Denise entertains the crowd

Denise and friend at Maria's Care

That's a hard question!

Going to uganda was a real pleasure, but also quite humbling. I got a huge amount out of it and going out with my son Ross was fantastic, it was great to spend time together doing somthing so worth while, it has given us lots to talk about, his friends also were very impressed with what we had being doing, and wanted to know all the detail.
The people there were so kind we have made some real friends and would go back again definitely, and are keeping in touch via face book in the mean time.

Tuesday Oct 13th In the afternoon we spent time with the deaf children, looked at their work and gave some donations out – Packets of Magnet Crafts and an illustrated Bible. The children had a lot of fun when I used my magic Bible in each class room.
Wednesday Oct 14th Chris and Sue arrived in Kamuli. I took the group to visit the Granny Projects in a local village. Joyce gave us a chicken as a “Thank You” gift. We also visited some of our children who are sponsored at “Township” a local in School in Kamuli.

Large class at Township School

There were over 90 children in most of the classes. We then visited another school where we have 9 pupils, including Patrick and David who are twins. After talking to teachers from local schools all over the area we drove to the twin’s home and were very sad to hear about their situation. Although they live in a brick home with another brother, they only have an old Great Grandmother living with them who they care for.

Twins Patrick and David with their Great Gran

A young Uganda lady called Jane arrived from North Uganda with her husband and two children about 18 months ago. Sadly, Jane’s husband died and she and her children were left in the most appalling conditions.  She couldn’t manage and desperately needed help.

This is where Jane used to live with her children

Rhona wanted her October ‘09 visitors to have the experience of building a mud hut so the local authorities were contacted to see if there was anyone in need. The LC, local council official, thought of Jane and said that we, CRU were going to pay for a mud hut to be made then they, the council, would GIVE her a piece of land to build it on. We were thrilled! Rhona asked that local people should start to construct the mud hut so when the visitors arrived in Uganda they could help to finish the mud hut and see it finished.

Jane and her children outside their half built new house

We also wanted to buy goods for her home and make sure she had a good start. Maria’s Care manager, Jackie Oba,  suggested the visitors gave Jane a sack of charcoal so she could start a little business by selling small amounts of the charcoal. Jackie said she would show Jane how to save money to buy more charcoal and have a small profit to feed her family and send them to school. Rhona said, “We had been given a chicken by one of the Grandmothers but decided one chicken wouldn’t go around the nine of us, so we gave Jane the chicken and two goats to really get her started.”

jane and volunteers with all the donated goods outside her new home

The goods for Jane’s home and the goats were all paid for by the team who built her hut and donations they had brought with them. The group had a wonderful time mingling the mud with their bare feet. They sang and laughed, the local Ugandan’s looked on with wide eyes as the group thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

“It was a delight to visit Uganda as a member of a group this time and particularly as we were once again able to spend more time in Kamuli and especially Maria’s Care.
I have been to Uganda several times now, but I can honestly say that this visit was one of the most enjoyable. It was certainly an “all age” group and a very happy one, too.
When we are trying to bring happiness to the poor, it’s obviously important to show an example of how God can help Christians to work together in harmony and to see the smiles from those who live a much harder life than we do.
Thank you, Rho, for planning and organising an excellent programme, which helped to bring us awareness of so many of the varied individual, and collective, problems that the poor, young and old alike, have to suffer.
I look forward to many more visits to Uganda, as long as God, (and CRU!) allows.” Jim

Jim on his latest trip to Uganda

August 2007 after over 3 weeks at Maria’s Care
“A fantastic trip which would take me 100 pages to describe – from building mud huts to teaching; eating fish and chips at the famous ‘Country Club’ in Kamuli to seeing things you would never believe were real; experiencing extreme poverty first hand but having a good giggle along the way! This trip has taught me many things but I don’t believe anyone would understand until they saw it with their own eyes. A trip of a lifetime and one I will never forget. One thing I would definitely recommend is to go on safari – lions, elephants, hippos …., say no more! A perfect relaxing end to the experience.”

What an amazing trip! We have done so much in 3 weeks, we have visited schools, taught an English lesson, painted a mural, walked a mountain, visited hospitals, made clay pots, seen beautiful rapids and built a mud hut. Nothing will ever beat this trip. Definitely a life changing experience.

