End Child Sacrifice Campaign

One of the strategic ministry areas of Kyampisi Childcare Ministries (KCM) is the End Child Sacrifice (ECS) Campaign. 

Each year hundreds of children in Uganda are reported as 'missing' - sadly, many will have been sacrificed. Members of the KCM ECS Team have been documenting as many of these cases as possible. The details of these are too graphic to represent here. 

Thursday saw Dale and I working on these reports in readiness for preparation to the National Parliament next week. This has been an ongoing task, one Sonia and I worked on while we were in Uganda in 2012-2013. 

The work is very confronting as the respective reports need to be as descriptive as possible. 

Peter Sewakiryanga, Director of KCM has been working with a number of professional associations to bring this practice to the awareness of the international community.

Praise the Lord that there are people from all over the world working together to bring this practice to an end. 

Mary's blood poisoning

As mentioned previously, last Sunday we attended the burial of little Mary. What I hadn't mentioned was the tragic circumstances surrounding her passing. 

Mary was a typical 8 year old girl. She was a student of Kyampisi Christian Community School and was one of the keen singers in the Kyampisi Children's Choir. 

Unlike many Ugandan's, Mary's teeth were infected. From my experience Ugandans have AMAZING teeth. Clean, bright and straight - probably due to their simple diet. 

To cut a long story short, it was decided to remove Mary's offending tooth. I'm not exactly sure how this was done, but it was probably a little primitive and resulted in a lot of blood loss. She was taken to a local Clinic to stop the flow of blood - which failed. 

She was then taken to a local Hospital where she was given a blood transfusion. Unfortunately she was given the wrong type of blood and she died of blood poisoning. Apparently doctors worked on her for some time before she was pronounced dead. 

Even though this situation was avoidable, it does highlight the frailty of life in Uganda. 

Teacher PD at Busoke

Wednesday saw Peter Sewakiryanga drop in to St Paul's House for a short devotion. I took the opportunity to give him a small gift - a Sidlow Baxter devotional book. 

Edwin came to collect us at 8.30am. As we hadn't been able to copy the Teacher Worksheets yesterday (due to there being no electricity across the city) we needed to copy them en route to Busoke today. What we hadn't factored in was there being no power this morning either. To cut a long story short we made our way to Makerere University, where Edwin had organised a generator so we could print off and copy the required pages. 

While waiting at the University we observed the Ugandan technique for replacing photocopier toner - pull apart two cartridges; tip the toner from a full cartridge onto a sheet of A4 paper that has been shaped like a funnel and pour it into the empty cartridge. 

Given that we had quite a wait at the University, Edwin bought us some freshly cut and cooked potato chips with tomato sauce and coleslaw. 

After leaving Makerere University we made our way out to Busoke. En route we stopped at Gayaza to pick up 11 bags of cement (27,500 schillings each) and pay for 2500 bricks (500,000 schillings) and one load of sand (80,000 schillings) - all needed to build the new foundations at the teachers quarters. 

Given that we were scheduled to commence our PD session at 10am and we were still negotiating building materials at noon, we knew there would need to be an adjustment to the timing of our PD. 

As we arrived at Busoke close to 1pm we changed our schedule as follows:

Session 1 - 1pm-2pm

Lunch - 2pm-2.30pm (rice and meat)

Session 3 - 2.30pm-5pm

The sessions took place in the P1 classroom. The 14 participants sat on double timber stools (like our grandparents would have used). They walked and rode bicycles from four nearby schools - some were teachers and others were Head teachers but all were keen!

Before the session officially commenced there was about 20 minutes of formalities and introductions led by Edwin and Edward, Head teacher of Barnabas Christian School. 

To begin the PD, I unpacked Ephesians 4:1-16 - highlighting the need for unity in the body of Christ and the nature of the 'calling' of teaching.

To break the session up a little bit I invited participants to join me outside for a few minutes to play a little game. I wanted them to start reflecting on their teaching practice and why they do what they do. 

Throughout the sessions we unpacked the seven teacher skill areas in the Avenues to Teaching Excellence rubric. Under each skill area there are a number of descriptors that help to define a Christian teacher's professional practice. 

The teachers asked many questions to help them clarify what we were saying. They engaged with the whole process and appeared very interested in the application of what we were suggesting to their school context. 

