Things have been moving along at Hippo as we continue to help our friends in the Banda area, just outside of the heart of Kampala. Our team of Ugandans, now 20 strong, consisting of our director, head teacher, 12 school teachers, one social worker, one nurse, two cooks, and two construction workers manage our interests on the ground quite well. 

 

I would briefly like to highlight some of the projects that are currently making a difference in many Ugandans lives. Our housing project has just completed its 90^th house. We run across many women who have found themselves in terrible circumstances living on the street with their children due to no fault of their own. Some have lost a husband. Others could not maintain a job and look after a family. Many have, due to sickness, failed to pay rent. In all cases, to them, nothing short of a miracle can save them. Thanks to many of you, I don’t have to just tell them that Jesus loves them...but I can show them how much he loves them by providing them with a solution for them and their children...a house. 

 

Over the past four years, our housing project has seen the lives of many of these women ease. I remember many conversations about the mystery of how to cure poverty I have had with friends and family. I even recall all the advice and even my naive thoughts on the matter. Now I know that every country is unique and has its own social and political problems resulting in poor segments of society, but for our little circle of influence, eliminating the rent cycle seems to be the kick-start these ladies needed to climb the first rung out of poverty. You see, when Hippo builds a house for one of these ladies and their family, and give it to her with no strings attached, (other than that she’s not allowed to sell it), any little money that she can earn can now go towards food, clothing, and medicine for her and her family. Before, the majority of her income had to go towards rent or she would suffer the consequences of being out on the street. By looking at our earliest recipients of houses, you would never know of their previous desperate situation. Their children look healthier, their clothes aren’t rags, and some even are wearing jewellery and have their hair done, as well as some even having cell phones. I’m not saying this is a cure for poverty, but.....

 

We also continue to feed 300 children at our 3 schools, two outstanding meals a day with vegetables and rice, and a bean chilli that is actually pretty good by Canadian standards. We just did another assessment of the living conditions of all the children at our school, and once again provided over 100 mattresses, blankets and nets to those without. This is an ongoing battle of ours as students’ living conditions constantly change due to death of family or shifting from one guardian to another as many are orphans. 

 

We continue at Hippo to look after the medical needs of our students as over half are inflicted with HIV and need, along with a healthy diet, constant medical attention. We have seen an enormous improvement in the health of our children and many of you, if you met them, would probably say “These children don’t look that bad”. Believe me, I’ve actually heard those words from visitors. But that is a testament to the fine care that our Ugandan team is providing for them.

 

Hippo has also become a place where the community knows they can find help in an emergency. We meet many women who have absolutely nothing to feed their family with, and we are able to provide comfort for their immediate situation. This is also a good way for us to meet the women who require assistance in housing. 

 

We have tried microloans over the years, and a few are still running resulting in very successful businesses. However, we have found that when you loan money to the poorest people in a society, that they are just one catastrophe away from not being able to pay back. For example, if your child got sick would you pay your loan or buy medicine? This happens almost daily in Uganda. For us it seems housing them is a better solution.

 

On one of our recent trips, with the whole family, it was time once again to buy shoes for all our students. A special little boy in Brampton heard about the plight of our students at Hippo and he asked, instead of bringing gifts for his birthday, could people bring money to give for shoes. Thanks to the generous gift from his parents and friends, we were able to buy most of the shoes needed. Click on the youtube video to see the adventure of what it is like to buy 250 pairs of used shoes at one of the shoe markets in Kampala. 

                                                                         

If you recall from our last web site update.....I had heroically travelled to Wycliffe’s village to check up on the many farmers we were trying to love in this drought ridden area of Uganda.  On this trip I discovered that their fresh water situation (which I described as a mud puddle) was probably the main cause of all their disease  and livestock deaths.   The villagers, because of a lack of an alternative, were being forced to share this water hole with their cattle which was causing unsanitary conditions to say the least.

Well,  thanks to 5 loving Canadians the amount of $8700 was raised to hire a local company from Kampala (whose business name also happens to be HIPPO) who did an incredible job first surveying the area for the best possible water source, then drilling some 150 meters and then casting a iron hand pump. This well will service some 400 locals and their livestock for years to come.

On this trip to Uganda I was joined by my buddy Dave from Australia who made the 3.5 hour journey to the border of Kenya with me to watch and film the well being drilled. When we arrived the drilling had already commenced and had attracted about 150 Ugandans who greeted us with singing and clapping as their prayers for fresh water were being answered right before their eyes. It was deafening as the carbide drill head slammed into the granite shelf causing tiny fragments to rain down on all us onlookers ...trust me...it was better than T.V.

