Kamuli District

5th and 6th August were spent in Kamuli district at Bulogo Primary School and Butende True Word Mission Church.

The first day Sally and Michelle worked with the teachers giving them some support and Dave, Pearson and I tried to teach touch rugby. In truth Pearson taught rugby Dave and I just threw balls at the kids to encourage them to learn how to catch a rugby ball.
The video is the welcome we received when we arrived at the school

Pearson introduces the Children to his Pawpaw!!

David had to dig the hole for the trees!!

Add caption

Sally planting a new tree in the school grounds

and my tree

Back at the Hotel

the garden bar

a guest

As we had been fed well at the school dinner was Rolex 

Spot the design flaw?

On the 6th Sally Michelle and Pearson returned to the school and Dave and I went to Butende I was to talk about being a Church Secretary.

Energetic Worship

Lunch with the Pastors

And below a normal Sunday Service!!!





Amazing breakfasts in Kamuli

Shades of 2011

4th August.
A quiet morning in the grounds of Kolping updating my blog and chatting with Sally & Michelle. 

Jude arrive to drive us from Kampala to Kamuli but he was not feeling well and had asked his friend to drive for him, can we get all of us and luggage and the solar lamps that we are taking to Soroti? 
Dont forget its four of us plus Jude and we are picking Pearson from Uganda Rugby Union Association up as well! 
That's seven adults!!! 
We called at Barefoot to collect the lamps that's 12 cartons containing six lamps in each pluss some loose ones! We play shuffle the luggage and eventually get every thing on board BUT there is still Pearson!!

We also play 'spot the JUde'!!

Now we have to deal with finding the Pearson! He'll be near the national stadium says Dave!

But at each expected rendezvous There is just traffic and the usual street hawkers found in Kampala 

we phone him and get more instructions, just like paying a ransom from kidnappers!!!

Eventually we meet up and squeeze him in the front seat with David. Good job that Uganda's rugby players are some of the smallest in the world!! Well at least Africa.

Then today brings back memories of 2011 when our tyre burst in a small village 

in the end it took 21 Ugandans to change the tyre, it seems that Jude's car didn't have the correct wheel brace, Andrews quick thinking and a local tool shop eventually brought us the right tools and we are on our way again. 
Jude commented that he didn't think so many people would have been willing to help if it hadn't been for the four 'Masungu' travelling with him!!!

We arrived at Kamuli just before 6 and settled into Kyemba Sande Hotel

  

 unfortunately only one of its wings has running water guess which one I'm in???



The photos are the upper bar I'll try and get photos of the garden and lower bar tomorrow.

A real African Journey

August 3rd

7am is not normally an early start but having not got to bed till 00:30 the same morning was not easy and Sally & Michelle had messed up setting their alarm so things were a bit of a rush in the end.

View from my room at  6:55 a rainy Kampala

View from my room at  6:55 a rainy Kampala

 Just after seven thirty we left Kolping Hotel with Robina and headed for Kabutemba, even this early traffic in Kampala is far from light

Kabutemba is a primary school built and sponsored by Bukoto Rotary Club to het there you have to use some traditional Ugandan roads, not musch more than cycle paths and made from the typical Ugnada orange soil.

Thankfully we where in a four wheel drive truck though it did not stay white for very long.

The first building on the site was a church then this rain water catchment tank was installed

Now they have two blocks one with four class rooms and an additional room  will become a library the other has two class rooms and a room that will become the Headmasters office. 

The headmaster is very worried out of his 100 pupils 30 had failed to take there end of term assessments because their parents could not find the 10000 to 15000 Ugandan shillings for the term fees {£2.60 to £3} he has also lost three teachers who have recently found better paid jobs.

Building work is still going on and the bricks are made on site from clay found locally 

a lump of mud is put in the wooden frame

patted down

then tipped out on the floor

then covered in straw to dry

 Once the the bricks are hardened the are built into a hollow stack {you can see a stack in the first two photos} The stack is covered in mud and a fire is lit underneath it to 'fire' them. 

After the school visit we drove back to Robina's village home 

For an unexpected lunch

Matoke, Rice, Sweet Potato, Cassava, Groundnut  Sauce,

and stewed meat

Sally and Michelle enjoying lunch

Our host Robinah

Weaver bird Nests in a tree out side Robina's house

In the evening we were joined by Diana, Phionah & Peace from Touching Lives Initiative who explained their work they do 

Dave trying to take a photograph of us all

Dave, Diana, Phiona, Sally, Michelle

Me, Diana, Phiona, Sally Michelle {photo from APF Facebook page}

And the adventures continue

Firstly let me say that the next few blog post will almost certainly be days late I'll try and add the correct date somewhere in the post.

So the adventure??
On 2nd August after a ridiculously early start {2:45am}I returned to Uganda with a small group of friends in the guise of The APF Go Team! APF is 'African Pastors Fellowship' and its CEO is Rev David Stedman who as pastor at Canterbury Baptist Church lead my two previous trips to Uganda. Whilst out here we will be visiting and helping with schools, churches and also returning to Atirir Bible School were I started building a teaching block in 2005.

Queuing at Heathrow!!

KLM's Airbus A330 'Piccadilly Circus '

Sun set over Sudan

We landed at Entebbe at around 10:30pm and after a hiccup at immigration {they have increased the cost of a visa from $50 to $100} we arrived at Kolping Guest House just after midnight!
{Fortunately the visas can be paid for with sterling with judicial juggling of funds we all managed to pay.}