,,, to the ends of the earth

More from Kenya

2011-08-25T13:01:00.002Z

3rd attempt today to get Blog to talk to Facebook!

Maasais girl (Lasoi) helping one of our team to carry stones to continue the work on the building. The plan is to build a facility for girls to come to when they are fleeing Early Forced Marriage or Female Genital Mutilation.

2011-08-25T12:31:00.002Z

Need another trial post as the last one didn't work!!

Playing draughts with street boys - I think they were better than Roger!

Well, well, well....

2011-08-25T10:06:00.008Z

I am hoping this post will link somehow to Facebook - Let's see!

In the Maasai land in South Kenya there are many isolated villages - no shop, no market, no school, no water! About 1 hours drive out of the town where we stayed for our 2 week project (Narok) was such a village. The children walk 1 hour to school and the women walk 2 hours to the nearest clean water source.

Well, well!! - He we are digging a bore hole for them, with the organisation Water4 Foundation. They hit water at 23 feet a week ago and by now should have a fully functioning well.

And for my next trick......

Bontey Slek Slum

2009-04-24T03:50:00.008Z

Some of you will recognise this slum (picture 1 taken a couple of weeks ago) as the place where the church hold their "Joy Club" - an afternoon every Thursday where the children who live in the slum come to play, join in songs, hear bible stories and endure Mission Direct amateur dramatics!!

Last week 80% of the slum was burnt down (a family dispute getting out of hand!). These people who previously only owned the leaky roof over their head, the bench that they slept on and a few cooking utensil literally now have nothing.

The Red Cross provided them with the tarpaulins and somehow they have managed to rescue some of their tin roof and to buy bamboo canes to hold it all up - not that this is any real shelter from the daily torrential rain that we are now having.

Thursday 23rd - following aid donations New Life Fellowship went and gave out nearly 200 packs of aid - each pack containing 4 items of clothes (2 adult, 2 child), 1 cooking pot, 3 bowls, 3 spoons. It was an amazing sight - the people were orderly and patient for their turn. There was no pushing or shoving. Once all the bags had been dsitributed, there was a "swap shop" of clothes until each person found something that fitted them.

In the midst of this, we were invited to sit down with a family whose twins were just a few days old. They were proud parents in the midst of sheer abject poverty.

For anyone that donated clothes while they were out here on a team, or gave me money to give to those I saw in need - this is where your donation went.

Thailand

2009-04-24T03:26:00.005Z

We have just come back from 2 weeks in Thailand. We were in Phuket with a couple called Mark and Sharon Biddle who run a programme of Self Help and Empowerment (www.shethailand.org) for bar girls. They help the girls escape from the sex trade by giving them counselling and practical skills that they can use to get a better job. Most of the girls also become Christians.

We then spent 3 days on Bangkok with our friends Marc and Ceri. The night-time picure is taken from the top of their appartment blocj, the city picture is taken from the river and the other picture is Chinatown.

New office?

2009-04-07T09:21:00.003Z

After 4 months Daniel and I have found our new "office" that serves a pot of tea or cold coke for $1, has secure WiFi and is only a $2 ride from our house.

Afternoon tea?

2009-04-07T09:08:00.004Z

This first picture is Heather enjoying a HUGE pot of tea after a hard afternoon of flip-flop ministry. The picture of Daniel was taken Sunday afternoon - if you look hard you can see the pot of English tea that he is working his way through!

How much can you carry on a Moto?

2009-04-07T08:55:00.005Z

Angkor Wat

2009-03-21T08:38:00.004Z

Angkor Wat is the most famous of the temples in the huge area of Siem Reap. Millions of visitors come each year - for many, this is the only part of Cambodai they visit. There is a lot of wealth in Siem Reap town, however, this does not extend tothe province - Siem Reap province is one of the poorest in Cambodia.

The other temple is called Ta Prom - this is where the "Tomb Raider" film was shot.

Like many ancient sites in the world today - it has survived war, weather and nature but the current risk to the site is from the feet of the tourists!

Mid -afternnonn snack......?

2009-03-21T08:12:00.001Z

This stall is a 5 minute walk from the Royal Palace. Fried cockroach, spider, snake, locust anyone..?

This is Matt considering these snakes with our drivers Pat and Dan.

Education - teeth cleaning!

2009-02-06T08:43:00.003Z

We visitied a local NGO who educates/ feeds / houses up to 195 children who are orphaned or who live on the rubbish dump. Until our team went they were sharing toothbrushes between 5. We did some basic teeth cleaning education and now they all have a new toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste (all for less than £30!).

In addition we fed 100 people who make their living sorting the rubbish on the land-fill site (more about this in my next newsletter.)

6 houses later!

2009-02-06T08:36:00.005Z

Team 1 have gone (arriving in the UK to the snow last weekend).

They had built the living / cooking / relaxation area onto 6 houses of families who had been relocated from the river front (photo 1)- here people had to contend with floods, flith, diseases, termites and a life of indescribable poverty. (This was in the dry season and looked quite reasonable - imagine 3m of filthy sewerage water swilling underneath / through these homes.)

