Uganda
Bugiri

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    • Day 7

      Bugiri, Uganda

      January 11, 2023 in Uganda ⋅ 🌩️ 26 °C

      We will jump into the back of the car,
      Mandela and Nkosie and myself a bit of a squash.
      Mandela directs us to the home of the children. With a huge wall around it and a massive iron gate.
      The gates started to open and out popped this little faces all smiling. Has the gates opened to reveal the Home of the children, the first thing I saw were all these amazing quote written on chalkboards.
      Nkosie and Paula where then show the rabbits 🐇 that Mandela normally speakers about on club house. They have the rabbits to teach them responsibility. As Nkosie picked his up it started to jump around. Nkosie was so unsure. Mandela asked him to hold them by the ears to calm them. We then went to the main hall where all the children meet. Has I was walking there 3 boys ran up to meet me and dropped to there knees and the held out their hand to be shaken.
      This for me seeing the children drop to their knees just didn't seem right. I asked them to stand up. Mandela said it was a sign of respect.
      So I stand corrected.!

      So many shoes of the front of the hall, so I thought I was best I slipped mine off to. There was a massive cheer has o walked into the hall and there were 5 chairs prepared for us to sit on.
      Mandela calmed the children down who were so exited to see us. When they were all focused he then introduced me formally to the children and then asked them to do the same back.
      Has each child did this I gave them a high five. 20 mins past and we were still doing high fives....lol

      We settled back down again and Paula introduced us and then asked the children if there was anything that the children wanted to share. One you man put his hand up at the back of the room and stood up.
      None of us were prepared for what he was about to say next.
      Sir I won't to thank you for the cows you donated to us they saved my life 🤷‍♂️.
      My mother passed and my father passed and I was on the street begging for little food I could. I was beaten main time at night the street is not a safe place to be. I came across Mandela one day hold out my hands to ask for food. He looked down at me and said "boy where is your family" I told him they had passed and I had none. He put his hand on my head and said "do you anywhere to stay" no "then come.
      At this point I look across at Paula and Nkosie and they both had tears in their eyes.
      He took me in to the children home where I meant my now brothers and sisters. We had some cows arrive he asked me if I could look after them. I used to look after cows with my father. I wanted to take my own life many times but I used to speak to the cows and tell them my troubles. At this point that was me done I had tears rolling down my cheeks and the boy was wiping his away.
      Thank you God thank you Bother Mandela and thank you to the person that gave us the cows you saved my life. They are my friends
      Paula stood up in tears and walked to him trying not to step on any children. When she reached him she gave him a hug and he just melted into her.

      The young man asked us if we would like to go out to meet his cows. He explains later that one of the females out of the three had a calf. Now he know for sure to are pregnant and I believe the third one is again. The smile on his face says it all.
      We often can give a gift and we truly do not understand the impact that it will make. (Thanks Damion)

      We leave at 3pm to make away back to the original hotel to try and check in after the challenge of the night before when they had cancelled our rooms. It was my intent that they should pay the difference between the hotel they placed us in and the price of the one we were going to stay in for the next 5 days. Cut a long story short I decided to stay in the much more basic but friendlier hotel that we stayed in the night before.
      (First world problems)
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    • Day 8

      Visiting the farm

      January 12, 2023 in Uganda ⋅ 🌩️ 26 °C

      6:30am the alarm goes of and it's time to move again. Today Mandela is going to take us to the farm we purchased on behalf of the donors of the 24hr event that Pete Cohen put on in Club house and raised £10,000 for. Has a charity we were asked to be ca custodial of the money and it soon became obvious that there needed to be a lot of due diligence.
      After many hours and a lot of help from friends that I know used to live in Uganda we had helped Mandela and the charity God InAction was formed.
      Here we are today making the hour journey from the children's home to the Farm. We all piled into the 4by4 again the three of us in the back Mandela, Nkosie and myself then Paula and our trusted driver Hamash

      1hr later after driving through some beautiful countryside we arrive at the farm. Has we step out the car some local people came around to chat to Mandela, but I think mainly to look a me. What is very obvious is that I am have been the only white person around for the last few days. The children pull on the hair on my arms....lol

      With the sun shinning it's time to do a little filmimg and take loads of photos for back home for everyone that supported Mandela to reach his vision. Mandela voice is so quite I realised I had left my mic in the car. I asked one of the lads if they would mind getting it for me. He sprints of like an Olympic run and returns with my while back pack.
      The land is very rich and fertile. It have mango and Jack fruit trees in it which will be great in the future to be able to have fruit for the children.

      Mandela is very keen to walk me to the far end of the boundary. The whole farm has been fence in which various people donated for. We start to walk slow back and Mandela says rain is coming. With one could in the sky I hardly think so...lol
      With an enormous clap of thunder and a flash of lightning from no where the heavens opened literally from the one cloud. Really..!
      Everyone started running back to the car. I quickly grabbed my back pack and then took my coat out. Thank yo the Olympic runner.
      The two I felt sorry for were the two that came on a motorbike boarder-boarder they got soaked.