During the session I was amazed how everyone seemed to be hanging off our every word. They were certainly very keen to learn as much as they could in the short time frame we had... and their faces were so excited. It was great to hear them reflect on how they could use the Bible in their teaching. I was amazed how creative they were with such new information. 

About half way through the second session, the rain that had been threatening all day decided to fall... and fall it did!  Given that the classroom had a tin roof, I really needed to project my voice and call upon all my teacher skills! 

Interestingly, at the end of the session the teachers invited us back to undertake a week long PD session during school holidays. I wonder if Australian teachers would be so keen to give up a week of their school holidays? 

Another indicator of their level of engagement was their desire to keep the session running well beyond our agreed finish time. Initially they were very keen to conclude the PD session at 3.30pm, but as the session progressed, we were the ones who brought it to a close at 5pm as we needed to get back to the building site before it got too dark. 

In our wrap-up at the end, one participant said words to the effect of 'I will leave today as a changed man. Prior to today, I had no idea how I could incorporate Christian perspectives into a strict National Curriculum'. It seems he felt unable to blend Biblical truth into the craft of teaching a secular Curriculum - one of the goals of our PD. 

Another good outcome was a commitment from the teachers  to establish an Association of Ugandan Christian Teachers. Edwin seems to be particularly keen on this concept (which I had discussed with him last time I was in Uganda) as it could also facilitate the sponsorship of teacher wages. 

After the PD session we enjoyed about an hour at the building site. As the ground was wet and slippery, there wasn't much opportunity to lay bricks. We decided to head back to Edwin's for dinner. 

Our drive home was punctuated by a little stop as we ran out of petrol about half a kilometre north of Gayaza. Edwin, Dale and I walked to the nearest petrol station to buy some fuel. As we walked along the road we were assisted by fire flies who lit the way. We were also assisted by the headlights of Boda Boda's (motor bikes) as they shoot along the side of the road in quick succession. All assistance was appreciated as there were no street lights where we were walking and the moon wasn't up for the night. 

Thankfully Edwin had a container that we took to the petrol station and the petrol attendant gave us a cut plastic bottle which we used as a funnel. 

Given that I was pretty tired, I decided to have a little rest on a chair beside the fuel bowser. Unfortunately the seat wasn't attached to the frame and I ended up on the ground! I think the whole experience tickled Dale's fancy - apparently my face said it all! 

After adding the petrol, we drove home to Edwin's for dinner - meat, gravy, chippette, mutoke and pineapple while watching a Ugandan sitcom on their little TV. 

On our arrival at St Paul's house we showered and went to bed. Very tired. 

Praise the Lord for the opportunity to share with the local Busoke teachers the integration of the Bible into their teaching. I'm looking forward to hearing many stories about their 'new' approach to teaching and learning. 

Building at Busoke

Monday saw Dale and I drive to Busoke District with Edwin to commence the building of five teacher quarters - a strategic part of the ministry of Barnabas Project. 

Prior to departing for Busoke, we dropped into Edwin's home and met Doreen and baby Rebecca. Edwiin also took the opportunity to share his vision for Barnabas Project and his current priorities. 

The 50 minute road trip to Busoke travels through the township of Gayaza (on the way to Kyampisi) and includes some spectacular scenery - lush green pastures, rolling hills and a number of fruit and vegetable markets. 

On arrival in Busoke we inspected the four classrooms of Barnabas Christian School (P1, P2, P3 and P4). The temporary classrooms are similar to those at Kyampisi except that they have an open and light feel, have cement floors and are only 12 months old. The school also includes an office for the Head teacher and a staff room for his teaching team.  The area directly outside these rooms has been stripped of grass and is fenced as the dirt access road to this isolated community runs beside the school. 

Interestingly, the small number of traditional homes adjacent to the school are a 15-20 minute drive off the main road (unlike Kyampisi which is only about 7-8 minutes from the main road). 

Following our introduction to each class (and a short conversation with each teacher, three of whom are men) Edwin gave us a tour of the current project before we commenced the building of the teachers quarters. 

On very close inspection from Edwin it was decided that we weren't able to commence the brickwork as previously planned (as the foundations needed to be re-designed). By 're-design' I mean remove the recently constructed but defective internal walls and re-align the internal trenches. According to Edwin, the initial foundations weren't up to his required standard. New contractors were employed and the process commenced afresh - courtesy of our money and our assistance. 

We were also a part of a planning meeting to discuss the expansion of the current pig pens and the construction of a new stream of income - a 500 head chicken farm. 