They were "evicted" by their landlord when he wanted to sell this prime land to developers who will build new luxary homes and offices. These people were the lucky ones - they were able to be re-housed in concrete 1-room homes (2nd picture). We built the 2nd room that allows for 'outside' space and security. The first team managed the first 6 houses - with 12 more to go we are on track.

Too many chiefs....?

2009-01-23T05:13:00.001Z

We are doing well on our first builiding project. By day 3 we have removed all the trees and temporary structures that were in the way, dug the foundation holes and trenches, constructed 2 concrete pillars and have the foundations in for another 4.

Here you can see Paul (one of our volunteers and a builder!), Anna, Daniel and Patrick (who runs the centre) discussing what to do with the pillar that should have been where they unearthed the septic tank! Despite their VERY long discussions we got back on site the next day to find that the local builders had found their own solution!

Team

2009-01-09T07:26:00.002Z

I have just found this picture of our current staff team team. Me, Daniel, Leap (our translator) and Anna. (Rachel is joining us at the tomorrow).

We are at Ta Prohm (as in Tomb Raider) - one of the temples at the famous Angkor Wat complex. The jungle has had it's way with these ruins over 100's of years, but the restoration programme needs to leave these huge roots as the building would fall down without their support.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !

2009-01-02T05:07:00.002Z

We were woken on New Year's Day (at about 7am when you in the UK were just celebrating Midnight!) by the loud, untuneful badly amplified noise of a wedding 2 doors down. This then goes on til 10pm for 2-3 days. The wedding spills onto the street and so there is only room for pedestrians / motocycles to go by. We are in a small residential street but it is not unknown for these marquees to be erected half way across a main road where hundreds of motorists are held up for days. This is the same for funerals.

Meanwhile, we wish you a happy and peaceful! New Year.

Beggars, Bangles, Bananas and BBQ's

2009-01-02T04:39:00.002Z

We have just got back from Sihanoukvile - Costa del Cambodia !! There are some lovely isolated islands within a couple of hours boat ride where we had Christmas night in a hut on a deserted beach. The town itself is just putting its' toe in the water of tourism so some places are very fancy and some quite tatty. However, you cannot sit for more than a few minutes on the beach without a woman or child wanting to sell you fruit, jewellery or a manicure. There are also the woman beggars who carry their children along the beach and the amputees shuffling on their bottoms or showing you their stumps of hands. In the evening the beach bar shacks light the BBQ and the children sell fireworks and collect rubbish for recycling.

The children were very good at honing in on those toursists who would buy from them - a few words in Khmer (Ate akun - No thank you) had them scurrying off and we were bothered less and less - we obviously didn't look like tourists! All of this selling / begging is being discouraged through the local gavernment and NGO's. There is free schooling for all the children, there is vocational training for amputees, there is work for women yet it is more lucrative for them to be on the beach. The women who were carrying their children showed little sign of malnutrition and the child was able to walk, though this of course would not attracted the sympathy of the tourists.

Contrasts

2008-12-20T08:57:00.006Z

We have spent this week making visits to places that we might take the team.

We have had some good meals and some poor meals (The Rising Sun english pub is particularly excellent!) We have visited some very rich areas (see the picture at the Royal Palace) and some poor villages (ox-cart transporting harvested rice). We have had some efficient service (visa renewal) and waited around for ages for something to happen. We have had immediate success and frustrating failures. ... All part of Cambodian life.

Cambodia - 1st 2 weeks - Reccy Trip

2008-12-06T05:15:00.002Z

We arrived in Cambodia 2 weeks ago - the time has alternately dragged and flown by. Our UK Overseas director Tim (see photo - Sorry Tim, it was the only one I had!) has kept us very busy. We have had meetings morning, noon and night and fitted in visits to the sights, the markets, the food store and of course to every place in town that will serve Tim a good (and sometimes bad) cup of English tea! .

We have met so many people that I am a bit confused about who is who, but we are starting off next week with a Christmas party / BBQ so that will either add more confusion, or help us to consolidate some of the information that we think we know!

We are currently in a guest house and will move to our rented houses next week (Daniel) and the week after (me and Anna). This is very luxurious compared to Africa - running water (mostly), constant electricity, fridge, fans and a washing machine! Most things are available (but for a price - Cheese especially is very expensive). The food is imported from Australia and a lot of other household items from China. The fresh fruit / veg is plentiful - as is the palm oil and MSG!

There are many serious issues facing Cambodia which I will try to outline over the next few weeks. And the credit crunch has not left this place alone either. The currency is in dollars - this time last year £1=$1.9, now £1=$1.4. This does not hugely affect the people on the street, but many missionaries and NGO's are struggling (thoise from the UK and Australia in particular) as their home support does not go as far. Also, the offical rate of inflation is 33% - this does affect everyone, ex-pat and local alike. I did not really think this through until Tim was talking to me about the budget, which was set on last years' income - I think we may be living on the British equivalent of beans on toast (which is rice/ noodles with vegetables)!!

Cambodia

2008-10-28T17:16:00.002Z

Thank you for visiting my blog again - this is the place to keep track of what we are up to.

In the middle of November Daniel and I are off to Cambodia, again with Mission Direct. We will be constructing classrooms, houses or community centres. We will be invoved in chosing the right project for our 5 UK and 2 USA teams.

