Kyamagemule School Desks

The school in Kyamagemule, as in many parts of Uganda, is sparse. The doors and windows are simple openings. At present the children sit on the dirt floor for their lesson while the teacher stands. An occasional wood bench can be found in a few classrooms.

Mercy Uganda raised funds for the lumber to build school desks for the kids in Kyamagemule. The kids were excited to be a part of helping transport this lumber, even the youngest shared a small piece of the responsibility. I forgot to take pictures of the desks when they were done but it was nice to see a few of the men from the village working to better the school for their children.

Kyamagemule Medical Clinic

Dr. Detrich has come to Uganda once before to serve in medical missions. This year he brought a wonderful staff. The photo shows Dr. Dave, George (informal pastor to Kyamagemule), Henry (Mercy Uganda Director), Rebecca, Becky, Brandy, and Don. This doctor donated six 50-pound totes full of medicine and gear for use in these villages – a HUGE thank you to him!

Given that this was the second time on this particular trip, the clinic ran like clockwork. Once Henry got the process rolling, he assigned me the operational task of keeping them rolling. The task was perfect for my skill set and I think I did pretty well from a tactical standpoint. But the assertiveness needed for the role surfaced a feeling in me that I did not like. I loved my work in operations management and was pretty good at it but I don’t like what it does to me.

Look at this room full of people needing treatment. Have you ever had to choose which sick person would be treated and which would remain sick? One of my many roles during the clinic was to select those who would be seen by the doctor. Not being able to speak Luganda, identifying illnesses in order to prioritize patients meant that every person present had problems in their head and problems in their stomach.

While there are a number of very structured and organized ways to take patients, in this culture none of those very American methods work. As the end of the clinic time approached, the people began begging…should I say pleading with me to be the next in line. They crowded me, tugged at me, and cried before me. What a helpless and yucky feeling. Brandy reminded me that we helped about 225 people in the two days we were in Kyamagemule, far more than were turned away. She also reminded me that we cannot fix the world. Sigh.

Kyamagemule Well Commissioning

The ceremony commissioning the well drew admirers from every household. Henry and the maintenance team he assembled spoke to the audience of the value of this resource and the importance of its maintenance. The community was so thankful for this newfound easy access to clean water. The children, as primary water carriers, were especially thankful.

Kyamagemule Well

The roads to Kyamagemule have already been semi-adequately described as has the mission for providing a well for the people in this village. Now…drive well-drilling trucks and equipment up and down those roads and add the fact that it is the rainy season and add the fact that when working on such projects anything that can go wrong will. At one point the trucks were so stuck the drivers, along with Henry, spent the night leaning against the wall of one of very few shacks along the way. No food, no blankets.

The Indian well-drilling company offered two choices for contracting the work. Option 1: A larger sum for guaranteeing to reach water no matter how many locations they needed to drill. Option 2: One hole, 60 meters, no water=no well. Although the decision was agonizing, the reality was that Mercy Uganda did not have the funds for Option 1 and that the geological survey indicated the presence of water.

At 70 meters, the company decided to pack up and make the return trip. Enter Henry, the ultimate negotiator. 80 meters, 90 meters…a refusal to continue. Again, Henry convinced them to go just a bit further before giving up. After some very long and hard debates, they hit water at 101 meters (about 330 feet). Not only was there water but the pressure indicated five times what was necessary to feed this particular village.

Water samples were sent off for testing and returned positive. The village can consume the water produced by this well without health concerns.

Photo credits to Henry, I was not present for drilling.

Dollies for Little Girls

During the last trip I came across a little one with that limbless Mohawk dolly. George, the informal shepherd for Kyamagemule, helped me find that little darling once again. George helped her understand that I remembered her because of that little doll and brought her a new one. A little unsure at first, she accepted the dolly and cracked a smile only to have it disappear once the camera came out.

How do you even begin to decide which of 300 or more children would be the recipient of those beautiful little dollies my mom made. I always remember Kefa’s point in A Distant Grief…God will show me which one and that I cannot help them all.

I pulled the dollies out of my suitcase and before I even tucked them into my bag one young woman approached and asked for a doll. Because it’s not common for the adults to approach and ask for anything, I thought this might be God. So, I gave her the first doll. She handed that doll to a little girl (daughter, niece, cousin, friend???) who promptly lifted the dress. Throughout the rest of the day this girl cried while grasping this dolly right up until Henry talked softly to her.

All the children stay close when the mzungu arrive, but one in particular caught my eye. I handed Faith the last dolly and again the dress was lifted. Scarcely a smile could be found until I caught her off guard. Faith became my shadow for the rest of the day. She held my hand, laid across my lap, and finally fell asleep against my chest. I was bothered that no one came looking for her, but I was certainly in no big hurry to move her along.

Mom is sending eight more dollies from the U.S. to the Mercy Uganda PO Box in Kampala. I can’t wait to find the girls who will become new mommies to these dollies. Um, mom...Laura would like one dollie for her fundraising banquet.

Kyamagemule Drive

The drive to Kyamagemule has not gone without mention from my previous trip. This trip was just a bit worse in that the van was loaded with 15 people and literally over 1,000 pounds of medical equipment and luggage.

