The Next Chapter

The new workshop before renovation...

This week will be a busy but exciting time for me as I embark on life in a second Alli Wano workshop and start three new sewing classes.

...And after a fresh lick of paint by the landlord

I’ll be working alongside The Uganda Down’s Syndrome Association (TUDSA) to provide sewing classes to parents of children with Down’s.

I held a meeting for the mums (and one sister) recently to introduce myself and my passion and vision for the project. I explained that I have a sister with Down’s Syndrome and they were intrigued to see photos of us together in England. They seemed to really appreciate an outsider coming into their world who had an idea of the struggles and joys of this reality.

Adding some African trimmings

We will be having classes of 4-5 people every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday until the end of November at least, and the syllabus will be slightly different from the pilot class with Suubi House. Monica and I will be teaching more traditional tailoring skills as well as introducing some new products such as upcycled/customised second hand clothes.

Excitingly, three of the graduates from the first class will also be coming to teach on the areas they have each specialised in. I hope this will be an encouragement to the new students as they see that they too could be teaching in just a few months time.

Elvis wouldn't get off the curtain
material we were trying to use!

While I was working with one of my ladies at her home this week, one of her friends, Shaida, popped in with her three year old son Elvis. He really is such a cutey but unfortunately cannot yet walk or talk. As Shaida can’t afford to take Elvis to a clinic for assessment I am going to support her to do this and hopefully organise some speech and physical therapy if appropriate.

Sewing and Harvesting

This week and next the ladies are learning to appliqué. It has been very interesting to see how they have dealt with learning a new technique as we have been working on Kindle cases for so many weeks now! Appliqué is quite different to any other skill we’ve been working on.

Margaret with her appliqued map of Uganda bag

Half the women, including Margaret (our kafulu, star/expert, who had some small sewing experience previous to joining Alli Wano) have picked up appliqué really easily and others have struggled. The idea is that we appliqué these cotton bags and get them to market as soon as we can because plastic shopping bags have recently been banned in Kampala. I wanted the ladies to pick up the skill quickly so we could start production. I’m keen for them to start earning money and so I started worrying:

• What if some of the ladies start to make money and others don’t?
• Will they resent the others?
• What if some just never get it?

But as I prayed about the situation I felt that God gave me a very clear answer:

John 4:35 “Do you think the work of harvesting will not begin until the summer ends four months from now? Look around you! Vast fields are ripening all around us and are ready now for the harvest.”

Through this verse I felt that God said to me:

• Some of the ladies are ready – let them go for it!
• Give others more time and they’ll get there
• It will motivate them to work hard if they see others getting money
• It’s not all about money (a point I’ll come back to in a second)

I also feel, although not directly from this scripture, that it would work well for each lady to have a specialism and therefore I’ve started to watch who is best at what, and who enjoys making which product.

It’s not all about money

As I observe the women at the workshop I realise that Alli Wano is so much more than a training school and business. Some of the ladies did not pick up the new technique straight away and that could be for many reasons – we’re all good at different things – but I realised the main reason was because they were having issues in their personal lives and so focusing on sewing was not their first priority.

One lady is having to move out of her marital home because of emotional abuse by her husband, one is waiting for her son to have a potentially life-changing operation this weekend, and another’s son is critically ill. And yet they keep coming. Coming to the workshop each week allows Arios, Oliver, Jane, Margaret, Catherine and Susan a space to vent frustrations from home, to share the ups and downs of life. That safe place is so much more important than whether or not they learn to sew. This is a space just for them, where they can be themselves and do something for them.

All the women would call themselves Christians of one denomination or another and now, as official training comes to an end I feel it’s time to invite them to go deeper on a spiritual level. So I’m devising a tailored (!) bible study for those who wish to come, to help them understand more of who Jesus is and more of His unconditional love for them.

As I step out in this new journey of faith if anyone has any resources they would recommend for women’s bible study/ministry please do let me know!

Cold Cold Cold!

Saturday 28th

We spent a few minutes in Jinja town after checking out. The hotel staff were lovely, the ladies even gave us a hug; we might as well have been family!  After another long drive we arrived back in Ntinda mid-afternoon.