The photo is of one of the houses that were built last year. The stilts allow for the house not to be flooded in the rain, and for there to be shelter from the sun when ther weather is hot - ingenius I think.

Jiggers

2008-08-28T12:04:00.004Z

Some of you wonderd what Jiggers are. It is a small sand flea that burrows under your skin from the ground. So usually people get them on their feet (often under their nails where the dirt stays). However, this little boy who was disabled also had them in his bottom as he was sitting in the dirt all day. If the flea is not reoved, it pushed its' eggs through the skin and then infects the ground around it, spreading the Jiggers to others.

Padar

2008-08-16T11:11:00.003Z

We have lived in mud huts for 2 weeks now. The first one we shared with the rain, the rats and the ants, the second one was luxurious in comparison!

We got back to our base yesterday after a 14 hour trick journey from almost the far north of Uganda to Jinja. The last 2 weeks have baan very different with work in different camps each day, doing health education and a little treatment. We have given out about 400 worming tablets this week (and we will de-worm ourselves on the way home!!)

We have also taught healthcare workers and done some community assessment.

We are all exhausted and are ready to come home, but our time here has been challenging as well as fruitful. We touch down on Tuesday afternoon and I think my first priorities will be a long shower and a goo nights' sleep.

Thank you for reading my blog. Thank you for your prayers. See you soon!!

HIV/ AIDS

2008-08-01T11:37:00.005Z

We have finished our 3 weeks on Lingira and have a weekend back in Jinja before we go up to Padar, which is in the north.

This week we have done more healthcare teaching and clinics on the islands.

I think the highlight of the week though was a 3 hour teaching in the local secondary school that James and I did on HIV/AIDS. The students were so open and asked so many questions. They were more informed about it than students at home would be, however, there were so many myths that they have heard and it is difficult for them to know what and who to believe. It is difficult for them to truely find out the facts. The teaching did turn into a sex education lesson at one point, and then when we split the girls and boys up there were so many more questions. They seemed pleased to be able to ask questions in a way that they would get open and honest answers.

When we go up north we will be working in a refugee area where there is very little healthcare. We have no idea what we will be doing, but it will certainly be different to what we have done so far - mud hut and open fire for cooking I think!

Lingira

2008-07-26T11:16:00.002Z

We have been on this island for 2 weeks now. It is a 2 hour boat ride from the mainland. Each day we commute to other islands by boat to run out clinics, do health education and immunisation. - This is a definate improvement on travelling on the M6 every day (except of course when it rains!) The ride each day is made even more entertaining by the fact that we all have to be carried into the boat - the water contains a nasty disease that is rife amongst the locals, but anyone who can afford the 10p to be lifted into the boat does so. (James is 6 ft 2 in and the Africans are generally small, so that is always worth watching!)
We are going out to places where there is limited medical support. We are the only healthcare workers that they will see except the immunisers for months. so we are offering basic healthcare for things such as worms, malaria, malnutrtion, dehydration and diarrhoea. The more serious cases such as meningitis and renal failure we can only give some symptom relief and prayer and recommend that they go somewhere else for further help. We know that this is unlikely to happen due to their poverty.

We are here for 1 more week.

Speech Therapy under the tree!!

2008-07-12T07:55:00.004Z

This week we have done more at the clinic. I have spent 2 days doing speech therapy clinics under the trees and other home visits. I spent a day doing ante-natal work and immunisations. I also spent a day with the medical officer (more qualified than a nurse, less qualified than a doctor) where I saw many malaria cases as well as syphillis, jiggers and worms!! - Nothing like I have every seen in the UK.

We have spent 2 weeks familiarising ourselves with the culture and how they do things here. It has been a good time of preparation for the next 3 weeks where we will be more autonomous. We are going to Lingira, an island in Lake Victoria to support the medical work there = I suspect we will do lots of healthcare teaching, immunising and general clinics.

Kanglmira Clinic

2008-07-05T13:41:00.007Z

We are spending 2 weeks at a clinic called Kanglmira. It is a 30 min ride from Jinja (the 2nd city in Uganda). So far I have spent a day in the pharmacy, a day doing administration and filing and a day on home visits. It seems that I am the only Speech and Language therapist in the country right now. So Friday, I did some visits and I will write a programme for the home educators to follow. Hopefully I will get some time with the staff to do some basic training. Unfortunately it is too late for some of the children. It is more important to teach them how to take care of themselves and to help in the house. Communication is managed by gesture and noises - this works and there is a bigger need.

Countdown to Uganda

2008-06-16T16:21:00.005Z

Next week 6 of us from YWAM - The Kings Lodge near Nuneaton are off to Uganda.

We have been learning so much and the course has been really busy. You can see what we've been up to on Kelda's site : http://www.keldallan.blogspot.com/ The pictures here show our whole class (not all of us are going), Dr Mike demonstarting an abdominal examination and James taking vital signs.

So far we don't know exactly what we will be doing. However, the rough plan is to spend the first 2 weeks in orientation at a clinic near Jinja (1 hour East of Kampala), then to spend 2 weeks or so on an island in Lake Victoria where they have little healthcare provision, and finally we are off up north where we will spend the rest of our time providing healthcare to refugees.

