The Piggery

This project was the first project that I worked on and completed when I arrived here to Uganda. Kevin was the one in charge of the project and he and I worked on it with locals for a week and built the piggery for Christine. She is building this piggery as an example piggery for the people in the town to come and see how they can make one and start a pig business. I am just going to post pictures of the progress of the piggery as we built it and show you guys at home just what we did. I figure it would be a lot easier for you guys to see and understand what it is.

This the existing piggery that Christine runs. We built another right next to it.

We are laying the foundation for our piggery.

Here I am laying the first brick for our piggery.

Some of our helpers posing as the walls start to go up.

We are posing in front of our piggery which is half way done.

Here is it almost completed. All we have left is to put the roof on it and put the floor in.

We are still working on completing the roof and flooring. The money that was donated to us for this piggery was not sufficient and we are waiting for more funding to be approved before we can finish the project officially. We should have it completed by mid July at the latest. Christine has four baby pigs that are growing fast and she need more room for them to stay, so we will hurry up and finish the piggery for them.

Uganda Cranes WE GO!!!

Celebration after the 2nd goal. (we are seated just above the fist of the player on the left)

On June 4th there was a soccer game between the Uganda Cranes and Guinea Bissau. This was no ordinary game, this was a qualifier for the African Cup in 2012. And to make the situation even more exciting and tense the Cranes have not qualified for the African Cup since 1978. We had been planning to attend this game since we first arrived in Uganda. Everyone was talking about this game and tickets were going fast. We tried to get tickets everywhere the week of the game when they went on sale but Lugazi quickly sold out of tickets. We tried the next town which is bigger but they had also sold out of tickets, so we headed to the game on Saturday without any tickets and we were going to buy them from people outside the stadium. There were only five of us that wanted to go to the game, so we all jumped on a taxi full of people in Ugandan uniforms and all blowing vuvulezas and headed off to Kampala for the game. The game didn't start until 4 pm but there were people already there partying and selling things outside the stadium when we got there at noon. We found some guys who were selling tickets and quickly bought them before the sold out. Then we bought some team gear from street vendors so we could support the team at the game. I couldn't pass up the chance to buy the infamous vuvuleza horn. At about one pm we decided that we should get into the semi formed lines and head in. There were literally hundreds of thousands of people outside the stadium and it was literal chaos trying to figure out where to get into a line. I just started standing next to a group of people and as they moved closer to the gates so did I and eventually I merged myself into the line. I kinda felt like we were this huge herd of animals trying to make it into this small opening. The closer we got to the main gate the more we were pushed on top of eachother. But for me that was half of the fun. It was a huge pre game party just waiting in the line and everyone was blowing the horns and yelling the team chant and giving us high fives. I was getting super excited for the game. Eventually we got into the gate and through the metal detectors and we were officially in the stadium and waiting for the game to begin.

First I think I should try and tell you guys just how the feel of the stadium is. Here in Uganda the stadium has two sections: General section and Dignitary section. The dignitary section has seats and is just one small section right at mid field while the rest of the stadium is the general section. Long, wide cement benches that go around the stadium. We just got general section seats and sat maybe ten rows up from the front near the corner of the field. Another fun fact about the games here is they don't make a certain amount of tickets, they just keep selling them until the game starts. This means that the stadium is literally packed beyond capacity. Even the stairwells and stairs going up the stadium were packed with people standing and cheering. We found our seats about 2 hours before the game started and the stadium was already half full. There were different artists on a stage singing and partying. I'm pretty sure our section was the "student section". Everyone was on their feet blowing their horns and dancing. Finally after two hours of yelling and dancing in the sun with everyone the stadium was packed to about 60,000 plus people and the game was set to begin.

The Cranes have a very good team this year. They are nearly as good as other big teams but here in Africa they are leading their division by a good margin and are very impressive. They dominated the ball through out the game and were in control the entire time. My favorite part of the game was when we scored, not only was it a good thing that we had the lead but the entire stadium would erupt and EVERYONE blew their horns or whistles and my favorite part is when the team scores everyone takes their water bottles and throws water everywhere. When we scored the first time you would have thought Shamu had swam by and you were in the splash zone. We were drenched. The game flew by and in the end the score was 2-0.. and the Uganda Cranes had WON!! This of course started another large party of dancing and horns and water throwing. We stayed for a few minutes but decided to avoid the insaneness of everyone leaving at once and beat the traffic. We had hired a good friend to pick us up in his taxi so we didn't have to wait for traffic or other people, which was really nice.

