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