Uganda Perspective

Why Are You Playing With Your Food?

  My friend Denis happened to stop by on his way from the airport.  He had come to the US from Uganda for a month’s training with The Navigators.  It was Halloween and as it happened we were in the middle of carving pumpkins when the doorbell rang.  Denis came in with effusive greetings.  Then he saw the pumpkins.

 “What in the world are you doing?”

 “We are carving pumpkins.  Do you know Halloween?”  Denis shook his head.  He was staring at the pile of pumpkin guts and half-carved faces.  I explained: “This is a tradition in the US where the children dress up in costumes and go door to door begging for candy.”  Denis let his glasses slip down his nose in disbelief. 

He said, “But you are playing with your food.”

“This is the land of plenty," I replied. "We can play with our food.”

 “But I have never seen such a thing.”

 “Oh, there’s more,” I said, carving out a toothy grin on my pumpkin palette.  This is the night we celebrate the dead.  It’s full of ghosts and goblins and ghouls and coffins and spiders and skeletons and people decorate their front yards to look grave yards.  It’s all good fun.”

“Yeah, well, okay,” he said.  “You celebrate the dead by playing with your food.  This place never ceases to amaze me.”

He stuck around long enough to see the pumpkins in the deepening dusk with candles inside, glowing in their goofy-faced glory.  “What do you think?”

“You know,” he said, “I think I am hungry for some fresh squash.”

A Hand Up Not a Hand-Out

      

I want to tell you about Obadiah Monday. Isn’t that a great name?  I will surely use it in one of my novels.

I have paid this young man’s school fees since 2004 when I met Ob while visiting a secondary school on Bwama Island in LakeBunyonyi with some other Americans.  In this indescribably beautiful place, we were greeted by several young men who told us they were orphan boys working their way through school. 

Ob was 20 years of age and a junior, certainly older than one would expect, but we learned that if you don’t have school fees, you don’t go to school.  Secondary school here is a boarding school.  It costs the equivalent of $250.00 for a year of room, board, tuition, books and uniform.  But Ob and his friends are orphans –  no one takes care of them.  And for them to go to school, they have to earn school fees.  Between terms, the boys would break rocks, haul water, sell things on the street – anything to earn school fees.  Sometimes they don’t make it and they would skip school until they saved enough to return.

This broke our hearts and that day, four of us each agreed to help one student stay in school.  Once the burden of earning shillings was lifted from their shoulders, these four started to blossom.  They are immensely motivated.  Within a year, Ob was 19^th in his class of 64 students. “I want to be a doctor,” he said.

I continued supporting his tuition after secondary school.  He had a hard time in junior college but after some extra studies, he graduated.  Then he went to work in his home village where he realized he had a talent for organizing people in community development.  In one summer, he taught people in three villages how to launch successful beekeeping enterprises.  Last year when I met him in Uganda. He said, “Mzee, I want to go to veterinary school to learn animal husbandry.  I hate to ask you for more school fees, but will you support me this one last time?”  Looking into his eyes, seeing the fire of desire was still blazing, I said I would.

Ob is now 27 years old with one more year of education.  So far, his grad school has set me back $800.00 including a lab coat.  But I plan to be there when he graduates because, with his winning smile, gentle manner and solid education, this young man will be an outstanding leader, a practicing doctor of social improvement if you will.  I’m proud to have helped launch Obadiah.  I'm glad he calls me Dad.

You Can Find Yourself in Uganda

Twesigye asked me "If there was one thing you would want to say to a worldwide audience about Uganda, what would it be?"  That's easy, Rev. Ben said.  Come to Uganda to experience the exquisite beauty of the place.  Not only is it breathtaking in its scenery, it is a place where the warmth and the joy of the people will make you feel right at home.  Winston Churchill called Uganda "The Pearl of Africa."  Surely he was speaking of a place of great value, but I cannot help but think he recognized this country as a gift of God and a place where the people live with gratitude for God every day.  The door to heaven is described as "the pearly gates," a welcoming place of precious beauty.  It is an apt description because a pearl is the only precious gem that is forged out of pain and for which its parent must die before the true beauty can be known, exactly parallel to God's gift to the world of His only son, Jesus Christ. 

