Love letter for Uganda

Dear Uganda,
I have been dreading this letter for sometime now.  Our 10 weeks together have seemed like a dream, and "slowly by slowly" I am waking up.  From the moment we met, I felt at ease and relaxed, more so than anytime in my life.  You have been so welcoming and genuine, and for that I am truly thankful.  It's funny to think how frightened and nervous I was to meet you in the beginning.  I expected you to be more distant and unfamiliar, but somehow I felt at home from the moment my feet touched the ground.  Your children have the sweetest, most gentle souls I have known and they have stolen a piece of my heart forever.  I have made friendships and connections that I am confident will be lifelong.  There have been moments of despair and I have felt a heavy heart, and then I remember the people who I have met here that inspire me to keep going and continue to focus on the positive's of life.  You are a strong, proud, resilient, capable, beautiful country, and you have shown me that no matter our circumstances of life, there is possibility for each of us.  Thank you for showing me the real Uganda; the Uganda that has been damaged and endures suffering yet perseveres, and the bright Uganda that is full of vibrance, laughter, love, family and community.  We often say without much commitment, that we will return to the places we visit.  I say it because I know it.  I can not say when exactly I will be back, but I know in my heart I must return to Uganda.  Until a visit from a friend, I was feeling like my time in Uganda was coming to an end.  He put it best and reminded me that my time and contribution is actually only just beginning.  What I do with my experience and knowledge from here on out will determine and bring value to what I have and will continue to do in Uganda. 
It is with much sadness and appreciation I must say goodbye (for now).  I will never forget our time, and the friends I have made.  I leave a piece of my heart with you, and take a part of you back to Canada with me.
Forever Yours,
Lesley
xx

Seven more days.... seven more days till my flight out of Uganda.. What? where did all this time go?
I can not believe it! The thought is so bitter sweet but coming here I knew deep down that 10 weeks would not be sufficient enough and that I wouldn't get my fill of this new world I was stepping into. These past nine weeks have been full of so many new emotions and experiences that they are indescribable. Each of these will be something between me and those I shared the time with, between my heart and Uganda. My heart is heavy at the thought of parting but not one memory will be bitter. Every moment has been a learning experience that has aided me in growing as a person, as I enter the next sector of my life. 


Day one when I stepped foot off the plane I felt it, I was meant to be here at this point in my life.  All those fears I came here with where never about what I would find and what I may experience. All my fears were about what was back home and what I may be missing. Now I know that when I return and things will get back into their normal routine, I will feel as though time was at a stand still while I was gone. I am grateful for every moment that I have had here and the people I have had the chance to learn and grow from. I will never be able to express exactly what each and every one of these people mean to me, but their faces will be forever in my mind along with each and every important word they have said to me. I have had the chance to spend time with so many different people of all ages and each and everyone has their very own story. I have been lucky to receive a hug from  hundreds of beautiful smiling children, comfort them from their tears, watch them learn and be taught many things by them. I have had many conversations with Jaja's (grandparents), mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles, friends and a whole lot more amazing people. I hope to go home with at least a small piece of the courage and love each and every one of these individuals show. I want to do things in my daily life that have at least half the amount of selflessness that each of these people have been born and raised with and I will try my best to do so. Coming here I thought I was a person with a big heart, but I know that my heart has grown double what it was being here. I know that with goodbyes will come many tears but not one of those will be tears will be without good reason. I hope I can hold myself together a little bit but It seems that in my time here my emotions have become a little unpredictable. I need to remember that this is not goodbye, but a see you again soon.  


 A wise friend here has continually told me that life is crazy, it is unpredictable and it throws things at you that you could never predict. It is all part of the learning experience and without this crazy life what would we be gaining? ----So in this crazy life I experienced a small piece of a world much different from mine. Did it effect me? Yes. In what way? every way possible.

Day Of the African Child Celebration at CDR-Uganda-Teresa

Highlights of Day Of The African Child Celebration (CDR-Uganda Site) On June 20^th, the Centre hosted a celebration for The Day of The African Child whose theme this year was, The Rights Of Children With Disabilities: “ The duty to Protect, Respect, Promote and Fulfill”.  This complimented well the centre’s mandate to lobby and advocate for the rights of Children with special needs at district and national levels and equip parents with skills to take on policy makers and enforcers at the grass roots. One of the Centre’s aim is ensuring the Government through relevant ministries formulates and implements a participatory pro-disability budget in order to address their needs and disability rights. The Centre organized a procession with a school band and several schools with children carrying signs relevant to children’s rights with a focus on Children with special needs. It was a long walk but it was good to spread awareness to the villages we passed along the way from one school to the Centre. We had a wonderful celebrations of good dialogue, performances by the children with singing, dancing and poetry plus presentations from the Parent Network at the Centre and a petition handed to the local MP signed by the parents on different issues to support their children in schools, community and in income generating projects to help their children toward living a better quality of life. We had a lovely meal for all who attended under the leadership of Edith, one of our staff members and Nazarius who is our centre caretaker plus members of the Parents Network. It was a special day for the children we support in the communities with our community outreach home
\post by Teresa Wright

