Today I woke up ready to take on the world! Michael and I decided to stay in Iganga to discuss the next phases of the SOUP and financial planning. But before I begin, Michael needs a bit of explanation. The question is often asked: who actually runs the project in Africa? Is this person even capable (etc. etc)? So without further ado, Mr. Michael Kaidhiwa. Michael grew up in the village. Actually his father is the minister of the church in the SOUP community. His dad rides a bicycle back and forth from church at a ripe ago of 78. Michael’s heart for these kids is absolutely undeniable. In fact, he actually introduced me to the village 2 years ago.
However, the SOUP is not their only commitment; He and his wife wear many hats in this community. Along with owning a small printing company, Frita and Michael work with ELI (an excellent non-profit out of Colorado) placing volunteers from all over the world in various projects. ELI entrusted Michael with the entire Uganda project and according to both ELI and the volunteers, he’s doing a superb job!
The importance of working with the local community is vital. Going into the village as a white person on a mission, usually turns sour. It’s a relief, because everyone in the village seems to know Michael, but more importantly, they all seem to love him. This is obvious by the respect given to him by the elders and the amounts of people he takes 2-5 minutes to “catch up” with on our visit. This is a very good thing. I was welcomed when I visited the village and treated like an equal, rather than some kind of alien. I can thank him for such an earth-like greeting.
But not to worry, we are also very particular about holding each other accountable. To ensure accountability he sends me a budget, which I send back with corrections, and then he sends the new version back to me. Finally I approve and send the finances. Lastly he sends expenditures and pictures (if possible). Interesting fact, he does not even take a salary for his work. Obviously our SOUP Staff (myself included) does not take any contributions, but the same goes with Michael.
He’s just the right person for the job; my only concern is that Michael might not want to fill this position forever.
This brings me to our next point.
Soon we will need to bring one or two America onto our project. Granted, this is not an easy feat. Finding someone willing to live without running water in general is difficult, but to also ask them to also teach, administrate and do varies other major task, might be close to impossible. And we refuse to take someone less than perfect for the job. This person or persons would need to be so incredibly strong and unafraid of such a crazy challenge. So I pray we find the right individuals.
I must go now, but I will keep you posted about our next visit.
PS: It’s been awesome hanging out with Ms. Sarah Thomas—she’s about the best designed non-african African ever. I’ll explain in the next blog.
Best regards,
Brin Enterkin
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Some SOUPer Babies Need Our Help!
Today completely rocked my world. But before I start, I need to explain a few things. Right now, I’m sitting under a mosquito net, I am in a bed, and I am in a room with four walls. The walls are nothing special, but they are strong, dry and reliable. But right before I came into this room I sat on a wooden couch and ate rice and beans with my African SOUP partner, Michael. But WAY before dinner or bed-time I sat on a plane flying through the stratosphere sipping cola out of a very clean plastic cup. A nice woman handed me this cola on a napkin with an additional option of either cookies or crackers, but I kindly declined because of the filling previous meal. Fast-forward. Here I am sitting in this simple African setting. I do not have wi-fi or the capability to stalk on Facebook, but my mind is on overhaul.
Today I went to the SOUP's new school/orphanage site. As I arrived, 200+ shy, yet eager children came out to greet me. They jumped up and down and a little one latched onto my leg. :-) I started to feel a bit emotional. These kids looked different. I couldn’t quite grasp the difference, but it seemed so evident. Then it hit me. These kids were being fed, educated, and cared-for. BEING CARED-FOR! They each lacked a lot. They lacked a few very obvious things, but as of right now, these children are whole, happy kids! This almost took me off guard; it was as if I was expected the same scene I ran into two years ago when I first visited the site. I was wrong and I am so overwhelmed. It was in the moment that I realized a very important lesson: our African staff, the SOUP staff, little old me, and all of our donors put together could have never made this happen. This was only made possible with the complete encouragement, grace and love of our mighty Savior. How beautiful!
The new land we purchased last year (about 1 mile from the current school) has also made momentous strides. We have a building! It’s within weeks of finishing. It will be a new school with plenty of room for our beautiful kiddos to learn. We also dug a 30-foot latrine for the future bathroom facilities. Soon our kids will transition from the last location to this new one.
Now that I have stated the steps we have made forward I need first explain what we are lacking (if you have a weak stomach, please refrain from moving forward and flip on a Lifetime flick). At the very beginning stages of the SOUP we planned on just meeting the physiological needs of the children (especially the completely orphaned children) in a very rural and impoverished community in Uganda. We basically wanted to feed them, clothe them and send them to school. However, as we began, we realized that our call was more than just providing the basic for the kids. We needed to do more and so we committed. We committed to building a new school, with a standard far higher than the first one, but more importantly, to build homes and families for these orphaned children. To clarify— Our charge has not changed. However, I’m afraid I overlooked the fact that every child in this community lacks so much. SO so much.
