An easy way to help the women of bigodi

Looking for a unique gift for a birthday, the holidays or an upcoming wedding. What about a beautiful handmade basket or necklace from Uganda. All the proceeds are sent back to Bigodi to assist with community projects. I can ship and I take all major credit cards, paypal, and personal checks. To see pictures of the crafts please visit, www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.146552817211.125216.572152211&l=e88ad1c5c4&type=1. The link is also on the right hand side of this blog, under pictures. If you don't see a color or design that you like do ask, as I have many more pieces and may have just what you're looking for.

The baskets and jewelry are all made by members of the Bigodi Women's Group. This group of 115 members has been working together for 15 years to create beautiful works of art. To read more about this group please visit
www.bigodi-tourism.org/4301.html

I pay the women for the crafts when I order a shipment than all the additional proceeds are sent to the community for community projects. Currently, community leaders are still collecting funds to finish a desperately needed well for the 500 families that live in Bigodi. At the present time, women and children are still walking miles each way daily to get water.

Thank you for your continued support!

Two years and two months

It's hard to belive that I've been back home for two years and two months! It doesn't feel that I've been away from Uganda and my village of Bigodi that long. I think of the friends that I left behind in Bigodi everyday. In the morning when I let my shower run to get hot, I think of my friends and how they still have to walk miles to get water everyday for bathing, cooking, drinking and cleaning. When I drive my car to work, I think of my friends who ride their bikes and walk miles to work and home everyday. I especially think of my friends when I go grocery shopping and I have twenty alies of food to chose from while their choices are whatever they grow in their gardens. When I do to the doctor I think of my friends and their familes members who die from easliy treatable illness. Everytime Uganda comes on the news, I see my friends faces and my desire to return to Uganda/East Africa increases.

During the spring and summer, I was in a contest with Travlocity to win a trip to Tanzania to work on a womens entrpeurnership project. While I was one of the finalists, I was not chosen as one of the four winners. However, thank you all for your amazing support. I know I could not have become a finalist without your support. I ended up 9th based just on the votes which is amazing in a national contest!!!

I appreciate you all supporting my dream of returning to Africa as I know my work is not finished.Please let me know when you see travel and service opportunities here and around the world.

Ugandan Crafts for Sale

Looking for a unique gift for graduation, mother's day or an upcoming wedding. What about a beautiful handmade basket or necklace from Uganda. All the proceeds are sent back to Bigodi to assist with community projects. I can ship and I take all major credit cards, paypal, and personal checks. To see pictures of the crafts please visit, www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125216&id=572152211&l=e88ad1c5c4. If you don't see a color or design that you like do ask, as I have many more pieces and may have just what you're looking for.

The baskets and jewelry are all made by members of the Bigodi Women's Group. This group of 115 members has been working together for 15 years to create beautiful works of art. To read more about this group please visit
www.bigodi-tourism.org/4301.html

I pay the women for the crafts when I order a shipment than all the additional proceeds are sent to the community for community projects. Currently, community leaders are still collecting funds to finish a desperately needed well for the 500 families that live in Bigodi. At the present time, women and children are still walking miles each way daily to get water.

Thank you for your continued support!

Update

It's still so hard to believe that I have been home 21 months!

Last month Tinka and Michelle (the current UNITE teacher trainer) visited NC from Uganda. Tonay and I were lucky enough to get to have a wonderful visit with Tinka. I was so excited to have these two important men in my life meet each other. Since it was St. Patricks day, we got to take him to a pub for a beer. It was wonderful to catch up on all the news from Bigodi. They will be paving the main road though the village this summer and electricity will be coming as well. I have mixed feelings about the electricity as I'm afraid how it will change life for my friends. But as they say the only constant is change. I know with the possible negative consequences will come lots of amazing positive changes. I sent Tinka back with a suitcase filled to the brim with books and gifts!

I had always hoped that I'd get back to visit within two years. With the two year mark looming ahead in July, it was obvious that I didn't have the funds to go back as soon as I had hoped. However, thanks to a friends recommendation I have applied for a volunteer travel grant though travelocity. While Uganda wasn't on the list there was an amazing program working with women's entrepreneurship in Tanzania. With the help of another Jaycee friend, I made a video and got it posted just in time. In the last week I have moved up so I am now 20th in the voting, which is fantastic! I need to stay in the top 25 to be a finalist.