So, come stand astride the equator.  Come stay in our eco-lodges in national parks where you can wander out to find herds of elephants, prides of lions, kob and hippo and baboon.  Come swim in our lakes, ride our wild waters, discover our waterfalls.  Stay on an island resort in Lake Victoria.  See the abundance of tea and cotton and banana and coffee.  Stick your toe in the source of the Nile River.  Hike the virgin forests and the snow-capped Rwenzori Mountains.  It is safe to travel here.  The food is good, especially the fruits and vegetables.  Accommodations are plentiful.  American dollars go a long way.  It is easy to get here from Europe.

And while you are here, sit down and talk to us.  Tell us about your life.  Come meet us in our churches and schools.  When you talk to our children, your heart will be melted by their beautiful smiles.  Bring people who want to build or teach or preach or sew or heal the sick.  Bring your business enterprise - we have lots of educated people and willing workers - and a growing East African market to help you be profitable.  Come learn the reality of Uganda.  Let us know you are coming and we'll meet you at the airport.  Hope to see you soon.
    -- with love, Rev. Ben Tumuheirwe, Juna Amagara Ministries    

The Reality of AIDS Part 16: Behavior Change Continues

It is 2008 and changing the behavior of a population continues to be the primary too l applied by  Uganda in its battle to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.  For more than 20 years - nearly two generations of people here in this society- the message has remained the same - abstain from sex until married, be faithful to your spouse during marriage and use a condom if there is a chance you might become infected. 

The current campaign is directed at stopping the "Sugar Daddy" phenomenon where a college girl or young woman links up with a successful older man who takes her to restaurants and clubs and gives her stuff - clothes, a phone, air time, bling bling, in exchange for sex.   In her 2005 article, Helen Epstein relates: One of the women's dorms on Makerere campus has a reputation. "Go there some Saturday night," said a professor I knew. "That's when the men in their big cars come and pick up the girls and take them out. Sometimes you just see men sitting in front of the entrance, waiting. They call it ‘benching.'"

Epstein says she tried to find the phenomenon but did not.  Instead, she wandered over to where Pastor Martin Ssempa was playing to an overflow crowd at the University Swimming Pool - pushing abstinence as he does every Saturday night - driving the point home.

Billboards installed throughout the country in multiple languages are designed to both build the self-esteem of young women and also inflict a sense of shame on the Sugar Daddies themselves.  Check out these two examples seen in Kampala in December, 2008. Is it working?  Apparently so.  Interviews by Uganda TV talk show hosts with young women were full of revelation:  "I didn't know I had a choice about it but since I do, I choose to take care of myself," one said.  "I've seen a lot fewer old guys in cars on campus," said another.  There were no interviews with Sugar Daddies.

The Tragedy of Kikigate

Huddling on a dusty flood plain just across the Kagera River fromTanzania is a small community of Ugandan refugees.  They live in mud huts and scrape the earth for food.  Some have tiny 3x3-foot plots of maize.  The kids have open sores.  Everyone is sick and filthy; teenage boys and men who are able hitchhike out of the camp to look for work and, if successful, never return.  Except for building an 8-stall latrine, the government has ignored them.

“These people were not poor,” I was told. “They are some of the ones who fled Uganda under Idi  Amin. They were given land inTanzania. They built schools and churches and houses and businesses and were thriving.  But three years ago, when they supported the loser in a political contest, the winner took revenge by burning their town and chasing them back across the river.  They lost everything.”

I was in Kikigate because a young boy in the Juna Amagara Children’s Home was dropped off as an infant by a kind missionary and we only recently learned the boy had family in this place.  We brought him to meet his relatives.  We didn’t stay long.

Some 20 miles away is a large UN-run refugee camp called Nakivale.  That is where refugees from Western Congo fleeing from rebel violence are being taken, several thousand per month.  That is where the Doctors Without Borders and International Medical Teams go.  That is where UNHCR operates. That is where cholera broke out last month.  The government is getting good marks for providing sanctuary for people in need in Nakivale but by comparison, Kikigate seems forgotten.  It breaks your heart.

