Archives for March 2012

Roller skates happen to be part of the donations in the container to Uganda. I really did not know what these will become but as God has His way I met a group of students who love to skate. I approached them and offer to help them with some skates but suggested to them if they will like to formerly become part of MADI in Mbale as a youth group with the mission of sensitizing their peers on issues of health, education, social issues, and community service. They were so happy with the proposal and even more excited by the fact that they can have someone who can inspire them to be productive young men in their community. We had a long meeting laying down the modalities of the club and a frame work on how to begin. We talked about membership and training and the need to have guiding principles for the club. I promised them that I will ask for donations of roller skate for the club’s use.
Roller skating is rear in Africa and especially in this community of Mbale, Uganda. These young men draw crowds even with limited skills each time a few of them are on roller skates in public. Young men are particularly attracted to this kind of activity which presents a perfect opportunity for outreach.

I realized from these young men that many youths like them in Africa are hungry for a change. They understand fully the plight of their communities but feel helpless to do anything about it. They said that my ideas are what many youths like them need in Africa which basically is to change the way they think and asked themselves what they do to better themselves. I see the opportunity of these young men using roller skates to spread the message of change and inspiration in their community and building a generation of responsible young men. It is my desire that MADI stands by them to support them in spearheading the much needed behavioral change in their communities. I hope and pray that volunteers from the United States will come alongside and travel to Uganda to help these young men change their lives and those around them.

On March 26th 2012 a donation of a range of medical supplies, medications and hospital linens were donated to the Soroti Regional Referral Hospital under the partnership of Friends of Soroti Hospital (FSH) and Making a Difference International Inc. (MADI). In attendance to receive the donations were the members of FSH Club lead by the coordinator Dr. Gilbert Elijah, the Hospital Administrator, the Senior Surgeons, and, Senior Nurses. It was indicated that the donations are made possible by the generosity of Allina Hospitals and coordinated by MADI to benefit the Soroti Hospital. The hospital and administrator expressed gratitude on behalf of the hospital and pledge to work with FSH and MADI to see that further help can come to the hospital because they are really needy.

It has been a while since i had the chance to update this blog. Unfortunately i have been without internet access now for more than a week. Thank God i am able to have access today to update on the activities here in Uganda.

Obviously It is all about the distribution and the difference that is being made in people’s lives. In the past week we were able to support distributions in the village of Ajonyi and two shelters in Soroti. To save time and resources, neighboring villages to Ajonyi village were invited to join and benefit in the distribution in Ajonyi. These villages assembled under two mango trees that provided the much needed shelter from the scorching sun and heat. The distribution took place on Sunday and beneficiaries had the chance to attend service before that. About 800 men, women and children came through the distribution ground by the end of the day. With the help of the Pastors and church leaders, we managed to avoid a chaotic situation as we were almost run down by the anxious and exciting crowd.

Children and women were served first and then followed by men. The whole atmosphere was filled with excitement as every kid was putting on a smile and you can see them compare and comment with their friends about the things they have received. The looks of joy on their faces were priceless. The women were doing the same while the men look curiously with anticipation of more things to come.
Before the distribution started, I had the chance to sensitize the population of the need to be self-sustainable as person and then as a community. I challenged them to take control over their lives and see to it that they get themselves and their families outside the circle of poverty. The most important step towards this accomplishment, i told them, is to change the mindset that they currently have in regards to aid from abroad. Aid over the years has created a dependency syndrome which has caused many in Africa to literally sit and wait for handouts from humanitarian organizations. I told them MADI offers immediate and short term support but is ready to engage the community in long-term sustainable solutions to get rid of poverty. I challenged them to do double more of what they are doing right now to become economically viable.

MADI volunteers will continue with the distribution of clothes and shoes to the other villages scheduled to receive donations as they find the means to do so. Right now, the donations are secured and oversight has been established. In a few days i will be packing my bags to head back home. It has been a great experience for me and an inspiring one also. I feel like i have received more than i have given in this trip. The big difference in the little things i have seen during this process is a huge blessing for me. I encourage all you to join me in making the world a better place for all to live. These poor people need for than just clothes and shoes to get them out of poverty. The element of behavioral change is a priority and a key ingredient to restore livelihoods.

My sincere appreciation to Pastors Joseph, Daniele, and Robert. These men have sacrificially stood by me and have given me all the support I needed while in Uganda. I pray that God blesses and grow their ministry in the villages of North Easter Uganda.

Yesterday was a very exciting day. To see the men and women receive the donations of clothing and shoes brought great joy and comfort to my heart. I hope it does the same for those of you who have been very supportive to make this initiative come true. We had about 600 men, women and children who came out to the Cornerstone church where the distribution took place. After a short worship services the distribution started and lasted for about two hours. I am grateful to the leadership team of the Cornerstone church for coordinating the distribution. I look forward to a few more distribution before i return home. I will make updates on my blog as the events unfold. I wish to thank everyone for their prayers and support. There have been some really challenging times but I see the evidence of your prayers as each obstacle is overcome

The pastors who have been a big blessing this far are arranging a vehicle to transport the clothes and shoes to Soroti which will then be taken to the different villages. Unfortunately, they do not have the resources to transport all of the stuff to the different villages but are working with local officials and churches to figure out other means of transportation. My sincere appreciation to Pastors Joseph, Daniel, and Robert, for their time and dedication to see that MADI succeeds in its missions.