Please share this link with family and friends. You can vote every 24 hours till May 31st. I really appreciate all the support!
www.volunteerjournals.com/volunteer-travel-grants/entries/experienced-volunteer-tanzina

I hope to be back in East Africa soon!

Holiday gifts from Uganda

***Feel free to forward this post to others. If I can sell out my current supply of crafts this holiday season, I will be able to send over $3000 back to Bigodi. That money is needed to help finish the well project and to help rebuild mud classrooms that collapsed earlier this year! Uganda remains one of the poorest countries in the world.

This holiday season give gifts that help others. Click the link below for beautiful crafts that were all made by the women of Bigodi. All profits go back to Bigodi (the village in Uganda that I lived in last year) to assist with community projects.

You can see samples of the items in the album below but I have nearly every color imaginable. I have over 150 in stock! The baskets are very similar to sweet grass baskets from Charleston Sc.

www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125216&id=572152211&l=e88ad1c5c4

The baskets are made with coils of banana fiber, around which raffia palm is wrapped. The fibers are first harvested from the swamp, dyed by hand, then woven into works of art. Baskets range $15-$25 a piece, more than 80% of the sale price gets returned to the village!

The necklaces are made from strips of magazines and other papers that are rolled into a bead shape. The bead is not painted, but becomes the color of the paper that was used. Later, the bead is coated with a lacquer so that the beads can withstand rain, snow and moisture. Necklaces are $10-$15 a piece with more than 80% of the sale price going back to the village. 

Thank you for your support!


 
 

Ten months later…..

It’s hard to believe that it has been over ten months since I left Uganda and headed back home to the states after an amazing six months living in Bigodi! It’s hard to believe that six months have passed since my last blog entry. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve gotten caught up in daily life here in all of its complications, financial worries, and busyness. There are many days that I miss the simpler life of my little village, though it certainly is not without its hardships.

I miss not having to schedule every hour in my blackberry

I miss walking down the main road in the village and hearing mzunga shouted at me by the children

I miss having healthy natural food cooked for me daily- I’ve gained 30 pounds since being back in the US

I miss feeling healthy and strong

I miss the beautiful Rwenzori Mountains

I miss working with the amazing dedicated teachers

I miss feeling like my work has an immediate impact on my surroundings

I miss having quiet time to read and journal daily

I miss showering outside

I miss the thousands of bright stars in the night sky

I miss the children of the village who always brought a smile to my face

I miss coming up with hands on ways to teach classes of over 100 students about the
environment

I miss sitting on my friend Julia’s porch and looking at outskirts of Kibale National Park

I miss walking in the Bigodi swamp and counting how monkeys I saw that day

I miss living amongst the most friendly and welcoming people I have ever met

I miss the music and dancing of the children

I miss my favorite guest house in Fort Portal

I miss Leon

However, there are also many things that I do not miss. I don’t miss seeing extreme poverty everywhere I turn, I don’t miss hearing of people dying from things that I know are treatable with western medicine, I don’t miss seeing girls pregnant and married off at 12, I don’t miss waiting for it to stop raining so the solar panels can charge and I can do computer work, I don’t miss the corruption that is pervasive at nearly every level of government, I don’t miss being homesick and feeling so far from everyone who I love and loves me, I don’t miss eating meals of plain potatoes and tomatoes, and I don’t miss seeing teachers struggle to teach in nearly impossible situations.

We are so very blessed to live in this amazing though sometime overwhelmingly busy country. I was in bad car accident in mid March, if that same accident had happened in rural Uganda – the outcome would not have been the same. A loved one got diagnosed with cancer in late April, that same cancer would have undetected in rural Uganda until it was too late to treat it. When I returned and needed to find a second job to help pay for needed home repairs, even in a recession I had choices of places to work and ways to earn additional income. My friends in Uganda do not have this luxury. I think of my friends every morning when I turn on my shower knowing that they are walking miles to get unclean water to bathe from. I think of my friends when I microwave a meal that is ready to eat in three minutes and they are spending three hours cooking their meal over an open fire (admittedly their meal is healthier). I am thankful for air conditioning, my refrigerator, an air conditioned car, and my washing machine!

I continue to sell baskets and jewelry made by the Bigodi Women’s group- http://www.bigodi-tourism.org/4301.html. You can view the products for sale at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125216&id=572152211&l=e88ad1c5c4. All proceeds go back to community projects in Bigodi. Currently, the community leaders have a contract to build the first well ever in the village! The original estimate came in around $4,500 and now the estimate for the project is up to $12,000. $12,000 is actually an average price to dig a well in Uganda but certainly more than the village leaders had hoped and a lot of money to raise in a place where people live on less than $2 a day.

