Of Chickens, Children, and Charity

13 July, 2011

I have begun singing hymns and praise songs during the 1 ½ to 2 hour bus ride to and from the school. It passes the time and sets the tone for the day. Others join in and sing along or make requests. It is uplifting to join our voices in praise of our Heavenly Father!

Today was a big day at the school. A meeting was held for the families and the community. A cow was purchased with some funds given in advance of our trip by several who wanted to provide food for the children. It was butchered at the school this morning and cooked in preparation. All the children, teachers, and meeting attendees were fed beef, beans, rice, and soda –nearly 800 people in all! Who knew that one cow could feed so many? Andrea spent the night at the school in the teacher’s quarters in anticipation of the early morning activities. Although she didn’t sleep well, she loved witnessing the preparations and being involved in the food preparation.

The teachers were busy with various things as well, and the electrical project required that some classes leave their classrooms and meet jointly, so Wendy and I filled in teaching some classes throughout the morning, often without a classroom teacher present. The children were well behaved and responsive, even without an interpreter. I had such a fun time teaching in the P2 classes especially. One student threw up in class so I had to leave to find help. In lieu of antimicrobial dust, they threw handfuls of dirt over it, and then swept it up –worked just as well, surprisingly.

All the activity must have ruffled the chickens' feathers as well. I did a double-take this morning as I passed the Head Teacher's office, and just had to take time to snap the picture at the top of this page!

The students had been instructed to bring a dish from home to use for lunch, so when it was time for them to be served they lined up with their dishes to get their food.




















Although they were all excited about today’s offerings, it saddened me to realize that this meal is by far the exception. Most days the students don’t eat lunch at all. We hope to start up a regular food program but there are several issues to address –funding being one of them. We don’t want to start something we can’t continue.

The meeting began with the singing of three anthems –the Uganda National Anthem, the Welsh National Anthem, and our own “Star Spangled Banner.” Sarah addressed many issues with the parents, requesting their help and participation in assisting with their children’s education, health, and general welfare.












The main topic on the agenda was the announcement that we (Heart of God East Africa) are now partnering with EZRA in operating King’s Primary School. We have been working toward this day for over a year (perhaps you recall my trip to Wales that I blogged about in February) and we are all very excited about this! Our proposal to acquire enough land to build a secondary school was also presented, and those who would be involved in the land proposal were asked to meet further and discuss this possibility. The area currently has no secondary schools, and some KPS students have passed their exams. Without a school in the area, they most likely will not be able to further their education, due to the cost involved.

Bunambutye’s mayor addressed the group, praising both EZRA and Heart of God for the impact they have had in the community and in the lives of the families and children. He then said that he was considering becoming a Christian! When he finished speaking, Sarah encouraged him to do so, but added, “We hope you are serious, because we don’t take such things lightly!”

I quietly slipped out of the meeting before it ended in order to assist with clothing and school bag distribution to the students. Some of the other team members had sorted out shorts and dresses by sizes.












As they finished their meal, each class walked through the library to select the appropriate sized clothing.












The children were thrilled with their new clothing and school bags!
















































When the meeting ended we asked the mothers of infants and toddlers to remain behind, and we gave them clothing for their children, as well.














































All in all, it was a wonderful day! It was such a blessing to share God's love with the students and their families through the clothing and other gifts contributed by so many friends back home. The joy and encouragement these people feel when they receive such gifts is indescribable. The day at the school ended with a soccer match, but unfortunately we had to leave before it ended.

When we were about halfway back to the hotel a rainbow stretched across the entire horizon and remained constant until sunset. I saw it as God’s signature of approval on the merging of Heart of God East Africa, EZRA, and King’s Primary School, and His promise for an even brighter future.













14 July, 2011
Today was our last day to work at the school as a team. In fact, it was our last ministry day. We will spend Friday debriefing, and most of the team will leave Saturday morning.

Some of the classes were combined again, so I decided to reread “Three Billy Goats Gruff” to both P1 classes. I then told them it is a Norwegian folk tale, and I showed them on an inflatable globe where Norway, Uganda, Wales, and the USA are. I then proceeded to talk about some differences between Uganda and Norway. The children seemed interested, but one of the teachers told me afterward that they were too young to understand about globes and other countries. I told her that I even use a globe in my preschool classes, and she would be surprised how much they understand!

