Judith’s 10 year old son) are in the garden (fields) and have been since dawn, and his wife Betty is at the borehole collecting water, quite a bit of it for me!

Really puts my ’needs’ in perspective!

Fempads!

A bag of fempads were waiting for me when I got back from Kasozi yesterday. They hadn’t been ready for me to collect on my way from Entebbe probably because it had been the Christmas holidays. Dear Patrick had travelled all the way from Kampala to bring them here ready for me to start delivering to the local ladies of menstrual age, along with the mosquito nets. Thanks to all who have donated to fempads, they are going to be life changing.

I showed them to Judith and Betty this morning and even though I explained what they were they looked doubtful so I went and got a pair of my knickers to demonstrate which worked. So I said I would take my knickers when I was delivering the fempads and they both burst into laughter! Why? After she had stopped laughing Judith said it was because they were so large! I like my big knickers but I will borrow a pair of Betty’s or buy a new pair to demonstrate.

With Patrick’s ladies group so far away from Kamuli District I’m seriously considering looking round for someone local to start a fempad project with. It makes much more sense. I’ve got Innocent on the case. X