TESS

MARGARET STEVENS' ACCOUNT OF THE VISIT TO TESO, UGANDA

25th November - 17th December 2007

Five of us went this time - Margaret Stevens, Ros Pearse, Catherine Titley, Pam Miller and David Cope. We identified each other at Heathrow by the yellow ribbons tied to our 20 items of luggage - thanks to the generosity of BA and others! Departure was delayed - not for the usual reason of a passenger being late, but because the pilot was held up! This meant that we saw more of southern Sudan and Uganda the next morning. Flying in low over Buganda and Lake Victoria to land at Entebbe takes a lot of beating.

The heat that hit us was matched by the warm welcome from Rev Sam Ediau (Sponsorship co-ordinator in Soroti) and Richard the driver, whose skills at packing a minibus with so much luggage and 7 people were fully tested! It was good to have breakfast with Robinah and Katungwensi in Kampala before changing money and setting off for the long, tiring and dusty journey to Teso. Stretches of the road between Jinja and Iganga are still terrible although now being worked on. As usual, we stopped in Kachumbala, the first parish in Teso after leaving Mbale, to have supper with Rev Kokas Osekeny, Margaret and their family. We reached Soroti at 9.30pm - earlier than anticipated as the main road to Soroti had just been opened again to light traffic after two months of being cut off by the terrible floods.

We started visiting students the next morning in schools and vocational institutes. All those in S4 had already gone home, having finished their School Certificate national exams ('O' levels). Others were doing school exams or were being allowed a rare opportunity to relax whilst teachers were marking exams and writing reports. So we didn't see normal school life; nor did we always manage to find the students we expected, whether at school or in their homes.

As usual, we gave students the opportunity to talk to us individually. And, as usual, we were distressed to listen to so many accounts of problems, sickness, suffering and sadness, but encouraged and challenged by their resilience, faith and achievements against so many odds. They need so much reassurance and affirmation, particularly if they aren't very bright. It was great to be able to give them all letters this time, thanks to those of you who wrote extra letters to those who have never heard from their sponsors.

As we travelled extensively around Teso, it was hard to imagine the extent and depth of the floods from August to October, which had subsided so quickly with the sudden onset of the dry season, forecast to become an extended drought. As they go from one extreme to the other, there will be famine in many areas in the next few months as most crops and stored food in many parts of Teso were lost in the floods and there won't be a harvest now until the middle of the year.

I was pleased to see the triplets again, now three years old, and see how their father has managed to complete paying for a small plot of land on the edge of Oditel camp. He has built the first hut, in preparation for when they are evicted from the camp huts. We drove on to meet a group of teenage girls in Obalanga who have returned to Teso, many of them with babies, after having been abducted by the LRA rebels in 2003. Sam is supervising a project to give them some basic skills training to restore some hope and self-esteem and to enable them to support themselves - many have problems being integrated back into their families and communities. It was hard to know what to say to girls who have suffered and witnessed unimaginable horrors. We spent another day visiting the sponsored girls at St Thomas's Girls School, the new Church of Uganda school in Kaberamaido.

On 2nd December, I preached in the cathedral at the baptism of Sam and Olivia's two month old baby, Agero Margaret. I was also privileged to be her godmother. We all shared in a feast afterwards with their family and friends.

We spent a day at Bethany Girls where we have 65 girls - the largest number in any one school, although all the S4s had gone home after their national exams. We spent a long time talking to them individually as well as playing various outdoor games with any who wanted to join us (not just sponsored girls) as there were no lessons. I then stayed the night in the school, with some of the S3s. They will be in S4 next year so have already moved into smaller dormitories with only 20 in each (instead of 60 in triple bunks). I queued with them all for the standard supper of beans and posho (maize meal), which was eaten in the dormitories and on the verandahs. This was followed by evening Prayers held outside in the dark and led by Amajo Agnes and her team. The dust was thick in the air from the pounding of feet as they danced energetically whilst singing a medley of praise songs in Ateso and English. This was followed by some quieter, reflective songs before everyone started praying out loud at the same time - not so reflective!

After prayers, we all went to bathe. I was given "slippers" (flip-flops) and led outside to the bathing enclosure - an open rectangle surrounded by a 'wall' of corrugated iron sheets, next to the block of six pit latrines. One of them carried a bucket of cold water and some soap for me and we set to undressing (in the company of about 20 other girls), hanging our clothes over the iron sheets. I was quite glad of the darkness although none of them seemed at all fazed by having an elderly English woman bathing amongst them!! Amuge Grace, who shared a friend's bed for the night, had prepared a lower bunk bed for me. As we all sat around on the beds and floor, they introduced me to a very simple game which involved taking it in turns to shut our eyes and put a pencil onto a paper circle which had been divided into eight segments with different large sums of money written in five of them (the other three had illustrations of a "pussycat", urine and faeces!!). Someone kept a tally of the scores. Putting one's pencil into one of the 'vulgar' segments caused shrieks of laughter every time! I wondered what the origin of such a bizarre game was - and also wondered at how very immature and unsophisticated they are in many ways compared with our teenagers and yet so much more mature in other ways, especially when it comes to life experiences, responsibilities and commitment to school and work at home. I then asked them to tell me traditional stories. After some hesitancy about being able to recount them in English, there was no stopping them! I was close to falling asleep, which some of them actually did. The only thing that was missing was a fire in the middle! After asking me lots of questions about life in England, they (almost literally) tucked me up in bed and we all settled at about 10.30pm. I was surprised that they sleep with the light on all night - perhaps electricity, when it is on, is such a treat! It wasn't as hot and stuffy as I feared because so many of the windows were broken.

