i.HUG

Overstaffed?

2008-04-09T20:52:00.000-07:00

Our school is small by anyone's standards. Only 42 children are enrolled yet we employ 8 full time staff and 3 part-time. Our paid staff include day-time and night-time guards, teachers, cooks, cleaners and a home-school liaison officer. We also have a robust volunteer program in which locals and people from the UK and USA offer their time to improve the school and the childrenâ€™s learning experiences.

You could be excused for thinking we are over-staffed. However, as always, even this is a question of relativity. One factor that I had not taken into account when we employed our staff was the issue of health. Whilst typing this I am aware that today I need to teach a full-time table. Why? The reason is because our head cook is off suffering with malaria and an infection in her finger, one of our teachers is also off with malaria. In addition 7 of our 42 children were absent from school yesterday because of malaria. This is not all. Nearly all of our staff and about 80% of our children suffer from serious tooth problems â€“ decay, cavities, infected gums.

Today the bursar was supposed to meet with the cook to discuss ways to reduce our spending on food. Food prices have shot up and so the task of reducing expenses whilst ensuring we do not reduce on portion sizes (some of our children eat only one meal a day â€“ at school). The bursar/head cook meeting has been postponed twice and today looks like it will be the third time. The first time because the bursarâ€™s mother was in a coma, the second time because the bursar was admitted into hospital and put on IV treatment for a throat problem (the doctors did not give him a diagnosis and simply give him 5 injections and 2 drips as well as a course of anti-biotics â€“ this â€˜wrongâ€™ treatment cost him more than his months wages).

So we who are holding the fort make up a bizarre looking band of not so merry men and women. There is the guard who has a terrible tooth-ache; the teaching assistant who has malaria but cannot afford to go to the doctors; the other qualified teacher is 7 months pregnant and getting heavier, bigger and more tired with every day that passes. I am suffering from itchy eyes and a snotty nose due to dust allergy â€“ not such a problem in the face of malaria. This leaves us with the cleaner, the part-time kitchen assistant and Tom, the volunteer from England who can say they are physically at their best. Overstaffed? It doesnâ€™t feel like it today.

I hope the pregnant teacher does not catch malaria because if she does that would be a casualty of two.

So today, despite the fact that my time here in Uganda is indefinite due to my husbandâ€™s employment there is no time for administration duties, detailed lesson planning, policy-making, responding to emails, report writing, managing the staff in a meaningful way or making resources for the students.

The sad fact is today there is no time for the children.

No time to talk to them about their lives. No time to laugh and play with them and marvel that children all over the world have a magical capacity to find joy and awe in the small things. No time to talk about their very real and often deep hurts â€“ both physical and emotional.

No.

Today is about basic needs. Today is about hoping that everyone survives so that tomorrow or the day after tomorrow we will all be fit and healthy and strong. And when we are, maybe then we can move a rung up Maslowâ€™s hierarchy of needs.

The problem is hope is an inexact science.

For real development â€“ development of the school, development of the staff, development of the children we need to move towards better probabilities of good health and away from the hope of a possibility that we will survive this malaria season. None of us at this school forget the day that one of our studentâ€™s sister died of malaria. Malaria is as common as a common cold but can be as deadly as death.

Todayâ€™s pressing question is not one concerning being over-staffed or understaffed it is a question health. It is a question of survival.

Holiday Party

2007-12-30T19:03:00.000-08:00

Each year, Pastor Paddy holds a party in Kabalagala for all the children--i.HUG's kids, older kids, any of the kids, in fact, in need. This year, we donated toward the small children's party. And the results speak for themselves.

UCC Rocks!

2007-12-14T05:07:00.001-08:00

A shout out to the Union County College of New Jersey for their generous donation. Coming after a talk at the school, the student and teachers group raised $300 to benefit the children of i.HUG

Lobbying for i.HUG

2007-11-27T21:27:00.000-08:00

i.HUGgers working hard to help the community in Kabalagala, Uganda. Check out Jessica, an employee of Lyon-Heart advertising agency, volunteering to sell i.HUG's greeting cards at the News Building on 42nd Street. To purchase these cards, click here: www.ihugfoundation.org.

the hard lesson

2007-10-04T20:32:00.001-07:00

I am here in Uganda. I am with children who are happy - so happy, at
least some of the time. But life here is unmistakably tragic. Tragic
and beautiful. Beautiful and devastating. It seems that life is
beyond our control - out of our control. Like the floods that ravaged
the harvest in Eastern Uganda last week. We wait and see what destiny
has in store for us - whether it will save us or spoil us.

One of the street children I teach ran away last week. We scoured the
streets. Instead of finding him I found over 400 other street people -
newly born babies, toddlers, retired men in search of the government
pension they had been promised, refugees, people in exile, mothers
with daughters, abandoned children, orphans.

After some days we found him in a disused house that was home to drug
addicts, drug dealers and street children. A pit. He was out of his
head. How old is he? His height tells me he is 10 but his hands tell
me he is a very old man. I don't know his age - neither does he. He
is the child of parents who fled the genocide in Rwanda. Uganda was a
safe haven. Except it wasn't. AIDS kills without borders. They died
in a foreign country leaving behind two children with no extended
family to take these children on.

