TESS v2

Margaret's news no 6
11th December
On Monday the team got the new offices ready for Sam. They are moving into three good-sized rooms, that the diocese is providing. This will make life much easier for Sam. There is still some debate as to his roll in the diocese. He is expected to take over the roll as education secretary as well as what he is doing for TESS! This means 2 full time jobs. The discussion is on going, though it looks as though there might be a resolution. Some of the team attended the board of education meeting on the Monday morning to discuss the issue. In the evening they had supper with Bishop George.

During the week they have split into two groups visiting different girls and their homes. Also, on Tuesday evening four of them (Margaret, Kay, Helen and Evans - a friend of Helen) stayed in Kobwin, with John Omagor. The three women slept in Margaret's hut. It was good to be there as they have had a very tiring couple of weeks. They also explored the area beyond Kobwin, towards the lake - it was more extensive than M had realised. The rest returned to Soroti. Each time I phone Margaret she is either in the middle of something, or very tired, so we have not exchanged much detail. Also I have needed to ask questions/pass on information to her, which has taken time.

On Thursday they were planning to spend the time clearing things up, packing things away and tying up loose ends. Then the plan for the remaining few days is: Friday - travel to Sipi Falls and stay the night there. This is a beautiful, restful place, so I hope that they are not too tired. Also the bird life is very good, though whether there will be enough interest amongst the group to make the most of it, I do not know.

On Saturday they will move onto Jinja and stay there, where they hope to see some of the students on the vocational programmes. I hope they have time to visit either Bujagali falls, or the source of the Nile. They will see fish eagles, various egrets and pied kingfishers there. Then on the Sunday they will travel to Entebbe and stay near the airport ready for those that are leaving then.

Margaret’s news no. 5
06 Dec 2009
Thank you to those who have returned their new Gift Aid forms.Hopefully they will be all in intime to hand them over to Helen in January
I have managed to speak with Margaret briefly over the past few days, but she has usually been in the middle of something: the last night celebration at the retreat, talking with students, clearing up or travelling. Last night having agreed to call her later, I was unable to make contact, so she had to phone me, but had limited air time on her phone!

The retreat has gone ell. Dividing them into 6 groups and rotating them around all the activities seemed to work. They saw quite a few students with health problems, including 25 sent to the dentist and a similar number to a team of mental health practitioners. The mental health team are very good: their services are free and they will follow up each case, including sending a social worker round to their homes if that is felt to be necessary. This is a great step forward for Uganda where mental illness is often regarded as not a true illness, especially in some of the Churches.

Ax usual the last night was a great celebration with candles and glow sticks, singing and dancing (and speech making). Despite the fact that it rained heavily and there was thunder and lightening, which interrupted the power supply a few times all went well. The clearing up and sorting things out on Saturday took some doing and many of the students did not leave for home until gone 3.00 in the afternoon. Using 2 vehicles several of the students were taken home accompanied by team members. This gave the team a chance to see their homes.

AS they left they were each given some food - rice and beans for the holiday. The money for this was raised by two supporting Churches through the harvest celebrations. They were also given a new shirt/blouse or writing equipment.

Margaret has enjoyed the rain and coolness in the evenings, but it has driven away the very large beetles that have been around in the evenings. She did at last see the owl that has been calling outside their base in the evening - it was a spotted eagle owl (quite large 50 cm long; new one for M; we have seen Vereaux’s eagle owl before).

Next week they will visit schools, homes and camps before most of the team return home at the weekend. Some have decided to stay on a bit to see some of the more prosperous parts of the country.

Margaret’s news no. 4

Dec 02 2009.
The retreat seems to be going well. The team are doing everything themselves, Sam has been busy finishing off his essays for the first semester,

On Monday morning they looked at what is needed in setting up one’s own business. PAG have agreed to help them with this and consider some small start up loans for a few. In the afternoon they split them into 6 groups of about 25 students and they were allocated to one of the six different activities: weaving and croquet; photography; science experiments; arts and craft; games and puzzles and fabric printing. They will rotate through these groups as the week progresses.

Students have been taken to the dentist and there are a further 13 to go. Mary and Liz are working their way through 40+ students with various medical problems. 7 of the students have come to Margaret with other non medical problems. There is very little that she can do except listen.

The students are planning and leading the morning worship sessions and Sam is giving a short talk each day based on young people in the Bible, carrying on from Jeremiah’s talks last year. Sam has been struggling with his studies and has malaria, as does Sam the Driver, who also has typhoid. As he is so poorly Margaret is driving the minibus, which she does enjoy!
There are four students with very young babies at the retreat.

Margaret has been fascinated by some very large beetles that have been flying around at night and burrowing in the ground. They are quite aggressive with one another, especially if they try to get in another ones hole. The last 2 nights there has been a lot of rain and so they have disappeared!

Margaret’s News no 3

30th Nov 2009

29th November Sunday evening. Margaret is fine and the retreat has got off to a good start.
When they were preparing for the retreat Segovia Atim came to see Margaret. Her mother, who is now the second (at least) wife of another man, who has several children, had had a Caesarean birth and Segovia was looking after her. Margaret and Liz went off to see them; Liz is a paediatrician. The man was around but claimed he could not provide food for the family. Segovia and the mother had not eaten properly for several days. Margaret told the man to go off and get some food! They (M and L ) went back to the family home having got some food, drinks, medicines and cooking utensils. The baby looks as though it had suffered some stress during the birth, and they were not sure that it was all right.

There is a mental health team that is visiting Soroti each month. One of the team came round to talk about what they are doing and has agreed to see students as well as talk to the whole retreat later in the week. Samuel Okodu, who is very depressed has arranged to see them later as well.

The trip went well. Very different from previous trips. They are hoping to set Lake Opeta up as a "Ramasar" sight. I.e. an important wetland reserve. The students were the first people to visit the proposed site of the reserve and were shown round by trainee wardens. They saw: blue cheeked bee eaters; glossy ibis; yellow billed storks and a spoonbill (they thought). Those that went out on the boat saw a red knobled coot and Fox’s weaver ( limited to this region of Teso only, so quite rare! Some of the locals put on an entertainment of singing and dancing.

This morning they had a good service, lead by some of the girls. Both Sam and Margaret had a short input and Nathan from the accounts office in the diocese preached. In the afternoon they put on six different activities - one for each of the groups that they have set up and they were pleased with how well it went. 12 students not well, and Margaret saw 4 with other problems. This is less than previous years, but I suspect more will come out of the woodwork as the week goes on.
It rained very heavily last night, so it was pleasantly cool.

Margaret’s News 1

Sat 21/11/09

Again this will be a mixture of Margaret and the group’s news from E-mails via Roger Stevens

A quick thank you to all those who have sent sponsorship money, money for retreat and for gifts, cards, calendars etc. Also a big thank you for completing the gift aid forms and returning them to me ( and M). I would like to get these all in, before I hand over things to Helen Jordan and so that we can claim the full amount of gift Aid

Well, the cold dark weather has arrived so Margaret has flown South! This tine with 8 others! This leaves me alone with the computer! As usual it all became a bit hectic as we got closer to the departure. This was compounded by only 11 weeks of time at home after the last trip ( 3 weeks in France in the motor home when she had only been bake for 10 days!) She was still madly packing on the morning that we left! In the end she just put her clothes into a plastic bag so that she could pack them at the hotel at Heathrow. Various other things took up a lot of time: 80+ applicants for the admin. job; frustration over changing the bank account signatories; getting charitable status and registering with the Inland Revenue!

Mary Jones came to our house and we all loaded things up in Tessa (daughter) and Matt’s (son in law) people carrier! We only just managed to get everything in, so I was not sure if we would manage to get Dar David Cope and his luggage in, but we did manage, but it must have been very uncomfortable for the passengers. We got to the hotel and met Kay (from America). She had been in London all day and used the time to do a bit of sightseeing. I then came on home. Everyone met up all right at the airport on Friday morning and they got all the luggage through. Thanks to everyone for all the things that were sent and given, including money for the retreat.