With no more classes and school work for the year, there was no-one to wake them and beat them if they tried to stay in bed beyond 5.00am. So we all slept long and well although I woke to find two ticks had enjoyed feasting on me during the night! Once more, I was escorted to the bathing enclosure with a bucket of water - this time in the early morning sunshine. The kitchens sent me tea and dry bread for breakfast in the dormitory - the girls had to wait another hour or two for their millet porridge. I was so grateful to them for welcoming me and accepting me so naturally in their midst and for friendships formed and deepened.

By David Cope

December 2007

I have visited Uganda once before, in 1999, when I accompanied Roger Stevens in Teso to review loans and projects supported by Teso Development Trust, before the child sponsorship scheme was established. What has changed? Most notably, there is a new generation of Ugandans with "musical trousers" and a mobile permanently attached to their ears. The mobile phone revolution has taken hold but seems to have done little to alter 'Ugandan time'. What else has remained the same? The warm generous people with amazing faith in spite of adversity, the stunning scenery and wildlife, the desire to improve self and country and, unfortunately, the many tales of hardship and corruption.

There were five of us who went out to Teso in November/December 2007 to help run a retreat for the sponsored students: Margaret Stevens, Pam Miller, Catherine Titley, Ros Pearse and myself, David Cope. The group was affectionately known as Margaret's entourage or David's harem! I think our mixture of skills and talents worked really well. Margaret's knowledge of schools and students was invaluable, as was Pam's nursing expertise. Catherine was closer in age to the students than any of us by a very large margin and provided a lovely role model for the girls. Ros was much more than an alternative van driver and I managed to raise a smile or two with my monologues!

I kept a diary but here is not the place to try and catalogue events. It was wonderful to meet old friends, make new acquaintances, share special occasions and everyday episodes. However pleasurable, we were there to work, to visit schools and give each student an opportunity to talk privately with one of us and share their worries and hopes for the future. It is no exaggeration to say that over 80% of the girls indicated that they hoped to become a nurse, though for many science was their weakest subject. One of the aims of the retreat was to try and introduce them to more realistic alternatives. Several speakers talked about different careers with varying degrees of success. Perhaps the most successful testimony came from one of the girls, Abeja Susan, who told how she had transferred from secondary school (Bethany Girls) where she was struggling academically to technical school (Aminit Vocational) where she was much happier and able to continue her studies and also learn technical skills in tailoring.

Before I retired, I was a Physics teacher in the UK and I was impressed by the scientific knowledge of some of the students, but appalled by their inability to apply it. I had hoped to be able to sit in some their classes, not to be judgmental, but to see how the teachers coped with many pupils and few resources. Unfortunately, we arrived at the end of the school year, where although the term had not finished, ordinary classes were suspended while teachers wrote school reports. I did, however, manage to do some practical science with students on the retreat, using equipment I had sent out earlier. Again, it was obvious in many cases that they had seen little in the way of practical demonstrations and had even less chance to have hands-on experience themselves.

Margaret has this dream to establish a school for our sponsored students where they are not marginalized by peers and teachers for being sponsored. A dream where positive praise and reward can stand alongside criticism and punishment. A dream where the curriculum can be tailored to meet the needs of individuals. A dream where school meals can be more varied and nutritious, without being extravagant. A dream where growing teenagers have adequate sleep and relaxation and are not forced to get up at 3 or 4 am for early prep. How I long to see just some of that dream become reality

By PAM MILLER

December 2007

My last visit to Uganda was in 1984 and, like everyone else I know, I have looked ever since for an opportunity to return. This came when our church started sponsoring a schoolgirl in Teso and I read of Margaret's invitation to sponsors to accompany her.

Memories from 23 years ago were somewhat hazy but there were certainly some unmistakable differences: Kampala has grown enormously and now has a skyline resembling that of Melbourne, Australia. It had been smartened up for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting which was finishing as we arrived, but my impression was that Uganda was cleaner and tidier than other third world countries I have visited. Traffic was busier in the towns than I remember but 'up-country' there seemed to be fewer cars but many more bicycles - in Ngora I wondered if this was because of the departure of expatriate doctors and teachers. The other thing that struck me was the number of wells visible from the roads as we drove along. It seems that now most villages in Teso are within a kilometre or so of water and this is quite an achievement on the part of those who have worked to provide them. Nevertheless, I did wonder how many woman- and child-hours are spent collecting water, and how they could be more profitably used. Children were everywhere in large numbers and schools abounded. Families still tend to be large and while primary education is free, most village parents struggle to afford secondary school fees. I couldn't help feeling that a family planning campaign was overdue.