In addition to selling Ugandan crafts, I also continue to speak to community and school groups about Uganda. Since I’ve been home we have raised over $1500 for projects in Bigodi. I have collected lots of children’s books and sanitary supplies. Last week, I spoke to over 200 elementary students about Uganda and what they could do to help. Currently, I am sponsoring one young boy to attend a private school near Fort Portal, I would like to be able to sponsor more.

Ways you can get involved

Water is Life Project- Women and children carry water great distances from unsafe water sources in heavy containers every day. A donation of any amount for the well would be very helpful. I take cash, check or credit cards and then wire the money to the Water is Life project.

Book and school supply drives- The schools are terribly under resourced. There are very few to text books so instead there are paintings of the human body, the world, etc.. on the outside of the school walls and the teachers teach from those. Families have to provide children with paper, pencils, books and many can’t afford them. The children don’t have books to discover the joy of reading. This also becomes an academic problem in the later grades as the students are tested in English but they don’t have English books to practice reading! You could collect used children and young adult books than have a fundraiser to pay for the shipping costs.

Athletic equipment drives- Children in rural Uganda make balls out of plastic bags or banana fibers, which fall apart halfway though a game of soccer. Imagine what joy a few soccer balls would bring these kids. Your group can collect gently used soccer balls and then have a small fundraiser to pay for the shipping costs.

Purchase or sell crafts from the Bigodi women’s group- The beautiful baskets and jewelry can be viewed at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125216&id=572152211&l=e88ad1c5c4. All proceeds go back to Bigodi for community projects. You can purchase them directly from me, sell them at your place of business, or your group could set up a table and sell them at a community event.

Exam fees- Students have to pay to take monthly exams that help get them ready for their end of year exams. Those students who can’t afford the monthly exams don’t take them. Students who don’t take monthly exams do far worse on the end of year exams which determine if they continue or not. It cost only $5 for each student to take the nine monthly exams.

Sanitary supplies- I visited over 20 schools and at nearly every school was told about the need for sanitary supplies for girls. Unfortunately, many girls miss schools while they have their periods because they do not have proper sanitary supplies. You can donate an Afri-pad menstrual kit complete with washable pads for just $5. http://www.afripads.com

A tax deductible donation- The Kasiisi Project based out of Cambridge MA works in the same region of Uganda where I lived, is registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. They do amazing work! http://www.kasiisiproject.org

Conserve resources here so we don’t have to harvest timber in the rain forest

Thank you for your continued support!
Love,
Jamilyn

Ps. Check out this incredible video of the students from Bigodi primary school.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEjuPa8XaLk

Gifts with a purpose

This holiday season give gifts that help others. Click the link below for beautiful crafts that were all made by the women of Bigodi. All profits go back to Bigodi to assist with community projects.

Yes, I can ship them! Thank you for your continued support!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125216&id=572152211&l=e88ad1c5c4

Holiday greetings

Jamilyn’s Christmas Letter 2009

I went into the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life...to put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. - Henry David Thoreau

Dear friends and family,

I hope this letter finds you and yours doing well this holiday season.

I remember when I first came across the quote above; I was in high school and had just finished watching Dead Poets Society. At the time, I was profoundly taken with living life to the fullest and seizing all the opportunities that are presented to us. I’ll admit that in the fifteen years or so that have transpired since then I still believe in embracing life!

This year, that belief took me to the other side of the world (literally) where for six months, I lived in a small village in western Uganda with no electricity or running water. What was lacking in modern amenities was made up for by the breathtaking landscape and wildlife, the friendliest people I have ever met and the knowledge that the work I was doing was having a positive impact. During my time in Uganda, I trained over 100 teachers in conservation education. When I wasn’t training teachers, I was able to travel and explore much of what Uganda has to offer: chimp trekking, a ten day safari, white water rafting on the Nile, the beautiful Renzori Mountains, Kampala (the capital city), and most importantly getting know the Ugandan people. My experience in Uganda will always be with me and I will always be grateful that I took that leap of faith.

In the last four months since I’ve returned to the states, I’ve continued to raise awareness and money for community needs in Western Uganda. So far I’ve sent back just about $1000 raised from donations and basket sales. This money will be used to help build the first well in the village! In addition, I am still raising money to send children’s books and sanitary supplies to the schools that I worked with.