They arrived safely and stayed in a "hotel" between Entebbe and Kampala, though neither the night in London, not in Uganda were particularly restful for everyone. In the morning they changed the money at 3,075/- to too good, but a bit better than this time last year. They slit into 2 groups, with one lot buying books (£300 spent) and the other medicines. Rather than try and meet up in Kampala they arranged to go separately to Mbale and meet there, then travel together to Soroti, with a view to arriving at about 9.30 in the evening (about now 6.30 UK time). They will be very tired, so I doubt if I will hear from them until tomorrow (Sunday).

Just heard from her at 10.30 their time.All very tired, but OK. Just settling into their rooms. M was out side watching huge beetles flying around and burrowing.

Helen Jorden has been appointed as the TESS Administrator, and will take up her position in January 2010

1st October 2009

With the pending retirement of Margaret Stevens (as Administrator, althought she will remain a trustee) the post of Administrator was advertised with 2 specialist agencies, Christian Vocations and Third Sector with links to our web sit, where the job description and application form were posted

There has been a fantastic response and 86 applications have been recieved. The Trustees are now busy sorting through each one, to enable the successful candidates to attend interview at the next committee meeting. It is hoped that the newly appointed Administrator will be able to attend the 2009 Retreat in Teso in November/December with Margaret and her team.

September 2009

Tess has now been given the green light to become a charity in it's own right, although it will still remain with close ties to TDT. All relevent forms and proceedures have been passed by the Charities Commission, and the formal registration documents will be with TESS shortly.

It was also felt that it was an opportunity to slightly change the name from sponsorship to support to better refect the objectives of the charity, more on Objectives page click here

As part of the process of registering TESS as an independent charity, we had to appoint Trustees, many of whom had already been serving on the TESS committee which had been meeting for almost 2 years. We now have 9 Trustees. The normal length of service as a Trustee will be 3 years. Once we have been registered for 3 years, 3 of the Trustees will resign and be replaced by 3 new ones. Thereafter, 3 more Trustees will be replaced each year. To ensure a turnover, with fresh ideas and energy, people must have one year off the committee before they are eligible for re-election as a Trustee for a further period of 3 years. The current Trustees are Immaculate Akurut Oliso, Paul and Jean Moores, Ros Pearse, Peter Walker, Mary Jones, Matthew Perry, David Cope and Margaret Stevens.

Sam's wife, Olivia, and baby Favour who was born on 31 August. Mother and baby are both well.

News of Margaret's travels from Roger Stevens

Margaret's News no11
31st July 2009

These snippets are from various text messages that she has sent over the last few days. We do not seem to be able to connect with direct phone calls.

The minibus overheated on the way to Kampala and they were late, so missed their appointments. They were able to rearrange them for the next day. They met with the makapads/alternative technology group and had a good meeting. They also met with an group from USA, who were interested in setting up/funding four groups from the camps to start manufacturing in Teso. The people at the School of Architecture were very interested in the school project and were very helpful. They have suggested that they put the project out as a competition.

They had a slow puncture on the way to Kabale, but no mishaps. Ankole was very dry, but it is the dry season. They did see Impala and waterbuck on there way down, as they passed near Mburo NP as well as yellow billed storks. They were in a tented camp on the shores of Lake Bunyoni for 2 nights. They spent the day with 4 of the girls who are at the university in Kabale. The bird life was a little disappointing, but they did see otters in the lake. Margaret did have a eminia lepida outside her tent on the last morning!
They travelled to Bushenyi (Katungwensi’s home) via Ntungamo and Kitigata, where there are hot springs. Sam the driver got into the hot water and it helped his back. They had a late lunch with David Kiiza, who showed them round his shamba (garden - small holding).

Margaret’s news no 10
27/th July 2009

Had a brief phone call conversation with Margaret last night. Connecting with her is not at all easy and rather random! Thought it has been better this time than last Christmas, but it is not without its frustrations. Also the lines have been poor!
All is well and she is now with Ben, Jorg and Heidi, who will be with her until they all return home next Monday. They are on three different flights, so Jorg and Heidi and Ben will stay at Entebbe whilst waiting for their flights, which are later.
On Friday and Saturday nights they stayed in Kobwin, with John Omagor and Margaret was able to stay in her own hut. It is lovely there and they spent the time relaxing and walking and talking on the rocks behind the compound. It is one of the most beautiful places in Teso.
On Sunday Heidi and Margaret went to Church in Koile where John preached, for 15 minutes. They both enjoyed the experience. Sunday afternoon they travelled down to Katchumbala, which is at the southern end of Teso, just north of Mbale, where they arstaying with Kokas. This means that it will not take then too long to get to Kampala. Sam the driver has a bad back again, so Margaret is doing a lot of the driving these last few days. After a lot of effort they have finally arranged for Ben to meet up with the HoD of Archetecture in Kampala on Monday morning. The rest will be meeting up with the couple that have set up the Sanitary pad manufacture, with a view to getting supplies for the girls and getting a manufacturing base going in Teso.

Margaret will be staying with Robinah (Katungwensi’s wife) on Monday evening. They will then drive down to Kabale, where there are 5 girls at the University. It is a lovely drive down from Kampala to Kabale, passing through the diverse countryside of Nuganda, Ankole and Kabale: lush coffee and banana plantations; sweeping hills; herds of Ankole cattle; possibly zebra and Uganda kob as they pass through Ankole; orchids - mostly ground orchids - various eulophia species and lilies; a beautiful climb up into Kigezi with views of the Virunga volcanoes in the distance as they come down into Kabale and the rich terraced land of Kabale! They have booked into a guest house on the shores of the lake, which is beautiful. On Thursday they travel to Bushenyi to stay with Katungwensi, on their way to the Queen Elizabeth N P for two nights. There is an Ateso park guide/manager there and he will look after them, so they should have a good time. Naphtali Opwata will be with them. He is quite low a the moment, so could do with a treat. Returning to Kampla on Sunday, then they all fly out on Monday!

Margaret's news No9
22nd July 2009


Here is margaret's own account (not filtered through me ,or my scribbling)and contains more and later information than no 8!

Activities from Saturday 18 July 2009
I went to the Girls Hostel at 10.00am last Saturday to see the girls whom we were running the mini Retreat with (those who have dropped off the programme because of pregnancy). I found Acipa Dinah had already taken her 2 year old Sam to the clinic again for his next injection for malaria. I also found that Sam hadn’t arrived yet to give them their money and see them off as he was in another clinic with Blessing who was very sick with malaria. I asked Aryokot Catherine if she would like the two large holes in her upper incisors filled while she was here in Soroti and she said she would. So I phoned Robert Okiror, the dentist whom we’ve helped set up to do composite fillings, to see if he was working in his clinic on Saturday. I then found that Adogola Betty, Anao Christine and Ijokal Esther have bad teeth as well. So once Sam Ocen (the driver) had got back from Katawki with the minibus, where he had taken Ben, Heidi and Jörg to stay at his home for two nights, I took the four girls (and two babies) down into the town to see Robert and left them there.

When I got back to the Hostel, Sam was there and sorting out the payment for the Hostel, who had arranged to give the girls lunch before they left. Sam also gave each of the girls 50,000/- (about £18) to set up a small business or buy a kid and a few chickens or whatever is most appropriate for each of them, with which to start earning money to support themselves. I found the opportunity to talk to Alungat Jennifer on her own, which hadn’t been possible on the previous days. We were very concerned about her as she seemed so depressed and withdrawn and even haunted. As soon as I started talking to her, she started crying. She told me her story:-her uncle, with whom she stayed in a single hut with no partitions, a situation we had been very worried about when we visited 2 years ago, had "chased" her away in the middle of one night (I didn’t ask why) and she had run to the home of a boy friend, aged 21, who lives with his mother. That night, he forced her to sleep with him – and baby Elijah was conceived (and born 2 months ago). His mother was so angry with him that she stopped paying his school fees at Aminit Vocational School and they insisted Jennifer came to live with them (which is normal in African cultures anyway). The boy has actually committed the crime of defilement as Jennifer is under the age of 18 and so can be arrested and imprisoned. Jennifer is desperately lonely and unhappy living with them and wants to go and live with her mother in Toroma. The boy’s mother is mistreating her, although not beating her – but she treats her like a servant and makes her work very hard.. I asked if there was anything we could do to help and if she would like us to visit the boy and his mother and ask them to release her to go back to her Mum, which she was very keen about. So we decided to take her home on Saturday as the home was near Amuria which we were going to later that day. For the first time, she began to look more relaxed and even smiled.