When in Mbarara, Stay at Quirky Riheka

I was a lone traveler coming at an inconvenient time.  What could my people do but book me into the Riheka Guest House in Mbarara where, for 25,000Uganda shillings (about $15.00) a night, I would have a clean bed with mosquito netting, reliable electricity, a promise of hot water and breakfast.  Over ten days off and on in three different rooms, the only hitch was the hot water.

The property is within walking distance of Main Street Mbarara, across the street from palatial new U.N. digs.  The grounds are well tended with gardens of flowers found only at the equator – enormous things with saturated color that probably eat small mammals.  Tables set on the lawn are served the same as tables in the dining room.  The building is falling apart, a shadow of some former splendor and – here again, staff people standing around, the owner Mama comfy in her office while paint peels and slats fall off and dust collects.  Don’t show me the kitchen. 

The second room I had would not yield hot water.  I asked Raymond, the Manager.  “Oh, I will turn it on.”  It never came on.  Next day:  “Oh, the problem you see is the switch for that tank is in another room and the guest must have turned it off.”  Well OK then.

Dinner was chicken and chips or Tender Beef (spelled Gender Beef on the menu) and rice with two cold bottles of Guinness – 7,000 shillings – approximately $4.00

Edson was my breakfast server.  The first day I congenially explained how I needed Nescafe with hot water first, then the Spanish omelet with toast and then the fruit, skip the tea and hot milk.  It took three days, but after that it was, “The usual, Mzee?”  A newspaper seller discovered I would be in my seat on the porch at approximately 8:00 a.m. and sold me New Vision through the open window.

There were few other guests at Riheka.  A crazy Kenyan computer consultant who ranted into his cell phone.  A medical student on exchange from Sweden.  A couple meeting on a tryst.  A team from UNHCR (Refugee Relief ) with a shiny vehicle; I coveted their truck.    The best part of Riheka?  When I go back, they will remember the Mzee.

Young Boy Finds Sanctuary from Abusive Caregivers

Last August, staff people at the Amagara Children’s Home in Mbarara were surprised to find a thin, frightened, ten year-old boy knocking at their door.  Ragged and bleeding and too shy to ask for sanctuary, Bernard was taken in, bathed, fed and given a bed for the night.  It didn’t take long for staff people to learn his parents had died and he was living with an aunt and uncle who resented everything about him. They beat him, kept him indoors in a dark room and tied him to the bed with wire around his wrists.  Somehow he heard about Juna Amagara and escaped, scaling the barbed wire fence, running to a place he believed would take care of him.

Ministry personnel investigated Bernard’s claims and found them to be true.  He is now in the program with a sponsor and legal complaints have been lodged against the aunt and uncle.  “Here is a boy whose parents have died, who needs extra comfort and nurturing,” said Juna Amagara Executive Director Ben Tumuheirwe.  “And what does he find from the auntie who should be the nurturer but abuse and torture.  It is a double trauma for the boy.”

Children’s Home staff report his assimilation has not been easy.  For several months, Bernard was shy and suspicious – he would throw stones at the other children.  “But the kids were patient with him,” said Harriet.  “I have even heard him singing.  He smiled the other day.  And when a gift of crayons arrived for him for Christmas, he was drawing, drawing, drawing everywhere.  He will be OK.”  This photo of Bernard was taken after he had a chance to show off the Children’s Home cow – which is about to give us a calf. 

The harsh reality is there are many situations like Bernard’s in Uganda.  A nationwide campaign has been launched to try to end violence against children but the problem will not go away soon.  We are thankful God told this one young boy that the  Amagara Children’s House could be a haven of comfort and safety if only he would have the courage to escape.

 

Back in Action after Data Disaster

Sorry, y'all, have been off the air for awhile dealing with a hard drive crash.  Data surgeons successfully dissected the drive and recovered all files, however and new backup systems are in place.  Duh, why didn't I think of that before?

The posts are backing with much to report.  I will be in UG from 12/8 to 12/22 & will report from there.  More later. 

Missionaries Find Muslim Neighbors Changed by Love

When Matt and Crystal, two young American Christian missionaries working with Juna Amagara Ministries, decided to build their home in Mbarara, they knew the neighbors were Muslim.  They assumed life would be a challenge.  They were not disappointed.