I also read another story about a Ugandan family that receives a goat, Beatrice’s Goat. The same teacher mentioned above had a hard time translating, and even reading the story over my shoulder. The children were losing interest, so I began skimming through, leaving out some sections of the story. When I finished the teacher told me it was a very difficult story. This left me feeling sad, both for her and for the students. Again, it is a story that my preschoolers at home would understand and enjoy. On the other hand, these experiences have given me a much better feel for what some of the issues are facing both teachers and students in Uganda. It will greatly influence my planning of a teacher conference for next year.

Wendy began running a fever and feeling quite sick today, so she observed in the classroom I was in during the morning, and spent the rest of the day sleeping in the bus!

The students gathered under the giant tree (Baobab, I believe) just inside the front gate. Each class presented music, a skit, or a poem.























It was heartwarming and uplifting to hear their beautiful voices and see their smiles. Many of their songs are original, such as this one:








Because of the time spent with the children this week, individual personalities popped as they performed, and I found my heart swelling with love for these children. One student read a Bible passage from her Bible, the one she received from us on our first visit to King's Primary School in 2009.











I tried to smile and forget that this was farewell.

We passed out jump ropes and kites -an immediate hit.



















We also filled bags with some personal items today -lotion, jewelry, ties, pens, pencils, soap, toothbrush, gum, etc., and gave one to each of the teachers. We heard many squeals of delight, just as we heard from the children yesterday!












Late in the afternoon many of us walked along Moroto Road into the community. We visited with several residents, friends and neighbors of the school. The benefits King’s Primary School has brought to the community has become apparent to all of us this week, and was reiterated as we spoke to the neighbors. Both Muslims and Christians live peacefully side by side, and both send children to the school. They are grateful for the gift of education and opportunity for a future that their children have received.

We met a man with 37 children and several wives. He has been generous to Mary in the past, and today offered her a chicken. She had to decline, since the hotel probably wouldn’t welcome it. We also met a bed builder, a family with eight children, whose house had burned down last week, and an old woman who is very sick and feeble. Arrangements will be made for her to see a doctor in Mbale.































The area is regularly plagued by both drought and torrential rains –either one or the other, it seems. There has been no food for many months, and two people in the village actually starved to death this week! The first harvest following the most recent drought is just beginning. Consequently, green tomatoes are being set out for sale –such is their desperation that they cannot even wait for them to ripen.











Besides weather related ills, the area has been hard hit by AIDS and ravaged by the Karamajong tribe.

John and I were able to finish up the First Aid/CPR class before leaving today. We felt good about this, and the participants were just as excited to receive their certificates as was the Smile Africa staff!






















It was hard for us to leave the school today, knowing that it was the last day for the whole group to be there. John, Denise, and I plan to return, but it won’t be the same. An amazing amount of work has been accomplished this week, and the children and teachers have been blessed and encouraged. A library has been set up, teaching materials organized, showers are installed and functional, and the electrical work is well underway. We didn’t have nearly enough classroom time, as far as I’m concerned. Still, I feel that we learned a lot about the needs of both students and teachers here. Using what we have learned to improve education at King’s Primary School is a daunting and humbling task, but I am excited about the possibilities!

If you are reading these posts on Uganda, please tell me what surprises you, intrigues you, appalls you, delights you!

Also, be sure to check out our Heart of God East Africa website for more information and to find out how you can help provide food, clothing, and a better education for these precious children!

Wormy Apple Cupcakes

by Sharlyn Guthrie



It was a foggy September morning and I hoped at least one student would recall today’s seldom-used weather word. “I noticed something different about the weather on my way to work today,” I hinted. “Jeremy, you’re raising your hand. What is the weather word I’m thinking of?”

Jeremy looked puzzled. “Mrs. Guffry, whe do you wook?”

Since he wears a tool belt, kindergartners think the custodian is the only worker at school. But by the end of that foggy September day, feeling the effects of a hard day's work, I flopped onto my bed, exhausted. “Maybe it’s time to retire,” I reasoned out loud.