Sunday 29th

A visit to see John’s 79 year old mother was today’s highlight. She lives in a two room house built by John. An amazing woman; she walked 500 miles as a refugee from war-torn Rwanda before John was born. While there I heard a very loud Palm Sunday service taking place nearby - so I went in for a few minutes. I couldn’t leave Uganda without experiencing some genuine African Christian enthusiasm!!

In the afternoon we went to a craft market in Kampala where I bought a lovely black doll for Lucy.

I can hardly believe that I have been here for a week now!

Monday 30th

This morning it was lovely to meet some of Fran’s friends at the Kampala office of the charity Viva, where she worked for almost a year in 2011.

Well, tomorrow evening we fly home. I have immensely enjoyed this experience, but feel ready to return to normality at home. Fran’s coming back home for a wedding later in April, so that’s something we can both look forward to.

Tues 31st 

We set off for the airport in Entebbe in pouring rain, which meant that the roads were less busy.

Had a good lunch at a hotel near the airport, and overlooking Lake Victoria, and I managed a rest on a recliner under a tree outside in what was by then hot sunshine. Lake Victoria is tidal; it was relaxing to hear the waves breaking on the nearby beach. The flight was delayed by an hour, but there was still plenty of time to get the connecting flight from Doha to Manchester.

Wednesday 1st April

Cold, cold, cold! Coming back to what is effectively still winter weather is somewhat of a shock!

I’m typing this on the train from Manchester Airport and hope to be home about 10.30 a.m.

I’m so pleased that I made it to see Fran in Uganda, and to see her in action. I’m so proud of her! The trip has been a real eye opener; until you actually go, no matter how someone tries to describe what it’s like, you have no real idea. You’ve got to go!!

Nigel on The Nile

Wed 25th

This morning we met Fran at a fairly central Kampala restaurant that she frequents. The intention was to get on line to update people on events (facebook mainly), drink coffee and then have a snack lunch. But their wi-fi was down so the internet side went down the plughole! Great coffee and a splendid lunch was enjoyed though.

In the afternoon we travelled to a more rural area to visit a school where Tim and the others had a meeting to plan for his students arrival to help out in various ways in the summer. I sat in my handy chair and read under the shade of a tree in the courtyard while they talked. It was the hottest afternoon so far, nearly 30. We’ve had heavy rain each night, but the skies have gradually cleared by early afternoon. So it’s not been excessively hot.

While we were there we went to see a mud hut just down the track from the school. This is where a man lives who is more often drunk (on paraffin?) than not. He did have all five of his children with him at one time, but four of them have been rescued out of the abusive situation by the head of the nearby school. However Douglas remains with his father to “protect” the property. What there is to protect is debatable - a dirty, dark, squalid room with a mat for a bed and a line with clothes on for a wardrobe. Douglas, a young teenager, who looks pitifully shabby and was feeding the pig in a stall while we were there. The father stood by while Tim and the others talked about how to get improved living quarters developed by his students this summer - but he didn’t appear to understand or take interest in what was being planned.

In the evening I was given a very warm welcome at Fran’s lovely Small Group from church where they gave us all a tasty meal, after which there was some bible teaching. What a lovely bunch; they seemed very excited to meet me, can’t think why!!

Thursday 26th

We went to see Fran’s sewing workshop this morning; the highlight of my stay! It is only a small room in the backyard of a house rented by her friend Sarah. The house is down a muddy (when wet) lane, close to the centre of Ntinda. I met two student ladies and the seamstress who is helping Fran. The seamstress was delighted with the quality of the fabric I had managed to acquire in the UK, especially as they were running low.

Friday 27th

Today has been the driest and hottest so far. Fran drove me 2 1/2 hours to Jinja, on Lake Victoria near the source of the Nile. It’s not that far from Kampala, but traffic is so slow in Uganda. This afternoon we had a very eventful boat trip to the source of the Nile, which is fed from Lake Victoria. We saw much interesting wildlife, particularly birds. There was a hilarious first half hour when shortly after we left Jinja the engine broke down - we managed one way or another to get to a staging post where a new engine was fitted. Joel, the owner, is a lovely Christian man who told us how God had saved him from alcoholism while he was in prison for a violent offence. Now he preaches the gospel whenever he can.