The Soroti radio have been singing MADI’s praises for being a part of the cleaning up campaign in Soroti Hospital last week and better still, the Soroti hospital is planning an official ceremony for the handover of the medical supplies donated to them by MADI. The reception here is really edifying and i really wish you all were here to feel it like i do. Today i visited Kumi town. We got there late this night after spending some time on the way due to car troubles.

Finally, my long stand-off with the customs came to an end today when they cleared and released the container. It’s been some long days of waiting endlessly with no time frame to work with. For three days I sat on a bench in the hot heat of sunny Malaba town all day, and with the custom agent parading the numerous offices locating documents making sure they move from one office to the other and coming back with endless demands for money it felt like the next minute brings more anguish and pain than the other. Often he will come back with reasons why the process is delaying such as; “there is no power in the building” or “the network is down. These are the painful realities of Africa and the way they conduct business. To my local contacts here in Uganda, it is the way things work in Uganda.

But now I am relieved and thankful to God for His grace that the container has finally been cleared and released from customs. Even though I still face the challenges of transporting the donations to Soroti, I am hopeful that God will make a way. I have three pastors from villages in Soroti who have come down to be with me during this time. They say that they felt I needed the security of their company and also the comfort and encouragement as I go through the challenges. They said they feel that what I am doing rare and noble and this is how they want to show their support. Today we are spending the night at a warehouse that a friend to the pastors donated for safe storage of the shoes while we sort out means to take them to the different villages. I am guessing we will be here for a few days.

This afternoon, I travel to a village just outside the town of Soroti to visit Agnes. She is a beneficiary of MADI child sponsorship program and has recently had the opportunity to enroll into school thanks to the generosity of her sponsor, Paula Koykendall. Agnes receives a total amount of $35 a month from her sponsor towards her school needs.

When i visited Agnes she has a smile that lights up the room despite the extreme poverty conditions her family endures constantly. Agnes’s mother is a widow and is HIV positive and has recently been showing signs of health deterioration. Her father passed away and she has three other sisters; two younger and one elder. With her mother’s condition, Agnes sees herself becoming an orphan in the future. They live in two small grass houses that in my view, is not fit to house anybody let alone a family of five. They sleep on small matrasses made of grass which often inhabit small bugs that bite and make them sick. Sometimes she prefers to sleep on the bare ground. During my visit, her little sister was sick and has been sick for more than a week. They have no source of income and live on small subsistence farming practices but always face the challenges of extreme droughts conditions. Despite all these problems, Agnes still finds so many reasons to smile. “I can go to school now and become a better person and help my family” she said, and later added “thanks to the nice lady who pays my school.”

As we were visiting with Agnes, about 15 other neighboring kids showed up and in talking with them, i discovered that most of them do not go to school and face similar situations like that of Agnes.

Today I, being the only representative of MADI, join hands with Friends of Soroti Hospital (FSH)to help clean the Soroti Hospital grounds. As mentioned in my previous post, this hospital facility houses more than 400 patient at any time and that number even doubles when each patients come along with at least an attendant or care taker. To sponsor this event, MADI provided 72 bottles of portable water to all the volunteered who showed up to clean up the compound. About 30 girls from a nearby high school came out to volunteer and a few community members also joined in on the effort. We were divided into groups and were assign to different areas of the compound.

After cleaning was done, Pastor Joseph Eletu and some of the hospital medical staff spoke to the population in the hospital about the need to keep the hospital environment clean. They emphasized that keeping the environment helps to curb diseases and it will be ironical for people to get sick when they come to the hospital. They also expressed their gratitude for MADI and asked for continuous support in things like protective gear and cleaning supplies for the hospital. This things are in very short supply or are completely unavailable

The container arrived customs today and i will be on my way to Kampala early in the morning. Watch for updates in a few days.

Delano High School has set a record for the most pairs of shoes collected by any school for MADI. This is really exciting and we will like to acknowledge the great work of Kirsten and Colette a senior and a junior respectively at Delano High for making this a successful shoe drive. Will also like to thank the students and staff of Delano High for their generosity and desire to make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate in Africa.

Today, I visited the Soroti Hospital through the invitation of Friends of Soroti Club (FSC) in an effort to see firsthand the extensive lack of sanitary measures, equipment and facilities to serve the multitude of people that are referred to this hospital from the local health centers. Soroti hospital is a referral district hospital where patients with serious illnesses that cannot be treated at the local health centers are referred to. The hospital lacks proper sanitation which in my view is putting a lot of patients at risk of contracting other infectious diseases as they seek medical care in this facility.

Friends of Sorti Club is a “watchdog” group created to motivate compliance with hospital policy by staff and patients. They seek to make sure that the quality of care to patients improves as well as patients to adhere to healthy behavior during their stay at the hospital. Friends of Soroti Club have organized a cleanup campaign on Thursday March 8th to clean the hospital grounds as part of the events marking the celebration of Women’s Day in Soroti. To show our support for healthy and clean environment, MADI will donate clean drinking water to the volunteers that will show up to help keep the hospital grounds clean.

Take a look at the pictures on our website and you will see the number of women and children lying on the ground around the hospital compound. Most of the patients at the hospital come from far away villages and cannot make it home each time their sick love one needs something. As a result, these care takers campout on the hospital ground where they cook, eat, and create tremendous amount of waste. Just a few yards away from them is an incinerator and garbage dumping site where everything including body parts from the hospital are dumped. While i was there, two kids came through a fence-like barrier intended to protect this area, with no shoes on they marched straight to the garbage area. I stood there in awe!