In addition to raising money and doing community presentations on Uganda, I have been busy with work, travel, and just enjoying being home. I am back in my old position at Wake 4-H Youth Development and working part-time at Williams-Sonoma. I feel so blessed to been able to take a six month leave of absence and return to my position.

In the last few months since I’ve been home, there have been many travels as usual. In September, I went to New York City with my boyfriend and two of our close friends. We had tickets to the Yankees/ Orioles game so I could see my childhood team play at the new Yankee stadium. It just so happened that we were there the night that Derek Jeter broke Lou Gehrig’s record becoming the Yankees all-time hits leader! In November, I was off to western NC so I could co-teach a week long pie making class at the John C Campbell Folk School! For an entire week in November, we made 19 different types of pies during the day and danced, attended concerts, and watched craft demonstrations in the evening! It was an amazing week.

I don't know what 2010 will bring but I'm sure it won't top the excitement of 2009. Thank you for your continued love and support.

Merry Christmas ---Love, Jamilyn

Beatiful Uganda Crafts for Sale

Click the link below for beautiful crafts that were all made by the women of Bigodi. All profits go back to Bigodi to assist with community projects.

Yes, I can ship them! Thank you for your continued support!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125216&id=572152211&l=e88ad1c5c4

News from my friends in Uganda

Since I've been back I've enjoyed getting emails from my friends in Uganda.

This morning I got an email from my friend Julia, who is a primatologist living and working just a few miles up the road from where I was living. Julia took me under her wing while I was there and was an incredible friend/mentor. She has been living in Uganda for over 10 years!

Here is a link to a great article about her: http://www.primatehandshake.org/latest/julia-lloyd-primatologist-and-village-girl/

In the article she does a great job of explaining the tensions between conservation and sheer survival.

I miss her and my other Ugandan friends dearly!

Thank you

Thank you to everyone who came out last night to the "Taste of Africa" party at my house. We had an amazing turnout!!

Throughout this entire journey, I have been so touched by everyone's support and generosity. We raised $702 at my staying in last night for the people of Uganda!!! Once you add in the donations that were received Monday at "Life in an Africa Village" and at my work on Friday, in one week $792 was raised!!!

Thank you for continual support on behalf of the people in western Uganda.

Check out pictures from the event at

http://brightlens.smugmug.com/Friends/Jamilyn-Coles-Taste-of-Africa/9366213_TyFjW/1/626835281_HSuZv#626835281_HSuZv

Animoto.com

2nd week back in America

I’ll be the first to admit that so far my transition back has been much easier than I ever anticipated! I’m loving being home though I certainly miss the beautiful Ugandan country side and my Ugandan friends.

Highlights from last week:

1. Attending St. Mark’s Episcopal church in Raleigh and visiting with old friends. I’ve been attending St. Marks off and on since 2003 so it was great to see everyone!

2. Cooking up a storm- One of the things I missed most in Uganda was being able to cook and shop for a variety of foods. In the last week I’ve made fresh banana bread, meat loaf, a cheese and yellow squash casserole (always one of my favorites that my mom used to make for me), eggplant Parmesan, couscous, London broil, and sweet corn on the cob just to name a few.

3. Taking care of business- Since I had two weeks off before I returned to work, I’ve been able to get a lot done around the house. It’s been nice to see my to-do list get a little shorter; house is power washed, lawn is cut, car is clean, dog went to the vet, me to the doctor, lots of food has been cooked and baked, clothes washed, and I even got a new washing machine.

4. My first Jaycee meeting in six months- It was so great to go to my first Jaycee meeting last week and to see so many friends! I was even in mentioned in the presidents closing comments as an example of what can happen when you step out of your box and try something new! I can testify that you never know where life will take you.

5. Home sweet home- Last Thursday, I drove home to beautiful Loudoun County, Virginia to visit with family and friends. I got to meet my best friend from high school s’ little boy who was born while I was in Africa. He is absolutely precious! I also had dinner with a dear group of high school friends, they had the pleasure of sitting though a 2 hour Ugandan slide show! On the way up to Virginia I stopped and visited with my 81 year old Aunt in Maryland.

Two upcomming events

I am hosting two upcoming events inspired by my time in Uganda! All are welcome to attend.