Both Dale and I gave Edwin 670,000 schillings today to purchase the required materials for the building of the teachers quarters. I'll give Edwin some more money on Wednesday as his estimates are a little on the low side. 

Dale and I decided to practise our footy passing during the afternoon - albeit with bricks - but it certainly provided lots of entertainment for everyone, including us. We were asked to move a pile of bricks from A to B and felt it was the best way to do so. 

As the day progressed we started to wonder if we were actually helping the local builders or only acting as comic relief. Our tag-team digging wasn't quite as efficient as the locals. 

We left Busoke at 5pm and returned to Edwin and Doreen's home for 'lunch', although we called it dinner as it was close to 6.30pm and we were VERY hungry. Doreen served Irish potatoes and we added a pineapple that we'd picked up on our way home. 

Edwin kindly drove us back to St Paul's House for showers and an early night. On our arrival home we were met with quietness as team members had gone our for the night. 

Tuesday saw Edwin meet us at St Paul's House and drive us back to Busoke. We dropped into a hardware store en route to pick up a plastic jerry can - which we cut in half to use at the building site. We also stopped at a street side nursery to pick up two Ugandan natives to plant at the Barnabas Christian School. 

We decided to give Edwin three iPads and 15 Redlands College student hats this morning - he was very moved by this and was very appreciative of our generosity. 

On our arrival at Busoke we were met by the children of Barnabas Christian School. We enjoyed a number of brief conversations with them - I was particularly interested in learning some of their names. We also enjoyed meeting with the teachers again - who are looking forward to our PD session tomorrow. 

As the temperature was rising, we thought it wise to start our building work. 

Our first task today was to plant the two native trees on the eastern side of the new teachers quarters. Edwin certainly has a vision for what he's doing and he's very strategic in planning towards this. 

After planting the trees, we commenced down at the pig pen as we were given the responsibility of re-cementing the floor of one of the pens. It seems the piglets entertained themselves the previous night digging a very large hole into the floor of their pen. 

The re-cementing process began by collecting unwanted rocks of dried cement from the stockpiles around the foundation site, wheelbarrowing them down to the pig pen, placing them on the current slab and hammering them into very small pieces. The process also involved spraying water on the slab and sprinkling some cement powder on the wet slab to help bind the new surface to the old. We then made concrete - using water and sand collected from the local area) and applied it to the top of the drying slab. One of the local builders then levelled it all off and the job was complete. 

Following this job (which took a good part of the day) we returned to the foundations of the teachers quarters. We were again digging trenches and, after Edward had used a plum line to position the respective corners of the structure, we started to lay bricks. 

I really enjoy laying bricks, especially when working closely with someone who builds the bed of mortar on which I lay them.  

At about 6pm we decided to call it a day. We drove back to Edwin's home for dinner - rice, beans, pasta, carrots and pineapple, which we again picked up on our drive home. 

After dinner we had planned to drop into a local printing shop to photocopy 20 copies of the Teacher Marix that Dale and I are using tomorrow in our Teacher PD at Barnabas Christian School. Unfortunately, as the power was 'off' AGAIN we returned to St John's House for showers and bed. 

Both Dale and I are feeling a little sore tonight, but due to what we've achieved, we also feel very satisfied. 

May God bless the community of Barnabas Christian School.  

Visit to Kyampisi

Sunday morning saw me drive Jamie, Anna, Barbara, Maria and Dale to Kyampisi for church. En route I bought 50,000 schillings worth of petrol. 

On our arrival at Kyampisi we were met with personal cheers and laughter. It was lovely to see the spontaneous response from people when they recognised who was driving Peter's Prado. At first it seemed they were thinking 'that looks a lot like Mark... wait a minute, it is Mark'. 

Prior to the service commencing at 11am Lawrence, Dale and I drove to the respective Ja Ja homes to see if they wanted a lift to church. Ja Ja Nalongo and her grandson joined us but Ja Ja Margaret and the other blind Ja Ja weren't in a position to come with us on this occasion. Ja Ja Margaret agreed to join us next week and bring the whole family!  

As is the custom for those who are new at church, Peter invited Jamie, Anna, Dale and me to address the assembly - which we did. Jamie and Anna are a couple who are working at Kyampisi for 2 months to FINISH the Health Clinic. 

As Peter had invited me to preach while on this trip, I was honoured to be able to give the message. 