Time was fast running out for setting off for Amuria and the lunch being cooked for the girls was an hour late and the four down at the dentist weren’t through until about 3.30pm. Catherine had her front teeth filled just before the electricity went off! The others all had teeth removed. Adogola Betty’s mouth was in a terrible state as she had had 7 lower molars removed in the "village" by some person who had no training or equipment or anaesthetics. They had broken all the teeth, leaving roots in her gums and jagged points of broken teeth. I wondered if Robert would be able to get the remains out without actually operating, but he somehow managed to get four out on one side and has told her to return in a few weeks to have the 3 on the other side removed. Ijokal Esther had two removed and needs to return for fillings; we left him dealing with Anao Christine.

We finally left Soroti at 4.15pm, taking Sam, two girls from Bethany (Akello Margaret, Ben’s sponsored girl, and Asimo Lucy who hasn’t been home since she left home for school the day after her father died in May), Acipa Esther (so that she could visit her little boy who is living with her mother while she does a catering course in Soroti and who was 2 the previous day) and Alungat Jennifer. We could only fit everyone in if Samuel did not come with us and I drove instead.

The road between Soroti and Amuria is in a terrible state, so it took us about 2 hours. We dropped half the group at a very basic guest house where I have stayed before (its most significant feature being dozens of dying cockroaches, especially in the latrines!) while Sam, Catherine and I took Jennifer to the "boyfriend’s" home. He was the only person there, his mother still being at the market. Sam talked to him and met with a blank refusal. He also said that his mother "loves the girl" and would never agree to release her – I’m sure she doesn’t want to lose her "servant". We felt terrible leaving her sitting on a little wooden chair in the middle of the compound feeding her baby – she looked so desolate. Sam will not give up and will enlist the help of her family to agree to put pressure on the boy and his mother by threatening legal action against him for defilement, hoping that they will then agree to release her rather than run the risk of him being imprisoned.

We got back to the GH in Amuria just as it got dark and poured with rain. We ate supper in the neighbouring GH. Lucy then told me about her father’s short illness (it sounded as though it might have been heart failure). As she got to the point of telling me about the phone call to say he had actually died in Obalanga hospital, she broke down and sobbed while I and Akello Margaret hugged and held her for about 15 minutes. She didn’t actually attend the burial the next day (which was also the day before going back to school for Term 2, in May) as she had collapsed when told her father had died and remained unconscious until after the burial (not uncommon here). Lucy is normally such a beautiful, lively girl with smiling, sparkling eyes, which returned the next day.

I think we all slept reasonably well that night. Acipa Esther re-joined us and we left Amuria at about 9.15. It was a beautifully cool sunny, clear morning after the rain of the night before. Not far out of Amuria, the rear bumper fell off! We reached Obalanga in time to go into the little church with half height walls built of sun dried blocks and a grass thatched roof – built for the camp. We were well received and were in time for 10 baptisms and the sermon - which we were rather dreading as we expected 30 minutes in Ateso. But the priest, Stephen, preached in English for our benefit and the lay reader translated into Ateso. It was a good sermon and to the point, and they spoke and translated in the most amazing double act (all completely unprepared) which was fast and fluent and very dramatic. Not only was it highly entertaining, but also a simple, challenging message. Esther, Lucy and Margaret asked to stand and sing two songs for the congregation. We left after the offertory hymn, just before communion. All our group appreciated the experience and opportunity to share in their worship.

We then went to the Catholic church to look for Lucy’s sisters who came out. We exchanged one of them for Lucy (so that she could show us the way later) while Lucy went home with the others so that she could spend time there on her own with them. We then went on north of Obalanga, almost to the Lango/Karamoja border, to where Margaret’s parents have moved back to the village from the camp. We found that Margaret doesn't actually live with them during the holidays, but with a married brother some 4 km away, so we asked if it was possible to visit so that Ben could see where she actually lives now. It was the longest 4 km we’ve experienced, made worse by the fact that it was mostly along narrow footpaths through bush and very tall grass and between fields of crops – we crawled along in 1 and 2 for over half an hour, "deep in the village" – quite an experience! We had to walk the last 200m, accompanied by one of her brothers who had a local "harp" (adungo) which Sam played as we walked along the path. As time was rapidly running out (yet again – things always take so much longer than planned!), we couldn’t stay long. We had to return along the same the footpaths!

We then went to Asimo Lucy’s home, which I visited 2 years ago just before her mother died of liver cancer, to collect Lucy. They had prepared some roasted maize and fresh groundnuts boiled and roasted in the shells – very nice. Lucy introduced us to the extended family who had all gathered to meet us. As we were about to leave with Lucy, she whispered to me that they had no food in the home. So I gave her some money for them. An older sister, who was married but has now been divorced (sent away by her husband but without her children as the children ‘belong’ to the husband’s family), is now the head of the family. Several of the children are still at primary school. A "cousin brother" has been chosen by the clan to be the guardian of the family.
We returned to Obalanga and branched across towards Oditel to visit the triplets and Akiding Mary, the deaf girl who lives in the camp and was "defiled" and made pregnant in January. Sam had previously phoned a friend in Oditel to ask if he could arrange to have some lunch cooked for us. We arrived at about 5.00pm! The triplets (now aged 5) were still in "the village" with their mother where they go during the day to cultivate their land, but someone called the eldest girl, Atai Josephine who is repeating P7 and is a boarder, and so was nearby.. She is still an exceptionally responsible girl. She confirmed that, sadly, her father is still drinking and that she and her mother cannot entrust any money to him. So the sponsorship money that Sam gets to them every few months is handled by Josephine and her mother. Although they have used some of it to pay for her boarding fees, they still have some left over which is buying essentials for the younger children – I was very impressed once again.

Josephine was complaining of severe heartburn and urinary infection, so I gave her various appropriate antibiotics in the absence of any alternatives for treatment. Akiding Mary was called as well and came to see us where we were eating lunch and had lunch with us. We heard the sad news that she had malaria last week and as a result, delivered twins on Friday, just 2 days earlier, at only 6 months, so they both died. Josephine interpreted for us as usual. Mary’s eyes filled with tears which silently trickled down her face. She looked so ill – desperately thin (she is normally quite a big girl) and her hair long and untidy and mis-coloured. Sam had previously worked hard to get the man who "defiled" her arrested, but he had paid a bribe and was released.
We left Oditel at about 6.15pm and eventually got back to Soroti at 8.15, dropping Lucy and Margaret at Bethany, Sam at home and Esther at the VTI. The journey and road back seemed much longer and much worse to all of us than when we went the previous day! We couldn’t believe we had been away for only 28 hours – it felt like several days! However, the most exciting feature of the return journey was seeing two breeding male Pennant-winged Nightjars flying across in front of us at dusk. The are quite extraordinary, looking almost prehistoric. I have never seen the Pennant-winged before, only the Standard-winged, which is also rather extraordinary. Catherine and I also saw a rather more ordinary-looking Nightjar flying around when we left the Girls Hostel on Thursday night, but there was no way of identifying which one it was. It appeared to be "attacking" the bats which were flying around although not actually doing anything to them.

Catherine and I spent Sunday evening sorting out all the notes and questionaires we have all completed with sponsored girls over the past 2 weeks so that she could take them home with her to pass on to Ros for typing up.
We have had another very early start today (Monday 20th) and it is now late, so I will continue this tomorrow……………..

It’s now Wednesday 22 July. We left Soroti at 7.15 on Monday to take Catherine to meet Frances and her group of UK soldiers at Kumi who were travelling back to Kampala (via Bujagali Falls on the Nile for white water rafting) in a small bus. They were able to take Catherine with them who then left Entebbe yesterday afternoon and should be home by now. We stayed in Kumi with Jeremiah and first went to meet Bishop Thomas Irigei. One of the things we talked about was the vision Jeremiah and Sam have for a model school for Teso with international standards and no beating, adequate sleep, good diet, time for extra-curricular activities and relaxation etc. He was very enthusiastic, as was Bishop Charles when we talked to him earlier. We talked about the need for a suitable site on the borders of the two dioceses and he said they could have the church land in the last parish (Kapir) of Kumi Diocese. In fact, he and Charles Okwi (Diocesan Secretary) were so enthusiastic that he said we should all go and look at the land immediately, so we set off back towards Soroti.