We will be running health clinics under trees and giving health education to anyone who will listen! Hopefully we will also be involved in immunisation and child health programmes.

Internet access will be limited, but I will try to blog as much as I can.

Please pray for safe journeys, good health and good relationships with the team.

See you in August!

IPHC

2008-04-06T18:12:00.004Z

My next adventure starts here at The King's Lodge YWAM base near Nuneaton (15 mins from home).

I have enrolled part-time (still working part-time in Birmingham) on the Introduction to Primary Healthcare Course. This is a 12 week lecture phase course with an outreach phase over the summer - probably in Uganda. The course teaches us to teach, train and empower healthcare workers in the developing world in the most basic assessments and treatments of common conditions. Also to encourage everyone in basic hygiene and sanitation. These simple things can save lives. We then put this all to practice in underdeveloped, mainly rural areas of our outreach country. We will be running our clinics in the sun under the trees!

Foz de Iguacu

2007-10-21T18:37:00.001Z

WOW !!!

These falls are on the Brazil/ Argentina/ Paraguay border. If you ever get the chance to go - they are an amazing series of falls.

I would suggest you go for 2 days to really have time to appreciate the awesomeness of God's creation and the shear magnitude (although for the plane as we flew home they looked like a pinprick in the forest!!)

Open Hands

2007-10-21T18:28:00.000Z

Our project was to begin the building of 50 of these houses for people to come from the favellas.

The project is supported by the church who are committed to training the new reidents on housekeeping, basic literacy, practical skills and bible study.

When we left the first house was 95% complete withthe 2nd house built up to shoulder level and the 3rd set of foundations were dug. There is enough money to complete 7 houses before the next Mission Direct team go out in March.

Infront of our eyes

2007-10-21T17:07:00.000Z

Brazil is a country of huge contrast between rich and poor. Unlike the places in Africa that I've been where there is huge poverty for almost all.

These pictures all in from Curitiba. A city of 1.5 million, where the opera house and very swish high rise offices and hotels are situated within a small distance of the favella.

Even there however, the contrast is amazing. We met a lady whose house was made primarily from boards but which obviously leaked and was not wind-proof - she was obviously ill but being taken to the local hospital to have dialysis 3x a week. Her description of the treatment indicated that it was similar to the treatment that she would have got in the UK !!

Despite the obvious poverty in the favella's there is little help from the community themselves - even the church. It was one of our aims that people would be challenged by us coming so far to help and be spured on to do something themselves. People chose not to "see" the problems that are literally on their doorstep - there is a challenge here for us - are we blind to the issues that are infront of our very eyes?

1st October .... to Brazil

2007-09-24T13:33:00.000Z

....this time as a volunteer.

We are working with the ABBA church in Campo Largo to build houses for paople that currently live in one of the 31 local favelas (slums). The house you can see above is obviously not wind or water proof - and obviously gets VERY cold in the winter.

We will also be involved with the local YWAM/ ABBA childrens, prison (see above) and feeeding programmes.

In the 2 weeks that we are there we hope to complete at least 1 house.

Mission Accomplished

2007-07-04T16:21:00.000Z

After over 6 months in Sierra Leone I have arrived back home. Physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausted but all in one piece.

As you can see we finished some of the building for the street kids project. There are 9 bedrooms, kitchen + store, community room, generator house, toilets and showers for the girls an toilets foe the boys. The project will continue next year with 3 rooms for offices/ staff bedrooms, boys showers another all-purpose room.

THANK YOU to everyone who contributed their time, effort and money to the project. I have heard on the grapevine that our effort has progress the St George project for street children by 7 years. - How amazing.

Luxury !!

2007-03-31T18:14:00.000Z

The sight of the working fridge indicates that for the first time in 4 1/2 months we have proper power. Until a month ago we did have lights and battery power for our phones, then that generator was stolen - since then we have had a small amount of power for some lights.

So we were delighted to get the new generator on Wednesday. - For 12 hours eveything was well - then the jeep broke down - This is Africa!!!

Kit-Aid

2007-03-31T18:08:00.000Z

These are children at a local primary school proudly wearing a new football kit that we presented to them last week.

Out-of-date football stripes are donated through "Kit-aid" and we have been able to present 3 schools so far with this. Football is a universal language!!

Working

2007-03-23T15:49:00.000Z

I know some of you think that when there's not a team here we lie on the beach - here is evidence to the contrary - Daniel and I working on the roof of the hospital.

Mosquito nets

2007-03-23T15:36:00.000Z

At Dr Elmer's hospital (see Dec posts), the patients are leaving the hospital with malaria - even if they don't come in with it so we fitted mosquito nets for all the beds.

Birthday

2007-03-23T15:34:00.000Z

We spent my birthday at No 2 River Beach.

Our House

2007-03-23T15:29:00.000Z

This is the view from our house in Kissy, East Freetown.

Toilets

2007-02-27T13:10:00.000Z

For those of you who dug trenches and made blocks here is the result of your labour.

See the stand-pipe in the foreground and 3 completed VIP toilets - ie no smells and no flies!! - for the clever science look at the Oxfam website.