The boy was so small when he became an orphan. His sister was forced
into a marriage with a man many years her senior - she was around 13
when she married - a child bride. Her husband, an alcoholic beat her
senseless on a daily basis. She finally left, taking her two small
babies and became a prostitute.

Meanwhile the boy was given to an old Rwandese lady who had no family
or children - she had been a coffee farmer in her youth and was
relatively wealthy. But with no pension, her wealth ran out and she
was left in the hands of poverty. A good woman but old. So old. The
boy was her carer - collecting water from the stream, cooking,
cleaning. At the same time he got sexually and physically abused by
the neighbour. It was then that he began running away. The old woman
died. He had nowhere to run from and nowhere to run to.

After some running he came and lived with me. He didn't run away
until the day I had to say goodbye and had to leave. Then he ran.
And he has kept on running since. What was an act of courage and
survival became a destructive habit. Living on the streets makes the
young die when they are old. A 10 year old, old man dying on the
streets. The streets make men out of boys. It robs children of their
childhood. It happens every day, every second. All over the world.

So when we found him he was out of his head. Not on drugs, just from
sheer exhaustion of fighting and picking through the scrap on the
streets and having no food and being dehydrated. He is with me now.
He sleeps in the classroom at the school until his new room is fixed
up. He will be staying with 5 other ex-street children. Will it last?
Can he break the habit of running to the dangerous yet familiar
streets? I don't know. I can't think anymore.

I love him.

I want his life to be restored but I know it can't be what it should
be. The hand he was dealt is really too much to bear, For him and for
those around him.

And I have learnt. He is my teacher and he has taught me that I need
to engage with pain. It is a principle that threads and weaves itself
through my life. When I attempt to ignore pain and suffering then I
help no one. If I turn my face away from pain I will also limit what
I see of joy. I don't know why or how but they are inextricably
linked. He has taught me that too.

from jane: first day, third term

2007-09-18T17:29:00.000-07:00

There is a verse in the bible which talks about
> 'mourning with those who mourn' and 'weeping with
> those who weep' and 'dancing with those who dance.'
> In essence that is what I feel my job involves. My
> job at its best that is. Today, the children who
> came back to school had lost weight, were sick and
> were so so so sad. It was totally depressing to be
> around them. They were dejected. So, we talked
> about it. What made them sad - some were sick,
> Promise's sister had been badly burnt in the
> holidays, Pingu had been burnt. We talked and
> talked and then after acknowledging and allowing
> them to feel the way they felt we could make room
> for other feelings. Some were still sad the whole
> day but some of them had some space to feel
> something else. So, we all hugged. Stupid isn't
> it. But we hugged
> each other and said 'I am so glad to see
> you.' And then there were a few smiles. They
> knew. They knew that I really am glad to see them.
> And that their friends are really glad to see them.
> No matter how sad they are, no matter how sick they
> are, there is a place which has people in it who
> want to hug them, who want to hear about their pain,
> who want to share their joy and who are glad to see
> them.

Galleria de la Kabalagala

2007-09-16T20:17:00.000-07:00

Bidders please stand in line.

Jacky and her Mango tree clinics

2007-09-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

This photo is from the village in Mbarara where I do ‘under the Mango tree’ type clinics when I am up-country. This wee child had a colostomy made when he was born which should have been corrected when he was one year old. He is now three, nothing has been done, the mum has no idea of how to look after him and just ties a filthy rag around it. Weird looking colostomy.

I have managed to get a company in NZ to supply some colostomy bags and am giving the mum some education on how to care for the child while I investigate the possibility of corrective surgery.

Well I could go on, but there are just so many cases everywhere that need attention often through mismanagement by the medical profession. When and if you get a community clinic started it will be inundated with all kinds of people who desperately need help. I think there will be need for paying clients to cover the costs of the poor and still be able to make a profit.

Nurse Jacky, and the KCA Clinic

2007-09-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

You just have to meet Nurse Jacky.

I first met her when I went to Uganda, back in June. Jacky has single-handedly changed the healthcare of our kids at the school. Her recent donation of an exam table, cabinet, etc., turned our spare room into a clinic. The work of one person...that is how our clinic was born! These photos show you how all this work is starting...

Jackie has also taken to giving home visits. "This has helped the parents have more confidence in what is being done for the kids at school in the clinic and they are grateful for the medication and the treatment for their wounds etc.," says Jacky "Often other neighbours come with their own little problems too. Sometimes over the weekends I have done dressings sitting outside their homes on the dirt! Very sterile I must say."

On clinic days, the children line up to see Nurse Jacky. And since she is a wound specialist, she is able to prevent infections before they start.

thank you, Jacky, for the work that you do. I hope you are sleeping soundly somewhere tonight.

Open Day 2007

2007-07-07T05:38:00.001-07:00

The day before I left Uganda, Kabalagala Community Academy had its first Open Day. (What's Open Day?, you may ask. Well, it's like a Speech Day, only less boring.) All the i.HUG kids—even the ones that attend other schools—as well as parents and guardians and the local counselman and village elders came out for the event. We consider Open Day a way to officially invite the community in, and show them what we do.

The kids had been practicing so hard all week for the big event: there were five or six songs to be sung, to be danced to, and skills like spelling and match to be showed off. I had butterflies in my stomach for them (although grateful for the water in the jerry can at home—the water had been cut and I really wanted to be showered for the event!)

