Meet one of our students, Marion.

Name: Marion Ssewajje  Age: 17  Class: S2 Boarding student

Marion, in her second year of the Hands of Hope Into Your Hands sponsorship, is a vivacious teenager with big aspirations for the future. She hopes to continue to S5 and S6 after finishing at St Denis in order to study journalism. If she fails to make the grades or doesn’t manage to fund herself through college, her back up plan is to run a hair salon in the footsteps of her mum. She currently spends the long summer holidays with mum who lives 4 hours away in the capital, Kampala. She is studying from St Denis because her Dad lives in the nearby village of Kyamukama and works as a teacher. He supplements his teaching income with subsistence farming, as many rural teachers do.

Marion’s favorite subject at school is English, which is easy to tell since her spoken English is extremely confident and fluent. She isn’t so keen on Geography or Chemistry since she finds them a bit of a struggle. Her favorite teacher is Master Ssenabula, the Biology teacher, since he’s very friendly and offers his students good advice.

   

I became interested in Marion because I saw the school secretary wearing a beautiful beaded necklace, which she said she bought from Marion in S2. When I asked her about it, Marion told me that her mum is part of a cooperative of women who make beaded necklaces out of colored paper and sell them either locally or to an American organization that sends them abroad. Marion has started making her own necklaces when she stays with her mum during the holidays and sells them to friends and other community members for 4000 shillings (just under $2) each. She buys small glass beads for 2000 shillings per large packet and threads them along side her own beads made from rolled up magazine pages in bright colors which are then hardened in varnish. I’m always thrilled to see students using their initiative to make some extra pocket money, which is a big boost to Marion, because she is one of 12 children being supported by her mum and dad, and needs to fund her own day to day needs such as soap and school supplies.

Marion’s favorite singer is R Kelly and her favorite song is “Hands across the world.”

St Denis launches fifth business - the posho mill!

After almost two years and a lot of teething problems, the St Denis Posho Mill finally opened its doors to customers on 1^st March 2012. Although the building and machinery has been in place for over a year, the mill was only connected to the electricity supply in February this year, to the great relief of the community who have been waiting and fundraising for its operation throughout 2011.

  

(The mill's first customer and the mill in operation manned by Laurence and Umar.)

An expert miller and machine operator, Umar Sentongo, was recruited from the nearby town of Masaka, and was responsible for putting the final engineering touches to the mill before the operational opening on 1^st March. We also recruited a casual worker from the surrounding community in order to assist Umar in dealing with the customers and operating the mill. Laurence, who was recruited because he is an ex-St Denis student, had previously been without a job but has since picked up enough skills to run the mill alone when the manager is not there.

  

(The mill manager about to switch on and customers queuing up.)

Since it is the maize harvesting season, the mill has been extremely busy in its first two weeks of opening and seen up to 50 customers per day, each milling between 5kg and 80kg of maize. The customers have been commenting on the high quality of the milled maize and are extremely pleased not to have to carry their maize 5km to the next mill.

The income has been between 70,000-100,000 UGX ($30-$45) per day in the first two weeks, but the mill is working hard in order to save up enough cash to pay the hefty electricity bill that will be on its way shortly. There is still a lot of hard work to be done to ensure that the mill turns a profit in its first year of operation. 

St Denis Introduces its new Headteacher to the School Businesses.

After a long and anxious wait for the students and staff of St Denis, a new headteacher was finally appointed and arrived on 28^th Feb. Namulema Lucia has come from being deputy head in an urban school in Masaka in order to see St Denis through the next stage of its development. She was selected for her diplomatic nature and commitment to the continuation of the self-sufficiency project and will be closely supported by the Parish, our field officer, and a new projects manager to ensure that the school businesses continue to thrive and develop. 2012 will be a crucial year for the school businesses due to the launch of the posho mill and the potential of the other businesses to grow to the next level.

  

(Staff members welcoming the new head teacher (in red) and staff and stakeholders touring the St Denis businesses.)

