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…

Alli Wano

My new project – Alli Wano

Anyone who knows me will know that I talk about Uganda A LOT - everything and anything can be linked back to Uganda in some way! Well now I've decided to go back to the place that has captured my heart all these years - The Pearl of Africa.

From my experiences in Uganda over the past eight years and following a month’s research trip to Kampala this summer, I believe that God is calling me to set up a project there called ‘Alli Wano’ (meaning ‘He is here’ in Luganda). The project will be a part of my uncle’s charity, Link International, which has numerous such enterprising projects already under its umbrella. 

Why?

My real passion in life is seeing children with disabilities and learning difficulties experiencing a good quality of life. Having worked for international children’s charity, Viva, in Kampala previously, I have witnessed many families who simply cannot afford to look after their children. Children with disabilities unfortunately tend to be last on the list when it comes to basic needs being met; in Uganda children with special needs are still largely thought to be the sign of a curse on a family and of little value.

How?

I will be working with contacts from a number of Kampala’s disabled children’s charities who advocate for the rights of children with special needs and work with parents to educate them about the value of all children. My aim is to come alongside and empower the parents of these children by teaching them sewing skills so they can sustainably support their families.

What?

By partnering with local seamstresses and translators, I will teach the trainees to make items such as kitenge (African fabric) bunting, cushion covers, tablet and phone covers and baby slings and we will sell the products in the tourist markets of Kampala. I also hope to hold specific training sessions on subjects such as managing money and skills for running a small business in the hope that ultimately the families could have their own sewing businesses.

When and Where?

I am moving to Kampala in January 2015 and have committed to living there for at least two years. My training centre will be set up in the compound of two married friends (Sarah and Godfrey) who also have a heart for children with special needs. Sarah and I are below.

And Finally...

This project has changed a lot since my initial vision for it and even in those few short months I have experienced heartache and turmoil as it has altered but it has never moved away from the focus of helping the parents of disabled children to help themselves and that's what I will continue to hold on to.