The chairs arrived in the nick of time, and the seats began to fill. Showtime!!!!

As most events do, it began with the Ugandan national anthem, and then our KCA visitors song. As the day wore on, I realized I hadn’t stopped smiling in hours—the kids were so adorable, so earnest and excited. And when the power cut on and off, on and off due to problems with the equipment, Ronald and Dennis jumped in like a comedy act and kept everyone entertained.

There were also several speeches throughout the day—from myself, from Jane, Pastor Paddy, and a representative from the parents. I was particularly touched by that last one, when a parent spoke to me directly and thanked me for my efforts. And then I was showered with presents like beautiful hand woven mats banana fiber bags (jealous?) The parents and guardians are so grateful for the school, and for the help they receive with the children. So, if you’re reading this, please feel it…I’m passing it all along to you.

--joanna

HIV Care for Kids

2007-06-17T03:45:00.000-07:00

There’s a doctor in Kampala named Dr. Peter Mugyenyi. His story is so interesting, I could listen to him for hours: Some years back, before many HIV drugs were registered in this country, he began illegally importing them and treating patients. He would drive to the airport at night and load up his car, and when beaurocrats would tell him that Uganda didn’t have enough “infrastructure” to treat AIDS patients, he sent up tents outside his office where this treatment could take place. In my eyes, that’s what it means to be a hero.

I met with Dr. Mugyenyi this past week, and he said that his clinic would begin free HIV testing and treatment for our students under the PEPFAR grant. This would most likely take place in a satellite hospital that Dr. Mugyenyi has partnered with, called Nsambya Hospital, which is close to the place where we work. This was such good news—HIV care is out of the realm of our students, and even most of the community we serve. I am now moving this forward slowly with paperwork, so please keep your fingers crossed that it comes to fruition.

Of course, free HIV/AIDS care is only half the battle. We have to learn how to educate and sensitize the parents, the students, and the rest of the community to this issue, as well as set policies and procedures regarding privacy, among other issues. Not to mention raising the money for the transport costs—if everything does work out—to Nsambya. But we are moving ahead with this big dream, and I’ll have a chance to at least meet with some HIV counselors and others to begin outlining a plan.

Mazlo’s hierarchy of needs

2007-06-13T05:15:00.000-07:00

When you’re concerned with basic needs, it’s hard to think beyond that. And for the last few days in our house, we’ve been almost entirely consumed of thinking of our basic needs. With frequent water and power outages, we’re had to really worry about whether we’ll have enough water to drink and how we’re going to cook our meal—and even if we’ll even be able to see what we’re eating.

Yet, we are amongst the most fortunate ones in Kampala. Most of our students don’t have access to running water, which means that much of their day revolves around the process of ensuring their basic needs of food and water are met. (Indeed, few things are child sized here, but you can always find child sized jerry cans to carry water.)

For us, it means that, in Uganda, even when you have money, sometimes you still lack. We have the money to pay for electricity, but we don’t have electricity all the time. But for the children in our project who don’t have access to money, they are doubly disadvantaged.

Joanna's first day of school

2007-06-07T22:57:00.000-07:00

President Joanna...that's what the kids call me here. I stood outside the school yesterday morning to greet them, alongside Teacher Jane, Teacher Simon, and Teacher Joel (our stellar volunteer).

I've been in Uganda for two days now, and slowly, slowly...the benefit of our work is starting to seep in.

As for Kabalagala Community Academy, it is more full of love, of learning, and of progress than I could have ever imagined. The kids start their day by pitching in with the chores: this morning I arrived to find them sweeping the walkway, picking up rocks, and walking the biodegradable trash--like banana peels--over to the compost heap. Everything is used and recycled and nothing is to be wasted ever.

Yesterday, I sat in on Teacher Jane's class, where the P1 kids were learning about sentence structure like subjects and verbs. Joel pitched in, translating into Luganda for the kids who were a bit behind. I saw with several other children, talking to them about what they like about school (football games, getting fed, and no beatings like in other schools).

Teacher Simon and I sat and talked a lot over lunch, and I am quite impressed with him. He helps make our strategy real: of immediate care, like the food, as well as education to learn. It is a problem because, for many of our students, the only time they ever eat is at school, making weekends extremely difficult. The students were so good at lunch, sitting fairly quietly and eating...what they didn't finish, they passed along to other students to eat.

But by far, the best time of day is the last period, which includes singing, dancing, and storytime. The older kids beat African drums while Ronald led the kids in many many songs! They are so adorable, and so sweet....and really, so worth it.

It's true what jane says about KCA being somewhat of a fairy tale.

For me, personally, I was quite moved to see how much community participation is evident there. When we were first designing our project proposal, people told us that no one would volunteer--that people are too poor and taken with their own lives. That has not been the case and in fact, we have quite a robust volunteer program. One benefit is a free meal at lunchtime, but even with that, the volunteers are quite engaged and very helpful. KCA just started a parents club as well, and we will see how that goes.

After school it was off with Ronald and Jeani, our fabulous volunteer from California, to visit the i.HUG kids who attend other schools. We spent much time in the slum--which had grown to a whopping 28,000 people since I was last here in 2004--and had a chance to visit the children in their homes.