As I sat and spoke with the teachers in a very broken English conversation, I noticed a rash on a little girl’s head. I called the little girl over and asked what happened. The teacher said that the parents could not afford any ointment for her head, which was infected by a bacterium that left the right side of her head bald. In a confused, yet very angered tone I asked why we had not taken the call to fix such a problem. He smiled and responded, “There are far worse health problems here, that one would just need to wait.” Slightly perplexed I asked what else was wrong with our children. “None of these kids sleep under mosquito nets, so many fall sick with malaria and each of them have worms from their water at home,” responded the teacher. “WHAT?!?!”
I felt so terrible. These beautiful children were sick and I was doing nothing. I was clueless of such a serious threat to these kids. He noted that this was common and nothing personal. But it was personal. It is personal. These kids are no longer lost and forgotten-- WE, those who strive for supporting the least of these, will not allow that to happen. So before we move forward with building, each child needs a mosquito net and each child needs to be treated for worms. Michael and I will go out tomorrow and get the prices for these two items, along with ointment for that little girl.
As I sit in this modest room in Iganga, Africa, I sit under a mosquito net, protecting me from malaria and other diseases. The very, very least I can do right now is also provide that opportunity for someone far more important than myself.
I did not want to report my visit without being completely honest, so please do not think that such a terrible realization ruined my visit. We have come so far! It’s amazing the things that have been done in two years, but like I said we can do so much more! These kids deserve it. They are full of joy and full of life.
Two years ago I journeyed to a village on a field visit, now this village has a name a purpose and 200 faces. I don’t need cookies or cola or clean plastic. I just want God’s purpose to fill each of us. To feel an ounce of His pain for the “least of these.” There is no turning back. :-)
Saturday, June 18, 2011
School Picture Day... in UGANDA!
Hey friends... It's Sarah again!
I travelled out to Orange Giraffe, the school we are sponsoring, on Monday and Tuesday. I had some orders from Brin to sit in on each of the classes to get a feel for how the teachers are teaching. My other assignment was to get a picture and biography from every child. I thought this would take forever, but thanks to the help of Michael's lovely wife, Frieda, and one of the teachers at the school, we got information on nearly 200 kids in 2 days. While they were getting the info, my job was to get a picture of each kid. It made me laugh when I realized that this was school picture day. I thought back to my elementary school years, and how everyone dressed up on picture day and what a big deal it was. This school picture day was a little different. For most of the kids this was the first picture they've ever had taken, not too mention one of the first times they've ever seen a muzungu or white person. Most of the kids only have one outfit, so there wasn't really a worry about what to wear. In Uganda most people don't smile for pictures, so we had to do some coaching to get the kids to smile for us, but the pictures turned out precious! Well I'll just let you see for yourself....
I travelled out to Orange Giraffe, the school we are sponsoring, on Monday and Tuesday. I had some orders from Brin to sit in on each of the classes to get a feel for how the teachers are teaching. My other assignment was to get a picture and biography from every child. I thought this would take forever, but thanks to the help of Michael's lovely wife, Frieda, and one of the teachers at the school, we got information on nearly 200 kids in 2 days. While they were getting the info, my job was to get a picture of each kid. It made me laugh when I realized that this was school picture day. I thought back to my elementary school years, and how everyone dressed up on picture day and what a big deal it was. This school picture day was a little different. For most of the kids this was the first picture they've ever had taken, not too mention one of the first times they've ever seen a muzungu or white person. Most of the kids only have one outfit, so there wasn't really a worry about what to wear. In Uganda most people don't smile for pictures, so we had to do some coaching to get the kids to smile for us, but the pictures turned out precious! Well I'll just let you see for yourself....
Friday, June 17, 2011
Brin: Update from Amsterdam
This is Brin speaking. Right now I am sitting in the Amsterdam airport waiting and waiting and waiting. It’s a 16-hour layover and I am only 6 hours in. But more importantly, I have worked out. See, because I did not want to leave my bags anywhere I had to think creatively. Basically I put my bags on the side of the walking sidewalk and ran backwards on the machine. I looked like a complete idiot running in the wrong direction on a machine designed to help me move faster in the other direction, but I felt brilliant! After feeling like a genius, I realized something very important. Many people pay thousands of dollars for this type of workout machine—they call it a treadmill. Whatever.