“The Source Of The Smile” is the fabulous guest house we are staying in for the night. We have bedrooms outside opening onto a kind of thatched veranda with a small swimming pool a few feet away. Fran has swum, but I have yet to have a dip.

Nigel's adventure

This week my dad has come to visit me. Here are some reflections from his Uganda time so far:

Sunday 22nd March

There was a long delay half way through our flight from Manchester. We were meant to land at Doha to change planes for Entebbe but there were aircraft stacking up as a violent thunder storm had earlier caused the abandonment of four unsuccessful landings. However we diverted to Bahrain where we sat on the tarmac, so to speak, for a couple of hours. Eventually we took off for an hour’s flight back to Doha where we took a long-delayed flight to Entebbe. We arrived at 1800, instead of the planned 13.35.

Fran drove us to Kampala through the heavy Sunday evening traffic which was apparently mainly leaving the beaches at Lake Victoria. It was frequently stop-start. 

I have never experienced driving like they do here; cars, mini-buses and boda-boda (taxi) motorbikes constantly barging in on both sides. The only rule appeared to be “keep left”. Many vehicles were driven without lights in the dark, no idea why. People, including young children, seem to walk for miles at the side of the road. “Shanty” shops were in evidence at the roadside for most of the journey.

Fran’s driving amazed me, she negotiated what appeared to be a major road junction where there were no marked priorities or traffic lights. It really was every man (and woman) for themselves. We had to drop off Zoe, who travelled from the UK with us, in a different part of Kampala. The whole journey took us 3 hours to cover about 33 miles.

John and Sophie gave us a welcome meal on arrival at his house in Ntinda and after a much needed shower I turned in about 22.30.

Monday 23rd

After a good night’s sleep both Tim and I awoke at 9.00. There had been a tremendous thunder storm during the night which put the power out; it is the start of the rainy season. After breakfast Tim drove us over to the house which Fran rents with Christine, a young American lady. 

Some main roads here are reasonably surfaced, but others not so good. However, side roads are another matter; just tracks which get very muddy after rain. 4X4 vehicles are essential here. Fran’s house is a slow 10 minutes up a track off the main road. It is not isolated as there are other dwellings round about.

After my much needed 2 hour post-lunch nap at Fran’s she took me to see Arios, a 37 year old widow who lives in a single room “house” with her 5 children, one of whom appears to be autistic and cannot speak. Arios cooks outside on a basic stone fire in the alley way, oblutions take place in a communal area outside the back. There is a double bed, but some of the family have to sleep on the floor. One of the children was doing some washing in a bowl outside the front door. Despite the dreadful conditions Arios was so well dressed in clean clothes, amazing! The phrase “We don’t know we are born” springs to mind. One of the more humbling experiences I have had here.

Tuesday 24th

This morning we went to see the Wendy Mary Medical Clinic, named after Wendy because of the financial support she gave to get it established. They are working on extra buildings to expand the range of services offered, but presently there is only a dentist’s clinic operating there.

The next humbling experience I encountered was to visit an 80 year old woman who lives in a small house built behind the clinic by John’s team. This lady had been relocated from a shanty town where she lived with her grandchildren, two of whom Tim’s charity is helping to fund in education; Julius is at St David’s College. What really moved me was the  way in which this 80 year old bowed almost prostrate as we arrived. This appeared to be in recognition of the help she and her family had been given. There were some comfortable chairs which we used; the only nod to modernity. She sat on the stone floor, weaving on her lap.

A fantastic evening meal in a Kampala restaurant rounded off the day nicely. However the drive to and from was fraught with heavy traffic again. Rush hour traffic leaving the city on the way in, but I’ve no idea why so much at 21.00! I’ve realised one reason traffic is so bad is because there are so few main routes through the city, and no rat runs. We saw one unfortunate lady being knocked down crossing the road in front of a motorcyclist, fortunately neither hurt. Slightly alarming!

More to come soon...

Busy-ness!

I’ve not blogged for a few weeks because I’ve been so busy with project preparations, getting product samples ready and a few other things…

My friend Zoe was in Uganda for a whirlwind six day visit last week to do some work for Link International and to attend a very important wedding/introduction. We had fun at the introduction which had more than 3000 people, even though we couldn’t understand much of what was being said. It was important that we were there to celebrate, represent Link International and to network as there were many Members of Parliament in attendance.