Makerere students visit the Centre - Teresa

This is Teresa ( fellow practicum student at CDR-UGANDA  with Michell). June has been a very busy month at the centre. The Centre hosted Makerere University students on June 6^th as part of its information sharing/skill building day. It was a good opportunity for Health Science and Engineering students to get some important insight into such conditions as Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy and Paralysis.  Josephine who has cerebral palsy and who also has epilepsy was brought to the centre. Michell, who had done a case study on her explained to the student about how she was abandoned by her parents and is in lack of good nutrition, lives in a home that lacks good hygiene and she is weak from both her physical challenges but also her medication weakens her and she only seems to have tea to drink plus lately some cereal that the centre has passed on to the grandmother for her. Edrine was explaining to the students what C­P is and also the realities of home life for many children with disabilities due to poor attitudes by the parents and community regarding children with disabilities. These children are even at a deeper disadvantage in homes that are living in poverty and have many children to feed, clothe and pay school fees for. Many are left alone, locked in the home while the parents go to work and other children go to school. There is no socialization for these children, no mental stimulation and with no light, no fresh air and no food, these children have a bleak existence – a very lonely one. It is critical that these students who are interested in being in nursing, community rehabilitation workers, social workers and engineers who have an interest in helping with functional and cosmetically appealing appliances(equipment ) to help these child comprehend the magnitude of the stigma around children with disabilities and their exclusion because of that in family activities, going to school and have the basic needs met. There have been some positive cases of children going to school and having parents who engage in physical therapy, administering medication for epilepsy and mental health issues and interest in their children socializing with other children and coming to the centre.  We also had one of our young  female adults who was helped by the centre in terms of medication and counselling regarding epilepsy.  She gave an emotional testimony of her mental health issues as well and how it affected every aspect of her life, including being a young mother. It was a powerful story that had to be told because she was alone and scared and had both parents pass away and she had nowhere to turn. With the support of the staff at CDR-UGANDA, she was able to stabilize in terms of controlling her seizures as well as her other mental health challenges.  Edrine and Sarah also showed on one of the youth how to make a molded cast fitting for a foot and leg splint which was both entertaining and informative for the students as well as myself.

I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello...

As I sit in front of my computer trying to think about what to write, no words seem to come to mind to describe the experience I have had in Uganda. The staff at Shanti have touched my heart and I am forever grateful for their knowledge, wisdom and spirit. I have learnt a lot and I'm not just saying that. Ugandans have helped me to grow stronger and (i'd like to think) wiser. I have learnt a lot about patience, compassion and authenticity, which I feel that every Ugandan endures. My time at Shanti has been transformational even though it has happened slowly and silently I feel that I am a different person than who I arrive in Uganda.

If you would have asked me a week ago if I was ready to leave Ugandan I would have said 'yes'. At the time I felt that I had completed what I need to do here and seen what I needed to see. However, life has a way of throwing us a curve ball when we think we have figured it out and now I am hesitant to leave. In my last week I have met amazing like-mind people and learnt about existing organizations that I wish I had more time to visit and see what they are doing. I feel robbed and wished that I had these encounters earlier in my practicum, but then again I believe that everything happens for a reason and that we never truly understand the bigger picture. Perhaps this story is meant to be continued... something to hook you in and to look forward to in the future.

I do wish I had more time at Shanti to see my latest projects grow and develop. The compost project at Shanti was developed to reduce waste, enrich soil crops and educate women about their garden and the environment. I was astonished to find out that there are no recycling programs in Uganda. People burn their garbage to dispose of it, which creates health and environmental concerns. The concept of recycle, reduce and reuse is somewhat a foreign topic in Uganda as people just aren't educated in this matter probably because there are so many other issues to be dealt with.

Even though I am leaving Shanti I am confident that the staff at Shanti will continue to educate women and enhance their quality of life and well being. The staff are so dedicated to what they do you can't help but notice their pride. Their passion and dedication are the reason why Shanti is what it is. I believe that Shanti has so much potential to be a prominent organization in Uganda and will continue to reach out and help others.