Holidays

2007-02-27T13:06:00.000Z

Last week we all went to a hotel for a week for some desperately needed R&R. This is the view from my hotel window. (For those of you that know Sierra Leone - this is Lumley Beach.)

Presidents' Cocktail Party

2007-02-27T13:02:00.000Z

24th January is National Armed Forces day.

Simon promised me cocktails with the president. What I got was tradiaional African food with the Defence Minister!!

Here I am with the silver-wear that the armed forces are so proud of.

End of January

2007-02-27T12:58:00.000Z

This is the new building when team 3 left. Now (sorry no picture) this building is complete and almost ready for occupation by the boys - we are now trying to secure funding for furniture.

The scouts of Sierra Leone are working for us now on a semi-permanent basis - this is fantastic as the project is moving on so much faster.

Army

2007-02-27T12:52:00.000Z

When the last team were here we were able to make links with the army chaplains. Here you can see some of them helping on the building site. On this particular day there were about 30 scouts, 30 army chaplains and 10 of us from Mission Direct all working on the St George’s site.

Have you tried managing 60 Africans and a bunch of british builders??

Traffic offence!!!

2007-01-14T17:52:00.000Z

We received a traffic fine!!! ... for carrying freight (2 matresses) on the top of our jeep without a roofrack! - I didn't think this poda poda has a roof rack either!!

Pipes

2007-01-14T17:45:00.000Z

The team that has just left began the work on the new St George site at Grafton. I am sure they will forgive me for saying that it looks like they've hardly done anything!!! However, they dug trenches 12-15 inches deep and laid about 200 metres of pipe so that every building on the site now has a water supply - what a horribly hard job that was, but so very important.

Kadiatu & Mariama

2007-01-14T17:40:00.000Z

One evening about 5pm we went to a lorry park with the staff from St George Foundation. This area is used as brothel - it is less than 50 yards sfrom our house. We found these two girls. Mariama is about 14 and was a prostitute - she presented herself to the police and asked to be taken off the streets. This is unusual although not unheard of. Usually the St G staff have to work with the police and the pimps for a long time to take girls from them. Often the pimps want something from St G first - help or protection fpr them or their family.

Kadiatu is about 16 and her baby only 7-8 months. The baby was obviously very sick and the mother unable to cope and certainly unable to afford medical bills.

Both of these girls are now at St George's and the baby is being monitored closely. Medical attention will be provided and the girls given physical, spiritual, social and psychological support.

Although this was a very tough visit for those of us who went, we know that had we not gone, those girls and the baby would still be in their really dire situation. It was a privilege to be involved in their "rescue" and to be able to watch them over the next few months as they settle and develop.

Christmas Day

2007-01-14T17:34:00.001Z

Christmas day was amazing. We went to church in the morning and then had lunch together as a team. In the afternoon we went to a comunity of ladies who live just outside Freetown in a place call Hastings. All the ladies, many with children have polio and have been excluded from their communities because of their illness. Many have been raped. In order to make money they are able to tie-dye material, make garments and sell them in the ciy. However, such is the prejudice that an able-bodied person must do the selling outherwise people won't buy their goods as this country perceives that these ladies must be cursed. We spent the afternoon digging some ground to enable them to grow some of their own vegetables (someone from the UK had brought seeds), playing with the children and doing art & craft. We took them some rice, a rail to hang the completed garments and a long mirror. All this cost us less than £20 - they were delighted and did not have the words to thyank us - we did not need the words, we could see their joy at such simple gifts. I said to one of the directors of Mission Direct - everyone should experiance Christmas with the poor.............

Christmas Day

2007-01-14T17:34:00.000Z

Telephone Number

2006-12-10T13:33:00.000Z

My Sierra Leone mobile has been lost/ stolen. My new number is: +232 76 53 97 04

Remember - anything you want to send me for Christmas needs to be in the Luton office by Wednesday....!!!!

St George Foundation

2006-12-10T13:30:00.000Z

Rebuilding accomodation for these children will be our Primary project starting next week. The buildings that you see were demolished in the war but can reasonably easily and cheaply be rebuilt to provide appropriate accomodation. These children were street kids. The foundation rehabilitates them for about a year whilst tracing their families and then rehomes them while still continuing to pay their school fees. The children were either orphaned because of the war or they were child soldiers - whichever, they have been living on the streets and therefore their behaviour is not appropriate for their families to want them back. While the children are resident with the project they learn skills that will become the basis for their re-homing as part of a family. The programme offers them counselling and psychological and spiritual support as well as physical management, schooling and healthcare. The children really welcome us when we go to visit - they are very joyful and Steve always seemed to be buried under a pile of them - spot the purple hat!!