I pause and stop, because there really are no words. The living conditions are so poor, the water so dirty, the children in many cases left on their own...It is very hard to bear. I gave out many toothbrushes and toothpaste to children we saw there, who were very grateful--bowing and kissing hands and things like that. Truly, the need was so vast.

For the kids in our program, you can see what an opportunity it is to go to school, and escape their lives which are mostly filled with work. I was quite impressed with the network Ronald had set up--things like parent advocates at one school to ensure the i.HUG kids were getting fed (what sponsors pay for) and to protect them from caning.

I am back to school shortly--if I can find my way through the twisty dirt roads back from the Internet cafe. Tonight, Jane is having a staff party at her house, and looking forward to spending more time with them.

over and out for now!

Week 3 in Uganda

2007-06-01T02:24:00.000-07:00

The children continue to amaze me. I am slowly learning about their stories – their backgrounds, family life, personalities, hobbies, struggles etc. I will soon be visiting some of the children’s home so I am sure I will have many stories to share.

In my blog entry this week I would like to tell you about one of our wonderful volunteers. His name is Joel. He’s a 20 year old young man whose parents both died when he was very young and was raised by an aunt in Entebbe, Uganda. After living with her for several years he moved to the Kabalagala area to live with his cousin and her three children. Throughout his growing up years his cousin struggled and worked extremely hard to pay for all the children’s school fees, put food on the table, and pay rent. Joel worked extremely hard throughout school and he finally just finished high school a few months ago. Attending a university is a huge goal of his but currently the expenses are too great for his family. So Joel graces us with his presence five days a week for the entire school day and he does this all for free. His dedication to these children and passion for teaching is amazing. A good portion of his day is in the classroom translating Jane’s teaching as most of the children are just starting to learn English.

A few evenings ago, Joel invited Jane and me into his home he shares with his cousin and her family. They prepared a wonderful traditional Ugandan meal for us to thank Jane profusely for everything she has done for Joel. While volunteering at the school has provided Joel with excellent teaching experience, I also think the ‘thank you’ needs to be extended the other way because Joel has demonstrated day-after-day that he is dedicated to teaching children, enriching their lives, and providing them with someone they can all strive to be someday.

One day Joel hopes he will have the opportunity to attend a university and become a teacher!!

Jeani sets out for her volunteer trip in Uganda

2007-05-23T20:20:00.000-07:00

My journey to Uganda began two weeks ago and the time is already flying by. I spent the first week acclimating to my new surroundings, meeting so many people, adjusting to the interesting bugs, power cuts, and being called a â€˜Muzunguâ€™(a white person), visiting a nearby village, and what I surprisingly found most challenging was learning how to sleep under a mosquito net. Jane did an excellent job of showing me around Kabalagala and the Kampala area. I sometimes feel as though Jane is the town major. Everywhere we go people want to speak with and embrace her. Everyone that she has introduced me to, whether they are involved in the school, church, internet cafÃ©, or just someone she passes by every day on her way to school, has been so welcoming and friendly.

After a week of adjusting to life in this beautiful country it is finally time for the second term of school to begin. The twenty-seven children that make up Kabalagala Community Academy and I have something in common. We are all eager and enthusiastic to begin this journey of learning together. While they will be learning subjects like math and reading they will be teaching me so much about themselves and myself, about life in Uganda, and the hardships they all face. As I sit in the school office writing this all I can hear are the sounds of happy children playing and singing outside during their lunch break. I have already discovered that these children are so grateful for the little they have and the opportunity they have been given to receive an excellent education.

2007-05-13T17:40:00.000-07:00

This is the type of kids I want to see: healthy, happy, confident, dressed for school. That is the difference i.HUG is making on the ground in Uganda.

Jane settles in

All in a row...

Everybody pitches in to help.

2007-05-10T19:08:00.001-07:00

been in hospital all of yesterday evening and all of today with Eric, the youngest who has severe malaria and has been on 4 drips throughout the course of today and yesterday. Feeling very protective of his tiny body.

Smile, please!

2007-05-03T18:11:00.000-07:00

On my recent trip to Uganda I went to Kabalagala Community Academy. Whilst I was there, so many things about the children struck me—one of them were their smiles.

Many of these children were under the age of seven, and had a mouth full of brown and rotting teeth. The ones that I noticed were the ones whose teeth were missing, discoloured or damaged. But as far as I know, the children who were fortunate enough to still have a bright white smile may have been having rotten teeth at the back.

Most of the children had very little sugar in their diet, and most of them did not have toothbrushes and toothpaste at home. One child whose parents tried to encourage him to brush his teeth was given soap to put on his toothbrush! The issue seemed to be both a financial and an educational one.

I mentioned my concerns in an I-HUG committee meeting and within a week I-HUG have been inundated with excellent quality children’s toothbrushes (which are hard to find in Uganda) and, toothpaste. With these supplies and the commitment from the school to teach and promote oral hygiene within the school day much will be achieved to helping prevent further decay.

I am wondering now if someone knows a dentist who would like to take a trip to Uganda……….
-ruth

Ruth's first trip to Africa...

2007-04-18T19:13:00.001-07:00

My Impressions of Uganda.

I had never been to Africa before- the only one in my family that had resisted.
I, of course, had seen lots of photographs and heard stories about my family’s visits there. Of course these different perspectives and my own pre-conceived notions were different from the reality of Uganda.