After she had settled in, the new headmistress was given a tour of the self-sufficiency businesses in order to introduce her to her new role as business manager. She was joined on the tour by both Fr. Paschal and Fr. Andrew, Joseph Bunjacko (a member of the board of governers), Mukasa James (Projects Manager), Ssembatya Henry (Agricultural Manager) and myself. We spent time greeting each of the business managers, hearing about the current financial status of each business as well as the challenges each business manager is facing. As a group we then outlined the next steps needed to take each business to the next level.

 

(Staff and stakeholders touring the posho mill and a group shot of all project stakeholders.)

We will be working closely with the new head teacher in order to ensure that she has the support and training she needs to manage the future development of the St Denis businesses.

Adventures in Namabaale Parish

Yesterday we went to Namabaale Parish which is about 45 minutes away from Makondo.  It is Fr. Kasoma's new parish area.  We have started 25 piggery projects with the Namabaale students and we have also distributed mosquito nets.  I was so impressed with the students that we met. They are eager and have big plans for their future.  One wants to be a radio announcer (very popular goal), one wanted to be a veterinary doctor, and one had a step by step plan for becoming a rural entrepreneur.  After selling his piglets he is going to purchase a cow, then some land, then start a matooke (banana) plantation and a eucalyptus farm.

Before leaving for home it rained.  The roads here are treacherous after a rain storm.  They become slick loamy mud, worse than driving on an icy road.  As we headed for home we felt pretty confident that our driver would get us safely home.  However, we met with disaster!  Our car got stuck in the mud and we had to get out and walk.  Thankfully we were near a trading center called Nanyua.  While we waited for the car to get unstuck, we became the village entertainment for the night.  Within a matter of minutes, we were surrounded by young children who thought we were the funniest things they had ever seen.  We hoped that the car could be pushed and rocked out of the mud, but to no avail.  Since it was nearing nightfall and the car was still hopelessly stuck, we decided to take boda-bodas (motorcycle taxis) back to the MMM compound.  We had to travel two plus driver on one motorcycle and three plus driver on the other.  Yes, that's right, three people on one motorbike and four people on the other!  We really had fun and at no time did we feel unsafe.  Only once did we have to get off the bikes because of the muddy conditions of the road.  Rita had a blast and so did Jill! 

Rita's Sewing Lessons

Rita getting the treadle machines ready for the class.



First day of class-seven women and one priest...



Learning how to conserve fabric by placing the pattern all the way to the edge. 
Some of the women have never held scissors before. 

Justine learns how to pin the pattern to the fabric.

Second day...13 women show up....  All are very enthusiastic. 
It is the first day of practicing how to use the machines.

More pattern cutting.  The women already have one customer for the reusable sanitary pads... 
Word travels fast!

The youngest participant, a four day old baby. 

Today 17 women showed up.  It was only supposed to be 10.  Rita is very busy and loving every minute of it.  These women are getting incredible training.

The Jajas

Uganda jajas (grandmothers) were the backbone of the family during the height of the AIDS epidemic in the early 80's.  These women bore children, raised them and saw them die leaving behind numerous grandchildren for them to take care of.  Now they are in their 80's, their grandchildren have become adults with children of their own.  We were priviledged to meet two jajas and, in their presence, we were walking on holy ground.  The first jaja we met on Saturday when we went out to visit the Send a Piglet Home recipients.  This particular beneficiary was one of the first to receive a piglet when we started the program in 2008.  Since then she has graduated from St. Denis and now the profits from the piggery business have been used to start a poultry keeping business.  The funds from the original pig continue to benefit the family as more children are able to pay for school fees.  The story that this jaja told broke our hearts and filled us with tears.  As we were visiting, she started to tell us about the nine children she gave birth to, raised into adulthood, and celebrated with them on their wedding day only to see them die, one after the other, from AIDS.  Seven of her children died leaving behind too many grandchildren to count.  She took us to the family burial plot behind the house were we saw the graves.  There she broke down in tears and so did we. 