Part of my role on the trip was to be available to students on the retreat who might have health problems. It did not take long for word to get around that I had a supply of simple drugs with me! And maybe for some it was just nice to have someone take an interest in their health. Several problems seemed common: many complained of heartburn (actually, most described it as a 'heart problem' - one even told me she was having a heart attack!) but the symptoms were consistent. We endeavoured to explain the cause of the pain and reassure them that it was not actually a heart condition, and we distributed gallons of antacid. My suspicion is that diet and stress are the culprits: although the students get three meals a day at school there is little fresh fruit or vegetables and they are probably lacking the vitamins needed for a healthy digestive tract; beans predominate and, depending on the skill of the cooks, are probably somewhat indigestible. All the students have anxieties that we cannot comprehend - not just school work but worries about the family at home, who is caring for younger siblings or sick parents, and so on.

Other common problems were sore eyes (Teso is very dusty in the dry season), headaches and 'kidney problems'. We wondered how much these latter two were exacerbated by the poor fluid intake of many of the students. Drinking just one or two glasses of water a day was not unusual. At least one school has problems providing safe water but even where water was available there seemed to be a reluctance to drink enough. We conducted a campaign to explain the need to drink more water but renal problems in later life seem a real risk for some students.

We were blessed to have a visit from a retired British GP who was staying with family in Teso. He gave a day to seeing the students with more complex health issues, and prescribed medication for some that we were able to purchase for them before we left. Other students have marked sight problems and hopefully the programme can pay for eye tests and spectacles if needed.

It was a real joy to meet Deborah, our sponsored girl, but sad to learn that her mother has AIDS but does not weigh the necessary 40kg to receive treatment. Deborah's father drinks and she has four younger siblings to worry about when she is at school. Actually meeting the person you sponsor transforms the relationship and taking part in this trip was a memorable experience that I would recommend to anyone.

BY CATHERINE TITLEY

December 2007

I'd like to thank Margaret Stevens for letting me be part of the group that went to Uganda in November/December 2007. This was my first trip to Africa and I found the people of Uganda very warm, welcoming and friendly.

We spent the first week staying in Soroti and, accompanied by Reverend Sam Ediau, we visited schools and homes of the sponsored children. We received warm welcomes at each of the schools we visited and the students seemed happy to see us, although some were very shy. We spent an enjoyable day at Bethany Girls' School playing games with the students. These included rounders, team games and parachute games. After a busy week we had a day or two of rest visiting friends of Margaret in Buwalasi Theological College in the foothills of Mt Elgon. Here we enjoyed a warm welcome and beautiful views as well as the joys of Ugandan television. After this very welcome break we began to prepare for the retreat.

The retreat itself began with a day trip to Jinja, visiting the source of the Nile and Bujagali Falls. The sponsored students were very excited about the prospect of travelling outside of Teso. Indeed, some of them had never left their local area before. It was a long day, but the students were very excited to see the Nile and river rapids. Despite a few hitches during the day, not one of the girls was heard complaining, and later some students described the trip as the best day of their life.

The rest of the days on the retreat began with a time of worship, led by the girls. They all seemed to enjoy singing, dancing and praising God and would continue to worship at various points throughout each day. After morning worship, Reverend Jeremiah gave bible teaching on young people in the bible. He spoke in an engaging way which was very good and which the students enjoyed. Other people spoke to the children about a variety of subjects, such as careers, corruption and development. Towards the end of the retreat, there were some more practical sessions, such as baking cakes using a charcoal 'stove' and inoculating chickens. During the afternoons, the students were able to take part in art and craft activities and games. Many of the students showed a great amount of talent in various areas, such as crochet, painting and creative writing. On the final evening we had a party, in which each student was given prizes, rewarding them for their achievements during the year. It struck me that schools in Uganda rarely praise their students for hard work, which they are bound to find extremely discouraging. Hopefully, the prize giving was very encouraging for them.

During our visit to Teso, we tried to talk to as many of the sponsored children as possible. I enjoyed talking to the girls, although sometimes this was quite hard as, although they speak English, I found that it could be hard to understand what they were saying and sometimes their use of words was different from the way that we would use those words. Some of the girls were also very shy. However, lots of them were keen to know more about life in England and had lots of questions about our day to day lives. Every girl I spoke to was extremely grateful to their sponsor for giving them the opportunity to go to school. The sponsorship programme is making a real difference to these children's lives, the impact of which will benefit them for many years to come. The best part was seeing the joy of all those who were taking part. For, although they are poor in material things, they have much faith, hope and joy. My visit to Uganda was an exciting experience and my eyes were opened to the effect that God's love can have on people's lives, regardless of how materially rich or poor they are.