I arrived late in the evening to Entebbe airport to be met by my sister Jane, Pastor Paddy and the little girl my sister has been taking care of- Jane. The drive back to Kabalagala in Kampala gave me time to reassess my expectations of the roads in Uganda- I had expected them to be similar to the roads in India with lots of rickshaws and animals mingled in with the traffic- but, in fact, there were only automated vehicles. This is going to be easy I thought, then we took a right turn down to Jane’s house and suddenly the fun began, we were on a dirt road which seemed to last and last!

Mostly the impressions I made of Uganda were made up of the people I met. I had heard about how well behaved children would, but I was overwhelmed when I arrived at the school and every child greeted me and shook my hand. The importance of introductions and greetings became clear to me when whoever I met shook hands with me and inquired how I was and often how were my parents. I soon found out that the inquiries into how I was not restricted to people I was introduced to but were also called out to me by passers by, hawkers, children and shop owners.

I felt that people in Uganda made time for each other. There was not the culture of needing to make appointments to catch up with friends. Sharing each others lives is by no means a superficial act. A great number of the people that I met had fostered or taken in children who would have otherwise been homeless. None of these people with these extended families had huge houses or superfluous money and neither did they boast about their good deeds, it was accepted and understood as a way of life.

The warmth and friendliness of the Ugandan people I met was incredible. After having stayed in Uganda for just under two weeks a number of people came to wave me off to the airport. Whilst the wildlife and scenery that I saw were spectacular the most impressive thing in Uganda that I saw were the people.

2007-04-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share this photo of Paddy and his new friend, en route back from Congo, where he works with children of a country ravaged by war.

The next wave of letters arrive...

2007-03-26T20:53:00.000-07:00

This one is one of my favorite! Turning drops of blood into drops of love.

They are visible...just look

2007-03-21T15:47:00.000-07:00

I was speaking with our newest Board Member today, Rwebiita Atucungwiire, who talked a lot about how so many of the poorest people are invisible. And when it comes to children, it is even a bigger problem.

It made me think of our project and what it takes to make children "visible." To make them students. To make them happy.

The only thought that keeps occuring in my mind is, at the very least, we know where to see these children during school hours.

Who Is That Man?

2007-03-21T15:37:00.000-07:00

Who is that man you ask?

Why, that's Bill Dicker (aka Jane's dad)!

Bill is planning to cycle the length of Britain to raise money for i.HUG and Fegans Children's Charity. He rides from Lands End in England to John 'O Groats at the tip of Scotland. (My legs are hurting just thinking of it.) The ride is scheduled for late May and he is busy collecting sponsorships.

So what are you waiting for? You couldn't get a more inspiring or scenic ride.

If you're interested in sponsoring a portion of Bill's ride, please send an e-mail to ihug@ihugfoundation.org. Go, Bill Go!

Our goal...

2007-03-05T21:30:00.000-08:00

Our goal: to offer a way for children to be just children. We're already achieving that in some small ways.

Culturally Relevant Tools

2007-02-25T20:32:00.000-08:00

I remember the time Paddy e-mailed me some good news: an organization had donated dolls to children in Kabalagala and outlying villages. But the pictures of the distribution of these dolls told another story--the dolls were white. And to me, looking at those white dolls in a sea of black faces just felt violently wrong.

I know a few of our volunteers felt the same way. So although black dolls are hard to find (donated black dolls, I should say), Jane did a great job of doing so. And when I saw this photo of our project, I felt a little surge of pride. We may be grassroots, but we can provide the toys and tools to our children to make them proud of their heritage.

Thank you to Isaac and the UFCA Troupe

2007-02-25T20:26:00.000-08:00

Some friends joined us for the launch party of Kabalagala Community Academy. Meet Issac and the UFCA Troupe. Isaac is a 20-something who takes in orphans, and raises money through traditional dance performances. But Issac donated this wonderful experience to KCA, and made the night even more special.

Thank you UFCA!

This is what we meant by skipping rope...

2007-02-21T18:22:00.000-08:00

2007-02-20T08:15:00.000-08:00

some photos

Skipping ropes and plastic bags

2007-02-14T18:51:00.000-08:00

In our bid to save the planet and save money and do a lot of skipping, we at Kabalagala Community Academy have been very industrious. I had put 3 bins in the playground for the children - one for compost, one for paper and one for plastics. However, the bin for plastics was giving me a headache - what to do with all the plastic bags?

A friend of mine works for an indigenous NGO that works to educate Ugandans about the environment - he suggested making skipping ropes from plastic bags and balls too. Phoebe, our cook mocked me but on seeing me make poor skipping ropes she took over the mission and made a skipping rope that made me feel like opening up a skipping rope factory. Then Jane my 10 year old friend got in on the act. She decided to make a really long skipping rope so that all the children in the school can jump at the same time. She has been at it for 2 hours now and shows no signs of weakening. She even refused to come to town with me and eat chicken because completing her giant skipping rope is currently her number one priority.

I am so excited about the skipping ropes. We will have a go at making balls tomorrow. It is small but it feels very significant.

Kabalagala Community Academy

2007-02-07T19:22:00.000-08:00

My first day at school and I have already learned a lot!