The land is indeed ideal in most respects, being by the main road, 24km from Soroti and 23km from Kumi and therefore as near to the centre of Teso as possible (it is close to, but on the opposite side of the road to the large rocky hill which is the landmark beside the lake and Awoja swamp). There is a borehole on the site and electricity passes by the boundary. It has lots of mature trees on it and is next to a church primary school (Atiira PS) which already has a playing field which could be shared. They have nearly completed building a church in the middle of the site. We left Ben and Sam Ocen and Charles Okonya (Jeremiah’s assistant) on the site with the Lay Reader, to ‘survey’ it and map it while we went back to Kumi. After sodas and cake in the Bishop’s office, Heidi, Jeremiah and I set off towards Ngora. We passed very close to Akol Susan’s home (Ros’s girl who had just started nursing at Ngora but then became pregnant), so we went to visit her. Her baby was born 2 months ago – a beautiful boy. I spent time talking to her and gave her some of the baby clothes Ros gave me. She is desperate to go back to nursing school but I told her we couldn’t pay for her, but I gave her the 50,000/- we had given to all the others to earn some money with and suggested she should really make the money "work" and save money to get herself back to school. If she manages to get enough to start again next year, then perhaps we can help her.

We then went on to Ngora Deaf School (and stopped to talk to Archdeacon Jolam Nyangatum who was by the roadside with his motorbike which had a puncture). We met with the Headmaster and Deputy to talk about Akiding Mary and whether they would take her back. Apparently, they had had a Board meeting 2 weeks ago (chaired by John Omagor) and had resolved that they should find Mary and offer to take her back to school, without even knowing all the details of her circumstances, for the 3 year post-primary tailoring course she had just started this year before she discovered she was pregnant. So we didn’t even have to ask them to take her back, which was wonderful. They were very supportive and upset to hear she had lost the babies. They kept saying what a good girl she was – a good prefect and very good with the younger children, disciplining them etc. So we need to get the news to her asap so that she can have something to look forward to.

We then went to Asago Tikila’s home (sponsored from Germany and one of the tasks on Heidi’s list from Sabine of things to do). Again, we were taken to the home by drunken men (as we were in January). We were struck by how ‘depressed’ and un-cared for the home is. We have been to other homes (such as Asimo Lucy’s) which are as poor, but the families keep the homes tidy and obviously care for them. The elderly grandmother has been moved out of the terrible room she was living in when we visited in January because not only were there rats in it but also snakes. She now lives in one of the huts. Her health is better since I gave her treatment. The ‘aunt’ Sabine gave money for for treatment is also improved. They were pleased to see us.
We then went back to Kapir to collect Ben and Sam. Sam was in a lot of pain (mainly sciatica) all day and so I drove back to Soroti. There was a wonderful setting sun, but it goes down so quickly that we missed it actually setting over Awoja swamp and the lake. We got back to a nice meal in the Guest House prepared by Ruth.

Jeremiah arranged for me to see Bishop Geresom Ilukor yesterday (Tuesday) – he was already on his way to "the village" but did a "U-turn" in order to come back and see me! It was a very good meeting, lasting about two and a half hours, in which we covered a lot of ground. He sees me as someone who has some significant contacts and influence, which is not actually the case!

One of the things he is desperate to organise is for UK teachers (especially Science, Maths and English teachers) to visit Teso and work alongside teachers here and give some in-service training. Even a month would enable a lot to be achieved, but if anyone can get a year off school (or if they are retired), then that would be great. Anyone out there know of any relevant teachers (or teacher trainers) who would be interested and willing?!!

Bishop Geresom then took me to see Bp Ilukor Girls School which has changed a lot in the past 6 months – lots of new buildings. He got President Museveni to give 208 million shillings for building dormitories, classrooms etc! I saw Aguti Glades and Aujo Eunice Martha briefly and gave Jeremiah some money to take to Glades’s mother who is sick (suspected typhoid) but has no money for treatment. Apiro Catherine also came to see me. She was taken off the programme about 2 years ago when she was pregnant but her mother is now looking after her little boy and has managed to get her back to school. She wanted to know if we would take her back on the programme, but I told her that isn’t possible.

[Apart from Ngora HS, which we visited in the first week, Gill Fairhurst visited all the other Kumi Diocese schools where we have students as well as Kidetok, and talked to all the girls individually, so we don’t need to see them.]

When I got back to Soroti (about 3.45), George Erwau (the Bishop-elect who will be consecrated on 6 September) came to see me for about an hour to talk about various things. I then went to the town to buy some antibiotics for Heidi as a very small scratch on her foot has gone septic. We can’t risk the infection spreading. This morning, it is no better, but the most important thing is that it is no worse. So I am sure it will be OK. We then went for supper with George and Florence Erwau. Sam and the Treasurer (Dennis, whom I haven’t known before) were also invited. We had a delicious meal eaten outside under the stars.

Today, George is coming again to finish our discussions and Sam and Heidi are meeting to sort out some contract Sabine wants written and signed. This afternoon, the others will take Adongo Immaculate home to see the land which friends in Germany have bought for the family. We hope to visit the students at Halcyon. We had hoped to visit Jeressar yesterday, but we didn’t manage to fit it in. School visits have to be made after 4.30, which isn’t always easy. We are rapidly running out of time! We shall go to Bethany tomorrow where we have 45 girls to see. I just hope there aren’t too many problems amongst them! On Friday morning, we shall tie up loose ends here, sort things out, pack and then leave Soroti to start on our long and tortuous journey home! We shall spend the weekend with John Omagor at Kobwin and then Sunday night with Kokas and Margaret at Kachumbala.. On Monday, we go to Kampala where Ben has a meeting at Makerere School of Architecture arranged and Heidi and Jörg are meeting (and staying the night with) a German who is working on partnerships between NGOs. On Tuesday, we shall go to Kabale for 2 nights to see the 6 girls there before going to Bushenyi and then 2 nights in the QE National Park – our bit of holiday!
This may be my last email although Roger may be able to send a bit of information gleaned from text messages or even a phone call.
Many thanks to everyone for your support and interest in various ways. We are all happy and well.
Margaret

Margaret's news no 8
27th July 2009



(I have managed to contact Margaret directly on the phone a couple of times. It is a bit disjointed as I am busily scribbling (I use the word advisedly!) down what she has said and the same time checking things out, knowing full well I will not be able to understand/read half of what I have written. Roger)

Saturday morning M took 4 students to the dentist including Adogola Betty (I use the names, so that individual sponsors will recognise their own student). She had had 7 molars removed in the village, by an amateur, with no proper equipment or anaesthetic and was left with stumps, jagged bits etc.. The dentist started to sort things out and will finish this week.

They then went on to Amuria, where they stayed overnight in a basic guest house, in the company of many cockroaches. They first set off for Obalanga near the Lango-Karomojo border to the home of Akello Margaret (Ben’s family’s sponsored girl) They had moved back to the village from the camp. Initially they went to the main home and met her 14 y.o. sister who had just had a baby. Akello was staying with her married brother, so they drove miles to their place. There was not a road, so it was all on footpaths and tracks. M was driving - she really does enjoy driving big vehicles on bad roads/tracks etc. On the way they dropped Asimo Lucy at her home and picked her up on the way back. It is the first time she has been back since her father died 2 months ago - she is now a total orphan (they use the term orphan correctly to mean at least one parent is dead, then use "total" to indicate that both are dead).She is still very depressed. When they got there they found that there was no food at all.

In the evening they took Alungat Jeniffer and her 2 month old baby back to her "boyfriend’s" home. She was very depressed and withdrawn. They went to the boy and asked if she could be released to go back home to her own mother. The boy refused on the grounds that his mother really loved her. In reality, the mother likes to have her as a virtual slave. Sam will follow this up and threaten the family with court action, she was underage and so he has committed a crime! I am not sure if we have mentioned it before, but Sam successfully got one man prosecuted for underage sex with Mary Akiding (the deaf girl) and the boy was put in preson. He was not there long as the family managed to "pay" for him to be released! They then went on to see Mary Akiding. It turned out that she had twins prematurely at 6 months and they both died. Sam and Margaret will be hoping to get her back into the school. It is getting increasingly difficult to do that, even when the girl is completely innocent, which is often the case, because of "stetting a precedent". She looked very weak and thin. They then went on to see the triplets. The eldest sister Atai Josephine was there but the rest of the family were in the village. Jennifer is very responsible and looks after the money. She still had some left from the last time Sam gave her some. The father has reverted to drinking, so they have to keep it from him. The roads were very bad and they did not get back until 8.30.
After a bight with the cockroaches, they went to Abalanga Church, they arrived late. There were 10 baptisms. Because they were there, the priest preached in English and the curate translated. They were an excellent double act and held everyone spellbound. Everybody enjoyed the service. At the end, the three girls that were still with Margaret and company offered to get up and sing for the congregation and were very good.

