School Canteen Gives a Refugee Hope

There is a gentlemen by the name of Bonaventure that Mollie and I had the privilege of meeting the other day. He is a tall, skinny man with a strong smile. A smile capable of withstanding even the harshest realities. For the past decade, the now Tutsi led Rwandan government targeted Bonaventure for being part of the Hutu tribe. They accused him of committing some of the horrendous crimes that took place during the Rwandan Genocide. For the past ten years, Bonaventure has been in prison in Rwanda without a trial for a crime that he didn't commit. Finally witnesses that were forced into testifying against him 10 years ago told the government that they had falsely accused Bonaventure and 5 months ago they finally let him go. He has been in Uganda with his wife and three children ever since. He is trying to restart their lives, and we are so happy to be able to employ him to help us with the school canteen project. This employment will help him be able to afford to feed his family and hopefully be able to send his children to Hope School next term.

As for the canteen project. This is something that Jimbo, Jacques, and I thought was very important for the school. This canteen will be able to employ some of the P7 children that just graduated and cannot afford to go to secondary school (high school) so that they can try to save for secondary.  Most importantly though, it will provide children with snacks and eventually lunch for a very small price. As we have told you before, most of the children do not have breakfast or lunch because their parents cannot afford to provide it for them. Until we are able to get a garden going, this will be a way that students can at least have something in their bellies. Hopefully as this project grows we will be able to provide free lunch, but at least now the children will have a place to get some nutritional snacks and meals for a very very small fee.

It brings us great pleasure to let everyone know that their contributions reach far more people than just the children of Hope Primary School. We are taking every opportunity to help as many people in this community of refugees as possible. It is an incredible experience to really be able to see the dollars at work. We are helping Bonaventure and Martin where we can. (Martin is a Congolese refugee that has two children currently at Hope. His wife is Adela who works with us at Kamba Cooperative.) We are excited to watch the project grow little by little everyday. Brick by brick.

Kamba's New Sewing Machine!

Water Under Way

Success! On behalf of our community here in Ndejje, Mollie and I want to thank everyone who participated in this years Global Ties Christmas Ornament Project. The members of Kamba made over three hundred ornaments and within just a few days of them arriving into the hands of our diligent representative, Karen David, they were all purchased. We are still waiting for the grand total of this years event, but we are somewhere in the range of $2000!!! This is beyond our expectations, and we feel so blessed to be able to use these donations, these gifts to improve the sanitary and health situation for Hope Primary's 160 children.

So we have sparred no time upon arriving back to the city. We want your contributions to put hands to work so that those hands can be cleaned with our very own running water. After relaying the profound success of Jacques and his teams efforts on the ornaments, we quickly made arraignments to head to the Water Department to put our deposit down. We gave $250 to the Project Manager who assured us that we would have running water by today. I went yesterday to inspect the progress and found 4 young boys digging the trench who also assured me that they would be laying the pipes today. Everyone is beside themselves that Hope is actually going to start the new school year with running water.

On a personal note, Mollie and I came to Uganda, to Africa, because we knew that God had called us to be a part of a struggle that was not our own, so that we could learn more about this world we share and perhaps pay forward the many blessings we have been afforded in our very short lives. It has been our privilege to share this experience with all of you, and it has been an even bigger privilege to see the compassion and generosity that you have all shown to this community and to our ideas. We hope that one day we can personally thank each and every one of you for giving us the opportunity to pursue this calling. Thank you.

Western Uganda Retreat

Hello again everybody. We are back from our brief safari to the western part of Uganda. One of Mollie's biggest wishes for the past decade has been to visit Bwindi Impenetrable National Forest to get a glimpse of her favorite animal, the Mountain Gorilla. It may even be the reason we chose Uganda in the first place, but I'm not sure she would admit to that. We can say that it was just a wonderful coincidence. We were thrilled to get out of the city for a little while anyway, fresh air and cool breezes were needed. The bus ride took around 8 hours which is a story in itself. We stayed at a beautiful tent camp high in the Virunga Mountains in a town called Nkuringo and awaited our appointment to meet these mountain gorillas.


Mollie here. So, Bwindi Impenetrable. Jimbo is right, it has been my dream for years to visit Bwindi and see the Mountain Gorillas. One reason why Bwindi is so special is because it is the only National Park that is home to two of the great apes, the chimpanzee and the mountain gorilla, my most favorite animals in the world! These two great apes live side by side in this park along with over 150 different mammal species. Also, there are only about 700 wild mountain gorillas left in the world and it is a passion of mine to help their survival! And a mission with its rewards. These are some of the most incredible animals I have ever seen.


We traveled for 8 hours by bus to Kabale town and spent the night in a hostel. The following day we traveled 3 hours by taxi up and down very bumpy, curvy, scary mountain roads to our camp in Nkuringo. We stayed in a traditional banda with a panoramic view of the volcanoes, the jungles of Bwindi, the Congo, and the Albertine Rift Valley. Spectacular!


We trekked through the jungle to view the gorillas and had one hour with them. It was the shortest hour of my life, but also the most exciting! I love mountain gorillas! We also had the privilege of spotting the very illusive Forest Elephant, which I think means that we are the luckiest people in the world. AND we even heard our chimpanzee friends calling and shouting in the jungle. All in all it was the most amazing experience of my life, and I'm pretty sure that Jimbo is now an advocate for my best friends, the Mountain Gorillas. Save the Jungles!


