Recap - Day 6 - Pizza, Hope House, Kivulu slums

Wednesday morning we went down to the babies home as usual and spent some time procurring some Ugandan artifacts (aka souvenirs!) from a local market.  I am not good at bartering, but I did a little bit of it.  I just felt guilty knowing how much I really have and how much these shop owners don't have.  But I was happy with what I had purchased and what I paid for it.

Our next stop was Steer's.  It is a 'food court' with 3 eating options and a cell phone stand.  The "experience" was in making it there alive!  Steer's is located in a very busy part of the city.  The taxis dropped us off a block or so away - ACROSS the street.  So we had to get 23 (our team and Uncle George) through 4-6 lanes of traffic that never stops even for pedestrians! We "frogger-ed" through traffic the best we could and all made it all in one piece! They had options of burgers (beef), chicken, and pizza to eat.  Most of our group ordered the barbeque chicken pizza and it was delicious!  Just about the only meat I consumed on this trip!

As we were sitting there eating, I looked out the window and across the street only to see the "Great Wall Chinese Restaurant".  I'm doubting I could get the same food as I would order here, but I won't get into all of the Chinese food discussions!

At this point, our team split up - the girls took the 2 taxis and went to visit Hope House.  The boys spent some time walking through the streets (I really have no idea what they did!) and then we all ended up together at the feeding program in the slums later in the afternoon.

Here we are at the Hope House.  The mzungu standing in the right corner is Abby Tracy Kakeeto.  She is from Arizona and has been in Uganda for 3 years serving..and recently got married to David - such a wonderful love story!  They work with A Perfect Injustice (where we built the house on Monday and Tuesday), but Abby also has a heart for women and works with these women also.

Hope House is a ministry for women that have formerly lived on the streets and have been prostitutes (for less than $1 a day) just to give their kids food or a place to sleep.  There are so many unfortunate circumstances that these women come from - husbands that have died from HIV/AIDS, accidental deaths, or some have been divorced or just left alone.  All of the women have had at least 2 children and one lady had 9 children, but 5 of them have died already (malaria, HIV, malnutrition).  This ministry is working to give these women a trade of making jewelry, but they are also learning how to type and run a computer. 

We all went around the room and did a short introduction of ourselves and through the lovely art of translation we were able to share laughter and tears. 

The culture in Uganda does not look highly on women.  Their main purpose is to have children and raise them.  In fact, most women are expected to have a baby within the first year of marriage - and if they don't, some are divorced for being barren.  If there is a way to degrade women, it is done...and these women that have done all they knew how to do to to provide even less than the essentials.  They have no self-confidence. So, having a skill and selling jewelry to make money to support their families is life-altering for them.  They also have counseling and Bible teaching which makes all the difference.  Their smiles are genuine, maybe for the first time ever they have true HOPE.

Once we women had bought our fair share of jewelry, we loaded up in the taxis and drove down to Kivulu.  As we drove down into the slums, it was just amazing to see some of the living conditions of these families.  They dropped us off at the "church" and after being greeted and greeting so many kids, we walked UP to the soccer field where the boys play futbol. The field is about 25 feet above the several lanes of traffic with no fence which causes a few issues when the ball rolls down the hill out of bounds.  Yet the drivers are not surprised to see a kid in boxer shorts running through traffic to retrieve the yellow soccer ball!

 

  After we worked really hard at beating those fast and agile young whippersnappers, we walked back down the hill to the church.  Not all of the kids in the slums are in the feeding program so it is difficult to turn those down that you know haven't eaten for a day or two. 



This little boy definitley made the rounds to all of us mzungus.  He just wanted to be held (and was probably hoping that we'd give him some candy!) and when one of us put him down, someone else would pick him up.

This is David and Amy, a married couple with 2 kids...but are expecting to grow their family through adoption and hopefully through Uganda!  They were able to visit a few different orphanages and with a lawyer while we were there to get the ball rolling on the African side of things.  SO very excited for them as they embark on this journey!!!

Michael's monkey had to make an appearance in Kivulu too - on the shoulder of Josh!

Sarah had brothers all over the place!  She's wearing some face paint that the girls had done with some of the kids while the rest of us played soccer!

As part of the feeding program, the boys participate in 'church'.  They sing a couple of songs and listen to a devotion about God.  As Pastor Dwight was talking, all I could see was the shadow of the cross on his back.  I kept thinking about how God was covering this ministry, these boys, and the people that are spending their lives trying to rescue so many.

Even in the midst of one of the poorest places, you can find livestock.  This big cow with bigger horns was feasting on a trash pile outside the church in Kivulu!

After we fed the kids their meal of rice and beans eaten with their hands (the only people that eat with utensils are mzungus!), we went back to the guest house and the babies home, our normal evening routine!