I last spoke to Margaret on Monday morning. She was in Kumi where she was meeting with Bishop Thomas and Jeremiah. They met up with Gill Fairhurst, a physiotherapist who worked at Ongino hospital for a several months. Gill has joined the army and was taking a group of soldiers out there to help build accommodation for the patient’s carers.When someone goes into hospital in Uganda, they have to have someone with them to look after them - to cook, feed, etc.. These usually sleep in the wards, under or alongside the bed! It is all very unhygienic! Catherine is coming home on the same flight, so she joined the soldiers who were taking her to the airport. On the way they were visiting Bujagali Falls where they were going to do some white water rafting. Catherine will watch from the river bank. Margaret will miss her company.

Margaret’s news no 7
18th July 2009

Here are a couple of long emails from Margaret.
E-mail from Margaret No 1
It's a long time since I last sent you an email - can't remember when. Last Thursday, we dropped Catherine and Ben in Mbale to get a transport to Sipi Falls. Samuel (the driver) had come back from Kampala the previous day and said his back was well enough to come with us and drive, which relieved me of the driving. He had gone to Nsambya Hospital where he had been given some painful electrical treatment which had made an enormous improvement.

We reached Kampala by 2.00pm which was great as it meant that we could get all the students seen by doctors and have investigations that day although Acedo Jeniffer was the only one who actually had an appointment to see an Endocrinology consultant. The two Sams took Euchu Michael and Alupo Josephine to Mulago to try and see a rheumatologist while I stayed with Acedo Jennifer, Acen Anna Martha and Adongo Immaculate at Nakasero Hospital (a very nice private hospital). The Endocrinologist spent about 45 minutes with Jeniffer and was very good with her and came to the conclusion that she was suffering from clinical depression which I had been suspecting even if there were physical causes for her various symptoms. So she referred her to Dr Musisi the next day. Martha saw an ENT specialist who said her ear drum was healthy and hadn't been damaged when a stone was removed 2 years ago. But he ordered some blood tests and a CT scan to check there were no other reasons for her deafness and tinitus. Immaculate was referred to a gynaecologist the next day.

Having done blood tests which showed that Michael and Josephine weren't suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, the doctor at Mulago said that they should go to a physiotherapist and be given exercises for their swollen, painful wrists, knees and ankles, which I wasn't happy about. So I phoned Frances Fairhurst (physiotherapist at Kumi Hospital) for her advice and she said that physiotherapy was definitely not the right thing for multiple swollen painful joints and suggested we send them to Kumi Hospital for their opinion, TB being one of the possibilities, especially for Michael who was already being checked for TB. So we sent them back on Friday by bus and they stayed with Jeremiah that night and he took them to Kumi Hospital on Saturday. I haven't seen any notes or talked to the doctors, but have heard they have both been given steroids and that the doctor thought Michael has pleurisy and not TB. I'm not yet convinced about the pleurisy as he has had chest pains and cough for 3 years.

On Friday morning, Sam and I joined Jeremiah and Professors Barnabas and Laura Otaala to meet with Hon Jessica Alupo, the Minister of Youth and Children Affairs. We had about one and a half hours with her and all felt very positive about the meeting. She listened well and made relevant comments and seemed convinced of the need for some major changes in various aspects of school life and curriculum and practice etc to improve the conditions for children, especially concerning sleep deprivation and corporal punishment. She said these issues need to be taken up with the Ministry of Education and in Parliament and that she will see this is done. The ball is now in her court, so we hope and pray that things will begin to change although we all recognise that it needs a major change in culture (both educational and social) which will take at least a generation to work through. While we were in the meeting, Samuel (the driver) took Martha for her CT scan. Whilst waiting for the results, Samuel took us to a restaurant serving traditional Ugandan food which, of course, they all prefer. Then I spent the rest of the afternoon at Nakasero Hospital with Martha, Immaculate and Jeniffer seeing the various specialists. Whilst waiting, the girls, who all go to Bethany, were telling us about life there, and especially about how often and why they are beaten, both individually and as whole classes or dormitories or even, on one occasion, the whole school. It was all rather shocking. They said that if we asked the sponsored students if they would like to transfer to another school, they would all ask to be transferred. But I told them it is the same in all schools and that almost all the students would like to be transferred from whatever school they are in.

I have been very impressed with the care and quality of all the specialists I have taken the students to this time. Although it costs quite a lot of money (by Ugandan standards), I feel confident in their medical skills, diagnoses and treatments. Immaculate was assured there was nothing essentially wrong and that her symptoms were not abnormal at her age. The ENT specialist said there is nothing sinister going on for Martha and that she will just have to get used to the deafness (impairment rather than profound deafness) and tinitus, which might improve with time. Samuel (the driver) is also deaf in one year, so I got him to talk to her about ways of coping with it as she was rather upset that there was nothing which could be done to help her. The psychiatrist (Dr Musisi) was ideal for Jeniffer as he has done a lot of work and research with orphaned and traumatised children and has trained teams of psychiatric workers who now run free clinics both at Mulago and Tororo. He was very good with Jeniffer. He said that ideally he would like to admit her to his ward but realised this wasn't possible as there was no-one to stay with her and she was so far from home. So he has started treating her with anti-depressants and would have liked to see her once a fortnight, but that is also difficult to arrange, so Sam will take her again in August. He is keen to talk to Sam about depression and the need for treatment etc. I said this was the first time clinical depression has been recognised in one of our students although I am sure many are suffering, especially those who have significant physical symptoms, as Jeniffer has, for which no causes have been found. He advised us to take them to one of the daily clinics at Mulago or Tororo as they are free although he wouldn't necessarily be there, but he says he has trained the teams. But Sam first needs convincing!

On Saturday, we did some shopping for Lindy, the dentist coming with the St Neots Group. We also had breakfast in a "New York restaurant" in the Garden City shopping centre.- the three remaining girls and the two Sams. None of them were very impressed by American food! As we had some time to spare before going to the airport to meet Heidi and Joerg, we went to Entebbe Botanical Gardens for about one and a half hours although Martha went to spend the day with an uncle who lives in Kampala. It was a lovely place to relax - Samuel slept, Sam read the book on Creation and Evolution which I had given him and Jeniffer and Immacualte had great fun using my camera to take lots of photos. I enjoyed the birds and the monkeys - lots of vervet monkeys which have no fear of humans and two beautiful black and white colubus monkeys.

The girls were thrilled to see aeroplanes while we were waiting for Heidi and Joerg to come out. We took them to change money in Kampala before having an early supper in Kireka. In the evening, we had fun talking together and killing mosquitoes with what look like tennis rackets which have an electric mesh which zaps any flying insect that comes into contact with it. Aceko Harriet, who is at school in Kampala, got permission to come and see us and to stay the night. She was saying she would like to wait to have her operation (to remove the pituitary tumour from her brain) until December so that it doesn't interfere with her A level courses (first year). However, we have since been in contact with the one and only neurosurgeon who said there is a team of visiting neurosurgeons who are very keen to operate on her on Monday. I haven't actually heard from Harriet, nor what was decided when she went to meet them this afternoon, with her MRI scans, so don't know if she will agree - I hope she does as I think this will be a wonderful opportunity for her to get the best possible treatment.

I took Sam and the four girls back to the airport on Sunday morning to meet the group of 12 from St Neots. We had also hired a medium sized bus to fit them all in with all their luggage. As soon as everything and everyone was loaded in, we set off for Teso, picking Samuel and Heidi and Joerg up from the guest house in Bweyogerere on the way out of Kampala. We stopped for a late lunch in Iganga, reaching Soroti about 7.30pm. The St Neots group all stayed in the Girls Hostel - the second block has been made into en-suite guest accommodation.