August 17th-Life in an African Village

“Life in an African Village” is a interactive presentation of my experience living and working in the African country of Uganda. I spent six months in 2009 based in Bigodi, a small rural village at the base of the Rwenzori mountains in Western Uganda. My work as a conservation education trainer for the UNITE project of the NC Zoo allowed me to experience, first hand, what life is like in a developing country.

Did you know that many Ugandans are subsistence farmers and provide for their families on less than a $1 a day? "Life in an African Village" is a presentation which will provide an overview of (a.) everyday life in Western Uganda, (b.) my experience working with teachers in ten rural schools that surround Kibale National Park, and (c.) international projects that may interest you!

This event will be held at the Raleigh Jaycee office located at The Flagship Building, 4332 Bland Street in Raleigh North Carolina at 7pm on August 17th. Please RSVP to jamilync@yahoo.com

August 21st- Taste of Africa

Instead of having a traditional welcome back party I am hosting a small fundraiser at my home.

In celebration of my recent trip to Uganda, join us for an evening of good food and friends!

We will be feasting on traditional Ugandan food such as chapatti (yummy fry bread), matooke (steamed plantains), medozes (donuts), posha (similar to grits), ground nut sauce (peanut sauce), and other traditional foods. You won’t want to miss the slideshow of pictures from this picturesque country. Baskets and jewelry made by the women of Bigodi (the village where I lived for six months) will be for sale. My souvenirs will also be on display.

All donations & proceeds from items sold will be sent back to the help fund community projects in Bigodi, Uganda.

This event will be held at my home in Clayton, North Carolina at 7pm on August 21st. Please RSVP to jamilync@yahoo.com

Home Sweet Home

*** When I started this blog I intended just to blog while I was in Uganda but I’ve had such a great time with it that I’m going to continue it at least for a while. Don’t worry even though I am now back on American soil, I will still continue to be involved in projects to help my friends living in Western Uganda. I will post those events here ….

Thanks to all your prayers and positive thoughts I had a safe trip home and landed on July 25th! It’s hard to believe that I’ve been back home for nearly a week now! Time truly flies when you’re having fun! After a long trip home with a wonderful layover in London, I’ve had a great low key week back in NC. Here are just a few highlights from my first week back in America.

1. Landing at RDU and seeing the sign for the PONY tournament which is of course run by the Raleigh Jaycees! I knew I was home…

2. Waking up in downtown Raleigh with a view of our beautiful city, a perfect way to spend my first night back.

3. Seeing my house for the first time and being relived that it was all in one piece!! After living without so much for so long I realized how much stuff I have!! I’ve been wedding though much of it this week, like do I really need five winter coats?? The size of my bedroom amazes me, it’s at least two and half times the size of my entire house in Uganda! To put it into perspective my banda in Uganda was smaller than Henry David Thoreau's cabin at Walden Pond.

4. Spending time with my three furry children- when I left for Uganda my kittens where just six & seven months old, now they are full fledged cats. It has been great to spend time with them and my five year old dog Juno! I was so blessed to have great friends taking such good care of them while I was gone; all three were very well taken care of.

5. Cooking- one of the things I missed most was being able to cook and prepare my own meals. I’ll admit it was certainly a luxury to have all of my meals( not to mention my laundry )prepared for me everyday however, I did miss cooking. So far I’ve made pretty simple dishes; I think my most complicated was a breakfast scramble with smoked salmon, spinach, mushrooms, and dill! Just that fact that I have a refrigerator has opened up a whole new culinary world; I can have dairy, orange juice, cold water, ice cream, all things that I have missed!

6. It is just like a ridding a bike- since I admittedly I am not the best driver I was a bit nervous getting behind the wheel for the first time in six months! Thankfully, it is just like ridding a bicycle and I hadn’t forgotten how.

7. Enjoying the great metropolis of Clayton, NC- While I work in Raleigh, I live in a small town just about 20 minutes south east. It has always reminded me of the small towns in Virginia that I grew up in. In the past I have often been two busy to enjoy living here instead spending much of my time in Raleigh. This week I’ve gone to our new farmers market (not quite like the ones I grew up selling at around the DC metro area), had my late fees forgiven at the library (evidently one library book was in my car the entire time I was in Uganda), and danced the night away to great band at the local bar just a couple miles from my house!