Sitting up, I began brushing my hair, but the brush caught and pulled. My hair was a sticky mess! Then I remembered. After snacks, Tony had squeezed the Go-gurt tube he carried just as he passed my desk on his way to the trash can. Green slime had suddenly shot out, splattering my hair and face and dripping down my glasses. What could I do but laugh? My students had certainly thought it funny, seeing their teacher dripping with green goop. I needed a shower.

In the steamy shower more of the day’s events swirled through my mind like the morning’s fog. I winced as I washed my face.

Ow! I hadn’t realized how hard Aiden kicked my lip. Oh, he didn’t mean to, I was just helping him cross the monkey bars at recess. He was trying so hard! He will be elated when he finally does it on his own.

Will I ever get this class to line up after recess? Cole and Zach took their time getting off the climber as Cara and Maya wandered toward the swings. Meanwhile, Mark and Gretchen ran inside. Brandon cooperated nicely –a pleasant surprise, considering how he lunged at his mom later, nearly knocking her down. Oh, and, when I reminded him and his mom to be quiet in the hallway his mom quipped, “I hope you mean me, because I can control myself, but I can't control my son!” Hmm, what an enlightening comment!

Matthew, on the other hand, IS uncontrollable! He yanked poor Emily to the floor by her hair today, which landed him in the principal’s office. I hope his parents follow through on the recommendations Mr. Doyle and I drafted for them today. Matthew needs a thorough evaluation.

I also informed Mr. Doyle that six-year-old Elijah, not yet toilet trained, dirtied his pants for the third time today. We wrote a letter to Elijah’s parents, too.

My new student didn’t say one word today. Her mom can barely speak English. Maybe Habiba can’t speak English, either. Lord, show me how to make her feel loved and accepted.

Unlike Habiba, Melodee never stops talking, but she is impossible to understand. She and Jeremy will start speech therapy tomorrow. Before skipping out the door today, she proudly wiggled her loose tooth. I’ll look for a gap in her smile tomorrow, and prepare to listen even harder when she speaks.

My thoughts returned to the present as I stepped from the shower. I dried off, donned my bathrobe, and headed for the kitchen and the red paper plate on the counter holding six cupcakes, each frosted to look like an apple. Poking out of the apples were gummy worms. A note attached to the plate read:

Dear Mrs. Guthrie,
Hannah helped make these “wormy apple cupcakes” for you.
She loves school, and she loves you. We are so thankful for you!
We pray for you and the class every day. Teaching is a difficult job
and you do it so well!
Love,
Mr. and Mrs. Olson and Hannah

A tear rolled down my cheek, splashing on the signature. It was only September. Surely the class would learn to line up in another week or so. Aiden would be zipping across the monkey bars, and Habiba would be making friends. By January, Brandon and Matthew would have more good days than bad, and Blake’s and Melodee’s speech would improve. Elijah would definitely be toilet trained. By May they would all know their letters and sounds and days of the week. They would tie their own shoes and zip their own jackets. I would applaud as they sounded out their first words, and exclaim as they wrote their first wobbly sentences on lined paper.

Retire? I might be overworked, and at times under-appreciated, but I couldn’t think of a job with better benefits. “Lord, thank you for five-year-olds and wormy apple cupcakes,” I prayed. “They sure have wiggled their way into this teacher’s heart!”

Note: About nine years ago a very special family, the Olsons, came into my life. Over the next five years I had the privilege of teaching each of their three children in kindergarten. Kathleen and Jeff were wonderful parents. I always enjoyed interacting with them and I also appreciated the many ways they offered help and support at school.

A little over a year ago, Kathleen was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. She left this earth and her beautiful family here for her heavenly home on August 18th.

I offer this story as a small, albeit insufficient, tribute to Kathleen. Although names have been changed and I used a bit of writer’s license with the introduction, most of the events of this story actually occurred all in the same day! I am convinced that God knew I would need some encouragement that day, and Kathleen was the willing messenger. She will always have a very special place in my heart.

Christina is hosting Fiction Friday today. Please visit her at her blog, With Pen In Hand, and follow the links to great fiction.

Can You Spell I-M-P-O-S-S-I-B-L-E?

For my Fiction Friday friends: This isn't fiction, but since it is Friday, so I'm linking up anyway. :) Back to regular fiction next week, Lord willing!