The service included the usual segments of Kyampisi Children's Choir, Kyampisi Boys Dance Troupe, Tithes and Offerings, corporate singing and prayer and Testimonies. Barbara gave testimony to Mary, one of her choir members, who had tragically died the previous day. 

Following the service I enjoyed catching up with many of our Kyampisi friends - all of who wanted to know about 'mummy' 'Eli' and 'the girls'. I was pleased that I had organised photos of the family in my wallet. These were passed around for all to see! 

Following a beautiful time of catching up with everyone, including Hudson, Chairman, Cockroach, Angel, John, Juliet, Rita, Lukia and the many Kyampisi 'mums' and 'children', I drove a car-full of friends down to the funeral service and burial of Mary. 

When we arrived, the service had just commenced. There was easily about 300 people in attendance - nearly half of those living in the Kyampisi district. A friend of the family was thanking everyone for their support of the family at this difficult time. Following this, the local Catholic Priest shared a few words and led the 'official' part of the service. To be honest, I can't be sure what either men said as they both spoke in Lugandan throughout the proceedings. While they were speaking a number of the local men were preparing materials for the burial. They were mixing cement, stones and water while also reinforcing the mesh that would be placed on top of the dirt to seal the burial pit. As they were making so much noise, it was extremely difficult to hear what was being said. 

As the family walked the coffin to the burial pit many of the locals were singing hymns, again, in Lugandan. 

Following the service we enjoyed a meal of rice, beans, matoke, casava and beef and some further conversations with friends from the Kyampisi community. I particularly enjoyed chatting with John about his time at a local boarding school. It seems he is doing extremely well but is struggling to pay his fees. I offered to pay his outstanding fees so he could return on Monday with no debt. 

Prior to returning to St Paul's House, I took Jamie, Anna, Peter and Dale up to Prayer Mountain. Interestingly, we found evidence (grass baskets and large seed pods) of witch doctor practice while walking on the mountain. In the course of my conversations with Peter, it came out that he actually purchased the mountain earlier this year. 

Following our drive home we dropped into the cafe beside Ntinda Shopping Centre (opposite Tusky's) and enjoyed some further conversations with Jamie and Anna and a cup of Ugandan coffee. 

On our return to St Paul's House, we enjoyed a meal of rice, noodles and fruit. Part way through the meal Simon Forbes arrived - father of Eddy. 

After everyone had gone to bed, I enjoyed a conversation with Jamie and Anna about the vision God had given Peter when he first commenced at Kyampisi five years ago. 

Peter has been a little distracted the past couple of days - not surprising as he has been busy planning his 'Introduction' this Saturday and his wedding next Saturday. 

Touchdown in Entebbe

After 23 hours of flying and 6 hours waiting at airports, we arrived at our Ugandan destination - Entebbe International Airport. 

We were greeted by a gun-wielding  security guard who handed us two cards - the usual Entry Card and a Health Assessment Card - obviously a response to the Ebola outbreak. 

After collecting our bags we made our way out of the arrival lounge and searched for Peter Sewachiryanga. After waiting for about 20 minutes I rang Peter to enquire into his whereabouts. He was supporting a Kyampisi family who had tragically lost their daughter earlier that day. Colin met us in the car park about an hour later. 

Colin drove us to our home away from home, 'St Paul's House' via Garden City as we wanted to exchange some $US into Ugandan Schillings and organise our phone and SIMS card.  After arranging these, we arrived at St Paul's House where we were met by Barbara and our KCM hostesses. 

After discovering that we needed gas for the kitchen stove and a few groceries, we drove Barbara to a nearby service station and to Tusky's Supermarket. 

On our return to St Paul's House we were met by Peter and Joeline, his fiancée. We enjoyed some lovely conversation and a meal of omelette, rice and fruit. 

As we were both tired, we also enjoyed an early night. 

Medication prior to departure

I organised to have my various 'shots' with Dr Preshy during the first week of Term 3. These included Meningococcal, Typhoid and a Hepatitis booster. Dr Preshy also organised the Prescriptions for my Cholera and Malaria treatments, both of which I will need to commence prior to departing on September 12. Although I felt a little like a pin cushion, having the shots in the muscles of my shoulders, it's good to know I'm protected.

Interestingly, Ebola has recently broken out in Western Africa (initially in Ghana) but as there is no vaccination for this disease, and Ebola is only caught through bodily fluids, I'll just need to be careful while over in Uganda.