2007-02-06T19:05:00.000-08:00

Following our fabulous school opening party on Saturday our school opened it's gates for it's first day today. Some children arrived more than 30 minutes early, some more than 30 minutes late. The children, aged between 4 and 14 years old (just one is 14 - the rest are between 4 and 7) looked smart for about five minutes and then we got serious with the business of having fun learning. By the end of the day the uniforms were covered in dust and mud and a few children left with grazed knees!

We showed the children around the school and talked about our three rules - Respecting ourselves, respecting each other and respecting our environment. Suddenly, one girl calld Promise went into a long and animated story about a dog trying to bite her and how she feared and ran away. It didn't seem to have much to do with our school rules except maybe that dogs don't respect much!

Lunch was rice, matoke (savoury mashed bananas) and. We sat outside, under a gazebo seated on locally made mats. Unfortunately Promise put her feet in Ebenezer's food by accident and Opio spilt his drink on the mats. Every child refused to eat until each and everyone had their food in front of them. These children know a lot about living in a community. Unfortunately they were unable to contain their excitment at having such a good meal abd being together and sprayed a lot of food over us and each other as they talked and ate at the same time. We began the process of un-teaching this habit but I think it may well be a slow process.

Our Ugandan teacher Simon taught traditional music and dance. There was quite a lot of rivalry between the boys as to who should play the drums. I am gunning for a girl to surpass the boys at drumming but we will see.

The day ended with a story from 'The Happy Story Book followed by a slice of pineapple;. The children loved the puppets that accompanied the book and I was happy to have all eyes on the illustrations in the book and all mouths closed (no food being sprayed - no voices to sshush!)

I am tired but quite enthusiastic about the challenge of ensuring these children get a formal education that is as exciting as can be! Tomorrow I teach agriculture, drama and story-telling, integrated production skills (art and craft without the love of the process of producing!) and more English. I have learnt some African dance today and my Luganda has imrpoved a lot. I wonder what tomorrow will teach us?

Questions from Steve

2007-01-30T20:37:00.000-08:00

Jane answers some questions during the week before the Kabalagala Community Academy opens!

How will this school be built when the land is acquired? How much will the land cost? How much will the school cost?

It really varies and land prices have been rising sharply over the last few years due to the common wealth summit and the close proximity to the city centre but typically it is about $50,000 for one acre. Also not to forget that we must pursue simultaneously lobbying for land and exploring buying options. Locals seem to think that even if we do not get the land that was recommended in the feasibilty study we should still try to lobby for another piece of land. And I have to say I agree - we should try that avenue even if it results in us not getting land donated.

What age range will this school serve?
youngest will be 5, the oldest - almost impossible to say, currently our oldest student is 14 and should he stay until P7 he will complete primary school at the age of about 17 ot even 18.

Where did the curriculum for this school come
from?
We use the curriculum written by the Ugandan ministry of education. It is good and allows room for creativity in teaching so we aim to develop higher order thinking skills whilst ensuring students will pass (tedious) standardised tests!

One Week Countdown

2007-01-28T19:33:00.000-08:00

After all the planning...late hours...hard work...phone calls, e-mails, meetings...sweat equity, so they say: the Kabalagala Community Academy will open in one week.

I see everybody across the globe working so hard. I'm just hoping that you all feel united, and can see the difference your work is making, and how very worth it is.

Now, once you're inside the school, it is a whole other world--that's the province of head teacher Jane, and our teacher Simon. I'm sharing some of their plans here, in the 2007 Kabalagala Community Academy Timetable. Double-click on the image below for a closer look:

Jane's first letter from Uganda!

2007-01-10T16:53:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,
So I am here in Uganda. I had a disappointing start to my trip as the amount of luggage that I was allowed to bring was less than it was on the website at the time when the tickets were purchased. Subsequent surveying of fellow passengers revealed that I was about the only person who was stung! Not quite sure what that was about but am definitely not flying Emirates again but anyway the flight itself was wonderful. Lots of Ugandan mulslims flying back from Mecca and shouts of 'Allah Akbar' as we landed and much adulating and cheers of joy that we landed safely!

So, day 1 involved meeting with Simon, our teacher and making a list of priorities. We decided that the school office needed to be up and running and so we bought office desks and a book shelf.

Today involved more furniture shopping - white board, book cases for the class room, display boards, brooms and so on. It is quite tiresome work in the heat and dust of Kampala but am really enjoying it and feeling very productive! We have unpacked all the toys and resources for the school and wow my bias is evident - all books and art and craft things - very little for science and not much for Maths ! Anyway, we will rectify that surely.

The school / house is great. The compound is much bigger than the the one at the house that fell threw and am so excited that we will have a garden to grow food in as well as a large size grass play area. We should save some money buy growing our own food and it will be a big help when it comes to teaching agriculture.

I have been spending a lot of time with Asuman our eldest pupil in our school. Due to his life as a street child no one quite knows his age - guesses range between 10 and 18 - Paddy puts him at 10, Asuman assures me he is a grown man of 18 and others put him at 14. Asuman lives with Paddy and by default me too! We play cards together, he teaches me Luganda, I teach him English. He is unable to defeat me when we play pairs! He dances calypso for me and loves to tell me about Arsenal's recent victories! He really is a delight and we have begun to talk a little about his memories of his family - his big brother. Slowly, slowly I think we will become very close. He told me that Paddy is his favourite person in the world and he loves to live there because he can eat and sleep very well!