After a long night and a lazy morning for the St Neots group (except for Lindy who came with me to meet Robert Okiror, the dentist here in Soroti and to buy the remaining things she needed to set up a dental clinic in Kaberamaido), we all set off for Kaberamaido after lunch, arriving at exactly 5.00pm - the time we had discussed and agreed with them the previous week, but they had apparently arranged a welcoming programme, with parents etc, to start at 9.00am!! The result was that the many speeches were shorter than they would have been in the morning! Everyone was shown over the new building and the girls did some amazing traditional songs and dances, using three different drums to provide the rhythm. They were incredibly good - I've never seen such a good display before. We then all had a lovely supper outside under the stars before going to the Divine Mercy GH where the St Neots team are staying for the whole time. The five of us (me, Ben, Catherine, Heidi and Jorg) went to Megghido GH where four of us stayed last year when we got delayed in Kaberamaido - not as nice as Divine Mercy, but OK. However, we had breakfasts and supper with the St Neots group.

E-mail no. 2
I can't remember how far I got last night! Did I reach Soroti with the St Neots team?! They stayed in the Girls Hostel, half of which has been converted into en-suite accommodation. "My" team stayed in the new Guest House + the three girls as we reached here too late to take them back to school.

I did a lot of running about in Soroti on Monday morning for the St Neots group, buying water and things for Lindy's dental clinic and getting their phones unlocked. I drove to Kaberamaido and the St Neots group followed in the small bus we used from Kampala.
On Tuesday, several of us went with Lindy to the little church Health Clinic to help clean out the room they have given her to use. Not surprisingly, it wasn't in a very good state, especially as the building is not even a proper permanent building and is very cramped and overcrowded. By the time we had finished, there were 21 people waiting for her, from a girl of about 7 to a few very old people. Lindy looked at them all to see what needed doing and then we went back to the school for lunch. In the meantime, the men, including Ben and Jorg, had helped put several roof trusses into place on the dormitories. After lunch, Lindy extracted 30 teeth from the 21 patients. She finished in the dark! Catherine, Ben and I plus two of the St Neots group, talked to our 11 sponsored girls using the questionnaires I had brought with me for this visit.

On Wednesday, Lindy was screening the 46 girls with dental problems (nearly half the school - and already 15 patients were waiting at the clinic) while "my" group returned to Soroti together with Derek, Nicholas (a teacher from St Thomas's (who also happens to be Bishop Charles's wife's nephew) and two girls (Alelo Agnes and Awato Suzan) who needed further tests and investigations. Derek, Nicholas, Sam and I had a lengthy meeting to sort out everything, especially the money, to do with the St Neots project, building the dormitories. There have been some major misunderstandings - it is hard to see how they will be resolved and the building finished on time, which is not surprising even though they have made very good progress. The two girls appear not to have anything wrong with them, which makes me wonder if they are in fact suffering from depression. Derek drove the old minibus back to St Thomas's with Nicholas and the two girls.

Thursday morning, Samuel arrived to take Ben, Heidi and Jorg to his home in Katakwi for 2 nights. They also took Sam's little cat which we failed to deliver to Akello Mikali two weeks ago, this time zipped up in a large suitcase so she couldn't escape! Catherine and I finished writing a questionnaire for the pregnant girls who were due to arrive on Thursday afternoon for the mini "retreat". We met them at the Girls Hostel at about 5.00pm. We have had 9 of them - Acipa Esther (who left her 2 year old at home), Agwang Esther, Ijokal Esther, Acipa Dinah (who brought her two year old, Sam Martin), Aryokot Catherine (who left her 2 year old but brought her baby girl), Adogola Betty, Anao Christine (with her 8 month old baby - another Sam) and Alungat Jennifer (plus her 2 month old baby).

It has been very hard going, partly because of so few girls and they tend to be very quiet and shy and partly because of babies crying. Today, we have looked at setting up small businesses / income-generating projects, Harriet and a nurse talked about family planning, which was a question they all raised, and we talked to them individually about what they had written on their questionnaires. There are many tragic stories. Many have been raped. Only one became pregnant through ignorance. Three are with the baby's father's family which is very tough for them. Several have been chased from their homes. Acipa Dinah is perhaps the happiest as she is living on her own with her little boy and a younger sister and they are coping quite well because she is earning money from tailoring whilst also doing a longer tailoring course which she is partly paying for herself. Dinah's little boy developed malaria today and was very poorly so she took him to a clinic.
The one positive thing is that all but one have had HIV tests and all are negative, which is amazing. Adogola Betty hasn't yet been for an ante-natal check-up although she is 6 months, so we were persuading her she must go. I don't think it is easy as she is so far from home and doesn't know the area or the clinic and no-one in her boyfriend's family are bothered and he is away at school. She is desperately lonely and is not very bright either. I left them at about 8.15pm. Sam and will see them again tomorrow to see them off and give them each 50,000/- (about £20) to help them set up small businesses to care for themselves and their babies. Although it has been heavy going, I think it has been really worthwhile and they have really begun to open up. All but one (Aryokot Catherine, who has been raped twice, aged 14 and 16) are willing to talk to groups of girls about their experiences and tell them how they can avoid similar situations, which is encouraging as they are the best possible people to tell others. Harriet has been very good. Sam hasn't really been with us - he has been very busy in the office, including trying to sort something out with Sabine.
Samuel and the others are due back at about 10.00am tomorrow. Then we shall set off for Obalanga with Akello Margaret and Asimo Lucy (whose father has also died recently - she is very depressed and her school work has gone right down). We shall stay overnight in Amuria and then visit the triplets and Akiding Mary (the deaf girl who was raped and is pregnant) in Oditle camp on Sunday. Catherine leaves us on Monday - we shall miss her. We shall take her to Kumi by 8.15am, in time to join with Frances Fairhurst and her group of 20 UK soldiers returning to Kampala via Bujagali Falls. She flies home on Tuesday.

Margaret's news 6
13th July

I have managed to phone Margaret on her number a couple of times yesterday. The first was whilst she was waiting for the St Neots folk to arrive early on Sunday morning and then, later in the evening, as they were approaching Soroti, going over Awoja swamp. She was very excited by the sunset - one of the most spectacular ones she has ever seen in Teso.
She has had a bit of a tiring time whilst in Kampala, mainly visiting hospitals etc with the girls, though she did have a very successful meeting with the minister for Children and Schools, particularly about the problems of lack of sleep for the students, which is endemic in schools.
On Thursday they dropped Catherine and Ben off at Mbale so they could visit Sipi Falls whilst M and others could go on to Kampala for meetins, Doctors etc.
On Saturday they met Heidi and Jorge. Whilst waiting they sat by the shores of Lake Victoria - Margaret, the 2 Sams and 2 girls, including the one H and J sponsor. They were thrilled to have a spectacular view of a fish eagle (same basic family as the European White Tailed Eagle and the American Bald Eagle - very spectacular with a rich chocolate brown back and wings, contrasting with the white head and tail) catching fish. They also saw a diver that they could not identify.

The St Neot’s group arrived early Sunday morning all intact, but very tired! When I spoke to Margaret as they approached Soroti they seemed in good heart.

Margaret's news no 5
11th July 2009

It's late and I'm tired and I still have a lot more to sort out before we leave for Kampala at 7.00am tomorrow, taking 5 students. Jeremiah is also going to Kla tomorrow and so will join us for the Ministry meeting on Friday. Samuel came back to Soroti last night. He decided the daily physio treatment he was being given wasn't doing any good so he went to Nsambya Hosp and was given electric shock treatment which was painful but seems to have made a miraculous cure! He now has no sciatica or back pain and is able to stand up straight and walk etc. So he did all the driving today to Kumi and Ngora. He also used the questionaire to talk to 2 of the students for us and was really pleased. When we dropped Jeremiah back at home, we found Joyce had prepard a meal for us which we of course had to eat! So we only had about half an hour with the Bethany girls. We had supper with Sam and Olivia. Apparently the girls were upset we didn't arrive before they went to sleep. Blessing is now able to talk enbough and express feelings to let it be known that she wants to see me every day!