      The rich red road turned into a running river. Our beautiful white car ended up a rich red..lol. We left the rain cloud behind us.
      We made our way back to the home for the children's. Which was bathing in in beautifully sun light.
      Mandala said we can take the children to the playing fields to play football. We had brought some balls that morning.
      With great excitement the children lead the way to the playing fields. Once there they split into two teams and Nkosie who is used to playing back home was one team captain.
      1hr later Nkosie could be found under the tree 🌳 with his shirt of gasping for air, the children had run him racked.
      With all the children tired after another great day it was time to go back to the hotel . But before we went we were asked if we wanted some fresh pineapple 🍍 when you visit a country one thing I always do is try the fruit of the country it taste so much nicer then the UK.
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    • Day 9

      Bugiri, Uganda

      January 13, 2023 in Uganda ⋅ 🌩️ 27 °C

      To day we are up earlier as we decided to get the children loads of Maths books and pencils plus pens. Paula our guide knows the area really well and is determined to get the best price on the stationary. In half an hour she must visit 10 shops and negotiates everyone down and some until she is happy. We finally fill the 4by4 up with all the stationary and then make the journey to the home of the children.
      As we arrive there are so many faces peering around the gate all wait for us. Mandela says they had e been asking constantly when are ye coming. The older boys with some instruction lift all the stationary to the office and place it down gentle.
      We take our usual sits in the main room with so many hopeful faces looking up at us.
      Mandala lest the children know that they are now ready for school with all the stationary. The children clap this rhythm shouting thank you very much. Eish.......it is so load.
      A selected few are asked what the difference the stationary will make.
      One little girl stands up and says thank you sir it will now be possible for me to learn how to write my name on paper.
      (The smallest of things could make a. difference to a child's life.
      After a few more share we are going to revisit the farm again has today is meant to be a clear one.
      We make the hours drive again and arrive at the farm.
      The soil is so red here which normally means it is rich in iron.
      Mandela takes us to the furthest boundary where we didn't quite get to the other day because of the rain.
      Mandela shared his vision with me how he wishes on the next planting of the peanuts 🥜 he wishes to cover the whole 5 acres but this time get a return of £7,000 at the market. Last time only half the acres were planted and they receive £3,000 from the sell of them. We were so grateful for the seeds in the first place to be able to plant the peanuts.
      Thank you to #DebbieDigby and #passion4hair and the #Feathersgroup for donation £1,000 a year ago. We took the decision back then to purchase the seedlings thus giving the £1,000 longevity.
      From that harvest we then manage to save 6 sacks off seeds ready to plant this year. So every year Debbie you are making it possible for food to be purchased and school uniforms to be brought and tools for the farm.
      We continue our walk to the left of the farm and there are some huge bolder coming out from the ground. Mandela climbs up on one along with Nkosie and Paula. Here Chris is where I wish to teach the children about farming. They can all sit on this rocks and I can be down there Chris it would be like an amphitheater.
      Plus when we have visitors they can all leave their message on the rocks for the children.
      Mandela always has the children as the priority the first thought in his head.
      We sat one of the rocks talk about where he would like the home for the children to be exactly. Paula came up with the idea that maybe we should build cluster homes. A complete home for 6 children and a house mum in it. A kitchen, a living area and bathroom. Each house would have 6 children of their own age and a house mother. There would be 10 houses in total supporting 61 children.
      A dream becomes a vision
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    • Day 10

      Chill Day, i think...!

      January 14, 2023 in Uganda ⋅ 🌩️ 27 °C

      Time is passing so quickly. It seems when you arrive the first few days are slow and the it goes so fast the last few.
      Today we have nothing planned only that the children have a wish to dance and sing for us. We left the children making traditional costumes yesterday with banana trees.
      Today as we enter the children's home some of them have their outfits on.
      The children have prepared seats for us and as we take our seats the music starts. They are going to perform 7 traditional dances from all of the regions in the area.
      The next 3 hours yes I did say 3 hours went so quickly as we watched these amazing children perform their hearts out to us. We were also asked to get involved. My worst nightmare..!
      But when I'm Rome. When is Muma Debs when you need her.!

      There were to young boys that were incredibly doing their belly dancing and they were give the task to teach a 50 year European man to dance. With me all ready to put my best foot forward I wriggled my hips like I have never wriggled them before and the joy and laughter that came from the children in the most part and the Uganda team was beautiful to listen to so I wriggled them some more.
      After a wonderful but exhausting 3hrs. Mandela suggested we go out on to the plan-field to play football with the new balls we had brought. The kids kept shout my name and soon it became obvious that they wanted me to play. Really..!
      Nkosie was the captain of one team and I the other. Now at this point I would just like to point out that Nkosie is 20 years my junior and incredible fit. So anyone that was going to be on my team certainly were going to have a disadvantage.
      Teams picked and we were straight into it. I was please that my team wasn't playing in skins and it was Nkosie and his side that had to take of their shirts and not me....lol
      The game ended at 3 -3 all I can say is thank you to the young men on my side for putting in a 110%.
      When I came of Paula hand arrived back from getting us some water. She said, "you make a good ref".
      Really..! 🙄

      We were now making our way back to the home of the children when one of Mandela's friend turn up on a board-board motorbike. Mandela stood chatting to him and then he asked us if we would like a go. Now at 53 I know it's hard to believe but I have never been on a motorbike and it is on my bucket list.
      Maybe not quite sandwiched between the driver and Nkosie but he really wanted to go one two.
      With me secured in the middle we were taken of around the plan field with the children screaming.
      I arrived safely back. Please no won tell my Mum I didn't wear a crash helmet.
      With the day closing to an end we left the home of these beautiful children with huge smiles on our faces and theirs.
      We arrived back at the hotel where we were staying and and took our showers and then went down to the restaurant. The hotel team were all waiting patiently to hear how our day went and what we got up to. We place our orders and awaited for our food to arrive. Nkosie had ordered a stir fry Chinese style fish. It arrive and his eyes were a picture. There lay in front of him this huge whole fish with vegetables on it.
      There is something to be said about not having anything planned in a day and just let it take you where ever it chooses.
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    Bugiri

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