I’m sleeping in this airport. But before I fall asleep I have at least a dozen more exciting things to do first. Number 1; walk through a metal detector with pennies in every pocket and behind my ears. If they do not catch me, I win. If they catch me, they win. Basically, me verse the airport. Not to worry, I have stamina.
This entire experience reminds me of the last time I had a layover in this very unexciting airport. It was two years ago, after my freshmen year of college. Although I was still rather rambunctious at the time, I was also a bit terrified. The unknown was so vast. I was about to travel to Uganda and live there for a summer working on a micro-financing project.
While I was there, nearly two years ago, God planted a seed in my heart. Tomorrow I’ll be flying to see how that seed has grown. In late 2009 the African SOUP started raising funds and today we have meet the needs of hundreds of children. Pretty cool!!
I have not been back in two years, but I am really looking forward to seeing the change in the village we have adopted as an organization. These children do not even know us, but they fully understand the impact that has been made in their village and their individual lives. Completely made possible by people half way across the world. People that don’t even know them by name. People that know the importance of helping other, regardless of the cost. They get that. How encouraging?
Anyway, I’m pumped! Overwhelmed, actually. In the meantime, I’m going to tape pennies behind my ears.
From the Amsterdam Airport,
Brin Enterkin
I’m sleeping in this airport. But before I fall asleep I have at least a dozen more exciting things to do first. Number 1; walk through a metal detector with pennies in every pocket and behind my ears. If they do not catch me, I win. If they catch me, they win. Basically, me verse the airport. Not to worry, I have stamina.
This entire experience reminds me of the last time I had a layover in this very unexciting airport. It was two years ago, after my freshmen year of college. Although I was still rather rambunctious at the time, I was also a bit terrified. The unknown was so vast. I was about to travel to Uganda and live there for a summer working on a micro-financing project.
While I was there, nearly two years ago, God planted a seed in my heart. Tomorrow I’ll be flying to see how that seed has grown. In late 2009 the African SOUP started raising funds and today we have meet the needs of hundreds of children. Pretty cool!!
I have not been back in two years, but I am really looking forward to seeing the change in the village we have adopted as an organization. These children do not even know us, but they fully understand the impact that has been made in their village and their individual lives. Completely made possible by people half way across the world. People that don’t even know them by name. People that know the importance of helping other, regardless of the cost. They get that. How encouraging?
Anyway, I’m pumped! Overwhelmed, actually. In the meantime, I’m going to tape pennies behind my ears.
From the Amsterdam Airport,
Brin Enterkin
Friday, June 10, 2011
What does a school in Uganda look like?
One of the biggest goals of the [SOUP] is education. Education opens so many doors. Education is a key in lifting people out of poverty. But I'm sure many of us don't know what education in Uganda looks like. I didn't know until I was here and immersed in it. So since one of the biggest aspects of the [SOUP] is our school, I thought I would give a little background of what the education system is like in Uganda.
Similar to preschool in the United States, Ugandan children can attend nursery school. This is not required for children to attend before going to school, but like preschool it definitely gives the kids a head start. The school system in Uganda starts with Primary School. It have 7 levels. After finishing primary 7, the student then goes to Secondary School. In secondary school there are 6 levels. Every school has a different uniform with different colors. The students are required to wear the uniforms everyday. You can tell which school the kids go to based on the color of their uniform. There is no such thing a free, public school in Uganda. All schools cost fees, and the better the school the higher the fees. Education is not a required thing for kids since it costs money. Because of this kids start school at all different times. A 15 year old could be starting Primary 1 with a 6 year old. This makes the class dynamics different and can make it difficult for the teachers to teach. The actual teaching can be a little sketchy sometimes too. The most used method of teaching is to write things over and over and over or to just repeat after the teacher. There is little to no creativity.
School days start at about 7 in the morning. For Primary 1 and 2, the students get out after lunch at 1, which you only get if you paid for it. For the older levels the students get out at 5. For Primary 5, 6, and 7 the students also have to go to school on Saturday...pretty intense! If a kid can get through all of this and pass all their exams, then they can continue on to University. There are few universities in Uganda, and few university students as well.
This is a little overview of the school system in Uganda.... pretty different from the United States. It may seem kind of depressing, but I don't think all hope is lost or I wouldn't be in Uganda right now. I think Uganda has made many strides to try and get more kids in school. Hopefully the [SOUP]'s school will be the beginning to a bright future for the kids we are working with.