We asked her to pray for Peter Srsich, a young man in Colorado who is going through chemo for lymphoma.  After a teary farewell, we left this sacred ground.

The other jaja we met was Justine's grandmother.  Justine is in charge of the Hands of Hope Scholarships.  On Sunday, we went to visit Justine's mother and we met her sisters and numerous nephews and nieces.  On the way back we stopped to meet her jaja.  Again, this elderly lady had lived through two wars and the AIDS epidemic.  She is now 85 years old.  When we arrived, she was walking behind her house with her broken rosary in her hand.  She was so happy to see Justine and immediately started telling her that "Mother Mary had brought us there."  She also told Justine that she had been looking in the bushes around the house for her rosary that must have fallen off her neck.  She said she heard Mother Mary tell her, "Come closer, come closer, there are visitors coming."  As she headed back towards the house, she looked down and the rosary was at her feet right at the moment that we arrived.  The jaja blessed us and prayed for us.  She is a holy woman and it was a priviledge to meet her. 

A wedding and a funeral

Well, we have been in Makondo for three days.  We arrived on Wednesday and as Rita says, "It seems like longer."  So much is packed in each day and there are so many new sights and experiences.  Here is a brief review of each day so far:

Tuesday:  We arrived in Entebbe airport at 10:15 pm after stopping over in Kigale, Rwanda.  Rwanda is a new country to put on our list!  I say a stop-over even if you don't get off the plane still counts, don't you?  The area surrounding Kigale was pitch black.  No way to see what the country looks like...  I have heard that it is similar to the south-western corner of Uganda with rolling hill.  The shuttle driver from Sunset Motel was there to greet us and we loaded all 8 huge suitcases and 4 carry-ons into the van.  You should have seen us!  There were more suitcases in the van than people!  Good thing they did not have any other guests to shuttle back to the hotel.  The hotel staff were lovely and welcoming as was the hotel.  Everyone was tired and we crashed!  I have one interesting experience on the flight from Minneapolis to Amsterday to recount.  Right behind my seat there was a young mother with two very young children.  The children were obviously tired and upset and did not want to be on the plane!  The two kids were as cute as could be, but they cried, screamed, squirmed, and used my backrest as a punching bag for most of the trip.  I tried to think of it as a back massage, but that only got me so far.  Even the headset and movie did not help.  I know what it is like to travel with kids, so I did not complain.  I did not realize, however, that the person sitting  across the isle did complain on my and my seatmate's behalf.  Suddenly we were flocked by flight attendants asking if we were ok.  The end result:  both my seatmate and I got moved up to first class for the remainder of the flight!!!!  Wow!  I did not even know how to use all the fancy controls for the seat.  What started as a nightmare ended up as a fairy tale. 

Jill and Dennis at the Equator!

Wednesday:  After a restful night's sleep, we had a lovely breakfast and took a taxi to exchange currency.  Right after we got back, James was there with the van to take us to Makondo.  We loaded up our suitcases (again!) and made a quick stop at the botanical gardens to see Lake Victoria and get a little walk in before confining ourselves to a sitting position again.  The road to Masaka has improved.  Only a few sections are still under construction.  Our novices, Rita and Dennis, were glued to the windows as the most unusual sights flashed by:  tilapia tied to the front grill of cars driving along the road, the businesses of all sorts along the road between Entebbe and Kampala, and the stop on the equator along the way. 

We arrived in Makondo at 6 pm, just in time to eat dinner with the MMM Sisters.  There are new sisters taking the place of Sr. Rita, Josephine, and Celine.  Sr. Celine leaves on Sept. 15 to retire in Ireland.  She will be missed!   The new MMM Sisters include Sr. Dumka from Nigeria whose most recent post was in Malawi and Sr. Maria from Brazil. It was nice to see Sr. Benedicta from Uganda and Sr. Chinereth from Nigeria who were here last year.  I appologize for the misspelled names.  What an amazing group of women they are.  The newest addition to the MMM family is "Rascal" a dachshun who has become the center of attention.  He was adopted by the MMM community after his original owners left to return to England.  He will miss Sr. Celine as he thinks she is his new mother. 