More details to come.

Back from the jungle...

Sorry for the delay, but we are back in action. Jimbo and I spent a week deep in the jungle in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and were very far away from any internet access but very close to the extremely endangered Mountain Gorilla! (Mollie's absolute favorite!) There are only about 700 wild mountain gorillas left in the world!

We have been catching up on e-mails and have been amazed at the success of the ornaments and fundraising. Thank you so much for your support and generosity. Your gifts will make this Christmas very memorable for this community and these children. I cannot tell you how BIG of a gift it is to be able to watch your money put to action. You are really helping us to be able to help in an incredible way and we are so lucky!

So, we are back in Kampala and back to work, ready to catch you up on our adventures. We will fill you in on all the details complete with pictures later today if all goes well with power in Kampala. You never know when the power will go out in this city...Sunday, it was out all day! More details later....

P.S.
Congrats to my very good friends Bess and Nick! Caroline Darby is a beautiful baby and I am so happy for them! We send her our love and and many kisses!

Christmas Ornaments Ready!

Seasons Greetings family and friends!

As we said in our previous posts, we have been working on this years Global Ties Christmas ornaments brought to you exclusivly by the members of Kamba Cooperative. We are using this opportunity to help other refugees get more acquainted behind the sewing machine and to be a way for their hard work to receive some much needed attention. Because Kamba members believe in the value of a good, healty education, we will be putting the money made from these ornaments directly into a water project for Hope Primary School. We can't thank them enough for donating their time and their skills to help make this project a success. Now we must do our part. We have completed nearly 200 ornaments which we have sent to Karen and Tommy David in Statesboro, Georgia and to Mary Graves in Naples, Florida.

(Deborah rockin the Hope Primary Uniform. Notice the badge.)

If you are interested in donating through the purchase of an ornament you can Contact Mary or The David's, comment to this blog, or you can email us directly at jimbograves@gmail.com.

The Check Is In the Bank

Success! Jimbo and I had our first meeting at BRAC micro finance on October 5th. After much convincing, hard work, determination, and weeks of pacing back and forth....we received the loan! BRAC finally approved Jacques and Kamba, despite the refugee status, and gave Jacques the check on Monday! This is a huge success and is going to be the beginning of a very good future for Kamba.

Since this is the first loan, and Jacques is a refugee, the loan is for a smaller amount than what we asked for, but about the equivalent of $500 (1Million Ugandan Shillings). The check will be available for use on Monday and Jacques will purchase more materials then. Kamba Cooperation will be rockin' and rollin' this month and we are so excited about this opportunity!

As for this week, we have been diligently working on ornaments for fundraising. It has been so much fun to be at the shop with everyone working on this project. We are using this opportunity to teach more refugees how to sew and it has been fascinating to see the progress. We shipped out our first batch to Karen and Tommy in Statesboro, so please be on the look out.

Always sending our love and thanks to everyone at home!

Morning Meditations

(11/9)
Some days the words hit me harder than others: strength, courage, resentment, forgiveness, acceptance, patience…It is good that I can at least depend on their firmness. They are always there built like Egyptian temples, blocks of indestructible ink. They are universally used: prayer mediations, yoga practices, Native American fold tales, religious traditions from all over the world depend on them. They help us connect each in our own way to the source of life. They help remind me to live in the present, to not miss a moment because it is the gift of life, these moments that we have been given. I move in and out of this energy. Sometimes I feel like I’m reading an old treasure map that is torn and faded. I can barely make out the symbols or the direction I should be going. I want to understand it so badly: I study it, re-read it over and over, ask people for help. I get frustrated. Then a little bird tells me ‘You only realize where you are on the map when you begin your journey. Once you begin, your destiny will make itself available to you. You can only read the map when you're on it.’ Mollie and I are here in Africa because we chose to start our journey. We have to stay focused because there are plenty of chances to misread the map. We are headed towards our nearest marker: an idea that is Global Ties. We feel that there is something very tangible within the idea. Now we must discover what that is. How? Don’t look past anything! The markers are there for a reason. This sort of thing takes courage. Following your destiny is no easy game, but it’s a very exciting one. We are grateful for the support.

(11/13)
Good morning. I’ve been reading the meditations regularly, but I haven’t felt very inspired to write. The meditations are so full and vivid. They leave me nearly thoughtless. They are the complete opposite of numbing, vast, and so I end up lost and delighted that I can recognize the spaciousness. I just am. Words aren’t important. They couldn’t be because everything is totally present. Attaching a word to something, defining it, can mean you’ve spent too long with that something. It’s hard to let things completely go, but we can do it mainly because it feels so good. Here in Africa and perhaps anywhere I am, my emotions towards life change like traffic lights. One minute I’m at peace with how different and uncomfortable I feel. I’m even a bit proud that I have successfully made it this far: I can get around, I understand a few words, I’ve made friends, I’ve toughened up to being the only whitey on the block. The next minute my head is spinning because I’ve been waiting 45 minutes for the bus, people are starring at me, I can’t understand anybody, and I feel like I’m getting cheated at every turn. Either way I have it, I’m staying too long with my words, my judgments. Traveling, living abroad, is a practice dedicated to letting go and letting in all the strange, wonderful, difficult, exciting, and completely out of your control experiences that make up life.

