Where the Money Went

Amid some technical issues (my email accounts believing I’ve been hacked by someone in Uganda) I’m finally able to upload this post from weeks ago.

Prior to my trip to Uganda this year, I did some fundraising to help cover the costs of an unpaid internship. I’m so grateful for the support of my loving family and friends, not only financially but also in spirit. I wanted to use this money in the most responsible manner possible as it was a very generous gift. 

Breakdown:

Room & Board - $540   The location where I lived in Kampala is run by Sanyu and is an income generating project. Meals, a house manager, security guard, and other amenities are provided with profits benefitting Sanyu for use at their discretion.

Purchased Donations - $415   I collected very few items from the U.S. to take with me. Reason 1: Small Suitcase. Reason 2: I wanted to see what the needs were on the ground and purchase locally if possible. I used this money to purchase rice (50kg), sugar (50kg), and laundry soap for all of the workers in addition to supplying items for nutrition training. For the home, I invested in diapers, lactose-free formula, cleaning supplies, gloves/first aid materials, and aprons.

In my past posts I’ve talked a lot about a little boy I met at the children’s home and his story. I used the remaining money ($175 and paychecks to come) to pay the medical and upkeep costs for this child, including paying a portion of the school fees for his mother.

My experience at Sanyu has helped me to develop both professionally and personally. It was humbling to work with some of the most vulnerable people in society. I only hope the programs and skills I was able to pass on can impact their lives in a positive way. Leaving has been incredibly difficult, though I am lucky to be doing the remainder of my internship in my "second home" of Kamuli, Uganda. Definitely a something to look forward to! 

Becoming a "Mama"

Returning home from my first project in Uganda, I loved to talk about my experience to anyone and everyone who would listen. My favorite topic: the kids. 

On my second trip, I made one promise to my mom, “I won’t bring back any babies”.

Working in a children’s home, keeping that promise was much harder than expected.

In the past month, I have spent over 150 hours with the staff and children of Sanyu Babies’ Home. I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the very messy. My heart has been full and broken, often in the same day.

I’ve tried to ignore the fact that this is my last week here, but the staff continue to let me know how much they and the kids are going to miss me. I inform them that it makes leaving much easier (not).

The respect I have for these caretakers grows everyday. They are full time mothers to their own children in addition to the fifty at Sanyu. Their lives are anything but sunshine and they can come off cold. It’s hard to grow attached to children, volunteers, and others who make brief appearances in their lives. 

About halfway through my stay at Sanyu, they began to call me, “Mama Hannah Maria”.  I laughed at first, thought they were mimicking the kids who called me, “Mama (H)annah”, but soon learned it was a sign of respect. I worked alongside them, I came to know them, and I came to love them just as I love those children.

I know I am in no position to take care of a child; emotionally, financially, etc. As a newly turned 21 year-old, it is arguable if I can even take care of myself. There is one little boy, though, who made me question all of that. Here’s a bit of his story,

 “He was born to a 13 year old girl. He was conceived out of rape by the biological father of the 13 yr old girl who is currently imprisoned. When the father was imprisoned, all the relatives put the blame on the little 13 yr old girl and so they disowned her. They chased her away from home and she was cared for by ****** Crisis Pregnancy center until he was born. The family has signed legal documentation expressing wishes to not have contact with the child.”

My heart is heavy. 

*update soon to come* 

Losing Sleep

I have been hesitant to post this blog for a multitude of reasons. Mainly, I like to focus on the positive. When discussing my stay in Uganda I see so many wonderful things; Friends graduating from universities, parents working to better the lives of their children, innovations that are improving the lives of thousands of people, etc. These accomplishments are often overshadowed in my home country by negative media and lack of knowledge on this area of the world. 

Of course, no matter where you go, there is poverty and corruption. My internship takes place at a children's home, so I am working with an incredibly vulnerable population. In order to showcase all of the good that Sanyu does for these kids, I've decided to share an experience that has especially touched my heart. Please note this is not a common occurrence or a generalization of a population.  

Wanted a picture other than my face with the link. 

There are many happy days at Sanyu filled with class activities, playtime, singing and hugs.  Then there are days like today.

A two-day-old baby was brought into Sanyu. She was born premature and weighs only 1.5kg (around 3lbs). When one of the Mama's handed me the bundle of blankets, I didn't realize there was a baby inside. I was horrified. She is so small and fragile, I was amazed doctors let her leave the hospital. 

Her life is the result of a rape. The sperm donor is forty; the mother is twelve years old. Her underdeveloped body couldn’t carry the baby to full term and an emergency C-section had to be done to save both mother and child. I don't know much about the whole situation (I'd prefer not to, actually), but family, officials at the hospital, social workers, and police must believe that Sanyu is the best place for this baby for the time being. 

I’ve had a hard time sleeping since this baby has arrived. I think of my twelve-year-old sister at home and am nauseated. I think of the mother and the extreme trauma she has and will continue to endure. I think of this child’s future and the how events prior to her birth will impact her life. I think of the other children at Sanyu and the tragedies that have brought them here. I think of children around the globe living in disadvantaged circumstances.

I think of the injustice; a key determinant of your quality of life is based on the circumstances you are born into.

Circumstances can be overcome, yes, but that takes opportunity. It takes access to health care, education, purchasing power, a support system, hard work, etc. These opportunities aren’t always readily available.