Waterloo Hospital

2006-12-10T13:22:00.000Z

Dr Elmer and his wife Anjelica are Peruvian missionaries who have been working here in SL for 6 years. He runs the Waterloo hospital and is the only Dr so his work is truely 24/7 as he is always on call. Anjelica is a pharmacist and also works there. They live a 1 hour drive from the hospital and the road is really just a mountain track which can be really hazardous in the severe rains. Our first team (weren't they good looking?) completed the painting and fencing for this accomodation block at the hospital. This will enable Elmer to host visiting doctors who can run the hospital when he in on leave or can support him at other times too. The kitchen and final fittings should be in place this week.

arrived safely/ nomads

2006-12-10T13:11:00.000Z

This is a picture of Rachael and Daniel - my fellow team mates. We arrived safely and it is SO HOT and humid. We spent a few days in the 5:10 hotel - this is where the teams will be staying when they get here. This is a hotel in African standards - we had electricity (at night) and water (sometimes)!! - the breakfast was nothing to write home about so I won't. We then moved to the very nice house of Dr Elmer and his wife (more about them another day)- we have electricity at night and cold water all the time. We were there just a week as we could not be on the west side of town when the team arrived so on Friday 24th we went back to the 5:10. Unfortunately though the plan was to move into our own house whne the team went back to the UK on 4th Dec it is currently still being built. So we moved to the small house on the King George Coronation Home for the elderly site which usually works as the team house for eating and socialising. We will need to move from here before the next team arrive on 18th as otherwise they will hve no-where to go. We could go back to the 5:10 but we are all praying tat our house will be ready by then as we are all fed up with moving every few days. The builders tell us that things will happen to the house "tomorrow" but also tell us that in Africa "tomorrow nover comes"!!

Sierra Leone

2006-11-08T21:52:00.000Z

I am off to Sierra Leone on Monday 13th.

Please do keep in contact - +232 769 33871

E-mail - post a comment or send a private word through this site (please include your e-mail address in your message so I can reply as it does not show up on the message through the blog site)

Snail mail - Mission Direct, PO Box 1140, Luton LU1 9WJ (teams will bring out letters/ presents/ cards etc on 24th Nov, 18th Dec, 19th Jan, 9th Feb, 2nd March, 6th April, 5th May)

Cairo

2006-10-22T21:10:00.000Z

What a blessing to spend 3 days in Cairo on the way home. It was a memorable time for so many reasons but here is a picture of Marina, Rachael and me on camels in the desert be the pyramids at sunset.

I am now in the UK until 13 th November when I go to Sierra Leone until May. - Blogging to be resumed.

More bikes!!!

2006-10-02T12:29:00.000Z

I somehow find these pictures more scary than the ride on the boda-boda !!

Bikes!!

2006-10-02T12:18:00.000Z

I thought I would have to put bikes in here somewhere. There is a picture of the local taxi rank, the boda-boda's.

They also carry all sorts of goods as well as people.

The ladies ride side-saddle - no Nick you won't get me doing that!!

The most people I have seen on1 boda-boda is 5 !!!

Team 3

2006-10-02T12:09:00.000Z

Team 3 are now safely back in the UK.

They were succesful in furthering the building (only painting left for the builders to do),
painting 3 rooms in the hospital,
making 9 pairs of curtains and 24 bedspreads, fixing computers,
giving school lessons, giving clothes,
sheets and shoes to many children and generally being a great blessing to the people in Rukungiri.

*** THANK YOU TEAM 3 ***

New Projects 3 – Watoto

2006-09-16T10:34:00.000Z

The Watoto Child Care Ministry is run by the Kampala Pentecostal Church. It provides housing, clothing, food and schooling for nearly 1500 orphans. There is a huge need for more accommodation, a secondary school and vocational training centre. This is Rachael with one of the orphans we went to visit.

New Projects 2 – School

2006-09-16T10:28:00.000Z

These pictures are of a rented room which is currently being used as a classroom for over 20 pupils. They have minimal furniture and materials. There are projects like this all around us and it is really difficult to know which once to get involved in.

New Projects 1 – Nyakabale Hospital

2006-09-16T10:13:00.000Z

While we are out here we have been asked to find new projects that Mission Direct can get involved in.

These pictures are of the hospital in Rukungiri – as you can see it is in major need of refurbishment – although in reality these pictures do not show the most desperate need – that of a new incinerator and a constant water and electricity supply.

White Water Rafting !!!

2006-09-16T09:57:00.000Z

Just in case you though that this was all work and no play – here are some of the action shots of us White Water Rafting down the Nile.

Painting

2006-09-16T09:43:00.000Z

While we were at the hospital doing some teaching we were told that they had had material delivered for curtains for the paediatric ward but there was no-one to make them. My friend Jane is coming on the last team next week and I know that she has skills in sewing and teaching. So…. She is going to teach the girls at the vocational training centre that is attached to the Modern School how to make curtains with this material – the girls will learn skills and the hospital will get their curtains. In addition… we have decided that we will decorate the paediatric wards to make them more hygienic and appropriate for new curtains. This picture shows Marina and Rachael cleaning last week. We also managed to get the first coat of paint on the walls in one of the wards.

Cattlekeepers

2006-08-30T11:36:00.000Z

Although I was brought up in rural Suffolk - it has taken me 33 years and several thousand miles before I get the chance to milk a cow.

Thank you Sheck!!

As you can see having milked the cows we then stopped for a cup of tea - I am assured by Henry (Sheck's brother) that the milk we used for the tea was the same that we had just got from the cow!

Emily

2006-08-30T11:33:00.000Z

Emily is a lady in the local hospital in Rukungiri. She has heart failure and high blood pressure, it is also probable that she is in kidney failure as a reult of the medication for her heart condition.

