Ruth Mother Care, we love you!

Today is martyrs day in Uganda, which is a public holiday so we are off school. I am catching up on washing and cleaning, then later going into town to see some of the celebrations.

The days are going so quickly and before long I will be on the plane home! I am really enjoying this time with the children we work with. Yesterday we had a great day teaching at Ruth Mother Care. The kids are so amazing and I feel like I know their personalities now I have been teaching there for about 7 months. I have defiantly seen an improvement to their English since the start of our time here and I hope we have been a blessing to the school. I think we have made some great additions to the school, a big one being buying text books for them. They are being used regularly in lessons, and there is enough for the children to have one each which is great. I have noticed many little things they have been learning through using them. For example, finding page numbers, reading from books rather than looking at the blackboard has already began to improve their reading skills, and seeing pictures really helps with explaining Maths or English questions. When they finish their work they always enjoy flicking through the books and looking at all the picture and colours, which makes me smile! Thank you for all the money that has been raised for that cause, it really has made such a difference to these children.

Some photos from PE...

The beautiful teachers...

Teacher Monica

Teacher Matchu

Teacher Doreen

Some of us teaching...

The children...

My last term

Last week was the start of my final school term here in Uganda! The last 8 months have flown by and I can't believe it will all be over soon. I have 5 weeks left, and I am going to make the most of them! Last week we starting teaching again, and I loved seeing the children again so much.

Monday we resumed catch-up classes in the slums, and had a great time playing with and teaching the kids. We teach them basic English and Maths, for the children who can't afford to go to school. We also give them biscuits and sing some songs with them during breaks. It is a wonderful time for us and they seem to really enjoy it. Today when I was getting the books out, some of the girls kept hurrying me up, saying "teacher, we want to work!".

We go to the slums again on Thursdays and Fridays, and see most of the same children, which is great for building relationships with them. We play games, sing songs, teach them Bible lessons and give them a snack. It is great fun for us all and just a chance for the kids to be in a safe place, run around and laugh, have some food and cuddles and learn about Jesus. It is such a worthwhile project, in an amazing community, and people are so happy to see us when we arrive. Even when the children are a bit wild, or there is torrential rain, I can see God's work is being done and the community is being blessed, and that is a joy to be a part of.

Sorry I've been lost!

Here, if people don't see you for a while, they tell you that you are lost! So I have been lost for a few weeks. A lot has been happening here so I will catch you up that.

The last post I made was for Ken who went home last month. Unexpectedly, a week or so following his departure, Kathryn received news that her mum was quite ill so she took the next flight home. It all happened very fast and she didn't get the chance to say goodbye properly, but she could be with her family quickly which was good. 

Also at the start of April, two new girls - Anna and Rachel - arrived from the UK. They are on their gap years too and will be serving for 3 months with Smile Charity Uganda. So now there is Anna, Rachel and I remaining! I am very grateful for their arrival as I am still part of a UK team even though Kathryn and Ken have left. However, the last couple of weeks have been a bit of an adjustment for me, getting used to the changes, plus it has also been the end of a very long school term. So I have taken a week off Smile work, and had a weekend away in a Christian guest house, which was a great experience. I am feeling a lot better now, rested physically and emotionally. I love the work here, teaching and working in the slums, but it is very demanding physically, emotionally and even spiritually at times.

Following my week off, Anna, Rachel and I went on our first mission trip as a team to a village. We went to Kuffu (a village I previously went to in January for a children's Bible camp week), and working in a 'Creative Learning Centre' with girls our age (16-18) who have dropped out of school for various reasons. Some of them had babies, which they brought to the centre and were so adorable.

Rachel and Shefla

Beatrice (18) and her daughter

Shefla, Rachel and Beatrice

It is a brilliant project and teaches the girls in practical ways. They learn academic subjects like Maths and English, and also skills such as sewing, making mats, making candles, hairdressing, and bead work. There are about 15 girls there and their teacher is called Sylvia who is lovely, an amazing teacher, and host for us. 

Rachel, Sylvia, Anna and me

They were at the end of their school term so we had quite a relaxed week with them. We taught them a few lessons and did devotions with them every morning which was really great. We also taught them some games that we play in the UK, like 'under, over' and 'splat' which they really enjoyed! They are so competitive and enthusiastic which made all the games so fun! They taught us how to make purses with beads which was a great skill to learn and I hope I can do some more like it when I come back to the UK. In return we taught them how to make loom band bracelets which they loved. Kathryn and I brought some loom bands with us, and had been sent a lot too, so thank you to the people who have sent them to me - they are going to good use!

                                                              Making loom bands...

Playing games...

Rachel and Anna teaching the girls Irish snap

The girls taught us how to make candles, which included breaking up solid paraffin wax with a hammer...

We also helped them with some 'gardening', which they found pretty funny and we found exhausting!

One day some of the girls were eating flying ants, and bravely, Rachel tried some...

Anna and I got our hair braided while we were there which was interesting! My hair took ages because it is so thick. It might have looked a bit ridiculous, but hey, it's good to try new things!

As I have mentioned before, in the village we have to cook all our meals on a charcoal stove, camp in tents, fetch water in jerry cans and use a long drop toilet. It is a good experience and very humbling. There is little if any power so it is a simple life but a very refreshing one. The first morning we used a whole box of matches trying to light the charcoal stove and had to ask for help which was a bit embarrassing! But after that we got the hang of it. Rachel especially loved the cooking and general way of life in the village, Anna and I enjoyed it but were glad to get back to Kampala too!

Sunset

Our den

Night time, cooking by lamp-light

Rachel making us pancakes in the morning!

We only spent a week there but it was very sad when we left. The girls and community in Kuffu are so lovely and I hope we can go back sometime before we leave.

The next adventure is Rwanda next week as I have to renew my visa again, looking forward to the awkward chat to the Uganda border people asking me why I want a third tourist visa! Thank you for all the prayers and support. Much love to you all.