Soul Food

My mom shared some wisdom with me the other day. There are two kinds of food that nourishes our spiritual selves, World Food and Soul Food. World food is like crispy cream donuts. It's for the ego like being congratulated on a job well done. Tasty. Soul Food is all vitamins. It's for the body, mind, and the spirit like watching the sunset into the ocean. Delicious.

The other day was soul food for me. Hakim came to get me around 1 to go play soccer. He is a P6 student at Hope. His mom is Rwandese and his father is from West Uganda. They have a small house with a few things and hearts that could fill a small stadium. We went to the pitch for an hour and a half. There was a game going on so we just juggled. It felt good to juggle again. It is a game that connects me with anybody else that finds pleasure in its simplicity. Everywhere around the world kids right now are passing a ball between one another. It matters very little where you come from when the ball is in the air. Once we stopped there was time for questions form the crowd that had gathered to meet this new whiteboy: Where do you come from? Do you like Michael Jackson? Can you breakdance? They came so quickly there was barely time for an answer. I must have done okay because when I left we were all friends. Hakim helped me find my way back home, but he wasn’t finished with his immersion lesson for the day. He insisted I come back over for dinner and a movie. He showed up around 7:30 and led me in total darkness jumping over ditches and ravines back to his house. We talked about carrots.

His house was a brick house as many are in the city. The door is always left open because visitors are always welcome. And with just one window it can get a little stuffy. Everyone drapes a sheet over the threshold for privacy. That's how you know it is a house and not a store. There were three rooms: one for living, one for sleeping, and one for bathing. I sat on the couch in the living room beside one of Hakim’s sisters, Nifa. We watched a DVD of popular music videos. Some of the children were signing along, others were laughing, and others were dumbfounded why a Muzungu was in the living room. Hakim kept running outside to check on dinner. He had prepared the Ugandan favorite of matoke, boiled bananas, and cow peas. They served me a hug dish and I polished it off willingly. All that was left was to watch a little WWF before calling it a night. All the kids and the parents loved it. They laughed and the kids imitated the wrestlers. It was the first time I really enjoyed watching wrestling. It started raining very hard just as my time to leave was arriving. They insisted that I either spend the night or let them borrow a car to drive me home. I told them my wife might get worried if I don’t come home. They agreed, handed me a rain jacket, and hurried me out the door. Thanks Hakim. Soul Food feeds you for a lifetime because it never expires. Praise.

(to not confuse anyone, this picture was not taken here.)

BRAC Microfinance: aka "drive me bananas"

Jimbo and I had a very busy week last week and this is the first time since Sunday(a week ago) that we have been in town. We celebrated Halloween with Indian food and beer on Saturday and continued treating ourselves on Sunday with a movie and popcorn. A very fun way to celebrate Halloween and GA/FL (too bad we lost!), but it was hard to leave the dark, air conditioned theater and return to the reality of life in Africa outside.

Let's see, then Monday we went to BRAC Microfinance institution and spoke to the head honcho about acquiring a loan for Jacques and the refugee cooperation. He said that he would allow his people to loan to a refugee since we presented his case with such passion. Then he asked us if we wanted to volunteer a week of our time to go and see the Pygmies and then write a proposal on how BRAC could start a branch there with them....like what kinds of things they need and skills they have. This meeting was very exciting. We would love to volunteer a week of our time to doing that. What an awesome opportunity! He gave us some phone numbers and sent us on our way with high hopes...but you know Africa....

Tuesday we went to the local BRAC branch in our area and found the place flooded. I mean flooded. They don't call it the rainy season for nothing. There was no way to get to the office without wading through the water...and that is what Jimbo did (regardless of me telling him how dirty the water was, and how we could just wait, but he wanted to go, so he took off his shoes and waded all the way to the office.) I did not. I know better than that. Well, actually I took my shoes off and touched them to the water and then someone else said "but it's dirty" and I thought "I KNOW! what am I doing?!" So I put my shoes back on and waited and watched person after person come across the rode, see the flood, debate for a second, and then just wade through the water. We are in Africa....you have to do what you have to do. Anyway, we waited for 4 hours for the loan officer, she finally came and we set up and appointment for Thursday morning for her to come see Jacques, the business, and the school.

Thursday morning, we woke up very early as she asked us to be there at 7am. Luckily no water, but guess what, no loan officer either. When she had still not arrived at 9am I called her...and do you know what she said....."I'm sorry. I'm not coming. My boss said that we don't loan to foreigners". CAN YOU BELIEVE IT! This is why Jacques needs help and advocates! He has papers for his business, for his land, letters of recommendation from 3 Local Charipeople and a document signed by the King (things many Ugandans don't have!!!) and they say no! Well, you can imagine how upset I was. So I immediately hung up with her, called her boss and told him that I had met with HIS BOSS and his boss said it was O.K! Not only that it was o.k. but he supports the idea and wants us to work with him! (I am going to ask if I can volunteer to write a proposal to start a branch strictly for REFUGEES!)

So the loan officer quickly called me back and we scheduled an appointment for her and her boss to meet us at 9am on Friday. I was feeling a little proud of myself for not letting her brush me off so easily. Then we met on Friday, Mr. Musa was somewhat nice and it took a lot of convincing on my part, but he finally agreed to come see the business. We scheduled that Laya, the loan officer would come with Jimbo at 2pm and then Musa would come on Monday. But guess what, Jimbo showed up at the office to escort Laya, and she did it again. She said, "Sorry I'm not going to see anything, my boss said we don't loan to refugees". Well, my blood was boiling when Jimbo arrived at the shop with no loan officer. I mean I was HOT! I called the head honcho, Musa, and Laya and expressed my outrage at this discrimination. (Of course in a very sweet, respectful, stern Mollie voice) The big man, said he would talk to Musa and ask him to help me, and so Musa scheduled again for Monday (yesterday) but said he would not promise to come see the business.