Paddy and Rose have also taken in Rose's very very old aunt. Paddy says she will stay there til she rests in peace! So now Asuman and Michael sleep in the lounge, the aunt in the garage, and that leaves the other 6 of us in the 3 bedrooms. It should be crowded but really it feels like a very happy family who chooses to be close to each other rather than far apart!

Yesterday, was sad. I saw one of the teenagers from church with the youth worker and he was very down-ward looking with a cap covering his face. I soon saw why when I lifted his chin - he had been badly beaten by his step-father. His step-father is from the north and as he beats says that 'all my family have been beaten, tortured and killed - why should you be spared?' It is a very difficult situation for the boy and I really felt engulfed with sadness for him and the circumstances he is in. For those of you who pray - pray for him please!

We have arranged our first staff meeting for Monday - we are 5 staff in total and we are waiting for to employ a guard. Also, we are having a 'launch party' on Feb 3rd, a parents meeting and a meeting with all the children before their first day at school on the 5th. I can't wait for the launch party - I will be demanding much drumming and dancing!

Well all for now, please fwd this to anyone who might be interested and who I might have forgotten.

Love to you all,
Jane

Carrie and Michael's Photos from Uganda: I couldn't resist

2007-01-08T23:01:00.000-08:00

Nkoko, Nkoko ... Mbuzi

2006-11-28T01:53:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Uganda. Michael and I arrived on Friday morning, and we spent Saturday at the Child Life Center in Kabalagala. At 3:00 on the dot, a few dozen children showed up, all smiles. No doubt they had been looking forward to this all day. Michael led them in the first activity of the day--a game that is as American as apple pie but unkown of here: Duck, Duck ... Goose, except to make it setting-appropriate we used the Ugandan words for chicken and goat, nkoko and mbuzi. The game was a big hit. About 7 of them at a time sat in a circle at the center of the courtyard to play, while the others sat and watched, screaming and laughing. They thought it was fun to tap Michael as the goat, until he slipped and fell and got a pretty nasty strawberry on his knee. I'm not sure if the game taught them any life lessons, but I'm sure the sound of laughter was audible all across the city of Kampala. --Carrie

More Art

2006-11-09T12:28:00.000-08:00

The girl who drew the piece entitled it 'The Hunterman'. She wrote these words about her subject:

The hunterman is muscular
He was going to hunt a wild rabbit.
He is strong and firm.
He is hunting to get skin for making clothes.
He is hunting to get meat.

Children's art work...

2006-11-09T12:18:00.000-08:00

Whilst in Kabalagala, Uganda recently, I spent a lot of time with children who were serious about the business of 'creating'. Each day we would meet and get to work on our pieces of art. The work was collaborative and each child would take the time to appraise or give advice to others. We didn't have tables or desks or chairs and so the children sat in what looked like yoga positions for long periods of time. I was amazed by their skill and enthusiasm. Some of their work took more than 4 hours (not all in one go) - such an example is below - the picture entitled 'Magic Pots'.

These pieces of work are for sale at tomorrow's fundraiser in a silent auction at the Rohs Street Cafe, Cincinnati. I hope they get sold for a good price. Someone asked me in an incredulous voice the other day who would buy these children's work. The answer is I don't know. Whilst we are relying on charitable hearts I can also firmly say that I believe these pieces of art are worth every penny and more than will be paid for them. And of course all the money will go towards opening our school. What an invaluable contribution these children have made to their own lives and the lives of others.

Children's art work

2006-11-09T08:50:00.000-08:00

Property secured

2006-11-09T07:59:00.000-08:00

We have found another property in Kabalagala. The same price but bigger and in some respects in a better location. We are very close to some common ground - big open grassy space with football goals, so PE lessons will be fun. I can't bear to think about it because it makes me want to be be there and see it for real. Imagine how this place will look when it has lots of children in it. Expect to see such photos from Feb 2007 onwards.

Simon - our teacher

2006-11-09T07:55:00.000-08:00

2006-11-01T12:30:00.000-08:00

The photo of Simon is coming - just having problems uploading it.

Our teacher

2006-11-01T12:20:00.000-08:00

So the bad news is that the splendid house (see photo some entries back) that we hoped to get for our school will not be given to us. I am not sure why. The ministry of education in Uganda make landlords renting property or lands for the purpose of schools sign a 3 year agreement with their tenants that they cannot break but which their tenants can. Maybe the landlord was scared off by this. I am not sure. So please keep your fingers crossed for us. Paddy is working very hard to secure us another property.

But there is good news. We have appointed our teacher. Officially. His name is Simon, he is a talented teacher and is particularly gifted in the area of music and dance. Hopefully one of these days Simon will write something for this blog but in the meantime cast your eyes on his photos. As Dickens would say, 'He is a fine figure of a man' - don't you think?

mama?

2006-10-30T10:32:00.000-08:00

All these years I have resisted letting children in Uganda call me 'mama'. I couldn't bear a child to call me mama and then when the time came I would have to leave them, there was something distinctly un-mamalike about leaving the child that calls you mama. There was also a little bit of vanity coming in there too. 'Mama' made me think of cooking, child bearing and big hips. Not something I was ready to link myself to just yet. So, I contented myself with being Sister Jane or Teacher Jane to all the children who knew me.