8. Thank you - I’ve been blessed though this entire journey to be supported by an entire “village” back here and it hasn’t ended yet. Before I even landed my car wasn’t working so three of my friends took care of it so that it was in working order when I got back! Before I got my plates back on my car Monday afternoon, my friend Stacy spent nearly an entire day running errands with me. From pet sitters to package senders to taking care of my bills to just listening to me when I had a rough day in Uganda; I could not have done this without everyone’s support.
9. Spending time with loved ones- The best part of this week has truly been just catching up with old dear friends. There have been lunches and dinners where we tried to catch each other up on the past six months. Laid back evenings just catching up in my living room, cooking for my sweetheart, long phone calls with those I haven’t seen yet, and lots of relishing in the simple moments. I am so blessed to have such amazing people in my life!!

10. Abundance- As time goes on I will begin to process my time in Uganda, for now I’m just truly to recalculate to my life here. In all honesty, it was been much easier to slide back in to my old life than I ever expected. Everything seems completely normal and just as it should. Right now my time in Uganda feels like a very, very, very, very long dream and this feels normal.

One thing that has struck me is the absolute abundance of everything that we have available at our fingertips. Even in my little town of Clayton, I have the choice of nearly any cuisine for any meal that I could want instead of just what I can grow in my garden. I have enough clothes in my closet to clothe half the women in Bigodi! I certainly have enough furniture for a few homes. We all have a car instead of being the only one in the village with one. Going into Target, Wal-Mart, and Lowes Foods were all lessons on abundance; I haven’t seen that much stuff since I left the states. While I believe we have and use more than we need we are so very blessed to be Americans!

My experience in Uganda will always be with me and I will always be grateful that I took that leap of faith. However, for now it is great to be home!!

The long journey home

Thank you all for your support throughout this adventure! It’s hard to believe that I’ve been in Uganda almost six months!

Tomorrow (Thursday) morning, I leave Bigodi to start the long journey home. My friend Julia will drive us to Fort Portal where I have one last school presentation to make than we will travel the five hours to Kampala for some last minute shopping. Next is a taxi ride to Entebbe, where I will be spending Thursday night. Friday morning, I depart at 9am from Entebbe on British Air and fly to LONDON where I have a 20 hour layover.

Friday evening will be spent catching up with my friend Tiffany (who stayed with us for a couple of weeks her in Bigodi) than staying at a hotel at Heathrow. Saturday, I leave London at noon again on British Air and get to Philly about 2:30pm. After going though customs and a three hour layover, I leave Philly at 6:40pm on an US Air flight and arrive at RDU about 8pm.

Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers for a safe journey home!

Week of July 6th-13th

It is hard to believe that I will be leaving Uganda in 11 short days. What an amazing experience this has turned out to be. This week’s blog will be shorter than normal as things are very busy with last minute school visits, meetings, and reporting. It feels like there is not enough time to get everything done before I leave.

A country of extremes- While the farmers were all complaining that rainy season was less rainy than normal; it was certainly more than enough rain for me. Many days I couldn’t do computer work because it rained all day and therefore we wouldn’t have any solar power. We are now officially into dry season and a drought. To the point that when I woke up this morning I was told that we couldn’t wash clothes today because we didn’t have any water! It also feels like we are living Stienbeck’s great dust bowl of America. Without any rain the roads are so dusty that I have to keep my eyes closed when ridding on a boda-boda; I just hope the driver has his eyes open!

An international dinner table- Last week, I stayed at my favorite guest house in Fort Portal as I was working on reporting and data entry that needs to be done before I leave the country. There were fascinating guests from all over the world! We eat family style at dinner so I dinned with people from Ireland, England, Germany, Uganda, NYC, the Netherlands, and Massachusetts. Some were on vacation traveling to all the great parks that Uganda has to offer. Others were working on projects ranging from doctors with a boarders, community libraries, church schools, school improvement and eco tourism. I even met a family with three kids from America who had been here eight years!

Data entry even in Africa- Last week, I entered over 500 surveys from children and teachers into a spreadsheet. While the work is not very exciting to say the least, it was heart breaking to see the following comments from children:

"If you go into the national park the wild animals there can eat you"!

In answer to what are the biggest environmental problems in Kibale National Park many replied with: that’s where rebels hide and animals that kill people live there (elephants)!

In answer to what you like most about forest, most children replied getting firewood!

The teachers had more uplifting comments:

“I am very grateful with the methods used by Jamilyn Cole when presenting to us and how she involved all of us actively in learning situations.”

“I truly appreciate for the arrangement of this training for it has made a great change in my way of doing things. “

“The training was so nice. May God bless Jamilyn Cole.”