Picking people up on the side of the road on the way to the introduction. Just out of shot is the baby that Zoe was thrown to look after!

Fields of Life

These past few weeks I’ve also been meeting with my new friend Anne Brown who is from Northern Ireland and is a trustee for education charity Fields of Life. Anne has introduced me to the possibility of Alli Wano parents making reusable sanitary pads – not very sexy but a necessity in Uganda’s rural areas. It seems that soon it will be compulsory for all schools here to provide sanitary wear for female pupils, so the market could be very lucrative. There are some organisations already making these pads, such as Afripads, but they cannot possibly make them for the entire country. Anne has set up a project called I Am Girl, focusing on educating girls about their menstrual cycle and enabling them to attend school even when they have their monthly period. (They would normally have to stay at home during heavier flow.) 

To be able to help not only Alli Wano/Suubi House parents through sewing training and employment, but also help another set of people with the end products would be wonderful. Monica and I are going to look at some patterns and research next week to see if it’s something we want to pursue.

Communications

In amongst all that, as tends to happen in my life, I have offered my services on a voluntary basis as a communications consultant for Fields of Life as they are realising that they need to be more strategic in their comms approach in Uganda. So I’m going to be working with them one morning a week on their comms strategy, as well as conducting some training for staff.

Ex-trafficked women

I’ve also been approached by someone from my new church, Freedom Church, to come and look at the possibility of holding sewing classes at an organisation supporting women who have escaped trafficking. Monica and I are planning to visit this project next week to discuss the way forward with them. I hope that this may be another source of income for Monica.

Arios sewing her first line of stitches

First training sessions

The training sessions this week have gone really well and have been so encouraging for me, the mums and Monica. Tuesday’s class had four women and today’s had three – all have different backgrounds, children and circumstances but they’ve been getting on well; there has been lots of laughing (and lots of hard work of course). 

As I expected, some challenges are already arising – some predicted and some not – let’s just say I’m so glad I have Monica on board. One of the biggest problems is only having two sewing machines. If you would like to donate towards another sewing machine for Alli Wano please get in touch - they are about £80 to buy here.

Seeing the way God is working in different people's lives already is so uplifting. It looks as though next week is going to be just as full and busy and I'm enjoying it all so much. 

Allison

Two confessions to start with:

1. Good spelling is fairly ridiculously important to me, so it may surprise you to know that the name of my project, Alli Wano, is actually spelt incorrectly. (It should be Ali Wano.) 

2. I’ve told you that Alli Wano means ‘He is here’ in Luganda. Well, I may have told a half truth about the meaning of the phrase - you see in Luganda there is no distinction between ‘he’ and ‘she’ so the same word that means ‘He is’ can also mean ‘She is’ depending on context.

Why am I telling you this?

As well as wanting to help empower families with disabled children, my project is also a tribute to a girl called Allison. But who is she?

Allison 

Allison Malacara was a woman whose life was full of creativity and determination. A flamboyant Mexican who loved African textiles, Uganda and fashion; she was a stylist to many Ugandan celebrities. She was also my good friend Zoe’s best friend, but tragically Allison died in a road accident in Kampala in 2013. Along with Zoe she had begun to produce and sell kitenge bags and purses in a bid to help children in Kampala. I never met Allison but I know that she meant the world to Zoe so when God asked me to call my project Alli I knew that it referred to both Him and Allison.

Two by two

This brings me to today. Today I met with my seamstress to discuss the way forward for Alli Wano. I found Monica through Pasiss (you can read about her here) and she is a wonderful woman who I can’t wait to work with. 

Even since before coming out here I have wondered why I’m doing it alone. To have someone there to bounce ideas off, as Zoe and Allison had, and to encourage you is invaluable. Jesus always sent His disciples out in pairs at least, but never alone. I have prayed for someone to partner with me and felt today that I had found my partner in Monica. As we sat and discussed designs and training programmes I shared my fears about the project with her and immediately she asked Jesus to take away that fear. 

I have a new found confidence and am pleased to be able to say that training will begin on Tuesday 24^th February!