25th Feb 2006 after 2 weeks at Marias Care:
” I knew no one, and did not know where I was going nor what I was going to do! but what I did know was that God had asked me to go, as it got nearer the more apprehensive I became, I sat at the airport and cried, I had left husband and 5 children what was I doing! talk about ‘comfort zones!’ ….THANK GOD I WENT… every day was a new adventure, I met wonderful people in visitors and locals, I was moved to tears and laughed more than I had in years! I gave and I was given, in love, companionship, fun, extremes, beauty and the whole experience was priceless, never again do I want to doubt Gods word…if he prompts you to go, He will confirm, THEN GO! you will not regret it!”

A large group of volunteers went out for the KPPS 10th Anniversary

From earlier visitors:
“To briefly describe the experience of three weeks in Kamuli is not an easy task, but here are a few of my initial thoughts.
The outstanding natural beauty of the area, the unexpected lush vegetation, red dust tracks and blue skies; the mud huts, village children dressed in dirty rags possessing nothing to their name, young women widowed by AIDS and left with at least four children. The beauty and humility, gentleness and innocence of the Ugandan people – how we can learn so much from them. The lovely little deaf boys we played with; the great difference that life at Maria’s Care can make to a child compared to life in the villages – education, food and care; the friendliness and gracious attitude of everyone we met. I feel truly privileged to have been able to experience all that I have – I don’t think I will be the same again.”

“I had no idea that people live at that basic level”

“If only we could grasp at home how to appreciate Education. We take this for granted so much and these people go without food so that they have the money to go to school.”

“We visited many projects and gave sheets and blankets to the very needy. One family, a widow with 3 children, only had the bark cloth to cover them as they slept on the floor in their mud hut at night.”

July/August
Lead by Rhona, a party of CRU committee members and some enthusiastic students went out to stay in Maria’s Care in the summer holidays. Much work was done towards improving the running of all the educational departments. Some of the group spent time with and took out money for a local secondary school. The whole party were moved by the plight of one old couple who were being helped by the “sponsor a granny” scheme. Their home seen on the right was collapsing. The gaping hole in the back wall was being covered against the rain with old rags. The new structure on the right of the picture is the framework of the new hut, shortly to be filled with mud by the visitors, who had to puddle it first. This was very amusing for the locals and very enjoyable for the group.

Rhona stayed on after the group returned home to facilitate another group from Australia who were planning a visit to train “trainers” in evangelism.
February
Barbara took out a dental therapist, Simone. Together they checked over all the Maria’s Care children for dental problems. Audrey Bomford started the task of reviewing educational facilities and working with the staff at KPPS to improve the school.

2006 was a bumber year for trips to Uganda, starting in February with the 10 year anniversary celebration of the opening of K.P.P.S., the primary school on site at Maria’s Care. A large party went out from the UK to join in with the festivities.

10th anniversary of KPPS

Visitor Robert writes, “Initially this trip started for me as a holiday. It has turned into so much more, more than I could ever have imagined. My ” holiday” started with the best welcome I have ever received, seeing those children’s faces, something clicked, there and then. This was not going to go to MY game plan! From there each experience has been better than the last, from the simple, but fulfilling task of helping Steven the resident carpenter put up mosquito nets over the children’s beds, to the children in the deaf unit frantically showing us which bed they slept in (my personal favourite experience) and the climactic 10th Anniversay party and march.”

In June Rhona went out to facilitate a group from Australia lead by David Young of ‘Children For Christ’.Along with Ugandan helpers, the team spent 3 exhausting but exhilerating weeks running holiday clubs. David Young has a great gift working with children.

A party of mainly teachers and students went out to stay at Maria’s Care in the summer holidays and in July and August a team of dental Professionals were the answer to Barbara Koffman’s prayers as they volunteered their services. They held 8 clinics in different areas, treating 430 people.

Sarah and Tanya, two Year 13 pupils from a school in Wales, had the opportunity of a lifetime in the summer holidays when they joined two of their teachers on a CRU visitor trip to Uganda.

Their trip report starts:
“On Thursday 21 July we jetted off from Manchester to Uganda, with a brief stop in Dubai. We had no idea what we were letting ourselves in for. We thought it would be three weeks of no food, no showers and sweltering hot weather. However, when we arrived the first day quickly changed any expectations we had.”  Click the link to read on … Sally Tanya Summer05

Rhona had an excellent trip out to Maria’s Care in the summer of 2005 when she lead a party of visitors with several teachers and some pupils  from three UK schools. Those from a school in Wales already had links with St. Peter’s Secondary School and so went out with gifts and money to spend to improve conditions there. They weren’t quite expecting some of the gifts given back to them! Read Rhona’s account of  Visitor trip July 2005 to find out more …