Monday - we took Jacques this time, all necessary documents and letters, and a lot of energy. We waited for 2 hours, and finally he showed up...with some back up force. But we pleaded a very good case and guess what...they ALL CAME TO VISIT!!! He and his colleagues saw how hard working Jacques is and how many people, families and children, he is helping and AGREED TO A LOAN! Is is a small loan but a huge step! We are so excited. This was a huge feat as Jacques has continually been rejected by microfinance institutions due to the fact that he is a refugee. Refugees are humans too, they just got a tough draw!

You cannot imagine the frustrations that come about here. But they are actually kind of fun. They give you insight into how the world really works. I'm so glad that the office was flooded and they treated us so poorly so many times, so that we can have a better perspective about the reality of refugee life. Success wouldn't be as sweet if it wasn't a little difficult!

Introduction of Annet

We are in the beginning of a new week and a new month here in Uganda. We have made new friends, acquired new experiences, and gained new comforts. We see the same faces as we pass by the same stores so that now we can acknowledge each other, often by name. In other words, we have become familiar in a foreign place. This is one of the most exciting aspects of traveling: seeing how well we adapt to one another. The recipe is always the same: an open mind and a common belief that we are sharing this life together. And so we would like to introduce to everyone, Annet, our new friend.

Now that you have all met Annet and been properly introduced to Hope Primary School, we would like to address some of their sincerest needs: Food and Water, that which is needed for the pursuit of a better life. We understand that there are countless schools in countless countries under the same conditions, but we shall begin here because we can.

Over the next few months Global Ties is going to begin fund raising on behalf of Hope Primary and the refugee families of our community. We are going to assist these children, their teachers, and the parents to build an organic garden big enough to feed all of them. Most importantly we will give the children an opportunity to eat lunch at school…for the first time. We will also be working on bringing running water directly to the school. Currently, children must carry jerry cans, many of which have holes and leak, down a treacherous path to fetch water. We want to change this.

Some friends and family have already expressed a very enthusiastic interest to help facilitate some of our ideas. Two close friends of Jimbo’s, Jesse Danger Johnson and Ryan Sir Friendly Horn, have agreed to sponsor a show of the musical variety on the beautiful St. Simmons Island. It is said to be sometime around Christmas. Mary, a.k.a. Mundawger or Jimbo’s mom, has also agreed to host a benefit party we are calling Cocktails for a Cause. The date has not been arranged but the location will be at her home in sunny Naples, Florida. As well, Mollie’s awesome sis and bodacious brother(in-law), Katie and Mack, have agreed to host a fabulous winter party at their home in snowy Jackson Hole to raise awareness and money for this community.

We also have a new seasonal idea that could allow just about anybody to get involved if they are interested. We have designed a special edition 2009 Global Ties Fund Raising Christmas Ornament that will be available to order by the beginning of next week. It is made from traditional African Kitenge fabric and traditional bark cloth and will look excellent adorning any Christmas tree this season. The refugees of Kamba Cooperative are making all these awesome ornaments, and all proceeds will benefit the children of Hope School. So, if you are a teacher and you think your class could help us, your church, your business, or just yourself we would love to have you support.

(we will post a picture as soon as we have the first ornament ready)

For all the fly-fishing men and women out there, we will also be fund raising through our program Global Ties: Tying the World Together One Fly at a Time. We will be selling our Bead Head Midge Nymph flies for $2 a piece and preferably by the dozen. We pay a lot of attention to our quality control so that we make qualities flies that will catch you fish.

(Picture to come)

We have also secured a few willing participants that will be sponsoring change collection bins. Our first partner is Griffin GriffTown VanMeter. He will be placing a change bin at Stella’s Deli in Lexington, Kentucky. If you happen to be dinning there, and you should be because it is delicious, please check it out. We would be very grateful and appreciative of anybody willing to participate in this.