Overall, the game was a blast. I enjoyed being able to see an international soccer game and to feel the intensity of the crowd and hear the thundering noise of the horns. It was truly one big party the entire time and by the end of it my voice was gone and my lips were still buzzing from blowing the horn for two hours. But it was a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget.

Africa through the eyes of my camera

Team Lugazi 2011

A boy carrying water back from the well

Me taking a refreshing dip under the well

The clinic we are going to help at in this remote village.

A  leisure hike through Uganda 

they call me Mzungu

Kevin, Martin and I on the Nile River

                                                              

Uganda is known as the Pearl of Africa and for good reason. It is amazing here. It is the perfect temperature to me. It can get hot and humid but not crazy hot since we are higher up in elevation. Uganda is situated right on the equator so the temperature pretty much stays the same all year long. My favorite part about Uganda is how lush and jungle it is. When I think about Africa I always pictured the Lion King look, huge open grasslands and very flat but here in Uganda its all lush green jungles and lots of hills.

I live in the town of Lugazi. Lugazi has a population of about 39,000 to 40,000. It is located about 40 miles east of the capital city Kampala. There is a lot of work to do here in this country and there are many great people who understand just what needs to be done to improve their home country and they have a great desire to do so.

A typical road in Uganda

The people here are very friendly and very humble. Although not as open as Dominicans at first, but once they get talking they will tell you their whole life story and the life story of the person next to them. I feel like a celebrity here, everytime we leave our house we are surrounded by little kids who come screeming “MUZUNGU” They literally will come from every corner and they all start clapping in rhythym while chanting that word. Muzungu is Lugandan for “white person”, so I guess its only right that they yell that. Although its getting kinda old, always hearing the kids yell that everywhere we go. But I have started to teach all the kids to pound it when they see me. So I either get a high five or a fist when I walk by them now.

Most Ugandans speak english although they all grow up speaking Lugandan. I have started to learn some phrases in Lugandan and I am trying to learn as much as I can before I come home. It’s a hard language and without a teacher none of us really understand the grammar of it, but we all have fun and try to say what we know.

We have spent our first week in the country meetin with different local groups that have ideas they want to see done to help improve their country. With HELP International we are going to decide on different projects to setup and run this summer that will improve the country and people. We can choose whatever projects interest us and then we are the ones in charge. I am really excited to start meeting with hospitals and groups to get the eye camp set up and running this year. We also had the chance to spend the day in this remote village at a clinic that has just been built. We helped to test people for Malaria and other diseases and also got to hike around and see the village. The clinic is being run by an American lady that graduated from BYU and is a nurse practitioner. 

 Hiking through the jungle to the local well in the village

Next stop Piccadilly Circus

On our two day flying adventure to Uganda, I had the chance to spend the day traveling around London while I waited to catch my flight that night to Kenya. All of the volunteers that were headed to Africa traveled together. We flew from Chicago to London overnight and upon arriving quickly set off to see the city. I spent the day with my good friend Kevin touring all the major sites there are to see in London. We quickly jumped on the underground, remembering to “mind the gap” and set off for Westminster. 

As soon as we came out from the underground we were in the shadow of Big Ben. Everywhere we looked there was some famous landmark. Of course the day we are there it is overcast and raining but that just enhanced our London experience. We set off towards Westminster Abbey where hundreds of people were in line to be able to see the inside and where the wedding took place. We just took some pictures outside on the grounds and then headed down the street past parliament. We made our way down to St. James and shot over to the Buckingham Palace. 

After we got our fix of touristy pictures we decided to just wander down the streets and find cool things. We eventually found our way to Piccadilly Circus and found this very European restaurant that had fish and chips. We had no idea how to do things there. We sat there for about twenty minutes before anyone came to help us and after we ate it took them another thirty to get us a bill. It was very good and  a fun restaurant so we didn’t mind. After a long day of walking and seeing the wonderful city of London we headed back down the Piccadilly Line towards the airport and checked back in for our flight to Kenya.