Thursday:  On Thursday we went to St. Denis to greet the students and tour the projects.  On the way up the road to the school, I met Emily, the Teach a Man To Fish intern on her way down to greet us.  What a delightful young woman.  She has done such an amazing job with the community.  Her gentleness and her respect for the friends she has made shines in her face.  She is really a perfect match.  Because of her efforts, students are now eagerly signing up to work in the school businesses and learn how to manage them.  Emily has done a marvelous job training the business managers.  Because of her gentle manner, Emily has won the whole community over and made many friends.  After songs, dances, and speeches, we all purchased items at the school store.  We also toured the boys dormitory and girls dorm to see the new mosquito nets.  Rita already has plans to teach the women in her sewing class how to make simple curtains for the windows to keep the mosquitos out.

St. Denis students welcoming the Into Your Hands "delegation."

Morning chores!  Jill and I took this photo on one of our early morning walks.

Friday:  Yesterday we went into Masaka which is the nearest big town. It is about 45 minutes away.  You should have seen Rita striking up conversation with the streetside tailor.  He offered to make her a traditional dress for 20,000 Uganda shillings ($9.50).  She might take him up on it.  Rita was amazed by how many people were packed into a small area and impressed by the fact that you can find anything you need.  But you need to know were to look!  Thankfully Justine was with us.  On the way to Masaka we saw a bicycle carrying a coffin heading towards Makondo.  We later found out that Bbira Luke's father passed away Thursday night.  We stopped by the father's house as hosts of people were arriving for the funeral.  The funeral was to take place later that day.  The coffin we had seen on the back of the bicycle was under a tarp in front of Bbira's house.  After paying our respects and giving our condolences to Bbira, he took us to view the body and meet his mother.  Jill was moved to see 200 people drop everything to walk a great distance in the rain to comfort and stay with the family.  People brought everything they needed to camp out at the family's compound.

People arriving at Bbira Luke's father's house for the funeral.

Both Jill and Rita were struck by the amount of respect given to the body.  The body was laying on the bed in a shroud with the head bound in a white cloth.  Surrounding the body were a group of about 10 women wailing and crying.  We left quietly trying not to disturb the grieving family members and official mourners.  The mourning period lasts 6 days and the family members will stay with Bbira's family for four days. 

After we got back, we went up to the parish for dinner with Fr. Pascal.  We met the new Father in Charge of Schools.  Fr. Leonard was reassigned to teach at one of the National Seminaries and is being replaced by Fr. Andrew.  We saw were Rita's sewing sessions are going to be held starting on Monday.  So far there is no electricity to the buiding, but we were told that the electrician is scheduled to connect electricity to the building.  We will see!  Thankfully we purchased the three treaddle machines that are already assembled and ready to go!

Fr. Dennis started his Bible study classes for adults in the morning and students in the afternoon.  He is a happy man.  On Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, he is scheduled to assist with over 100 baptisms.  While Jill and I were observing the Bible study session with the students in the afternoon, low and behold, the bio-sand water filters which are part of the Rotary water project arrived!  The bio-sand filters purify and filter water removing 99% of bacteria and parasites leaving the water potable.  How exciting to be able to watch the technician install the filters!

The rest of the evening we were serenaded by music coming from a nearby village that lasted well into the wee hours of the morning.  A big engagement party was going on! 

St. Denis students arriving at school on Thursday morning.

Rita negotiating a new dress.

Fruits and vegetables for lunch!

Rita manouvering the traffic at the marketplace.

Fr. Dennis during a Bible Study session.

New bio-sand filters donated by Rotary!

St. Agatha students arriving in the morning.