June 2022

Working In the Wild West

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After our “fun with food” at Hopeland School last Wednesday, we spent Thursday out at Rwakobo Village and Wells of Hope School. This photo is the home of one of the parents from the school, who has 3 kids there.

This village is, essentially, “a refugee camp without the UN.” (Per Gilbert, the Assistant Director at the school.) It was planted inside the then newly formed Lake Mburo National Park forty years ago, when the government needed something to do with refugees from the Rwandan genocide. They put them in the middle of this game park with no well, no clinic, no school, and lots of rules. That was pretty much the last time the government has done anything for the people there.

Anyway, we combined our planned 2-day visit into one because Director Gideon’s wife was suffering terribly with gall stones and they were going to have to go to Kampala on Friday. It meant a long day, a 2 mile walk, a lot of sun, and a lot of these kinds of houses.

We toured the school, which has come a long way since our last visit, with one real brick building in service and a second nearing completion. (DonorSee project on the way for the floors and blackboards soon!) There are 340 students in buildings that would legitimately hold 150, but it’s pretty hard to turn them away.

In the West, this classroom would hold *maybe* 10 students, with desks and chairs. There are 40+ children in it now. All the old mud and stick classrooms look like this, so a move to the new building will be a huge help.

I’m a huge fascination out in Rwakobo — a mzungu is rare out there! So I wore my hair up, long sleeves (to cover up my tattoos which caused MUCH interest last visit!), and long pants. Still, they all wanted to touch my hands or feet, and kept surging forward to be ever-closer to us. haha It was a bit intense, but I always love to visit them.

It’s Sunday and I leave in THREE DAYS! Thank you all for your encouragement and support while I’ve been gone. We’ve funded a lot of DonorSee projects over the last two weeks, so THANK YOU!

Blessings,

Jennings

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We Got Fired – From Serving Food!

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Yesterday morning, we left Kampala at 7am and drove straight through to Mbarara. It was a 4 1/2 hour drive west, and, after we got out of Kampala traffic, was pretty easy.

We went straight to Hopeland Primary School, where we toured all the classrooms and then did the devotions gathering with all the students and staff. the kids sang, Ronald taught a lesson, and we presented them with a new soccer ball and volley ball.

Then it was lunchtime, and Ronald and I were roped into serving. I’m not sure why serving matoke and beans was so difficult! hahaha But somehow, we got fired from the job — no kids starved, fortunately, as the others kept the line going. (If it had been up to us, they might have finished around dinner time!)

After lunch and checking in the hotel, we walked up the road to the soccer pitch that a local high school allows the school to use. Those kids PLAYED! (As did Ronald and William!) The girls took the volley ball to play one game, the boys took the soccer ball for another, and the small kids took an older ball and played their own. They ran and ran and ran… and it was HOT! But they had a total blast, and it was great to watch them.

Today, we will head out to Rwakobo Village and Wells of Hope Primary School. We had hoped to spend time tomorrow, which is Martyr’s Day and a national holiday, around the village, but Gideon’s wife Winnie is in the hospital and they may have to go to Kampala tomorrow. (Prayers please!)

We will spend the morning with the kids at Wells and filming some new projects for DonorSee. We’ve got a BIG, exciting project coming up in a couple of weeks, which we’ll be shooting footage for, as well as a new ecobrick water tank project for Hopeland School.

I’ll be home in a week – that’s hard to believe! Thank you so much for your support while I’ve been here. We’ve funded quite a few projects and gotten a few new monthly donors, too. We’re so grateful for your partnership!

Blessings,

Jennings

PS If you’d like to become a monthly donor, click the link! Even a small monthly donation helps so much – and 100% goes to the work, so you are making a huge difference. Webele nyo!

COUNT ME IN!

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