Waiting

The last week or so has been a week of firsts for me:

Trying the fro yo with Sarah and Rachel

My first time to try frozen yogurt, ably assisted by my American friend Sarah.

My first time to have my eyebrows threaded (painful but worth it for £1.16!).

And I had hoped that by now I would have had my first sewing training session under my belt. But things here just don't work that fast. I've been here for three weeks now and although I’ve made progress with plans and preparations it’s easy for me to feel that I should have done more. In light of this, God had to have a word with me to tell me not to rush things; everything is moving in His perfect timing.

Divine meeting

I’ve had a few divine meetings this week, and I’ll tell you about the others another time, but the most significant was only a very short conversation with a girl called Hannah who I met on Saturday. She volunteers as a nurse at an organisation I greatly admire called Revelation Life. It went like this:

Me: I’ve never known a project or community here where I could feel the tangible presence of the Holy Spirit so much as when I visited Revelation Life. 

Hannah: I think that has a lot to do with the fact that we never ever go out without seeking Him in some way beforehand, whether that’s worshipping, praying, or just soaking in His presence.

And that was it! That’s what I want Alli Wano to be – ALL about Him. It made me realise that it’s important to DO but it’s equally, if not more, important to WAIT on HIM.

Preparations

Oliver, one of my potential students, 
whose son Peter has Cerebral Palsy.

Most things are ready for Alli Wano; I’ve bought tables and chairs for the sewing machines, have a place to set them up, around eight people wanting to come for training, and all the fabrics and equipment I need for the first set of training. I just need to finalise a Ugandan seamstress to come and help train and I’m all set! – I’ve had a few failed attempts at finding one.

I guess God is deliberately holding off on providing the seamstress for me so that I can WAIT. Whether that’s the case or not I’m choosing to wait on Him in this time and allow Him more and more to take control of the process that He started and the outworking of the vision He planted in me.

To find out more about the work of Link International or to donate to the work of Alli Wano please click here. 

The Reason

I want to share a little of the heart reason I’ve come to live in Uganda again. 

Naomi

Few people know this but the thing that has impacted me most out of any visit to Uganda over the last eight years was on my 2009 trip here. And that was meeting this beautiful little girl with Down’s Syndrome in the village who we’ll call Naomi. You’ll know that I have a soft spot for children and adults with Down’s because of my own special sister Lucy.

Me and Naomi

In 2009 Naomi must have been about 6 or 7 and she seemed to be quite a happy child. I think because I showed her some attention and affection she would follow me round when she saw me and always wanted me to pick her up. I didn’t see her that much while staying in the village but after only a few days she started calling me ‘mama’. That was when I realised that I needed to distance myself because I knew when I left it might be hard on her. The day that really broke my heart was the day that her mother asked me to take Naomi away with me – she didn’t want her.

Reality

My sister Lucy

I can completely understand why people find it so hard to look after a child with special needs here; it's hard even in the UK. There is no benefits system and there are very few day care centres, and certainly none in the remote rural areas, not to mention the social stigma attached to any form of disability. Everyone is expected to play their part in the running of the house - cooking, cleaning, fetching water and if someone doesn't have the capacity to do that, unfortunately they are seen as a burden.

Recently I went back to the village and Naomi is still there but she has grown so much taller! It was great to see her again and to know that she is ok. The other children tend to push her around and tease her and it crushes me, partly because I realise that if my own sister had been born here, her experience of life could have been so different, but also because I recognise that Naomi has a value of her own.

My project

I'm setting up my sewing machines in my good friend Sarah's outhouse. She runs a fantastic project called Suubi House which ultimately Sarah and her husband Godfrey want to be a community day care centre for children with special needs. I hope parents will be able to come here for sewing training - Suubi House is somewhere parents in Sarah's programme will be familiar with and hopefully feel comfortable in. I don't know how my project will work practically yet because it may be that I need to take my services to the parents – some may not be able to bring their child or they may not have anyone to leave them with. I will have to play many of these logistics by ear.

However it works it will be such an honour to help Sarah and others with a passion for empowering these children and their parents. I want to help parents realise more and more that there are people and a God who value their children and therefore want to invest in them.

So if you ever hear me wavering in what I’m doing here please just remind me of Naomi and her precious precious life.