Matt worked alongside the Ugandan construction crew laying bricks, hoisting rafters, oiling the wood, roofing the house.  All the while, the neighbors peeked at them from around corners, scowling.  Matt adopted a yellow dog - the one breed in town, known as the African Retriever.  The dog appointed himself security chief for the Children's Home where Matt worked and kept strangers at bay.  But when the dog strayed into the neighbors' yards, they would beat him with sticks.  When Matt tried to arrange for electricity to be brought to his house, he discovered it was very expensive.  He needed to get his neighbors to participate.  But they would not.

Matt and Crystal prayed for their neighbors.  Crystal gave birth to a baby boy.  Prayer fellowships were held for ministry kids in their home.  The neighbors stole fruit from the missionaries' garden.  During one long dry spell, the neighbors ran out of water.  Matt said, "Please, help yourself to the water in my tank.  I have plenty.  He had caught rain from his roof in a large tank, plenty for bathing, washing and drinking.  The neighbors humbly accepted his offer.  It has taken more than three years, but the neighbors are coming around.  One woman approached Crystal during the day when no one was around... "Tell me about this Jesus of yours," she said.  The neighbors have now chipped in on the electricity and on Christmas eve 2008, in an Edison moment, the lights began to glow.

When Matt and Crystal adopted an abandoned infant infected with HIV/AIDS, something one can do only if they have lived in Uganda for more than two years, the neighbors began to go out of their way to interact in a positive way.  They no longer stole fruit.  They no longer beat the dog.  Matt says it's because of the love of Jesus.  Crystal says it's because she and Matt clearly aren't going anywhere.

Ugandans Gaga Over Obama

I began receiving excited emails from Ugandans about Barack Obama weeks before Americans went to the polls.  People were engaged, hopeful, energized at even the possibility that a Blackman [sic] could be chosen for the most powerful job on earth.  Now, a week after the election, the gushing about Obama in the East African media with its giddy sense of hope continues unabated. 

Calling Obama's election the "Triumph of Humanity," Jerry Okungu seemed amazed that a blackman [sic] could win the American seat of power.  'For the first time," he wrote, "America proved to the world that their system really works..."  As if America hasn't worked for more than 200 years to become the most powerful nation on earth.  Jerry used Obama's rhetoric and McCain's concession speech as examples of how people of differing opinions can get along - unlike many tribal factions in East Africa.  And he quoted the popular U.S. TV evangelist T.D. Jakes who quipped: "Now I can die, knowing my children will be fine," revealing the smoldering sense of resentment apparently felt and fueled by blacks worldwide.  Echoing this sentiment was Rebekah Heacock on 11/5/08, a white blogger in Kampala whose page simply featured the word "Yes" and a high school photo of B.O.

A New Vision writer likened Obama's eloquence to Winston Churchill and Martin Luther King and lauded America's overcoming its racial divide - interesting because apparently the world sees the U.S. as racially divided.  The writer also lauded the Obama campaign for its "grass roots support" much like Museveni's National Resistance Movement (NRM).  The lessons of opportunity - that any person could be elected to such an office were voiced over and over.

Within days, we saw hopeful stories about "AIDS funding to be expanded with Obama" - where the George Bush PEPFAR program would be extended and expanded only this time, "without restrictions to ideology (abstinence and being faithful)."  The article reprinted Obama's speech made on World Aids Day 12/1/06.  Author Charles Wendo played up the hope and expectation but did insert all is possible "if the U.S. gets its economy working." 

To all those who are euphoric about our new President-elect, I must advise take a "wait and see" attitude.  This man is not a messiah; he is a Chicago politician.  Half the voters in America did NOT vote for him.  If he enacts all of his economic reforms and social programs, there will be few dollars left to send abroad, maybe some change.  I have lived in Chicago all my life.  I have seen too many good-looking, smooth-talking, big ego politicians of all races promise things they cannot deliver just to occupy the seat of power.  I pray to God Obama is not another one.  

The wisest comments I found were written by Paul Busharizi who said, "As a continent, we need to ask not what Obama can do for us, but what we can do for Obama, so he can help us.  Whether Africa reaps a dividend from Obama’s presidency is really up to us. "
(Hat tip to NewVision/ Rastoon for the graphic.)