Fundraising

Family and Friends,                          
                                                             

As most of you know I will be traveling to Uganda this summer for my internship at Brigham Young University Idaho. There I will be working with local doctors to help improve the lives of the people of Uganda. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to be able to give back what I have been blessed with my whole life, but I can't do it on my own. Please help me to make this a reality and help enrich the lives of the people of Uganda! Thank you all for your support and help: http://help-international.org/donate-now

HELP International is a non-profit organization started in 1999 in response to Hurricane Mitch. Since then, HELP has expanded their work across the globe, empowering local community members by teaching self-sustainable skills that can be passed on to others. Currently HELP is working with impoverished communities in eight locations around the world—Belize, El Salvador, Fiji, India, Thailand, Uganda, Tanzania, and Peru.

As a volunteer I will have the opportunity to initiate life-changing, sustainable development programs. One of the first projects that I will be involved in is an eye-screening clinic. Last year HELP screened thousands of impoverished rural people who needed eye surgery and set up doctors who were able to perform this important service and maintain the optical care needed for the future.  I am confident that I can make a difference in the lives of the Ugandan people.

Uganda is a country in Eastern Africa where over 75% of the population lives below the poverty line. HELP’s program allows volunteers to participate in substantive projects which (1) assess needs in country, (2) ascertain local buy-in, and (3) develop innovative poverty alleviating programs which allow for opportunities of growth and development. Projects in Uganda include; adobe stove building, microfinance, square-foot gardening, micro-credit initiatives, English class teaching, public health and hygiene education, orphanage work, among others. All projects are done collaboratively with locally operated NGOs in Uganda. Projects taken on require commitment from the community they are aimed at helping, thereby not only securing more sustainability, but also increasing effective program transferability.

Non-profit organizations like HELP International rely heavily on volunteer program fees and fundraising. As a volunteer, I have the opportunity to raise funds that will go directly to these great projects, changing the lives of potentially thousands of people for the better. My goal is to raise $4,500.00 by   June 15th, 2011.

 While money is tight for everyone, especially during these difficult times, the amount of good that can be done for the people in Uganda increases significantly with even a small donation. Understanding how the economic crisis has affected us in the United States, we can hardly imagine how much worse it has devastated those in impoverished countries. We are inviting you to join us and HELP International in serving the people of Uganda by donating $35, $50, $100, $250, $500 or whatever you can* . Checks should be made payable to HELP International with “Kirk Thompson” in the memo line. Donations can be mailed directly to HELP International, or through PayPal online at: http://help-international.org/donate-now, including “Kirk Thompson” in the comments section. If you’d like more information please visit the HELP International website www.help-international.org, or email me at krkthompson@gmail.com, or you can call me at (208-830-3809). I thank you in advance for your support as you are now invested as a partner in this noble work to help alleviate suffering of poverty throughout the world. I would like to keep you and your family informed on the progress of the various projects. Here is a link to the blog I will keep this summer: http://help-uganda.blogspot.com/. Please include your email address with the donation so that I can just send you the blog by email.

Thank you!

2010 Impact

      8410 served with visual health through screenings, eyeglasses and cataract surgeries

     5424 people taught Nutrition, Hygiene, Sex-Education and general Community Health lessons

     4036 helped through AIDS advocacy activities

     Construction of various Health and Sanitation Facilities, Classrooms, illiterate-friendly Hospital signs, Mushroom Homes and Chick Farms benefitting thousands

     872 involved in improved Literacy and English campaigns

     836 students empowered through Music, Drama, Art and Soccer Camps

     674 taught skills related to Leadership, Computers and Conflict Resolution

     465 school children taught Drug Education

     293 trained on Square-foot Gardening and Vermicomposting with 158 Gardens built

     160 trained, 58 Adobe Stoves built

     148 trained for improved Micro-Finance loaning and Business Consulting

     69 Special Needs Children and teachers engaged in therapy and learning activities as well as 17 empowerment themed wall Murals painted

     38 Lepers given care and attention

     29 trained on Bee-Keeping ventures

     1 Recycling Program implemented