Similar to preschool in the United States, Ugandan children can attend nursery school. This is not required for children to attend before going to school, but like preschool it definitely gives the kids a head start. The school system in Uganda starts with Primary School. It have 7 levels. After finishing primary 7, the student then goes to Secondary School. In secondary school there are 6 levels. Every school has a different uniform with different colors. The students are required to wear the uniforms everyday. You can tell which school the kids go to based on the color of their uniform. There is no such thing a free, public school in Uganda. All schools cost fees, and the better the school the higher the fees. Education is not a required thing for kids since it costs money. Because of this kids start school at all different times. A 15 year old could be starting Primary 1 with a 6 year old. This makes the class dynamics different and can make it difficult for the teachers to teach. The actual teaching can be a little sketchy sometimes too. The most used method of teaching is to write things over and over and over or to just repeat after the teacher. There is little to no creativity.
School days start at about 7 in the morning. For Primary 1 and 2, the students get out after lunch at 1, which you only get if you paid for it. For the older levels the students get out at 5. For Primary 5, 6, and 7 the students also have to go to school on Saturday...pretty intense! If a kid can get through all of this and pass all their exams, then they can continue on to University. There are few universities in Uganda, and few university students as well.
This is a little overview of the school system in Uganda.... pretty different from the United States. It may seem kind of depressing, but I don't think all hope is lost or I wouldn't be in Uganda right now. I think Uganda has made many strides to try and get more kids in school. Hopefully the [SOUP]'s school will be the beginning to a bright future for the kids we are working with.
Monday, June 6, 2011
SOUP To Go!
Announcing the SOUP's new summer contest....SOUP To Go!
Take a picture of your SOUP shirt in a super cool place sometime during your own summer adventures. This could be anywhere- around the world, or in your backyard. THEN, send it to us via:
1. Email- theafricansoup@gmail.com
2. Facebook- our page is called: The African SOUP
3. Twitter- tweet us your picture @theafricansoup
We will post your pictures as they come to our blog/facebook/twitter, and the winner will receive a new SOUP shirt of their choice!!
We can't wait to start seeing your photos...we have a feeling they're going to be good. :)
Take a picture of your SOUP shirt in a super cool place sometime during your own summer adventures. This could be anywhere- around the world, or in your backyard. THEN, send it to us via:
1. Email- theafricansoup@gmail.com
2. Facebook- our page is called: The African SOUP
3. Twitter- tweet us your picture @theafricansoup
We will post your pictures as they come to our blog/facebook/twitter, and the winner will receive a new SOUP shirt of their choice!!
We can't wait to start seeing your photos...we have a feeling they're going to be good. :)
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Straight from Uganda!
Hello family, friends, and supporters for the [SOUP]!
This is Sarah Thomas writing from Uganda right now! Yesterday I traveled out to the school and orphanage that the [SOUP] is partnering with, the Orange Giraffe. Incredible is an understatement of what I experienced yesterday! First let me give you a little background on how long it took me to get there. In order for you to get the full effect of this story you need to know a couple vocab words. First, a boda boda is the motorcycles that people ride in Uganda. The second word you need to know is a matatu. This is a van that has 5 rows with 3 seats in each row. It would be logical to think that this means that there are 15 passengers in a van, but you would be wrong to assume this. Yesterday we had 22 people crammed in there... that's right 22! Ok now that we've got all that straight here's the story...
I left my house in the city of Jinja at 6:45 in the morning headed in a matatu to meet our contact in Uganda, Michael, in his city, Iganga. I got to Iganga at about 8:30, met Michael (a Ugandan man who has volunteered so much time and energy for the [SOUP]), and we boarded another matatu to the city of Namutumba. We reached Namutumba at 10:00 then boarded bodas to the village of Isite. It was an interesting ride to say the least, and I know the only way we did not flip was by the power of Jesus! At about 10:45 we finally arrived to the Orange Giraffe. At this point I had been traveling for 4 hours, but any exhaustion I was feeling left as soon as I saw the precious faces of the kids here. The kids were a little nervous of me at first because they are not used to having a mzungu or white person around. The headmaster greeted Michael and me, and we went into the tiny office of the school to have a meeting. We talked about how far the school has come, how many children there are in each class, how many teachers there are, etc. There are 182 students enrolled at the school, but not all of those students come every day. Some might miss school if it has rained or because many of the families are farmers so the kids have to help with the digging and harvesting of the crops. Out of the 182 kids 86 are orphans by the definition of not having a mother and father. There are many more kids in the school who may have a mother or father, but their parents do not take care of them. After our meeting with the headmaster we walked around to each class, and I was introduced to each teacher and class.