I didn’t have to travel halfway across the globe to realize this. I can walk around my town and see people struggling to feed their families. People are people, no matter where you are, and all face challenges. Some are more severe as the challenges I have faced in my 21 years of life are microscopic in comparison to the kids of Sanyu, all of who are under the age of 5.

I could dwell on the injustice of the world until the end of my days. In my hours of brooding, I think I’ve come to the conclusion that dwelling does no good for anyone. Action, on the other hand, has the potential to. That's what Sanyu does, they take action. This home steps in as an intermediate setting for children and provides them with food, water, health care, basic education (they are, of course, babies), and a support network that extends borders.

So in that time I'm not sleeping, I go and feed the babies at midnight, when 5 a.m. rolls around I do the same. My respect for these Mama’s has soared (even more so) in the past week as I learn about their lives and the sacrifices they make for not only the children of Sanyu but their own. The extra care they give to this young child is needed and amazing. They've taught her to feed from a bottle which is the only way the child would live past the first days here. They work daily to improve the livelihoods of society’s most vulnerable.  It’s humbling to play a very small part.

Update: Baby is currently gaining weight and eating well. She will remain in the isolation room (extra medical care, smaller potential for sickness) until she ages and health improves. 

Out and About

When I was in Uganda last year, I spent the majority of my time in the Kamuli District. This is where the schools I worked at and the CSRL compound are located. It’s a quiet, rural area.

Kampala is not.

As I commented in my first post, this city is huge and it never sleeps. Markets open around 6am. Bars close at 5am. Need a haircut? There are two 24-hour hair salons down the road. A huge perk for me, Sanyu is just a few kilometers from Makerere University. Therefore, my friends who have been on a separate continent from me for almost a year are right outside the gate.

(In the past three weeks I’ve spent over 125 hours at Sanyu, typically 8 hours a day, everyday, so I promise I’m not just bumming around in Kampala.)

In addition to just exploring the city to find groceries, pharmacies, post office, etc. I’ve been able to visit a variety of attractions in Kampala. Most of this is thanks to my wonderful friends at Makerere who took time out during their end of the semester craziness to meet up with me.

Remmy and Ivan took Lance and I to visit the Kasubi Tomb’s of the Buganda Kings. The Buganda kingdom is the largest traditional kingdom in Uganda. Descendants of the royal family continue to live in the touring area and it shed some great insight on a sector of Ugandan culture.

Later that weekend, Lance and I went to see the Ndere Troupe (My first viewing since I had food poisoning during the show last year). The Ndere Troupe is a music and dance group that has been around for over 30 years in Uganda. This world-renowned performance showcases the dances and styles of different cultures in Uganda. It was absolutely amazing.

I had the opportunity to visit the Peace Transitional Home, a new children’s home in Uganda similar to Sanyu that is run by a friend of a friend. It is an absolutely beautiful facility and I was able to expand some of my research to this home as well.

One of the Mamas I work with knew of my interest in the health field and took me to visit Butabika Hospital, a center for those with mental illness. It was an odd experience. The clinic gives tours of different wards and opportunities to interact with patients. I think the tours are given as a way to educate the public about mental illness, I learned a lot, but personally felt intrusive.

A combination of birthdays, finishing finals (i.e. graduating!), and reunions with good friends has made for great reasons to meet up for lunch and dinner. I especially have to thank Paul and Yosia for checking in on me regularly and of course helping me celebrate my birthday far from home.

These guys are great <3

Uganda is a beautiful, exciting place. People have been surprised when I show pictures of the city and talk of all the things to do. (Possibly stemming from a narrow view of the continent of Africa being entirely impoverished or what have you) As with all places, there is good and bad, rich and poor, and a variety of people who make it interesting. It’s a great country to visit and I’ll be here for a few months if you need a guide ;)

  

"You Are Lost!"

            I returned from Queen Elizabeth National Park a few days ago and just realized I haven’t updated this thing in a few weeks. Time flies when you’re having fun, I suppose.

            Uganda’s national languages are English and Swahili, although in the area I’m in, Luganda is more common.  For the most part, you can get around with English in Kampala, but there are certain phrases and customs that are necessary in order to not sound like a tourist. My Lusoga/Luganda is poor at best. These languages are very different sounding from English and 80% of the time I speak Spanish before finding the right word in the Luganda. It’s comical, but I find the different expressions in English much more entertaining.

            I left Sanyu for three days to meet the Service-Learning Team and travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park. The drive was long, the animals were big, and I had to use an Epi Pen on one of my supervisors who had an anaphylactic reaction to a sting.

Elephant

Rafiki

SO MANY LIONS

So….. On my return to the children’s home I was greeted with, “You are lost!” This phrase that means “I haven’t seen you in awhile”.  It’s a goofy experience when bunches of people are telling you, “You are lost” when you know exactly where you are.

One of my favorite things about Uganda is you can walk down the street, trip on a rock, and a stranger on the other side of the road will apologize. It’s a way of expressing sympathy rather than taking responsibility for a wrongdoing. It’s the most popular word when babies fall while learning to walk, but it’s not like they push them over.

Even amongst my friends we often get confused when speaking the same language. “Happening” is similar to “Going Out”, “You Look Smart” is “Well Dressed”, “Benching” is “Shacking”, and “Are We Together?” means “Are We On The Same Page” (Embarrassing when you think you’re being asked on a date, clearly, not on the same page).

Lost in translation, happily back home at Sanyu.