Imagine you are entering a room approximately ten feet wide by twelve feet long. You step inside the door, slip around the corner, and side-step past dozens of hands reaching out to touch yours. Finding just enough space to turn in front of the chalkboard and face the owners of those hands, you look into a collage of little faces -67 of them, to be exact- all crowded along 6 benches nearly the same width as the room, each with a taller bench-like desktop. The children, ranging in age from six to nine, are in many cases literally sitting on top of each other. Here and there a toddler sleeps in his brother’s arms or clings to her sister’s back. Three or four animal pictures appear on a wall near the front, behind Budesta, the smiling teacher of this group. You have just entered the P-1 class at Smile Africa.
















Eli the eagle puppet and I were privileged to address these children, introducing the verse, “Keep me as the apple of your eye, hide me in the shelter of Your wings.” (Psalm 17:8) Later, Norma and Andrea, teachers from our team, reached in from the doorway to assist with a craft, which simply involved using a glue stick to glue the Bible verse on an apple cutout, and the cutout onto a tongue depressor making a fan. It was extremely difficult to direct this simple craft, since the children are totally unfamiliar with using glue and we had no way of reaching most of them to help. Were they ever proud of the finished product, though! Jane and Cheryl, our nurse and nurse practitioner, who saw several of the children in the clinic that day, read the Bible verse over and over again for children determined to memorize it.













Believe it or not, Budesta teaches the second most difficult class at Smile Africa. Another teacher, Joyce, teaches 90 - 100 children ranging from 8 months through 5 years! Sure, she has an assistant most of the time, but clearly it is impossible to even meet the basic needs of so many children in that age group. The children are much more self sufficient than American children, however. They all arrive at Smile Africa on foot each morning (or on the back of a sibling), after walking up to three miles to get there. Their reward is a cup of rice porridge for breakfast and a bowl of rice for lunch, a bath twice a week, new clothing occasionally, and a lot more love than they can find anywhere else.













Smile Africa’s school may not be typical of education in Ugandan, but conditions in government schools are often not a lot better. In 1997 UPE (universal primary education) was instituted by the government. The number of students in primary schools has increased 149% since that time. Unfortunately, the schools were ill-equipped to deal with such a surge, the teachers were overwhelmed, and many of the students since that time have been passed through the primary grades despite the fact that they are unable to read. In 2009 the percentage of students that passed their P-1 exams was 6.7%, and that was a considerable improvement from the previous year!

Poverty and hunger are two factors that greatly affect school attendance and performance –even for many of the teachers. In fact, teacher absenteeism stands at 30%. For their hard work and nearly impossible tasks, teachers are paid little, and transportation is often a problem. Most can’t even afford a bicycle. Children frequently come to school hungry, unable to concentrate or reason, because of their lack of nutrition. English is the national language, but most children speak only in their tribal tongue. This makes both teaching and learning even more difficult.

Even though all children are now allowed to attend the government schools tuition free, there are many costs associated with school attendance. Parents must provide a school uniform and all books and classroom materials. Many can’t afford to feed their children, let alone provide them with such “luxuries.”

It was such a privilege to meet approximately 100 Ugandan teachers at the conference we held for them in Tororo. They were delightful, and so grateful for everything we did for them. We came to realize that they are just like teachers everywhere. They want to have the tools and materials they need in order to do a good job. They truly care about their students and want to know how to help them learn.







































Planning a teacher conference was challenging, considering the limited amount of time I had spent in Ugandan schools. Additionally, the schools I had previously visited varied greatly, and none were government schools. Still, with plenty of prayer and consultation, the conference turned out well. The teachers were attentive and asked plenty of questions.

In planning the conference, we went through the Tororo District Minister of Education. She invited the teachers from both private and government schools. It was a good thing, too, because Museveni, Uganda’s president, came to Tororo the week we were there, on the same day our conference was to begin. We were told that it would be disrespectful to hold an event while the president was in the city. However, the Minister of Education disagreed. Since it was a government sanctioned event benefiting teachers, we were expected to go ahead with our plans.
In step with characteristic Ugandan formality, the conference began with speeches by Rhobina, the education minister; Tororo’s mayor; Sanjay, a Ugandan parliament member; our director, Denise Matthews; Pastor Ruth of Smile Africa; and myself.