We hung around with all the children and moms and farmers as the drill eventually hit water....expected by everyone.....because that’s what a drill does....but to the few who know....it was never a guarantee. You could spend a lot of money and come up with a nice dry whole. But Jesus blessed us as he was creating the world with a giant pocket of water to make this miracle complete.

As the hot African sun was setting we passed out toothbrushes from our Dentist friends and stuffed toys, many of which were hand made with love by some of my mom’s knitting buddies which really made the whole day and experience.....perfect. Little did we know what was about to transpire...

Now because of the long journey we were aware that we would probably be spending the night in this village...sleeping in a mud hut and we came prepared armed with our mosquito nets, blankets, pillows, mattresses, hand sanitizer and laptops....ready to face anything the Ugandan night could throw at us...boy were we naive.

The evening started innocently enough with an amazing campfire under an African starlit sky where we just sat around with some new friends, fumbling with our obvious language barrier. And being the great campers that we both are, we had already prepared our sleeping arrangements in a mud hut  before it had gotten too dark. Now apparently this mud hut was Wycliffes’ old house that his mom had converted into a storage hut for all her cooking needs.....hmmm this should have been our first clue of what lay in store for our two brave Jedi warriors.

We tucked ourselves in...and I mean tucked...we made sure our net which we had hung from the rafters was securely snugged under our mattresses thus creating an impenetrable barrier between us and the cockroach world which we were sure lingered just outside the reaches of the beams of our trusty light sabres. We said our goodnights, turned off the flashlights .....and were greeted by a wall of blackness. It was eerie to say the least. It was so dark...in a dank mud hut with no open windows or doors that it was almost shocking. It reminded me of the time I was visiting the Mammoth Caves in Kentucky, where at one point our guide turned off all the lights and you couldn’t even make out your hand in front of your face.   In the total darkness of that space your mind can play tricks on you but what we were about to experience was no game of the mind.

I’m not sure how much time had passed....it could have been minutes or possibly hours...but in the total blackness....all of a sudden.....are you ready for this?....pots and dishes started flying off the shelves. The rats had come undoubtedly for their nightly feeding. Remember we were sleeping in a store house which is probably better  translated....rats den....synonymous in Africa. With our light sabres extinguishing the night we scoured our surroundings for any uninvited guests....but they seemingly  eluded our glances....although when you turn a flashlight on inside a mosquito net all you see is a mosquito net, not anything past it....which was probably a good thing because if we had seen a pack or gaggle or flock of rats the silence of the African night may have been shattered by the squealings  of two little frightened school girls.....us.

We made sure our force field like mosquito net was secure by tucking and re-tucking it under our mattresses and tried to doze off but it was nearly impossible as our minds were running wild with thoughts of little fury enemies at our gates. But then it happened....I felt a cat run over my body.....wait a minute....Wycliffe doesn’t have a cat....I really wished he did. The night went on with intense paranoia. In the darkness all our senses were heightened making it impossible for us to sleep. Well impossible for us, Wycliffe on the other hand who was residing in another room in our dungeon of despair seemed to be doing quite well babbling in his sleep in some unknown tongue which was probably giving instructions to the rats to eat the white guys first....like I said intense paranoia.

When the rooster finally crowed and we saw glimmers of light cascading through the cracks in our roof, windows and door...we felt relief....it was over... or was it? Something seemed to be wrong. Our net was moving...like it was under control by a sick puppeteer and we were caught in his cruel play. I turned on my light....and to my horror....could make out toads trying to climb our net and get inside probably to devour us....intense paranoia. I had had enough. What was this? The biblical plagues of Moses? I had to escape, if it meant leaving my Aussie buddy alone to fend for himself...so be it...for all I knew he probably had not survived the night. I bolted to my feet....put on my Nikes only to feel something squirming under my arch....cockroach....rat....giraffe....no a big juicy toad.....perfect. I thought to myself....Who am I....Job? Fumbling into the morning air (with only one shoe on) I felt relief...the worst night of my life was over...or was my personal nightmare just beginning.

Fleas, body mites - something had gotten to me.   My body became inflamed with hundreds of tiny bites. Although...my friend Dave seemed to side step this last land mine....it would be my personal hell. For the next 24 hours I was in agony with a local limburger smelling lotion smeared all over my body trying to kill whatever  was ravaging me. I’m not saying I was desperate but I did sleep with a dog’s flea collar on for the first night back in Kampala... just covering all the bases.

The good news is that the well is working wonderfully and everyone in the village is so thankful.  The bad news is I have grown a fondness to milk bone doggy bisquits.  And if anyone says to you...”Hey, I’ve got a good idea...why don’t we go to Africa and sleep in a mud hut.” Run!    And if someone tucks you in at night and says “Nighty Night don’t let the bed bugs bite”  - go sleep in the car.