Emily needed some tests to confirm her kidney condition and also to test her for AIDS. If AIDS is confirmed then she is entitled to free treatment but her medical bills are soaring and there is no way she can afford them. The tests she needed could not be carried out until she had paid some of her bills.

Mission Direct was able to both pay her outstanding bills and the cost of the tests she needed - all this came to less than £50, yet to most of the population this is an impossible amount of money to raise.

"Ann Open Door" -2

2006-08-30T11:30:00.000Z

This is Elijah Steven. He is about 6 weeks old and abandoned by his mother. It is unlikely that his family will ever be traced. Babies are usually abandoned by unmarried mothers whose families are too poor to feed another mouth. Elijah was lucky - he was found by someone who knew about "An Open Door" - some children are not so lucky.

To see more of "An Open Door"s work look at thier website on: http://www.anopendoor.org/

"An Open Door"

2006-08-30T11:27:00.000Z

This picture is some of team 2 playing with the children from this project. "An Open Door" takes children off the streets (mainly boys), rehabilitates and them and tries to re-house them with parents, family or fostor carers. Finding foster/ adoptive parents is hard as families have many children of their own and in addition they often look after other relatives whose parents have died. Sometimes children cannot be found homes and they stay at "An Open Door" until they complete their education.

Team 2

2006-08-30T11:17:00.000Z

Team 2 have safely returned (with much less hassle than they arrived - having spent 24 hours in Cairo and arriving here 30 hours late going via Nairobi).

As well as doing some building and painting at the school, they were able to run a holiday club for 100 orphans. As well as teaching bible stories, verses and songs they were able to pray (and play!) with the children. I think Colin had more fun than the children did!!

As a result of running the club, the children were well fed for the week - this would not have happened if they had gone to their homes or guardians.

In addition, they left clothes, shoes, sheets and school equipment for use at the Modern Primary School.
"..when did we see you hungry and feed you?...when did we see you naked and clothe you? He replied .. whatever you did for the least of these you did for me" Matthew 25:37-40

THANK YOU TEAM 2

Rukungiri Growers Orphams and Disabled Childrens Project - 5

2006-08-10T14:45:00.000Z

Learning Life Skills for Brain Damaged Children - Evas is an occupatrional therapist. She visits villages to teach parents how to help their children who have cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, stroke, epilepsy...... She teaches them washing and feeding skills initially with the overall aim to teach them a skill that will help the family eg a child with only one useful hand can be taught to use a knitting machine. Learning aids are in short supply and are expensive so only the most needy children recieve them. A very few are set to the countries' only special needs school in Kampala but school fees here are very high.

The picture shows Evas teaching a parent how to stretch the child's muscles to prevent contracture. The parent will then do this at home and attend clinic again in a month for the next exercise. The group is good support for the parents as well as the child as many parents do not know anyone else with a disabled child.

Rukungiri Growers Orphams and Disabled Childrens Project - 4

2006-08-10T14:39:00.000Z

Deaf School Support - This part of the project pays fees for very poor children with severe learning difficulties to attend the school with specialist teachers. The salary of a cook and matron are paid as well as food, firewood, water, school materials, boarding school fees for secondary children.
The pictures show the team playing with the children and also their joy at the presents we gave.

Rukungiri Growers Orphans and Disabled Childrens Project (RGODCP) - 3

2006-08-09T12:37:00.000Z

Surgical Camps -
The project organises paediatric orthopaedic and plastic surgery camps for children with cleft lip/ palate, tumour, cancer, hydrocephalis and heart problems. The project organises the camps and pays for surgery, scans, lab tests, rehabilitation, transport, food and accomodation.

The team has paid for 3 children to have heart surgery and for a child to have a course of radiotherapy following an operation to remove a tumour.

Rukungiri Growers Orphans and Disabled Childrens Project (RGODCP) - 2

2006-08-09T12:27:00.000Z

Club foot -

The club foot clinic uses manipulation rather than surgery to help babies born with club foot. In the UK if manipulation does not work the child is operated on at months - her the programme takes 1 year. The feet are manipulated and put into plaster casts every week for 5 weeks and then the child wears special boots for 9 months - if this is not successful then an operation may be needed. However, gemerally manipulation does work and it is obviously much cheaper for these families.

The picture shows Jones manipulating and casting the feet.

Rukungiri Growers Orphans and Disabled Childrens Project (RGODCP) - 1

2006-08-09T12:06:00.000Z

This local project supports orphans and disabled children - it has a 5-fold purpose. Chilli-growing for income, club foot programme, surgical camps, deaf school suport and "life-skills" clinic.
Chilli growing - parents and guardians of orphans and diaabled children grow chillis. This is a high cash crop which is not used locally but is transported to Kampala. 85% of the profit goes to the grower and the rest is used for transportation. Growers are encouraged to use the income for school fees and materials, roopfing, medicine etc. If a disabled child is given an aid ie wheelchair, commode, the profit can be used for maintenance.
The picture shows Tim and Pam chilli-picking.

New Website

2006-08-07T14:00:00.000Z

MISSION DIRECT

Joining Hands Across the World

The Mission Direct website has been up dated.

Please follow the link on this blog (just to your right!!) and have a little look at what we are up to and what we stand for.