“Let this UNITE remain forever and ever.”

“I leanrt many methods of teaching the conservation of environmental education.”

Most helpful “The methods and teaching games. Confidence and decent dressing of the facilitator Ms Jamilyn (African style of dressing not trousers).”

Mark your calendars

In celebration of my recent trip to Uganda, join us for an evening of good food and friends!

Date: August 21st
Time: 7:00pm
Location: My house in Clayton NC

We will be feasting on traditional Ugandan food such as chapatti (yummy fry bread), matooke (steamed plantains), medozes (donuts), posha (similar to grits), ground nut sauce (peanut sauce), and other traditional foods. You won’t want to miss the slideshow of pictures from this picturesque country. Baskets and jewelry made by the women of Bigodi (the village where I lived for six months) will be for sale. My souvenirs will also be on display.

All donations & proceeds from items sold will be sent back to the help fund community projects in Bigodi, Uganda.

The realties of living in Uganda

Week of June 29th-July 6th

For most of my time here, I’ve been able to escape the daily hardships of living in western rural Uganda. I live with the most prominent family in our village; we are the only family with a car and solar power. Unlike most of the other women my age I do not dig in a garden daily with a baby on my back. Even here in Uganda, I make monthly what most people make in two-three years. This week I experienced first hand the challenges of living in this area of the world.

An attack in the forest- A week ago today, one of the researchers I know was captured at gun point in Kibale National Park. After spending all night on the forest floor, he was able to escape in the morning and get back to the research station. At this point the assumption is that they were poachers. Years ago rebels used to hide out in the forest but it has been a long time since anyone has seen rebels in the park.

Conservation and survival- People who work in the field of conservation here and many places around the world are often at odds with people who are just trying to survive.

Everyone who lives in the communities surrounding the park use either firewood or charcoal to do all of their cooking. Which means everyday there is firewood to be gathered. Many people don’t think anything about crossing the park boundaries to get firewood. One of the organizations we work with is trying to encourage people to plant trees on their own property that they will than harvest for firewood but it hasn’t been embraced by the community yet. The same organization is also training people how to build stoves that will use less wood.

Locals here do not see the primates who live in the park as cute like many of us from the west do. Instead many here seem them as a nuisance as it’s the primates and other animals that raid people’s gardens here. I was in a meeting last week where one of the major items of discussion was what to do about the elephants that had crossed the park boundaries and were destroying gardens.

While people don’t eat much bush meat (primates) as they have in years passed, poaching still occurs in the forest. I was with a group of students recently and the ranger speaking to them knew whose parents were regular hunters in the park.

On the other hand many people in the surrounding committees know that the park and other local conservation sites provide jobs and that the tourists bring money into the local communities. So there is a constant struggle.

Accidents happen everywhere- Tiffany (our new housemate) was walking to the swamp with guide as she had done at least twice a day for the last two weeks when she was hit by a bicycle. The driver of the bike had lost complete control of the bike as it came careening over the hill at top speed. Tiffany was knocked backwards onto the gravel road. After applying basic first aid to her most visible wounds, I was able to convince Tinka that we needed to take her to the hospital in Fort Portal. I was very concerned because she was in a terrible amount of pain in her back and was asking the same questions over and over again.

Almost two hours after the accident occurred we arrived in Fort Portal where we had to go to three hospitals until we found one who could do x-rays that evening. By evening we had learned that she had a broken bone in her hand, a concussion, a compressed vertebrae, and had to have stitches in five places including on her head!

She was in the hospital for the next three days and two nights. I stayed with her the entire time to help navigate the language and cultural barriers. The hospital looked like something out of the 1900’s. There were about ten rooms all around a central courtyard that looked like it had been bombed at some point. Seriously, the courtyard was full of concrete rubble and a low hanging clothes line that patients had to navigate to get to the one bathroom or the surgery room. There were no electronic monitoring devices in the patients’ rooms. We had to supply our own sheets/blankets for the beds and there were no pillows. The care was so basic, about all they could do for her is clean her wounds, take x-rays, and give pain meds.

The sad thing is even with that basic care it’s more than most Ugandan’s receive. The boy (20 years old) who was driving the bike went to health clinic in Bigodi which is basically just a first aid clinic. Once his wounds were dressed he than went to another district (county)- to hid himself because he was afraid thatsince he hit a mazuga he would go to jail. Once I reassured his stepmom that he would not go to jail and that he needed medical treatment (he has a head injury), the next issue became payment. They didn’t have the money for treatment. Nothing breaks my heart more than someone not receiving medical care simply because they can’t pay for it. I offered to pay for his treatment but they have been unable to locate him.

