After first arriving in Uganda, and seeing the state of the living conditions of our children in the New Rays of Hope School, we knew that part of the reason we had come was to simply “look after” their immediate needs. Eighteen houses later, we have learned much…helping people is not always easy. Sometimes, instead of a carpenter, I have to be a skilled diplomat as I try to reason with other villagers, (mostly men), that we are first helping those ladies and children who have no one to assist them. Most of the time, our efforts are received with much enthusiasm by all those Ugandans who understand our current mission and some will even try to get involved in the renovations. Some haul garbage away, others cook or get cold drinks for us and some sing and dance as they see one of their own getting blessed. Some even make me presents or bring me exotic fruits to show their gratitude for Hippo working amongst them. It seems that not a day goes by that I am not greeted by a villager that says to me “Well done Mzungu”.

 

This brings us to “The Lady in a Box” as she was referred to by her fellow villagers. When I first met Mama Maria in March,  I was shocked at what she was living in. After her husband died and left her with nothing except 5 children, she was forced to give 3 of them away to family members who were willing to look after them and she kept only the youngest two, Maria aged 6 and Patrick aged 2. Can you imagine having to make that decision? Due to the struggle of caring for even just two, with no source of income, she couldn’t afford a place to stay.  So she found a villager who had a cook house approximately 5 feet by 6 feet that wasn’t in use. It had become her home and her 2 youngest children for a measly $3.50 per month. As I approached this structure I thought it was a toilet and was shocked when I looked inside to see Mama Maria just sitting in the corner on the dirt floor rocking Patrick to sleep. She was so excited to see me because her daughter Maria was in our school and was being fed, clothed and looked after. She was so grateful for what Jesus was already doing in her family that she crawled to me on her knees repeating “thank you, thank you”. I had to turn and walk away or face losing it right on the spot. I remember a feeling of desperation, thinking that I had to return one day and do something about it.

 

Fast forward to 2 weeks ago, it was Mama Maria’s turn for a makeover. Her house was so desperate that even the rats snubbed their noses at it. We had to do one from scratch for her and I had the itch. After asking around for some land we were contacted by her brother-in-law named Joseph who said he had a brick house half finished on his property of approximately 2 acres that we could finish for her. When I went to meet Joseph I was a little sceptical of why he wanted to help. His house that he was living in was so bad that one wall had completely collapsed. My immediate thought was that if we finished that brick house for Mama Maria, Joseph would kick her out and take it for himself. In Uganda believe me this would be par for the course. I asked him why he wanted to help her and as I looked in his eyes he told me that he would do this for his dead brother and the children. When I dug a little deeper, I found out that his wife, all 3 of his brothers,   and all of his children had died. Joseph was currently looking after 5 grandchildren aged 7- 13 all by himself. He had also been looking after one of his deceased son’s wife and her children on his land.  This man, at 72 years old, had convinced me by his actions. I told him that because of his offer to Mama Maria and because of his big heart towards his family, I wanted to finish the brick house for him and his grandchildren and build Mama Maria a new house beside it.  I said I had an itch! I then found out that none of his grandchildren went to school…hey…we have a school! Needless to say it was a very emotional day for everyone.

 

Two weeks later, both houses are finished.  I was there yesterday giving them mattresses, warm cozy blankets and hanging up their mosquito nets. Oh, by the way, Mama Maria is no longer known as the “Lady in a Box”. She is now referred to as the lady to whom Jesus has done a miracle for and don’t worry, I made the house plenty big so that she can be reunited with her other children. She also will be starting a job with us caring for piglets as Joseph has said we can use part of his land for our piggy project. In case you are curious, we were able to build and furnish Mama Maria’s new brick house for just under $500 Canadian.  Click on the video to see the before and after video of Mama Maria and Joseph's house.