Sam has hired a small bus to collect the St Neots group and bring everyone back as we would have needed 2 minibuses and a pick-up.

Had a good meeting this morning with Emmanuel from PAG and Sam Okiror and Jim. TEDDO has closed it's credit scheme in May as it was a complete failure and the Kick Start offices are now empty! However, PAG now has a separate department for Microfinance and are very keen to help the comunities of our students and to send applications to TDT which Jim also seems very keen about. We'll see!

Tomorrow (Thurs) is when Naphtali hands over Buwalasi.

I spoke to her whilst she was travelling down.As she was crossing the River Nile at its "source" by the Owen Falls Dam actually. She seemed fine, though aware that she was going to be very busy in Kampala.She does not like being in the city.

And now for extracts from various Text messages.

Had supper with Bishop Charles and his wife Margaret as well as the Sampsons. Met with Atim Scovia and Adeke Jane.

Arranged to take Euchu and Acedo J back to Kampala and also taking Acen Anna Martha, Adongo Imaculatate and Alupo Josephine for tests.Also met with TEDDO (the development department of the Church of Uganda)and the Pentecostal Assemblies of God Development Office see above She also went to Kumi and Ngora.

She arrived safely in Kampala and started taking the various girls to doctors/hospitals etc..She had a good meeting with the Minister for Children and Schools.She might give more information when she gets back to Soroti and has access to the internet.

Acedo J saw a psychiatrist and is being treated, Idealy she should have been admtted. Acen Martha's ear was not damaged. It looks as though Alupo Josephine and Euchu Michael might have TB and so they have gone to Ongino with Jeremiah.

Margaret's News 4
7 July 2009

We have got the laptop which I brought from the Claydens up and running and linked to Sam's modem here in the guest house.

Yesterday (Saturday), we all woke late except Acedo Jennifer who had to get back to school early for an exam. We then went to Sam's home with Euchu Michael and Akello Mikali to make arrangements for the day. We said we would take Mikali home as her holidays have started as she is at Arapai Agric College and they have semesters. But we first took Michael back to Jeressar. He has to produce 3 sputum specimens to prove whether he has TB before they will treat, but he doesn't often produce sputum, so I don't know how he will manage it or when!

Mikali was so excited about taking us and somehow managed to inform her family in advance so that they would all be at home and prepared. We took with us one of Sam's 3 cats as Sam is desperate to get rid of his cats as they are eating all his chicks and Mikali doesn't have one and said the family would like one. So we put it in a box. However, when we got to Mikali's, the box was empty, and so was the car! So we decided it must have jumped out of one of the open windows on the journey. The Katakwi road is very bad and so it took us 2 hours. Mikali was a very good guide, telling us so much information on the journey and when we got to her home.
She took us to a married brother's home as well as her own (she is the 8th out of 12). She showed us all the crops and how she has been encouraging them to inter-crop. The groundnuts were alive but not doing very well because of the drought; some other crops were also struggling. We were given sodas (fizzy drinks), the many young children belonging to the family sang some songs for us and then they gave us a chicken. We decided to come back on the alternative route, through Toroma, as they said it was better. It was much better - apart from the long stretch of several miles across the swamp where 100s of truck loads of murram had been dumped in huge piles in the middle of the narrow road ready for working on it. At first, we thought we would have to turn back and go all the way back through Katakwi, but then a car came from the other direction and told is it was possible to get through. But it meant driving off the road where possible and then up and over the slightly flattened edges of all the piles of murram - quite an experience! We got back to Soroti as the sun was setting.

Today, we went to the English Service in the Cathedral with Sam, Olivia, Blessing and Margaret. Margaret slept in my arms for the first half. She and Blessing are both so friendly and open and run to anyone with their arms open and give big hugs, especially Blessing. She has a lovely personality. The service was Communion with one baby being baptised and lasted one and a half hours. While we were in church, the diocesan watchman cleaned the car inside and out as it was filthy with a week of travelling, especially through so much mud in Toro. I thought I heard a cat miaowing, but couldn't see it and the man said he would look out for it. When Sam and I went to collect the minibus this evening, we saw the cat in the front! But by the time we opened the car, it had completely disappeared agian. I suspect it has gone up behind the steering, so I have had to leave it again overnight and hope it appears again tomorrow when we go to Kaberamaido and that we can get rid of it there. Sam says he doesn't mind what we do with it as long as it doesn't go back home!! Sam came round this afternoon to the GH with Blessing and Margaret while Olivia went to an MU meeting. We spent ages trying to work out a programme to fit in with everyone's dates and activities and wishes!

Ariokot Christine, who is starting at Mukono university in August, came up to me after the service this morning and then came to the GH this afternoon. She was thrilled with the letter and pictures from her sponsors. We are going to visit her at home on Tuesday - where she lives with her aunt. Please see the attached programme for other planned visits etc. There are some blank spaces which will be used for visiting other schools and students where possible.

We hope Samuel will be able to return at the end of next week after a week's daily treatment on his back - we can't afford to pay for him to have more than a week. But I guess he will need more time off work. He is in a very bad way. They are talking of operating, but the track record for back operations is not very good even in the UK and I think should be avoided at all costs here.

Have seen a Pin-tailed Whydah - the first time in Teso. Also the usual Abyssinian Rollers, a Broad-billed Roller, Drongos, Piapiaks, Malachite Kingfisher, Woodland Kingfishers. It is pleasantly cool - mid 20s. Although it hasn't rained since we arrived in Soroti, it rained the day before and has been cloudy most of the time since.

Lots of love to everyone. Hope you've all had a good weekend.
Margaret

Additional info sent by Margart on Monday/Tuesday

Nicholas came into Soroti early today to collect more money to pay bills so we took him back to Kaberamaido. The 'new' great north road is now tarmacked all the way to the turn off to Kaberamaido. We stopped just beyond the turn off to try and locate Ijokal Esther, one of the pregnant girls, to tell her to come to Soroti on 16th July for 2 nights for the mini Retreat for the girls who have dropped off the programme because of pregnancy over the past 5 years. We drove a long way off the road along a track and then left the minibus by a small grass thatched open church and walked a short distance to the home of one of her married brothers. Esther has gone to live with the family of the boy who has fathered the baby. We gave them the letters from her sponsor and a note telling her to come to Soroti. Then we got back onto the road to Kaberamaido which wasn't very good. It takes about 2 hours now from Soroti to Kaberamaido.

We went first to check Divine Mercy GH. They are definitely expecting the group and seem quite excited. Julius is the the name of the manager. We arranged for breakfasts to be at 7.30am and supper to be about 7.00 (or 7.30)pm. Then we went to the school. The Chairman of Governors and Chairman of the PTA had been told we were coming and were there to welcome us. Everyone is so excited about the St Neots group and the progress of the building. They are proud that there will be nothing like it in the whole of Kaberamaido! I was impressed with how far they have got. A team of men were making the roof trusses and have jerry cans full of used engine oil ready to paint them. Another team were starting to lay the 4 courses of bricks above the concrete ring beam. They expected to start putting the roof trusses up on Thursday. It all seemed very well organised and there was a sense of urgency and purpose. To my surprise, they are managing to put up the whole block as planned in the original plans, not just the 3 dormitory rooms (ie: the sick bay and treatment rooms as well as the matron's accommodation). The money is enough for the whole block as well as extra left over for furnishing it etc. I think it paid off to say that there was only enough money for the 3 dormitories as they were desperate to complete the whole block and so have managed to do it with the available money. I have asked that they get on with just the dormitory rooms now so that they at least can be completed by the 29th July. We saw the present rooms being used as dormitories. They have a few bunk beds, but most girls are sleeping two on each single mattress on the floor. The rooms are very congested - all the mattresses are touching each other.

