Trips and Team Changes

Sorry I haven't blogged for a few weeks! We have been continuing our routine (as I wrote in the last post) and it has been going well. A few new things have happened which I will catch you up on.

Last weekend Kathryn, Ken, Innocent and I took a trip to the equator which is only a two hour drive away from the Smile centre. Explains why it is so hot all the time! We had a nice day out and visited lots of shops with local crafts and gifts in them, which I enjoyed a lot as I am a shopper at heart! We also ate at a cafe called AidChild where all of their profits go to orphans with AIDS. And of course we took some photos...

Me, Ken and Kathryn

On both sides of the world!

Another new thing, this week a container of aid has arrived from the UK which has all been unloaded and is waiting to be sorted so we can distribute clothes, school supplies and other items to the people supported by Smile Charity Uganda. This includes school children, people in the slums and women at the sewing centre.

Also, we have had a new arrival and a great addition to the team! Tasha arrived from the UK on Saturday night and has been working with us gappers this week at Ruth Mother Care and in the slums.

Collecting Tasha from Entebbe Airport

She is here for 3 weeks and has some brilliant ideas for the work here. She has brought a lot of practical lessons to do at Ruth Mother Care, for example on Tuesday we did a lesson on plants with the older children (Primary 1-3) and they have all been able to make their own plant pot which they loved. The hope is the children will see them grow in a few weeks, but unfortunately it is the start of the wet season so there is too much water and no sun for them! Tasha also brought some rulers which the children could personalise, and then they could keep their own ruler which was a lovely gift for them. Most children don't have anything of their own so we feel this was a really good idea to teach them about looking after their belongings and also a nice gesture to make them all feel special, and proud of their ruler.

Tasha teaching at RMC

Tasha helping the children with their pots

Me helping with the plant pots

Kathryn helping with the plant pots

The finished pots

Primary 3 colouring their rulers

The children with their rulers

There's a mixture of emotions this week as it is Tasha's first week but also Ken's last week :'( Ken flys home tomorrow! Even typing that is crazy. Wow. He will be so missed by everyone here, especially Kathryn and I as we have been a little family of 3 for the last 6 months. He had his last day at Ruth Mother Care this week where we gave them the text books we have been fundraising for which was so lovely to do before he leaves. I will make a separate blog post next week for Ken's departure. 

If you could remember him in your prayers as he returns home and re-adjusts to life in the UK that would be great, thank you. And thank you all for keeping me and the team in your prayers, I can't say enough how lovely it is to have such a supportive church family behind me. 

Much Love to you all, and God Bless.

A New Term!

For the last few weeks we have been back to our normal routine after a long break over the new year. The school term commenced at the start of February and so we went back to school. Our routine involves three days of teaching and two days of outreach work. I love the business of term time, although it can get a bit exhausting after a while!

On Mondays we have started a "Catch-up class" in the slums. This involves the gap year team and a couple of local team members teaching English to children in the slums who don't go to school - because some can't afford school fees and others have learning difficulties so haven't had the chance to get an education. This is a really exciting project for us and is really beneficial for these children.

Kathryn and Moses teaching phonetics at the Catch-up class

The children learning sound "fffff"

Helping the children with their writing

Me helping with writing

On Tuesdays and Wednesdays Ken, Kathryn and I work in a school called Ruth Mother Care teaching children English. We work with children whose ages range from about 4-9, teaching them phonetics, sounds, writing and reading. We have been working in this humble school for about 5 months now and have developed such a love for the children and teachers there. I look forward to working at Ruth Mother Care every week, it has amazing teachers and wonderful kids. The school is growing but it is lacking in some resources and a big need for the school is textbooks. There are no English textbooks in the school and we feel this is so important for the students and the teachers, to really increase their English language skills, and improve their learning experience. Because of this need, the gap year team have set up a fundraising page to raise money for textbooks for Ruth Mother Care. I will leave a link to the page so you can find out more about our teaching work and even donate to this cause if you wish.
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SomeoneSpecial/ruthmothercare

Ruth Mother Care school building

Teacher Monica, me, Kathryn, and Ken with Primary 1 class

Kathryn teaching Top and Middle class

Primary 1 showing their colouring by numbers

Me teaching in Primary 2

Ken teaching in Primary 1

Me teaching in Primary 3

Teacher Monica, me, Kathryn and Ken with Primary 2

On Thursdays we take part in Community Outreach in the slum area - Nabulagala - with the local team. This involves going around peoples houses, talking with them, sharing the Bible and praying with them. Smile have developed good relationships with many families in this area due to the dedication of the local team members and work of the gap year teams over the years. Also, some families in the area benefit from child sponsership through Smile, and many kids here attend our kids clubs on Fridays. Community outreach is a very eye opening and humbling experience. The people are lovely here, they let us into their homes and are very welcoming and loving towards us.

The Community Outreach team

Me with some of the children during Community Outreach

On Fridays we help with two Kids Clubs, one in the Nabulagala slum area and one in Nansana (near the Smile House). In these clubs we play games with the children, sing songs, give out biscuits and tell Bible stories. The children always enjoy the clubs and it is very tiring but very enjoyable!

Songs during Kids Club

Games during Kids Club

Saturdays and Sundays are our rest days and we often go to church, help out with the music in the services, go to youth events or just sleep!

A big thank you for all the prayers and support. I am looking forward to another busy week, although the Gap Year Team are feeling quite tired and a bit ill at the moment so prayers for strength and health would be greatly appreciated. :) God bless.