Flights home: All is well!!

We were picked up from the Lake View Hotel at 6:00 p.m. for the drive to Entebbe airport.  It was my last drive with Baker and I will miss his competent skills.  I know without a fact that I could not drive in Uganda and when I go back I hope he will drive for me again.  Sarah also escorted us and we all hugged farewell.  Sarah is an amazing person and I cannot thank her enough for her help and support.  Our flight left on time and was uneventful.  We had a long layover in Amsterdam.  My first stop was Starbucks.  I missed Starbucks and Tim's in Uganda but did have several good cups of African coffee at some local restaurants.  The White's left first, then Charlotte and Margot and finally Joanne and I lined up for our flight to Toronto.  We were joined by Sarah and Debra who had just flown into Amsterdam from London for the same flight home.  In Toronto we split up once again and I was excited to run into the arms of my family.  The journey has ended.  We are home.  I still have some good stories and pictures to share and I will continue to update my blog for a few more days with some of the observations and lessons learned in Africa.

To my frequent followers, I say thank you for taking this journey with me.  I hope you enjoyed reading the blog entries as much as I did creating them.   Thank you for your comments.  Connecting to home made the work even more meaningful.

To the Truedell community, I say congratulations.  You have contributed much to the journey.  Your generosity has touched the hearts of many Ugandans.  You have saved lives.  The "bucket" is overflowing.  From this day forward, you are connected to Kasana!  Truedell will always be remembered through the story book, the scrapbook and through the life saving nets.  You make me proud!

To Debra and Margot, I say thank you!  Your leadership was much appreciated and you both inspire me.  From the bottom of my heart I  thank you for giving me this opportunity to join you!  Buy-a-Net is changing the world, one village at a time.   What an honour for me to be a small part of it!

Saturday, February 25th: Last day!

On Saturday, the team reluctantly packed their bags.  Out flight didn't leave until 11:30 p.m. so we spent the day at a local resort where we paid to use the pool.  It was a relaxing end to a very intense and rewarding 17 days.  The view from the pool was extraordinary.  The region is comprised of hills.  At one time they talked about the "7 hills of Kampala".  Now that it has grown they say, "The 11 hills of Kampala".  It seems that the rich always reside at the top.

Remaining team members relax by the pool.

Water with a view.

View from on top:  Lake Victoria!

A storm approaches.  The rainy season begins in March but a few early rains came while we were here.  This one loomed dangerously but then blew over without depositing a drop locally.

Friday, February 25th, 2012: Shopping Day!

Two stalls at the Kampala Craft Market.

On Friday, the power was still out.  The remaining team members had a late breakfast and then went into Kampala to do some last minute gift shopping in preparation for our journey home.  We went to a craft market where local products are sold at very reasonable prices.  Many team members bought wooden sculptures and textile items.  I picked up a few things for home.  My husband will be sporting a very bright African shirt when he teaches math next fall and Adrian wore his new t-shirt to school today.

Thursday: Another Day Without Power

On Wednesday evening three of our team members left.  Alison Tallman left for Kingston.  She was anxious to get home to her family.  Debra and Sarah left on the same flight but they were heading to London, England via Amsterdam.  The balance of the group stayed on but for the most part our work was done.  On Thursday morning some members of the group elected to go back to the Wentz Clinic.  Erin, for example, did some nursing with the staff and spoke with the lab technologist.  I elected to stay behind to work on my blog as I was so far behind at this point.  Alas, this was a futile plan, due to a local power outage.  There had been a storm in Ggaba the day before which didn't affect us on Bethany Island.  This storm had apparently damaged the local transformer for the power was out throughout the entire village.  While waiting for the power to come back (which it didn't) I did some reading.  It was very relaxing and a much needed break.  I have no pictures to post from that day but the sun was bright and warm.  Life goes on in Uganda without power.  Our hotel had a generator but they only ran it for a few hours in the evening.  Gas is used to fuel stoves and many locals still cook outside over open fires.  Despite the lack of power the staff at the hotel made us many delicious meals of vegetables, fish, chicken and eggs with plenty of pineapple and watermelon for dessert.