A Ugandan Wedding

Sunday – 10.24.09

The wedding! Our friend Annet, the head teacher at Hope, invited us to her best friend’s wedding. She was a bridesmaid. The bride and groom were from different districts, so the wedding was a unique mixture of two Ugandan traditions, Christianity, and much Western/American influence. We were so excited and honored to receive a formal invitation to attend such an occasion. Jacob, a Hope teacher, his girlfriend Grace, and Annet’s 10 year old niece Sharon all met at our place where we boarded the first taxi. The wedding was scheduled to begin at 12noon, so we met at 10am and left close to 11am. But remember what I told you about schedules and plans…
We actually arrived at the church a little late due to traffic and shoe difficulties. Sharon’s shoe broke as we were walking to the church, so we had to get it fixed. Luckily, that service is readily available here so all we had to do was find the nearest shoe fixer on the side of the road and pay 600UGsh (roughly 30 cents) for him to sew her shoe back together. We were escorted to our seats around 12:30pm and relieved to hear that the bride was running a little late so we were on time. We made it! The preachers and musicians began to entertain the growing crowd with praise songs and dance. Three hours later we were still praising as the bride had not yet made it to the church! This is African time at its core! The bride finally arrived around 4pm and the ceremony started shortly after (4 hours late!!). There was much excitement in the audience as the bride and bridal party danced down the aisle. There was clapping, and singing, and all sorts of noises including a traditional yelp that sounds a bit like a rooster alarm. The ceremony was followed by a sermon, but only took about an hour. (Not as long as we had anticipated, but by this time we were so hungry!) The bride and groom danced their way back down the aisle and out of the church. We, the guests, followed singing and clapping behind them and made our way down the road to the reception. At the reception, the guests sat in chairs separated by districts. We sat on the Hioma (the bride’s district) side. The bride, groom, and bridesmaids danced around the cake table several times, then cut the cake, fed each other, and fed their parents. Eventually, they sat in front facing everyone. Everyone was served a soda as a group of school children provided the entertainment of choreographed dances and songs. Then the guests presented their gifts one by one dancing their way up to the couple and presenting it to them. Many women, wearing their traditional dress (gomesi) brought hens or chickens. Quite a site to see a line of people dancing to give presents, some wrapped in colored paper and some with a hen by its feet. A normal occurrence at a wedding reception here in Uganda especially since the groom’s aunts and uncles must give birds to the couple. Finally, after the gifts, we ATE! What a treat. After not eating or drinking anything all day, we were so happy to eat matoke, millet, stir-fried cabbage, g’nut, and rice. They even served some sort of meat. Something interesting though….we all ate with our hands. No utensils. Just when you start to think things are not so different here in Africa, something else happens and you remember you are definitely not in the States anymore!

This wedding was such a great experience, but not one that everyone gets to have here. Many people cannot afford to get married, because of the dowry. The men can’t afford the woman. Dowries are different in each culture here, so it changes according to where the woman is from, but it usually consists of sugar, money, goats, cows, and chickens. That is why many (we have been told MOST) Ugandans never have a formal wedding. Even if they could afford the dowry, they can’t afford a ceremony and reception. Needless to say, we felt blessed to be invited and included and had a great time regardless of the late start!

Morning Meditations

10/26
It has been many days since I have been still enough to let pen and paper absorb my thoughts. It is not as if I'm moving around that much or that I'm that busy. Making the time is my only responsibility, and somehow that is not always easy to do. I just read a morning meditation on joy. I don't know why I don't do this every morning. With each sentence, I squeeze like fresh orange a glass of nourishing words into my empty glass. My senses sharpen and my breath quiets as I read and reread each thought. What can I say about joy? I know who she is and where she lives, but lately we've been missing each other. I have been taking myself too seriously, which is something Joy would never do. I have been worrying about things I know I can't control. This is my form of suffering: self-indulgence. "What about me?" I'm screaming. Then like a mother distracting her child from crying, life shows up and shakes my hand. I'm totally there: feeling the skin, the strength of the handshake, looking into the eyes of acceptance and friendship, and then letting go. I notice myself screaming again. Why do I want more than what life gives me? This is the challenge of enlightenment, to suffering. Today I have made room for Joy. She taps me on the shoulder with a pineapple in her hand and asks me for breakfast. "Thank you," I said.

27/10
I woke up this morning and found that the spirit was already awake in me. Some mornings I can miss it completely, and I go all day without it because sometimes fighting with my energy is easier than accepting it. This morning though as I saw Spirit stretching its arms high into the air breathing into every space of its existence, I smiled and stretched with it. I love meeting the day this way. I sense that Spirit would like to stretch every morning with me. Quietly it whispers, "Come when you want and just as you are."



30/10
GOOOOOOO DAWGS! Mollie and I are devoting the whole day to DAWG awareness. We will have all of Ndejje chanting by the end of the weekend. We are even planning a little trick or treating to help our new friends get their heads around our Halloween traditions. Be safe and have a Wonderful weekend.

Putting Money to Work

The skies are blue today and the clouds look like cartoon sketches of explosion in the distance. Yesterday was a very big day for Global Ties in Uganda. For just about a month now, we have been assessing the needs of our partnering programs here in Ndejje. The school has many, but I think we would all agree that food and water is a good place to begin. The Kamba shop and the its members also have many needs, but there it begins with materials.

As Mollie and I work to address these needs by applying for grants and visiting NGOs to gain support, we see that there is an opportunity for Global Ties to get the ball rolling. While we were living in Florida, we made a very purposeful effort to allot 10% of our paychecks into a savings that we could use as our donations during this trip. Mollie and I did not know what Global Ties represented then. Donations are just half of the story. What happens when the money actually changes hands? Well, this is what Global Ties can represent. With the money that we saved before arriving to Uganda, we have made two contributions through Global Ties. Our first project was the micro finance loan for 20,000 Ush. ($10) that we loaned to two Kamba members. We have seen a financial gain for Kamba members of about $5 over a two week period. The loan has moved on to two new members. Because of its success and a profit projection we created, Global Ties decided to take an additional amount of $150 to add to Kamba's business account(not individuals). That of course was the easy part, and now that we are here, we as Global Ties have the chance to learn side by side with Kamba on how to be successful. We will meet twice a week to discuss all our challenges and all our successes. We are also creating an accounting method with Baunda (the treasurer), and with the very generous donation of a computer from Mollie's family, we can be very organized.

