Hippo Africa

Canadian Students Get An 'A' In Love

Before Christmas, Mr. Amaral’s Grade 8 class, at John Knox in Brampton, started talking about Hippo Africa and our projects over here. Many of the students followed our website and several emailed to give us encouragement and ask what they could do to help. Some sent us some of their babysitting money and allowance to help with purchasing our microscope and other supplies.

At Christmas, we received a huge card with many kind words and messages from everyone in the class. We set it up right beside our little table top Christmas tree and kept it there well into February (hey, some of you are reading this with your outdoor Christmas lights still up – admit it). It was a steady reminder of how many people in Canada were praying for us and thinking about us and all of the families that we are intertwined with here.

The class decided to raise money to help with our projects over here. In no time at all, they had raised $380 to help students on the other side of world, here in Uganda. Awesome!

What did $380 buy for the kids? Well, here it goes!

3 Nike soccer balls, 2 for our Banda school, 1 for the Mukono school

2 basketballs

1 basketball hoop

1000 exercise books for Term 2

15 large boxes of chalk

200 pens

500 pencils

5 large packages of construction paper

5 new skipping ropes

60 bars of soap

110 pounds of rice (50kg)

and 110 pounds of beans (50kg)

Amazing!

It is very exciting when students from families who have so much actually realize how blessed they are and want to reach out and help the poor. They didn’t just watch the website videos, or discuss it in geography or world issues, they got involved, asked questions, raised the money as a group and made a HUGE difference in the lives of the kids here. Cool teacher, cool Grade 8s and a very cool example for all of us! Click on the youtube link to see a slideshow of the gifts given by Mr. Amaral’s class.

Life in Kampala - Memories from Our Moms

Our Trip to Uganda

How exciting it was to see our family again! We had some great times together playing Scrabble, singing O Canada (with Olivia), swimming, eating out, listening to recorder concerts, and even reading outlandish articles in the local papers to each other.

The Kampala area is green and lush with flowers, fruit trees, and birds everywhere. Also geckos, huge snails, and cockroaches! I remain in awe of Tim's driving skills in the midst of utter chaos on the "roads".

I tried lots of "street food" which tasted great but sometimes led to problems later. I was always thirsty and enjoyed two different soft drinks: Krest, a bitter lemon, and Stoney, a strong ginger flavour. Karen makes great potato pancakes and Emily makes fantastic lemon squares with lemons from their own lemon tree.

The weather was HOT. Several ladies said to me, "Mama, you're wet". I could have used a light sprinkle of snow to cool me off.

Our weekend safari was amazing. I will never forget our close encounter with elephants.

The new school is great! It was fun working with the children, and also the teachers. It was rewarding to share new materials and teaching methods with them and see them being used the next day. The children all look healthy, happy, clean and well fed. I am amazed at what has already been accomplished and feel blessed to have had a small part in helping the school get off to a good start.

I truly left a piece of my heart at Hippo Africa Academy and hope to return!

Lynne, Mom and Nana Sherba

Kampala, Uganda – City & Country of Contrasts

Rich, verdant hillsides/low-lying, muddy flats

Lovely red-tile roofed, white, stucco homes surrounded by beautiful flowering shrubs and trees/tiny, dingy shacks, row on row with scarcely room to squeeze between

Shops filled with all types of crafts and interesting merchandise/rickety roadside stands with a few fruits and vegetables in front of small thatch-roofed mud huts

Happy children at work and play who are being well-fed and taught in school/other sad-eyed children who watch the former pass by and hear the happy shouts and laughter from within the courtyard walls

Yes, this is Uganda and it has been our privilege to spend three weeks here, working at the school and enjoying the sights and sounds of this beautiful country – “the pearl of Africa”. Tim, Karen, Emily and Olivia have been excellent tour guides and we have been thrilled to visit the Nile River at two locations, - first at Murchison Falls, where a mighty torrent is created between cliffs just 25 feet apart and secondly at its source where it flows serenely out of Lake Victoria. A highlight of the first trip was watching six elephants explore the deck surrounding the pool, snacking on the flora there. Giraffes, lions, water buffalo, hippo, crocs and many other species greeted us along the safari route.

Working with the students and teachers has been both challenging and rewarding. Not only is school attendance a new concept for these children from the slums, but also learning a new language (English) presents its own concerns. Both teachers and children have been open, receptive and warm and it has been our privilege to share some North American ideas, techniques and materials with them.

As we are preparing now to leave for home, we have many happy memories, lots of pictures, new friends and an increased desire to pray and help whenever possible. It definitely is true that whenever you visit Africa you leave a part of yourself there and you also take a part of Africa home with you.

Monica, Mom & Grandma Ropp

Do Unto Others

Karen and I wanted to thank all of you generous people out there who have helped us help the poor of Uganda. To be honest, I feel a little sad for you that you couldn’t be here to help them directly. It is so amazing to actually be the hands that get to reach down to help and love these precious children and their moms. When you get to see their faces smiling back at you after a good deed was done…forget those Mastercard commercials, these smiles are what are priceless. To be able to help a poor lady who sleeps on a porch, find her some land, build her a house, give her and her children bedding, perhaps a loan for a business and then take her children into a safe place for school all because someone out there wants to love and help, is truly amazing. To be here and witness this first hand has been unbelievable.

I’ve said this before; the bible has become so alive in this place for us. Growing up, I always understood the words of Jesus “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” a little differently than I understand them now. As a child, I was told to do unto others, don’t cheat, don’t lie and quit pulling your sister’s hair. That verse meant shape up and toe the line. After living here, I see that verse backwards now. Those words of Jesus are a command to love. It doesn’t say “do not do to others” it says “do to others”. Jesus once again is telling us to love. The thought runs through my head almost every day as I’m in the slums trying to make a difference. If something happened to me, I would want someone to help my wife and children. I would want them to be looked after in their distress. That verse is not about you misbehaving or missing the mark, it is a direct order from the King to love.

Running a school in Uganda, we were forced to pick a school motto to register the school with the government. I can't think of a better motto than Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You. If we are able to teach the children and their moms this simple lesson we will truly have accomplisged something lasting. Thanks again for being the muslce behind the love. I have put together a little video of the people we are helping at our school and with housing so you could witness their smiles as we get to. Click the youtube link to watch the video.