Teenage pregnancy- A girl who is just 14 who attended one of the schools I work with gave birth last week. One of the many sad aspects of this situation, is she was at school on Monday no one knew she was pregnant and by Wednesday she had given birth. Many, many girls here get pregnant and or married very young. When I go to visit the secondary school there are so few girls in the classes because most have dropped out of school by than.

Field trips- On a happier note two of our schools went to Kibale National Park on field trips this week. Even though they all live within just miles of the park, none had ever been into the park legally. Many had crossed the park boundaries to get firewood or to hunt for their families. It is a little frustrating that some of the park staff put more emphasis on their foreign guest than the local youth who are the ones who directly impact the park. However, I am glad we able to take them on an official tour. This week we have kids going on their first visit to the botanical gardens in Fort Portal.

Classroom visits- We visited three schools last week, it was great to see all the hands on and conservation lessons that they are doing with the students. I even got to teach a class of 204 second graders- yes there were 104 all in one class! It is frustrating when we go to schools and teachers are absent. There is a very high rate of absenteeism among teachers and since there are no substitute teachers, when a teacher misses school that class is on it’s own for the day or another teacher will try to cover two classes. Neither works well.

No place like home-I’ll admit it after being here five and a half months; I am looking forward to going home. It’s the little things I’m looking forward to the most; hanging out with my pets, catching up with friends, enjoying good food, chilling on my back deck, and just enjoying being home.

Week of June 22nd-29th

1. 48 garden hoes, 90 flour sacks, and 10 watering cans- All this and more was purchased to get ready for my last big training which was held this past weekend. I trained 40 plus 5th-7th grade teachers this weekend! This was the second time that I had trained this particular group of teachers. We had a great time learning new activities that they could incorporate into their teaching. The highlights of the weekend included a tour of the Bigodi Wetland, a presentation by the Community Conservation Warden of Kibale National Park, and learning to make learning aids from local materials.

I love taking teachers on a tour of the Biogdi Wetland, most have never been on a tour because they think there is nothing special there. However, after the tour they are always amazed at the variety of primates, plants, birds, and tree species. It is our hope of course that they will pass on this knowledge and respect for the local environment to their students.

This week the teachers from Green Circle (a school in Fort Portal that is trained in Montessori methods) taught us how to make posters and charts for classrooms out of empty flour sacks! Using a flour sack and a few magic markers the classrooms at Green Circle are covered with diagrams of the digestive system, water cycle, geographical features, and many others. Our teachers had a great time making their own flour sack charts for their classrooms!

2. Elephant ball- I always intersperse games into my trainings to keep things fun and lively. All of the games can also be done with students so it’s great for teachers to experience them. Speed ball, one of favorite name games is always a hit with the teachers. Last week we all learned a new game that the teachers loved. Jamaal, the Canadian who was staying with us for a few days taught us how to play elephant ball. Everyone stands in a large circle with their feet wide apart and their shoes touching their neighbors. Players than bend over and make a trunk with their arms. The object is to keep the ball inside the circle by using your “trunk”, if the ball goes though your legs than you are out. The teachers had such a great time playing this game; I can’t wait to see students playing it!

3. Repeat customers- I’ve enjoyed getting to know all the teachers though these trainings. Many teachers have had such a good time that they have come to 4 out of 5 of the trainings (they only ‘had’ to come to 2). Somebody even told me that they didn’t expect the trainings to be so much fun!

4. Thank you- In addition to receiving lots of great packages for me while I’ve been here many of you have sent things for the teachers and students that I work with. The teachers were so very grateful for the volleyballs (netball is very popular for girls here), playground balls, sanitary pads, girls underwear, children’s books and educational games that you sent. They wanted to make sure that I told all my American friends and family thank you!!

5. Free range chickens – At Tinka’s we have five goats, two dogs, and lots of chickens. The chickens are literally free range roaming around finding food wherever they can. I know it’s good for them and produces yummy meat however; I don’t like it when they graze off my dinner plate!

6. An elephant break-in- Our housemate, Tiffany went on safari to Queen Elizabeth this weekend and an elephant broke into to their vehicle. She evidently used her trunk to get into the car and get the snacks!