We did not waste any time getting the project started. Yesterday with Sarah, Jacques wife, we gave the money some real value; we bought materials! We were able to buy 20 kitenge fabrics and enough tailoring supplies to get us going. According to the projection we came up with, from this investment Kamba has the potential to realize a significant profit.

p.s.
It seems that our picture uploading device does not want to work anymore. We will get more pictures up as soon as we figure out the problem. Sorry!

Staying Busy

For some reason every time I go to update the blog, I feel like so much time has passed. It has been just two days though. I think it must be because we are always having these new thoughts and ideas about how to really be involved within this community, and even more, how to connect all of you to our new community. I don't want to forget anything.

Because of the nature of this trip, it is our responsibility to turn these thoughts and ideas into action. Most recently we helped the Kamba shop purchase materials for sample products that we were hoping would win them a spot at this years African Union Summit. Out of all the refugees that submitted items, Kamba and just two others were chosen! Jacques will now get a chance to spend all week at the summit discussing the progress and needs of Kamba and Hope Primary School with hundreds of people directly involved in improving the situation of refugees. This was a huge success for some much needed attention and awareness for our community. Additionally, during the second week, Global Ties in Uganda initiated a micro finance project that is also proving to be very successful. The first two members to receive the loans of 20,000Ush($10) have met the two week repayment period, made additional profit for their families, and deposited 10% of the loan amount into Kamba's savings account. We are to have another meeting tonight to discuss the next two members to receive the loans.

As the days pass here in Ndejje, Mollie and I see bigger and better needs to address that encourage us to dig deeper and get more involved. Before we left, we had a nice visit with Reverend Jimmy in Statesboro, who had visited Uganda. He told us that the needs would be great but to not let doubt interfere with our minds because as we are learning here there is no such thing as a small deed. We look forward to sharing our challenges and successes with you all as we progress.

How long did it take?

The answer: Three weeks!

Today we have been here three weeks. And guess what happens on your three week anniversary....guess...you get robbed! Yep, we got taken today!

We were wondering how long it would take before someone pick pocketed us in the overcrowded, bustling city of Kampala, and now we have the answer. Three weeks.

The guy strategically cut Jimbo off and got me in a tight place between lines of parked taxis and no people. Don't worry. He didn't approach me, he just followed behind me, unzipped my bag, and put his sticky fingers on my change purse, but most devastatingly my glasses! Pure talent I guess. I didn't feel one thing, and it only took him about 10 seconds. As soon as he peeled off, Jimbo stopped me as he noticed the bag was unzipped. Definitely a way to make you feel like a real sucker!

The change purse didn't contain any cards or important stuff, just a little over 20,000Ush ($10). The annoying part is that my glasses and glasses case seemed to be interesting to him too. Lucky for me i brought a spare, but as my friend Janna can attest, finding glasses you like is not an easy undertaking. Oh well, it could be a lot worse. We are just grateful that he only took what he did, and have tried to learn our lesson. Be more aware, and don't keep things in the top of the backpack.

As for our new sticky finger friend: I hope he can feast for a week on the profit he made today!

Running in circles.

(10/15/09)

Today has been a difficult day for progress. In the time that we are here in Uganda, Jimbo and I want to address a few different issues that are proving to be very tricky.

One: Garden = FOOD.

Most families in the refugee community can only afford one meal per day. However, with a school garden, children and teachers would be able to have at least one meal at school. This would be huge! Also, money from excess crops could help with administrative costs such as teaching materials, books, supplies, etc.
Full bellies means better productivity. People cannot work at their maximum potential without the basics of food and water.

Two: Water, Water, Water.

You wouldn't think that clean water is a luxury the way we use it in the United States, but here in Uganda water is definitely that: a luxury! Most toilets, showers, and/or irrigation systems all use safe, drinkable water in the U.S. It is hard to get my head around that concept.

Three: Loans.
Being a banker's daughter I feel like I should have some pull and know some tricks, but the customer service here is NOTHING, especially compared to First Southern National Bank. Man I wish you guys ran a bank here!
But I am getting it. Meeting face to face, tracking people down, and being on top of people/officials here is VERY important work!

Now, to the frustrating part...where are these people? Where are these organizations that have access to funds? How do you get in touch with the organizations? I have found tons of organizations that claim to help communities with gardening grants and water initiatives and loans, but either they have run out of money, don't assit refugees, or don't have any contact information for me. Or they do have contact info and they won't get back to me. I feel like I am running in circles. This is when knowing people is SO HELPFUL! You have to get real names and addresses and phone numbers so that you can schedule face time to PLEAD your case and advocate for this community! We are steadily working on this, and some days are more frustrating than others....today just happens to be one of those days. We will not give up though. Just one of the realities of working in Africa. Patience is KEY, and I am always working on my patience!

Catching Up

(10/8)
We should hear back from InterAid today. We are all hoping for good news. Today is also the day that Annet and Jacob, teachers at Hope, are having a seminar in town about working with refugees. So that means that Mollie and I will be sitting in for them at school. Mollie will teach Annet's English classes and I will teach Jacob's math classes until noon. I'm a little nervous. I suppose because I don't want to look silly or incapable. What ego, huh? There is also the understanding I have with myself that by doing something I'm not completely comfortable with, then I will have the chance to grow.

They have midterm exams starting tomorrow. It is so interesting to see how two very different societies do the same things, midterms are midterms. Teachers were in the office separating tests into piles for each grade just as I can imagine my teachers have done a thousand times. But here there are less chairs, tables, floors, walls, hallways. We all learn the Pythagorean Theorem, but these students do it without running water. I don't mean to impose a judgment. We are all where we are and that's that. There is no sense in fighting against reality, but fighting for a better environment is certainly worth while. I am simply amazed at how similar in character we all are despite our situations here on earth.