The theme of the conference was “From Gravity to Grace,” and Aaron, our keynote speaker, addressed both subjects, gravity and grace, skillfully. Norma addressed the entire group on learning style; Wendy and Michelle on teachers as counselors. Andrea did workshops on learning disabilities and reading and writing; Norma on life skills, Wendy on math and the environment. I did a workshop on early childhood programs and environments, and another on learning through music.












































































At the end of each of our two days, we provided the teachers with a delicious buffet style meal. On the final day we distributed books, maps, posters, and other educational materials to a representative of each of the schools. The excitement over these items was an amazing thing to witness.


































King’s Primary School is located near Bunambutye, in the Sironko District, a mountainous region. The rainy season caused many landslides and extended past its normal time this year, making our travel to the school “interesting!” To complicate things, we loaded six large bales of mosquito nets onto the roof of van already packed with passengers. As we drove through deep, muddy ruts in the road, we literally leaned the opposite direction the van was leaning in order to counter the top heaviness of the mosquito nets. The other van, lacking our added weight, got stuck periodically, and we lost our spare tire a couple of times. It sure made us appreciate the fact that their teachers had traveled to Tororo two days in a row to attend our teacher conference!





















































By the time we reached the school the children had stayed past noon, when the younger students normally return home. They put on a delightful program of music for us, and we visited all of the classrooms, playing the flyswatter math game and doing a craft and puppet lesson. It was with great joy that I heard some of the children read from the Bibles we gave them when we visited last year. This made the entire trip worthwhile!






































































Our gifts to the students this year were bananas and mosquito nets to protect them from malaria, which has been more prevalent than usual, due to the longer rainy season. It was such a blessing seeing them walk home with these life-saving nets.




























Another school we visited was Royal Palace Primary and Nursery School. The children of this school also sang and danced some special songs for us. Pastor Steven and his wife, Rozelyn operate this school in their church building at Mile Eight Village.








The most extraordinary school we visited was a prison school, taught by the prisoners, themselves. (see previous post for more details on the prison) I have never seen students who took their education more seriously. Yet many of these grown women had never attended school outside of prison. Most of the students were still at Primary school level, just learning to read and write. The school is held in a solid building, nicer than most of the schools we visited, but educational materials there are almost non-existent. The women pleaded for our help in providing them with needed teachers, supplies, and work and study materials.

Finally, we visited Entebbe Early Learning Center. This is a Christian school that provides an education for many children who need protection and assistance. Nearly 100 students are boarded at this primary school. The children here presented a lengthy program for us, after which we visited their classrooms, teaching them, playing games, answering questions, and listening to more of their music and recitations. The students here were bright and engaging, and their classrooms were better equipped than the others we visited. Still, their teachers feel a need for more training and information. Unfortunately, they were unable to travel to the teacher conference we held in Tororo.




































Can you spell I-M-P-O-S-S-I-B-L-E? From our perspective it would seem a relevant word to describe the obstacles faced by Ugandan teachers, parents, and students alike. Yet most Ugandans are optimistic. They believe that education is more attainable than ever, and they count on it for the future of their children and their country. The hope and enthusiasm for learning expressed by the teachers and students we met is unquenchable. It is also contagious. It has infused me with a passion for helping them achieve their goals. Just a little encouragement and a few simple materials make such a difference. As you can surely appreciate by now, one teacher in Uganda has an impact on an unusually large number of young lives. It is my desire, first and foremost, to introduce them to Jesus Christ, and then to share His love with them in practical ways that they can pass on to their students.

I am excited to see how God will lead and provide in the area of education for Heart of God East Africa. Here is a link to Heart of God International-East Africa. My recently published educational report appears in the September issue. If you feel lead to join us in providing more training and materials for Ugandan students and teachers, your contributions will be much appreciated! Please contact me for more information, or contribute directly through the HGIM website. You will be a blessing, and will also be tremendously blessed in the process.

Even though this post isn't fiction, I hope you will hop on over to Joanne's blog at An Open Book and read the stories of those who joined Fiction Friday today.