End of team 1

2006-08-07T13:37:00.000Z

We are exhausted - however, there has been so much achieved this week - here are the edited highlights:
- 2 classrooms are built up to one storey
- we have taught art or games in 8 classes
- some children have had individual music lessons and they will be able to teach others
- we have taught knitting at the vocational training centre
- we showed a film of Luke's gospel and about 30 people were saved
- Tim & Nic have bought a cow, Den a goat and Marina a chicken!!
- we have had some fun with Billy and his band and at Bunyonyi

Needless to say we are all shattered. However, despite the hard work the team was great fun - a hard act to follow.

Equator

2006-07-27T08:18:00.000Z

This is a picture of us at the equator. The team is Rachel, Marina, Tim, me and Simon Peter. We cross the equator on the way between Kamplala and Rukungiri (which is im the SW of Uganda) - this is a trip we do every couple of weeks. They do this clever thing where you watch water go down the drain in one direction in the northern hemisphere and in the other direction in the southern hemisphere. If you stand on the equator it goes straight down. You need a cleverer person then me to expain why or how..... over to you.

R & R

2006-07-17T12:55:00.000Z

This weekend we have been at Bunyonyi Resort for some well deserved R & R. This is a lovely spot in the very south of Uganda. Unfortunately I have spent 24hours with a fever and diarrhoea, so I didn't see the resort at its' best - (thanks Tim for the picture!). We have all had a bout of this at some point in the last 2 weeks - please pray that we stay healthy, especially while the teams are here.

Exercise

2006-07-13T12:54:00.000Z

Today we climbed Mt Itemba - the highest in the district. I am reliably informed that on a clear day you can see the Dem. Rep of Congo border. - Those of you who are geography students will therefore realise that we are in the West of Uganda, infact we are in the South West in Rukungiri district at the Modern Primary School and the teams are staying at Rondavels Guest House (I beleive both of these have websites).

Entertainment

2006-07-08T12:49:00.000Z

This picture is of the Mpororo Drama group. All of these dancers have been affected by AIDS in some way or another - many are orphans. The group provides entertainment in order to raise money for their medical and education fees. Some of the dances and drama are moral stories - in Uganda there is a lot of education designed to stop the spread of AIDS and other disease.

Foundations

2006-07-08T12:35:00.000Z

It is the end of week 1. As you can see the project has started and there are foundations laid - we will be ready for the teams to build the walls in a couple of weeks.

We have visited most of the projects that the team will see when they are here. We have got a UK team of 18 coming on 22nd July. Before then Rachael, Marina and I will visit some more projects, finalise the programme and generally get organised for the teams to come - we seem to have quite a long shopping list - we are girls after all!! We will also have a couple of days r & r.
Our initial challenges are tiredness (Tim has worked us very hard), adjusting to the team dynamics and getting used to the country and culture. We will never get lost - the urban grapevine always seems to know where the white girls are!!

Landed

2006-07-01T12:46:00.000Z

Well we seem to have landed with a bang. The last 36 hours has been physically and mentally exhasting and we are all shattered. It was quite hard to lock up my house and leave it in the hands of the agent - I still haven't got a tennant. We changed flights, landed in Uganda, lost 2 hours in the time change and had some small hiccups with plane and luggage delays; all in the middle of the night. We arrived at the Guest House in time to hear the very noisy dawn chorus.... so much for 3 hours sleep!! Kampala is hot, busy, dirty and noisy - typically African. We went to church this morning and then spent the day trying (in a very African way) to organise things for the teams who start to arrive in 3 weeks. Things take so much longer and seem so much more complicated here although the hospitality that we have been shown is supurb. We are all shattered but having said all that, beginning to understand a bit about Uganda and the way things tick. Tomorrow; more appointments..............

Making a difference

2006-06-27T23:36:00.000Z

One of my work colleagues asked me "How can you make a difference in Africa?". There is a story where a boy came across a beach covered in dying starfish. He started to pick them up, throwing them back in the sea. His mother asked "how can you hope to make a difference here". The boy said "well, I made a difference to that one... and that one..."

"...whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me" Matt 25:40

If you want to make a difference consider coming to Uganda, the Dominican Republic or Sierra Leone, follow the link to Mission Direct.

Alice & John's story

2006-06-19T22:23:00.000Z

It is now 10 days till I leave for Uganda. The charity I am working for (Mission Direct) is aiming to help to build school classrooms and dormitories for AIDS orphans. Let me tell you John & Alice's story..............

John & Alice were working on building their own lives and family when in 1989 their daughter Caroline asked if a friend whose parents had recently died of AIDS could come for Christmas. So Barabara and her 2 brothers arrived.... and stayed.... By 1992 Alice & John had 10 orphans and soon after there were 25 children living with them. Alice & John could not afford to educate all the children so they set up their own primary school and by the end of the first term were educating 120 children. The school now has 650 students - 200 resident. Alice and John need more accomodation to house and teach the children as they know of another 100 that would like to come but for which there is no space. Mission Direct want to build 4 more dormitories and 4 more classrooms in order to both accomadate more children and to eliviate some of the overcrowding.

The picture shows the classrooms already there - we hope to replicate this.