Thirteen days later...

It has been thirteen days since I left home, and so much has happened.
Sarah and I had a fun and long trip to Entebbe...after over 40 hours of traveling we are safe and settling into Namuwango, Kampala.
In some ways it's the same old Uganda that I have known and love since my first trip almost six years back. But at the same time, the slums are a whole new world. The air is dirty, and possibly the cleanest aspect of slum life. The poverty is humbling and difficult to come to terms with.  And, as with the rest of the country, the people are amazingly resilient, and surprisingly so full of hope. There us always a smile to be found, even in the most difficult of times.

The 3 doorways were 3 seperate home. The first you see here was Rose and Esther's home.

In the first week of working at Uganda Hands for Hope, we have already witnessed such times. Last Thursday, the rains were torrential, rivaling the storms we have had back home this spring. It poured rain for about two hours, and then continued to rain at a steady pace for a couple more. At the point where it was raining hardest, one of the teachers darted a rain barrel under the sloped roof. It was full within 45 seconds, pouring over the edges.
It was quite the storm, and the next day we learned its devastating consequences.

The bottom of the slum, where the baby was taken away. You can see the swamps behind this child.

Four adults were killed, as they hid from the rain in their shanty houses, which collapsed on them. One mother was about to leave her house to retrieve her toddler when her house fell on top of her, trapping and preventing her from getting the baby. After a few minutes, the walkway quickly turned into a river, and the baby was carried away into the swamps below. The ladies from the slum community (I will just say 'Namu', which is short for Namuwango when I refer to this area) told us that within minutes the walkway near the lower section of Namu. was a quickly moving river of mud/water, over 5 feet deep. The body of the young toddler had not been found last we heard.

Esther and her children the day after losing their house.

On top of the death and physical harm, countless homes and businesses were destroyed. One of the women whom Uganda Hands for Hope(UH4H) helps had her house collapse in the storm. Her name is Esther. Thankfully, she and her seven children had a neighbors home to take refuge in during the rains, as she said she did not trust her home in stormy weather. They watched their home, with the few belongings they owned collapse in front of them. Four years earlier, her husband was killed by the LRA up north, and she journeyed south to take refuge in the capital city. In one week she will graduate from the tailoring program that UH4H sets up for local women. On top of the sewing knowledge and technical skills the women receive, they are given a sewing machine upon graduation, and the hope of self-sustainability.  It is a wonderful and empowering program.  
It was very difficult to visit Esther on Friday, and see the newest devastations handed to her and her family. But, like most Ugandans I have met, she is a strong, and hopeful woman. It was humbling to see her standing strong and talking calmly, welcoming us in to her neighbors home, and showing us where her home had been. It was a humbling experience.
UH4H has offered to help set Esther and her family up in a newer, safe home and try and replace the belongings that are now buried under the mud and bricks. It's a hard reality to come to terms with the fact that there is just too much poverty and devastation to try and help everyone in this slum of over ten thousand people. H4H is doing a fantastic and thorough job, however. They have been working in the community for almost five years, and have learned to assess the families and children they work with in order to help support the most vulnerable.
So, almost two weeks in, our eyes have been opened wide once again. The people are extremely friendly and helpful, and there are smiling, waving children calling out "mzungu" (white person) everywhere we go in the community.It did not take more than a few days to settle down and feel welcome here in Namuwango.
Please pray for us, that we will be strong and stay healthy. And for the people of Namuwango slum, who face trials that we can not even dream of. And for everyone back home, that we as Canadians will know how blessed we are to have been born in such a great homeland.
Sula Balunge- Good night!