Visit to Bethany Clinic: Vaccination Program

On Wednesday, February 23rd, the team took a boat to Bethany Island in Lake Victoria.  We visited the Bethany Clinic which is affiliated with the Wentz Clinic on the mainland.  There is also an orphanage and school on this picturesque island.  As we walked from the boat landing we passed pineapple and sweet potato fields, saw jack fruit growing, farm animals grazing and saw many, many children playing at recess.  After a short tour of the clinic we walked to a neighbouring fishing village for the immunization program of local infants.  Mothers lined up to have their baby weighed and to receive the free vaccinations.  Older children and adults gathered outside to watch the mzungus at work with the local nurses.

The team loads the boat for the 20 minute ride to Bethany Island.

Children around the world love recess!

These boys were playing off on their own.  Notice the cow grazing in the foreground.  Behind the boys there was a pineapple field.  Land has many uses in Uganda and many schools keep their own cows for milk, meat and money.

Our approach to the fishing village.

Sarah Lefebvre, Charlotte Bonella and Wayne White weigh the babies in preparation for the vaccination program

Debra administers polio vaccine to a baby.

Erin White administers a vaccination.  Yuck.... needles!

Sarah, always popular with the children.  A future teacher perhaps?

The children waiting for a Canada flag pin.  Mzungu naangay (phonetic spelling) means "Mzungu, give me one too!"

Tuesday Afternoon: Tour of Mulago Hospital

After lunch the two groups joined up for a tour of a local hospital.  This large teaching hospital, associated with Makerere University,  is the one which most locals are referred to for problems that cannot be dealt with at small local clinics.  The maternity ward alone services up to 100 deliveries per day and when we visited this ward we saw many waiting moms in various stages of labour.  My sister, an obstetrician can tell you that this visit made me somewhat squeamish.  I specialize in teaching and leave the medical stuff to her.  We had many nurses in our group, however, and this tour was streamlined for them.

The conditions at the hospital were far inferior to western standards and it certainly makes me more appreciative of the benefits of our health care system.  What struck me the most about the tour, which also included a cancer ward and a burn unit where we saw many burn victims, whom we had been told were suffering from deliberate acid burns, was the lack of sound.  Obviously many, many people were in pain but they suffered in silence.  One can only imagine what they were feeling and we were also told that in most cases they do not receive pain medication due to lack of funding for this.  Apparently, the government funding for health care is based on a model of $4 per day per person.  That doesn't go very far!

Mulago:  A teaching hospital in Kampala.

The team enters this busy teaching hospital for a guided tour.

Making Beads: Sustainable Employment Program for Women

On Tuesday, February 21st, the team split into two groups.  One group led by Sarah Komugisha, went back to Kawempe to monitor the net usage.  This involves going door to door in areas where nets were previously delivered to determine net usage, incidence of malaria, etc.  Another group, led by Debra Lefebrve, went back to the quarries to the WCCC to witness the bead making operation.  I joined this later group and was delighted to observe and document the bead making process.  Most of the women pictured below are single breadwinners for their families.  In most cases their husbands have died from aids and they too are HIV positive.  Buy-a-Net has recently formed a collaboration with this group and we now purchase beads and jewelry made from recycled paper directly from the group.

The process begins with the cutting of recycled paper.  Many women purchase the paper already cut but Buy-a-Net has now funded the purchase of a paper cutter for the group and this will help to increase their profits.  The announcement of this funding from Debra's group brought cheers from the ladies in attendance.  The paper is rolled around a small cylinder and then each bead is covered in lacquer and hung to dry.  Later, these beads are trimmed and made into beautiful necklaces, purses and other items.

Debra observes beads being made.

Women of many ages work to make beads to support their families.

I watched these beautiful yellow beads, reminiscent of the African sunshine, being made.

Beads are lacquered and hung to dry.

Trays of finished beads are then made into jewelry.