I ran ahead to capture some footage of the van leaving behind its entrails as we navigated the canyons. The photos do not do justice to the sounds of scraping, clanging, and thumping we heard from inside the van.

Broken for Kyamagemule

I am so broken for this place my heart aches. At 3:00 a.m. I could no longer sleep. As I sit here trying to write about Kyamagemule, I can’t see because tears fill my eyes. Not because of any sadness, but because of the joy I found in this place despite their circumstances. How is it that we can forget about these people and all the other villages just like them? How can life ever be the same after having known them even for a short time? How can I go home to a lonely life of “things” knowing that I could instead be among these adorable children and loving people?

Dolly Girl

Toys are a luxury that are not often found in any of the places I’ve visited so far. And yes, food is far more important than toys. Yet I was struck by this child whose baby doll had quite a shock of hair. Are there any tender-hearted mommas out there who would like to provide a new baby doll for this little one? Thank you JH.

Sponsor Millie

Millie is this beautiful little girl in a dress of many colors. She is just a bit shy but smiled when I held her, She was one of many children who walked up to me and put their backs against my legs so that I could put my hands on their shoulders and eventually bend down to grip them in a warm hug. Her right ear is torn and oozing as if a piercing got infected, and blood dribbles slowly from her nose. Without treatment – perhaps with medicine that costs less than $20 – this precious little one could become quite sick.

Millie is an orphan; no one knows who her parents are. She’s currently living with an old lady who is also caring for a baby with malaria. People here have nothing and they divide that nothing to share with whoever is in need.

We’ve not collected all the necessary information for this dear one to officially register her as a child available for sponsorship through Mercy Uganda, but that will be done within the next few weeks. I’d like to ask you to prayerfully consider sponsoring this child. For $450 annually, she will receive an education, real food for lunch rather than porridge, and she will have your love. You will be able to send care packages and could choose whether or not you wished to fund anything extra for Millie, such as medical care, clothing, or supplemental needs.

Before coming to Uganda and all while I’ve been here I wait on God to show me which needs to bring before you. There are hundreds more needs that I’ve seen and tens of thousands of needs that I’ve not seen. Please know that I am not making this request without the direction of our Father, which means there is someone out there who will hear this call. If you’re the one, please visit Mercy Uganda or let me know and once we get all the information I will connect you with the right people.

Clean Water

In my Mission Trip #2 announcement post I described my reason for choosing Uganda. In addition to sponsoring a child in another area, my friend’s dear husband provided a matching gift to sponsor a well for the remote village of Kyamagemule. At present, the children walk more than a half mile to a small hole filled with something that resembles water to replenish their yellow cans with this liquid that cannot replenish their bodies.

The photo of the children washing their lunch mugs behind the auditorium/classroom is the desired location of that well. Not only will the children be able to remain in class rather than traipsing out to get water, but they’ll also have CLEAN water to drink on demand.

The September trip to Kyamagemule will commence well digging. I cannot thank my friend and her husband enough – as well as those who stepped up to take advantage of that matching gift – for being obedient to God’s prompting and for stepping into the lives of these most deserving people. I can promise you all that you’ve made a very fine decision.

Greetings from the Children

Greetings in Kyamagemule is a hands-on experience. The children swarmed on us as if we were Santa Claus. One little baby bawled at the sight of me. But of course their little lives have not been spoiled by such things. Their interest was in part the return of the Mercy Uganda team and for the wonderful things they’re doing here. And in part, their interest was at having mzungu (white people) come to their far-away village.


These beautiful children, dressed in school uniforms handed down from a Christian school in Florida, crowded around me and pawed every inch of my exposed skin. Some even smelled their own hands after they touched me to see if white people have a different scent. I’ve never had so many dirty little hands all over my body at the same time, it was the most heavenly experience I have ever had!

Did you know you can hold five little hands in one adult hand all at once and that all up each arm at least another 20 hands can hold onto you? When walking up toward the school, all those little bodies will move with you in a swarm. Have I mentioned that my love language is touch?

Getting to Kyamagemule

Remote is an understatement. This small village is about four hours northeast of Kawuku, the place where we are lodging. Driving to Kampala is not a problem but getting through it takes at least an hour if we’re lucky. From Kampala, another hour through the lush, green jungles of Africa – a few shacks sprinkle the roadside. The people come out of these narrow, overgrown bush trails leading to their hut homes to walk the miles of road to the nearest water source.

At the fork, another hour of that canyonous road was tempted to reach up and bottom out our car. The branches from the greenery slapped our faces through the car window. The children walking along that road run into the bushes to avoid being struck. A few more forks that require some serious knowledge of where you are, and the ability to speak multiple African languages, and we arrive very dusty but safely.

Just a note for the faint of bladder. Africa on the whole has few restrooms and even fewer of those are a place you’d actually even want to stand up and pee. So, drink a lot of water because it’s hot and dusty then hold it for a four hour drive, a four hour visit, and a four hour return drive. Next, fight over who gets to use the bathroom first…in a loving Christian kind of way.

Kyamagemule (cha-ma-ga-moo-lee)

The children put on a program for us to watch after the initial greeting. Watch a short clip from the first song and prepare to be moved.

Welcome
Our vis'tors
Welcome
We receive you
We so love you
We so love you
We shall never
We shall never
Forget you