Sharing Equally

(10/5)
*Mollie in front of the cooperative displaying one of the unique products of Kamba, the refugee cooperative. This bag is made of traditional bark cloth and cotton*
Today my good friends is another day to celebrate God's creation. I will try to look through eyes that see God's presence in everything today. If I don't remind myself, then I often forget to.

We went on an urgent mission yesterday to Kampala for fabrics and materials because the Kamba shop was invited to make a few sample items for a UNHCR forum for refugee initiatives. Mollie and I agreed to purchase the materials needed: linen, cotton, zippers, elastic, thread, and a coal iron. They worked very diligently late into the evening until the fading sun left us in total darkness. No electricity has its disadvantages, but then again work time was over.

Today there are a few finishing touches the members had to complete before our deadline of 12p.m. The UNHCR has a branch called InterAid that specifically helps refugees get access to financial services like loans. This forum will be an opportunity for the committee of InterAid to see Kamba's products and potentially give them the collateral they need to get a loan. This would be monumental for Kamba Cooperative. Yesterday evening I asked Jacques what his vision was for Kamba. He sees the potential for Kamba to be a busy textile shop displaying beautiful Kitenge fabrics to passing customers, A business hub for refugee women who move about the area selling Kamba's products door-to-door, but most importantly a center of commerce helping people lead productive lives.

All the members working last night were from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He helped me understand the dangers their lives were in, and the reality that comes with being a refugee: families separated, no work, lost from the comforts of their own things. Why would they chose to become refugees? He told me, "Not a day went by without hearing a bullet. Someone died everyday. This project gives them hope. When people are busy they can have hope." This is our mission here: to help people stay busy and in time build a sustainable solution to living a decent life with opportunity for the future.

What a privilege to be a part of this effort. It feels strange sometimes though like when they thank me for the money we've spent. I think I am supposed to feel righteous, or that perhaps that is what they think of me. But that is not the truth. We live in one world where we all have the chance to share with one another something of ourselves. We are equally giving and receiving, equal sharing. This is why we are here. Remember that.
-Jimbo

Happy 30th Birthday Katie!

I just wanted to take this moment to recognize my fabulous sister's 30th birthday!

Katie David Mendenhall is not only my sister, but my best friend and I would be lost in this world without her!

I wish I could celebrate with you sis, but know that I am thinking about you and sending you lots of love and birthday wishes from Kampala!

I love you so much.

Big is Big

Big Monday! Maybe because we made progress or maybe because I've finally shed at least a little bit of my fear and worry, my selfishness. The day began with calmness! The rain came in the morning and tapped on our metal roof to wake us up. There was no rush. Each drop said, relax. relax. When it was time to eat we ate, and when it was time to work we worked. When I'm selfishly living, I notice how unfriendly time can be, but yesterday time and I were buds. At Kamba, the co-ops' shop, we expected all 6 members to be there. We got 4, and that was okay. We could have waited but that would have been mean to my new buddy, Time. Progress? Really I mean we moved throughout the day accepting the way things were.

We began a pilot micro finance program where 2 members received 20,000 Ush ($10) to be repaid in 2 weeks without interest. I met joy in the process: the discussion, the questions, the willingness. My heart and mind were connected, and they created something brand new out of love for what can be. The second part of our day was spent researching how to acquire a bigger loan for Jacques and his cooperative. As we were on our way to church on Sunday, Mollie yells out, BRAC! She had seen a sign for BRAC's headquarters, which is a micro finance institution dedicated to eliminating poverty. What is so special about the sighting though is that finding anything in Kampala is like flipping the phone book open to the exact number you are looking for. Here there is no directory, no phone number, and no information, just luck. You can imagine our delight. To top off that pleasant suprise, when we went to speak with the loan officer, Rafiq, we were not immediately discouraged. So we will return for further inquiry next week.

I am going to keep a close eye on how I treat my new friend Time because yesterday felt really good.

Random Facts about Kampala

I thought that you might be interested in knowing a little more about what we see and encounter on a daily basis. I hope these random thoughts help you visualize where we live.

1. Matatus = Budget mini bus taxis that take you anywhere you need to go. One ride may cost 500 Ugandan shillings ($.025) or 1200 USh ($0.60). The matatus pack us in, though only 14 legally and semi-comfortably fit.

2. Money = Ugandan Shillings. 2000Ush is about one U.S. Dollar. A meal costs about 2000Ush. Food and services are very cheap here.

3. Mzungu = Mzungu means white person. "Hello Mzungu, how are you????!!!!!" or "Mzungu, Mzungu...Bye!!!" Children scream at the top of their lungs EVERY time they see us. No matter how discreet we are trying to be or how hard we are trying to blend in (almost impossible to do) the children always find us. And they have such big smiles and sweet hearts that you can't help but wave back and reply, "I am fine, How are you?" and so they reply and ask you again until you have passed.

4. African Internet = Slow, slow, slow. Practice patience because you will need it. As they say, a watched pot never boils. Same rules apply here...you can stare and click and hope and click some more, but you cannot speed up the service, so just slow down my friend. And if it begins to rain, just save your work before the power fails and come back later.