Courtney

Therapeutic Recreation Student

“Its not so much the journey that's important; as is the way that we treat those we encounter and those around us, along the way” ~ Jeremy Aldana

The Final Days

It is now my last week of my practicum in Uganda and I am more than a little sensitive about it. It's going to be so tough to start saying goodbyes. I'm not good at goodbyes to begin with but this is just too much. I said goodbye to Courtney yesterday because I won't see her until we are back in Canada and that was a wake up call. Then I started packing my bags today which made it even more real. The closer I have gotten to the end, the less prepared I have felt to leave. This experience cannot be summed up in a blog entry, and I am sure I am repeating myself, but there truly are no words to describe what I have gained in these 10 weeks. But I will give it a good try with this final post.

The one thing that has been consistently clear to me since the day I arrived is that I was meant to be here. I have never been more sure of anything. Any discomfort I may have experienced in the beginning only confirmed how important this was going to be for me. I needed to throw myself into this head first and do my best not to drown and I think I have done a pretty good job with that. I can't imagine being anywhere else but here and there is no better feeling than that. Coming to Uganda has taught me things that I couldn't have figured out any other way and I will be forever grateful for that. The people here keep thanking me for what I have done at my practicum and how happy they have been to have us there and I honestly don't think they understand how much they have contributed to my life. It's so wonderful to have made an impact and to know that the families I have met here will never forget me or the time that the mzungu visited their home. But that is not why I came here and I don't want any credit. These people will never know how much I appreciate them. I have really been so emotional lately that I am actually fearing I'll make a fool of myself on my last day of practicum and turn into a blubbering mess when I say my goodbyes. My coworkers are like a family and they have really accepted me with open arms so it will be really heartbreaking to leave. And one thing I have noticed here is that it's not a norm to cry in front of people and unfortunately crying in front of people is one of my special talents. So wish me luck as i try my best to keep it together this week. What puts me at ease is knowing that some day, some how I will come back to Uganda. I think I knew even after my first two weeks that I was too invested here to one day walk away and never come back.

I wish I could say more. Sometimes I think I could write a book about my experience and some days I am at a loss for words because there really is no way to explain what I wish I could explain. My life has been altered by my time in Uganda. It's a bold statement but it is the only way I can describe it. In the best ways possible I have just changed. I have learnt so much about myself by being here; it's been a roller coaster of self discovery. I have had moments of pure bliss, moments of sadness, moments of anger and frustration, and moments of over the top happiness. I honestly wouldn't change any bit of any of it because it has been the greatest learning experience of my life. I feel so lucky to have had this opportunity at such a young age because I can see how many doors it has opened for me already. If any future Uganda Project students are reading this blog I hope you realise that all the things people have told you about how Uganda will change your life are completely true. One day you will arrive at your last week and you may only be able to describe the experience as simply as a life changing one. In some ways I feel as if my life is just beginning because I don't know where I would have ended up if I hadn't come here. This trip was part of my path and I am excited to see where life takes me next. Wherever it is, I am up for the challenge.

ECE--Jaclyn.... Last week :(

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others—Coach Carter

So this is my last Saturday in Masaka… That is crazy to say, it feels like only yesterday that I got here. This whole experience has been an amazing roller coaster that I would not change for anything. There have been amazing moments, sad moments, and moments that were filled with so much emotion I didn’t know what to call them.  All the moments here have been life changing and will forever be etched into my soul and who I am. This trip has certainly been a moment of inspiration and a moment of realization that we are capable of so much more that we think we are. The people who I have met here have shown me such strength and confidence and showed their own ability to shine… 

As I prepare myself to leave this place and this part of me behind and take a new part of who I am onward, I wonder if I had come on this journey before now would this have affected me in the same way? Or would it have changed me in a completely different way? I am a firm believer in the say that everything happens for a reason, and that everything happens when it is supposed to. So I leave Africa, Uganda and Masaka knowing that I was meant to be here… there was a reason, there was a purpose.

I have immensely enjoyed my time here and the people that I have become close to, the children I was able to build relationships with and feel privileged to not only embrace that experience entirely but also to be able to share what I have felt, learned, and discovered while I was here with people in my life.

I fear that I am out of words and if this was a movie I would not queue the montage of my moments here in Masaka, but sadly not a movie. So I will leave you with some photos of moments, brief and fleeting but life changing moments.