Courage

Today I went to Kiyembe in downtown Kampala to look for some fabric, zips, lining and other bits for my project and had an enlightening time.

Kiyembe is the area to go to for any kind of quality textiles or sewing paraphernalia at cheap prices. It’s also extremely busy and can be tiring, especially in the 30 degree weather we’ve been having. After half an hour of wandering round and being told to sit on wooden stools while people brought me items such as foam padding and cotton wool in the hope that it might be ‘felt’ I gave up and bought this lovely traditional Ugandan cloth. I want to line my Kindle cases with felt but it looks as though no one has it or knows what it is here, or perhaps it just has a different name.

On my way down to Kiyembe I had passed an older looking woman sitting on the roadside begging for money. She had mutated fingers and toes. Some of you will know that I’ve started to think about how I could empower adults with physical disabilities and I knew that I wanted to talk to this lady when I saw her. I chickened out of talking to her on the way down the hill but on the way back up clutching my new fabric I asked God for courage and for Him to remind me of useful Luganda phrases so that I might be able to find a little bit out about the woman.

It transpired that she was from the north of Uganda – an Acholi woman who spoke Luo. There are estimated to be around 40 languages spoken in Uganda so it shouldn’t have been a total surprise to me. Luganda is spoken only in Kampala and surrounds and is the most useful language for me living here. The lady knew a little Luganda and we managed to have a stilted conversation about where she lives and I discovered that she is a grandmother but I couldn’t get much further.

En-couraged by this small but largely unsuccessful encounter I turned the corner and decided to speak to a young girl sitting on the pavement with a money plate in front of her. This girl, Sarah, also spoke Luo but unlike the last lady she didn’t know any English or Luganda. She was from Lira. Sarah had a problem with her legs and used crutches. She couldn't understand anything I was saying to her so she beckoned for a lady to come over and translate. Left is a picture of my wonderful translator Pasiss (sp?) for the next 10 minutes, who, it turned out loves Jesus passionately and was so excited to help me.

It emerged that Sarah was actually 7 months pregnant and had been stuck in Kampala after her belongings had been stolen – all she wanted was money to get back to Lira and her family.

People’s situations are never simple here, and while I may want to help them, my kind of help is not always what they are looking for, and it’s good to recognise that. But having tested the waters today I feel that I have got over a fear of approaching people and am hoping to go out next week with a translator to find more people and see if they would be able and interested in learning to sew.
 

Striking a Balance

(This is a special blog post for St Philip’s, Sheffield)

Being out here in Uganda for only two full days I have suddenly realised how much Jesus has changed me whilst being at St Philip’s. I just want to say thank you for helping me become more ‘me’ over the last few years and for helping me develop the areas that I’m not naturally so good at - striking that Myers Briggs balance.

Then

I have historically been quite a shy person who doubts herself and can’t handle any kind of failure; I wouldn’t try anything much in case the inevitable happened. I’ve been someone who has wallowed in my room as a bit of a loner, feeling sorry for myself and generally not seeing the benefits of being with people. I’ve been a massive procrastinator (now I’m just a little one) who sees no need for forward planning and therefore found myself stressed out multiple times a day.

Now

As I’ve been adjusting to life here and thinking about my sewing project I’ve had a few significant kairoses:

• I’m not sure how to process things without other people
• I want to be challenged and to push myself
• I crave deep levels of community
• I appreciate the importance of planning, preparation and rhythms (with room for spontaneity built in of course)

Being me

Something happens to me when I’m in Uganda that allows me to be FREE and I realised that I now have that feeling when I’m in England too, I just didn't know it until I moved away. 

Yesterday I felt more like me than I’ve felt in a long time; I made a prototype of a sleep mask (NOT a bra) on the sewing machine, I painted a picture (which might portray a bit how I’m feeling right now), I went swimming, I journalled by the pool, and I skyped Line and Hannah (yes Matt Broughton, that’s more than one thing in a day!) One of the things that really impacted me from the Internship was that I realised I feel closest to God and have revelations of Him when I'm being creative.

I have blessed the room where I sit right now (thanks Sharon Earl for the oil) and although I’m alone I am using this time constructively to plan the weeks and months ahead. Later I’ll go out for a swim after I’ve done some sewing and later I’ll see my friends…