A day in the life...

I thought I would break down what an average day looks like for us, while working in the slums of Namuwango, just outside of Kampala.
We wake up at about 7:30 am, as breakfast is somewhere between 7:45- 8:15. Philista is the girl who cooks for us, and takes care of the house when no one is around. We really appreciate her.

For breakfast, we usually get fried or hard boiled eggs, and an assortment of local fruit(my favorite!) Philista cooks over charcoal, in the kitchen area outside.
We are supposed to be at work at 8:30. I say supposed, because with four girls living in the house right now, there is a pretty good chance that one(or all) of us is tired, or will remember something and have to turn around just as we are running out the door.
What we do at Hands for Hope changes daily. Sarah and I have been out in the community(slums) every other day to help with assessments, or sit in on a  medical visit or follow up. The first day we went into the slum, we were taken to one of the mothers because she was very sick, and wanted Sarah(who is a nurse) to do a quick check-up. Sarah was very concerned, as the woman had a very high fever, and appeared dehydrated and extremely weak. The woman was laying down, and Sarah tried to get as much information as possible, but it was difficult with no translator. Sarah encouraged the woman to come to the clinic as soon as possible.
That day, we also visited a young three year old girl who was dehydrated and lethargic. Sarah and the nurse from Hands for Hope, named Margaret, looked at the girl, and gave them advice on how to recognize and deal with dehydration. The young girl, Madrine was feeling much better and in school within two days. Sadly, we learned that the mother who Sarah had visited died of AIDS on Monday. We did not know this was her condition, but learned that she was taking ARV's for years, and was to weak to continue taking them. She left behind a three year old daughter, and we know of another daughter who is eighteen. The eldest sister will now be taking care of the young one, as well as two small children of her own. This is life here.

Teaching the kids in the pm program how to brush their teeth. 

On top of our visits to the community, we are also doing work with the different teachers at the nursery school, and afternoon program that Hands for Hope runs. Hands for Hope assists 101 children in their sponsorship program, and about 40- 60 with their afternoon program. The afternoon program is for children from the area who have been targeted as coming from the worst poverty, and have no schooling. They are the ones who are on the 'waiting list' for sponsorship and will be next to go to school through Hands for Hope. The program runs from 2-4 each day, and 9-1 on Saturdays, as well as all day (9-4) during the holidays. At this program, the children are taught basic academics and given social skills in order to help prepare them for going to school. Some of these children are as old as 15 years, and have never attended school, or attended only when they were very young.
Many of the families H4H helps are refugees from Congo or Sudan, or internally displaced persons from the war in the North.  This makes it difficult to help establish a strong sense of community, and often there are internal quarrels within the slum. The diversity of cultures in such a small area also makes for struggles in communication and language.

Dance class with Ivo.

We are trying to help the teachers establish new strategies and activities to encourage the children in there learning. This has been challenging for us, as the cultural differences in the way things happen, and efficiency are quite extreme.
One of our major projects is planning an awareness and free HIV testing day on October 2. We are super excited to be doing this, and are planning on having entertainment, education, testing and couciling to create a positive atmosphere and relieve some of the anxieties that surround getting tested and knowing your HIV status. The theme for the day is going to be 'know your status.' We are having t-shirts printed, banners and a big march through the slums the morning of the event. These marches are used often in Uganda to advertise events, and attract locals. The idea is that as we march, the parade will grow more and more until we get to the main venue, where there will be entertainment and free HIV testing. We plan to have speakers from local AIDS organizations and hospitals to educate about various subjects related to HIV and the struggles connected. We are hoping to have over 250 people tested. Planning any event in Uganda is frustrating and slow at best, so patience is a virtue that is being forced upon us more each day.
I am sure you are getting tired of reading, as I am tired of writing right now, so I will end here. It is not easy to put into words all that is going on here, and I even feel a bit limited in my descriptions. I am planning on adding pictures soon, in order to try and do justice in my wanting to give you a bigger picture of life in Namuwango. The poverty and struggles are incredible, but it is the hope that is most evident.

Some of the boys playing at Hands for Hope.

Hoping for peace and miracles in Uganda,
Chels