5. Food = Unfortunately, the truth is that people in my community do not have enough money to eat but 1 meal (usually dinner)...possibly 2 meals if they are lucky...a day. But typical food consists of boiled or fried bananas, mashed bananas, cassava, or sweet potatoes served with greens, rice and beans, or rice with beef/pork/or chicken (if you have money. Eggs too, but only if you have money as they are $0.20 an egg. We eat bananas and peanut butter for breakfast, and for lunch and dinner: typical food or spaghetti with vegetables - eggplant, green peppers, onion or rice and beans or omlettes.

6. The air = Dusty, smokey, and clouds of diesel. We do live in the capital city, so obviously air quality is worse/more severe here than in smaller villages and other parts of Uganda. (We hope!)

7. Toilets = We are lucky because we have the only flushing toilet in the area. However, ALL other toilets are holes in cement. You must squat, and when I say squat, I mean all the way down.

8. Body Odor = Well, you know what this is, but you have no idea how intense until you come to Africa. There is is constant cloud of b.o. that blankets the people here, including us every so often...especially Jimbo :)

9. The Language = The local language is Luganda, but people in our community (refugees) speak Swahili and/or French. Lucky for us, almost everyone speaks some English.

10. The People = I love the people here. Everyone is so friendly and helpful and curious to know what we are doing here in Kampala. I cannot say enough about the people in my community though. These refugees are TRUE SURVIVORS and they give me so much inspiration and hope!

Mind Races

Thoughts and thoughts and thoughts. I wanted to bang my head against the wall this afternoon to make them be quite. Control has me messed up right now. It is a symptom of a developed society. I am spoiled, and as I try to involve myself here in Uganda, in Africa, I get frustrated and overly anxious about the things I want to accomplish which turns quickly into defeat. But I know that frustration is just a thought, and I could just as easily feel wonder. I mean I am working with a cooperative of refugees in Uganda on learning how to tie fly-fishing hooks. What isn't there to be amazed about. As I write, Jacques is teaching each one of the members the procedures of tying this fly. With patience and proper support, they seem to be having success. What courage they have to listen to me and to try something so new and completely foreign. I get caught up in my own ideas of success that I forget to see how successful we have all already been.

It really seems like we are doing what we have set out to do. Some evenings though people we meet ask us if we would take them back with us to America. My mind gets lost and my heart has a hard time holding it together when people seem desperate. Carry a light heart, Mollie reminded me. Cherish the opportunity you have to be here with them discovering how it feels to be from somewhere else. Opening my heart and mind was always the only objective, but my thoughts can be very distracting, and all I can do is let them in and then let them go.

Oh and by the way Go Dawgs!!!

HoPE

My eyes were opened again this morning. We have done many things, and so now the hunger is back in my belly. I saw how hunger looks today. We were with Jacques for several hours getting introduced into the community. We met local officials and registered with the police station on our way to the school, HoPE school. Enrollment is now 148 students for 2009, and when you hear of how it began, it blows your mind to stand there in front of a community center and a school house filled with eager children.

The story begins with our program leader Jacques, a refugee, living in a house with eleven other refugee families. They were broke, hungry, and hopeless, but Jacques, a trained school teacher from the Congo, thought at the very least he could he could give the children an education. Ten years he has pursued the hope that he found that day, and it has since spread to volunteers from all over the world and to organizations from San Francisco to France. When you see how something can grow from what appears to be nothing, there is great reason to celebrate the hope that lives in people.

As we sat at Jacques' office discussing our goals for the upcoming week, we saw the heart and soul of a man who has sacrificed many things in his own life to make a better life for others. We have moments throughout the day when we feel helpless because of how big the issues are here. But helplessness has no future. Besides, it isn't how much you do; it is how much love you put into the doing that matters.

We send our love and we thank you for yours.

Weekend Update

The weekend has passed. It wasn't easy, but we did it and it seems that with every new day I have a new sense of comfort here. This is a very interesting exploration into just how free your mind really is. When I'm comfortable surrounded by the things I know and understand, my mind feels free to wonder into situations that is has never been. Then I get here to a place that I have never been, certainly don't understand yet, and where comfort is minimal and my mind freezes up. The first three days were quite difficult for me. I couldn't realx into this experience. I suppose it was a combination of culture shock and jet lag and I'm not quite sure that I am over the culture shock. The exercise, however, is learning to open your mind to become aquainted with a new culture and from there you may gain new perspective.

It is proving hard to figure out how to eat here. The reality is that most people in this community can only afford 2 small meals a day, so it is hard for us to convey what we need in terms of food. The meals are prepared in pots warmed by the ceramic pot with coals below. A stove of sorts. However, the smoke is overwhelming. The coals are lit by plastic and karosene. Not too good for the lungs for the women who prepare the meals or anyone around, but that is the way it is.

The situation here is really overwhelming to the heart. The needs are so great and the poverty is so real, though the sense of hope and friendliness is incredible! We have been greeted with open arms and we hope to get as involved as possible.

More to come...

Welcome!

Welcome to Global Ties. Jimbo and I are in the final phase of pre-production for our upcoming adventure to Kampala, Uganda. This has been a trip two years in the making, and we are extremely excited that we have at least made it this far. This blog is designed to help us stay connected and share our experiences with our friends and families. We leave from Atlanta on Wednesday evening and arrive in Entebbe, Uganda Friday morning. (We will be celebrating Jimbo's birthday in transit!) Thanks for all of the support you have given us. We will keep you posted!