By this time, a large crowd had gathered across the street, and the community wanted to meet me and see what I was doing. It was a little intimidating to have all thirty of the elders and members of the community staring at me, but they were very grateful that I was there, and they had hope for a bright future. After all these meetings, Michael decided it was time to head to see where the new school was being built. We hopped back on our bodas and drove 2 kilometers to Michael's parent's house. The property for the new school and homes lies right behind his parent's house. His father gave us a tour of the property and the progress that has been made. Nearly 4 of the 8 classrooms are done. All they are waiting on is a roof and a floor. I saw the men working very, very hard to get the school finished. We walked around the property talking about where each building would go. One day this property is going to be a place of joy and a shining light of God's love. After our tour, we returned to Michael's parent's house where they served me a delicious lunch and tea. While we ate we watched Michael's wedding, which was precious. I'm not quite sure how there was electricity because there were no power lines or electricity anywhere else, but it was cool to see his wedding! After this we began the long journey home. I got back to Jinja at about 4:30 and was exhausted but feeling so blessed.
Meeting one of the classes
Some of the sweet, sweet faces of the kids
The teachers of Orange Giraffe
The start of the new school
This is Sarah Thomas writing from Uganda right now! Yesterday I traveled out to the school and orphanage that the [SOUP] is partnering with, the Orange Giraffe. Incredible is an understatement of what I experienced yesterday! First let me give you a little background on how long it took me to get there. In order for you to get the full effect of this story you need to know a couple vocab words. First, a boda boda is the motorcycles that people ride in Uganda. The second word you need to know is a matatu. This is a van that has 5 rows with 3 seats in each row. It would be logical to think that this means that there are 15 passengers in a van, but you would be wrong to assume this. Yesterday we had 22 people crammed in there... that's right 22! Ok now that we've got all that straight here's the story...
I left my house in the city of Jinja at 6:45 in the morning headed in a matatu to meet our contact in Uganda, Michael, in his city, Iganga. I got to Iganga at about 8:30, met Michael (a Ugandan man who has volunteered so much time and energy for the [SOUP]), and we boarded another matatu to the city of Namutumba. We reached Namutumba at 10:00 then boarded bodas to the village of Isite. It was an interesting ride to say the least, and I know the only way we did not flip was by the power of Jesus! At about 10:45 we finally arrived to the Orange Giraffe. At this point I had been traveling for 4 hours, but any exhaustion I was feeling left as soon as I saw the precious faces of the kids here. The kids were a little nervous of me at first because they are not used to having a mzungu or white person around. The headmaster greeted Michael and me, and we went into the tiny office of the school to have a meeting. We talked about how far the school has come, how many children there are in each class, how many teachers there are, etc. There are 182 students enrolled at the school, but not all of those students come every day. Some might miss school if it has rained or because many of the families are farmers so the kids have to help with the digging and harvesting of the crops. Out of the 182 kids 86 are orphans by the definition of not having a mother and father. There are many more kids in the school who may have a mother or father, but their parents do not take care of them. After our meeting with the headmaster we walked around to each class, and I was introduced to each teacher and class.
By this time, a large crowd had gathered across the street, and the community wanted to meet me and see what I was doing. It was a little intimidating to have all thirty of the elders and members of the community staring at me, but they were very grateful that I was there, and they had hope for a bright future. After all these meetings, Michael decided it was time to head to see where the new school was being built. We hopped back on our bodas and drove 2 kilometers to Michael's parent's house. The property for the new school and homes lies right behind his parent's house. His father gave us a tour of the property and the progress that has been made. Nearly 4 of the 8 classrooms are done. All they are waiting on is a roof and a floor. I saw the men working very, very hard to get the school finished. We walked around the property talking about where each building would go. One day this property is going to be a place of joy and a shining light of God's love. After our tour, we returned to Michael's parent's house where they served me a delicious lunch and tea. While we ate we watched Michael's wedding, which was precious. I'm not quite sure how there was electricity because there were no power lines or electricity anywhere else, but it was cool to see his wedding! After this we began the long journey home. I got back to Jinja at about 4:30 and was exhausted but feeling so blessed.
Sorry this has been so long, but I just want to wrap it up with saying that what the [SOUP] is doing is making a real difference in the lives of the kids of Orange Giraffe in Uganda. I'm not just saying this to pull at people's heart strings or anything like that. I am saying this because I have seen it firsthand. The money that is raised and donated is actually being used how it is supposed to be used. The teachers, headmaster, and parents told me countless times how far the Orange Giraffe has come and how they have big hopes for the future. I cannot wait to go back there and work with the kids and teachers some more.
Please keep the students, parents, community, and our dedicated Ugandan contact Michael in your thoughts and prayers. They have all been such a blessing. Also it would mean so much to me for prayers for traveling mercies, safety, and guidance as I work at the school! Thanks for all your support for the [SOUP]! We have the best supporters!! :)
Lots of love, Sarah Thomas
One of the future classrooms
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