We needed to contact Igeto Irene to ask her to come on the mini Retreat and were able to give a note to one of the builders who is somehow related to her, which saved us going to find her. We then went to see the Church of Uganda Health Clinic where Lindy will work. She needs to be prepared to be shocked. It is a very small building made from local materials, not from burnt bricks. There is a sort of ceiling made of papyrus reeds which is not hygienic. The rooms are very small and everything is very dirty (which is typical of all hospitals and clinics etc). The treatment couch is in a narrow passage with barely enough space to squeeze past. There are about 3 mattresses (2 on beds) for patients on drips. It is run by two nursing assistants (Stella and Teddy). They have only one year of training. It is fairly well equipped with drugs, but no equipment. There is a government Health Centre nearby, so I asked why there was a need for a church Health Centre as well and why people choose to come to the church one. Apparently, there is nothing in the government centre and if people go there first, they are sent to the church one! They have simple lab facilities and don't treat until they have done blood tests. I think Lindy will need to spend first day cleaning the room and setting up and talking about basic hygiene etc. I only met Stella who was lovely and very keen to help. They will arrange that one of them will always be available to assist Lindy. They were all very excited with the news and asked if they should announce it to the public. I said no, as I feared hundreds turning up! I also said that they would need to take responsibility for crowd control!

We then went in search of Adogola Betty, another girl who is pregnant. She has now been moved to the home of the baby's father. He however has returned to school in Moroto - the boys get away with everything and continue life as normal while the girls have to give up everything. She was very surprised and thrilled to see us and shed a few tears. I asked how she was being treated and she said "fair". She was pleased about the idea of coming for a mini Retreat and we gave her money for transport.

We then returned on the new road. Some of it is finished, some is being tarmacked (along those stretches, we had to come off the road and drive along a very rough track at the side) and some is hard murram base waiting for tarmac which is actually as good as the finished surface. So in places, the journey was smooth and fast whilst other parts was very bumpy and dusty.

There is to be a final planning meeting at St Thomas's with all those involved, including the clergy from the 3 parishes the team will visit on the first weekend. Great welcomes and celebrations are being planned in those parishes as well as at the school! We have agreed that the team will have a relaxing morning and early lunch in Soroti on Monday as they will be exhausted from all the travelling, and then leave for Kaberamaido after lunch. They will go straight to the school (about 4.00pm) for the welcome celebrations and then to the GH to settle in and have supper.

Sam Okiror phoned me this evening so that Jim could talk to me. Jim and Janet arrived in Soroti from Nyero today. However, they are staying in the guest rooms at the Girls Hostel as they were told there was a a problem with an ants nest in some pipe at the new GH where we're staying. We haven't heard of any such problem and are certainly not aware of any problems! It is all very nice.

Sam was working in the office until 6.45 this evening and only left because i put pressure on him. I also found tea and mandazis what are these? sitting on his desk when we called at 11.20 and was told that they had been there for 2 hours! However, he is trying to improve his eating and working habits - it will take time. At least having to eat 30 minutes after taking the drugs he has been given ensures he is eating a bit more regularly.

I found the cat today - it climbs up behind the 'body work' above the brake and clutch which is why it is completely hidden! So after 2 days in the minibus, I managed to get it out. It spent the day in the GH but free to go outside and we gave it some milk and food which it was desperate for. Sam is not happy that we didn't get rid of it in Kaberamaido! It has now gone out and after half an hour of miaowing to be let back in, it seems to have gone off - perhaps back to Sam's house?!!! He won't be pleased!

Tomorrow, we aim to see Atim Scovia (at the blind school) and see what can be done to help her mother, and then Adeke Jane Beatrice whom I haven't seen for several years. But first we'll go with Ariokot Christine to where she lives with an aunt. In the afternoon, we'll go to Aminit and Jeressar.temperature is pleasant now.

S

Margaret's News 3
4 July 2009

Margaret met up with Ben and Catherine OK.

Whilst driving in Kampala she was stopped by someone who wanted to know what she was doing with TESS as he was from Teso. It turned out he was a doctor and had a responsibility in the ministry of Health for TB and leprosy. So he arranged another meeting with Margaret.

The Minister for Children was not available so she talked with the Commissioner and the Principal Youth Officer. They have arranged another meeting on Friday, where they will be joined by several others – the Otaalas and the people from the Min of Health. So it will be quite a big meeting. Those that she did meet are keen to see something done about the problems of sleep deprivation and beating that goes on in schools. There will be at least 4 well placed doctors at the meeting, so it could be very useful. Though any change will take a long time!

They have left Sam the driver in Kampala as he does need treatment for his back and other things. This means Margaret doing most of the driving.

Sam Ediau had a barium meal and there is no permanent damage. Margaret went in with Sam, who was very worried about what might be wrong. After talking with Sam and Margaret the Doctor was sure that the problems were mainly due to stress and very bad eating habits, so he is now on a low level of medication and has strict orders to eat properly. The doctor told him that unless he did change his habits then he would end up having an emergency op. V. Dangerous in Uganda!

They all stopped off at Kokas' home on the way up to Soroti. They also saw Abraham.

Michael Euchu has TB, but they need to do some other tests to confirm it. They are taking him back to Jeressa School today. They are also taking Okello Mikali home to Arapai, as she was keen to see everyone there. Acedo Jennifer is going back to Kampala with them on Thursday to see an Endocrinologist!

Margaret’s News 2
1st July 2009

I have had 2 texts from Margaret, and last night I spoke to her on the phone.
They had a good 4 hour celebration service with about 800 guests. Margaret enjoyed it all. Unfortunately there was a thunder storm when Sam got up to speak.
Whilst they were with Sam Kayaga, they went to visit the refugee camp in Kayaka that made sanitary pads and met the woman, from Kampala, who set it all up. They were very impressed and hope to set the same thing up in Teso, under licence. The process was simple, labour intensive and used local materials. She will meet up with the overseer again.
The roads were very wet and muddy, fortunately the minibus has 4 wheel drive, even so they had to get a push a couple of times. The road was in poor condition. Margaret did most of the driving, including the drive back to Kampala, as Sam was not available. (He claimed he had to go back to Kampala!) This meant that she arrived at Katungwensi and Robinah’s exhausted.
Acedo Jennifer and Euche Michael met up with M and Sam Ediau in Kampala. They are down for hospital appointments. M & co will take them today (Wednesday).
Today (Wednesday) they will be meeting with BRAC an organisation that supports small scale sustainable projects;
Picking up Catherine Titley and Ben Blackledge, who flew out from Heathrow last night;
and changing money.
Then tomorrow they will be meeting the minister for children, going to the school of Architecture with Ben for his project, and then if there is time travel to Soroti, or wait until Friday if they are too late.

Margaret's News 1
27 June 2009

Hi everyone.
I am back on line again, as Margaret has now left and I have unrestricted access to her computer!

Leading up to the departure date was less hectic than usual. M managed to find time to do some gardening, tidy the house etc. and we we even found time to linger over meals sat in the garden!

The motorway trip to Heathrow was very slow, but we arrived in good time. Margaret had three very heavy "suitcases" to check in. They were all overweight, but only one caused any problem, as it was over 30kg! There was a £25 surcharge for handling an overweight item, though no extra cost for the extra weight itself. They were very tight on checkinghand luggage. Hers was a bit on the large side. This meant unpacking some of it and putting the extra into a smaller rucksack that was in the case. She was allowed to take both bags on once they were down to size. She had a computer bag, which conontained Kyaga's laptop and it also contained quite a lot of other stuff she was taking. They now have to take the laptops out of the bags when they go through security, so M had 4 items in all, but it did not seem to be a problem. Quite how she managed everything at Entebbe I do not know!

I have had 2 text from M so far. However we do not seem to be able to communicate directly, so they are being sent to one of our children and then passed on to me. As yet I do not know if any of mine have got through!

She had a good flight and slept for 4 hours. No problems reported at airport (We were worried about the laptops as Uganda have now banned the inporting of secondhand computer equipment into the country. She had 3 of them!) The driver, Samuel has a very bad back, so I suspect M wil be doing a lot of the driving. They arrived safely in Toro, near Fort Portal, where Sam Kyaga's home is, having picked up Sam Kyaga, his new wife Cissy and his 4 children. (There are 3 Sams on this trip! sorry for any confusion.) M is at Sam's home for the local celebrations of their marriage. The place is beautiful and it is quite cool (in the traditional sense of the word - for those under 30, or who would like to pretend that they have not aged!). The family had a wonderful welcome - singing and dancing etc..Samuel (driver) back was very bad when they arrived. M massaged his back for him. She had a plenty of time to talk with Sam Ediau the programme leader in Uganda.

Breaking news:
Just had another text from M sent this morning. She has received mine so we can get through that way. She had a long sleep and Samuel's back is much better this morning.