Then something changed, a shift in my understanding of what being a mama means in Uganda.

I was in the market with my little 10 year old deaf friend. The market is a crowded, busy, frenetic place and my little friend was clinging to my hand for dear life. Every stall I passed the vendors would grab my hand and try to persuade me with words or force to buy from them. One man stopped me and instead of the usual 'trying to sell me something I didn't need' patter he began by asking me if I was the mother of the girl holding my hand. A strange question. She is black, I am white. It would be a miracle equal to the immaculate conception if I had managed to give birth to her. He didn't wait for my answer, just added 'Thank you for being her mother.'

This encounter made me realise that in Uganda to be called mama does not mean that you have given birth to a child. It simply means that you are someone who has mothered. I am still not too keen on being called Mama but I have a new found understanding for the way that Ugandans appreciate all mothers - biological or not.

Could this be the Seeds School?

2006-10-22T15:57:00.000-07:00

Isn't it beautiful? This week, we have been working back and forth with Uganda to try to secure this site for the Seeds School.

We're closing in on it, and I'll keep you posted.

Arts and Crafts for Sale

2006-10-15T05:55:00.000-07:00

HI All,
Just thought you might like some photos of some of the children who have been involved with the craft work. There are other children not in the photos who were absent on the day we took them. These children have been such a pleasure to work with, so incredidbly enthusiastic and diligent. They are very very proud of their work and really feeling excited that they are helping raise money for i.HuG and therefore helping themselves and their friends. So spread the word Cincy people about Nov 10th fundraiser and the great children's craft work on sale.

jane

one week in

2006-10-13T01:44:00.000-07:00

So, it is a week now since I left the USA. It amazes me how the things that concern me and give me pleasure have changed so dramatically in the space of a week. I am getting used to evenings without any electricity and finally am able to find the space and time to read extensively. Strange that I had to come to Uganda before the space could be carved out for me to do one of the things I really enjoy!

I have spent much time with the children of i.HUG and other children from the community. Their humour, politeness and compassion is impressive. I am doing a lot of craft work with them and they are revelling in it. The standard of their work is much higher than I expected. We are making decorations for Christmas trees at the moment and then we will move on the greetings cards and finally paintings and pictures that speak of their own lives. (All these will be sold at the NOV 10 fundraiser at Cincinnati - Cincinnati people come with your pockets full of pennies to buy these wonderfully handcrafted items... do I make a salesperson yet?!)

I have also spent a lot of time with some of the woman who volunteer at the child life centre with the children. On the surface they are always laughing, smiling, joking but after some time when they feel safe to talk they open up and talk of the things that make them anxious - lack of food, no income to pay the rent, fearof eviction, no means to get educated, fear that their children will get sick or hungry or that they will not be able to find enough money to buy them shoes. It is very hard to know what to say after hearing these worries. They are very real and affect every aspect of their lives. I have learnt to hold my toungue and avoid 'fixing' everything for people, at the same time listening and choosing not to help in any way feels somewhat voyeuristic. I really believe that if i.HUG helps the parents and guardians of the children we school then the children will be biggest benefactors. We have a lot of work to do people. Keep busy!

In Kabalagala ... at last

2006-10-11T08:14:00.000-07:00

After much thinking, planning and dreaming I am finally here in Kabalagala. I came loaded up with books, toys, craft items for the school and very few clothes. My bag was inspected on the US side - I wonder what they must have thought about me. Will this traveller wear just two shirts throughout her whole trip?

I arrived at Entebbe airport to be greeted by an all embracing hug from Paddy and Dennis. I was very happy to see them.

On saturday I went to see my friend, who is just 10 years old, hearing impaired (deaf to you and I) and in a boarding school. I was disappointed to find that the head teacher who was an amazing teacher to both hearing and hearing impaired students had left. My small friend was glad to see me and just kept looking at me for a long time with no attempt to communicate. The teacher told me she had a bad cough and boy was that an understatement. By Monday, she not only had a cough but a confirmed case of malaria, worm and a possible chest infection. So I have not taken her back to school but carefully plan our days so I can dish out the pills she has to take throughout the day. (more than 15 pils per day) She has been spending a lot of time at the child life network center and has been enjoying something of a celebrity because of her sigh language skills. It has really cheering to watch her teach other children how to sign. Their willingness to learn another language so that they might accomodate her is really inspiring. Time is up. More soon

The 'Nati Gets Social

2006-10-09T18:49:00.000-07:00

Pics from the Cincinnati i.HUG chapter's social. Volunteers got together to meet one another, and plan fundraisers for the fall. To break the ice, they also played a trivia game. Here's only one section of the questions. If you want the answers, you'll have to e-mail us at ihug@ihugfoundation.org

Round 2 – General Knowledge

1) “The British Uganda Program” was a plan to give a portion of British East Africa to the Jewish people as a homeland. True of False.
Answer _________________________________

2) In which African country can the Falasha Jews be found?

Answer__________________________________

3) Name the African countries which qualified for 2006 world cup (soccer)

Answer ______________________________________________________________

4) Which was the first African country to gain independence (from colonization)

Answer___________________________________

5) Which was the only African country that was not colonized?

Answer ___________________________________

6) Which African country has the largest population?

Answer ____________________________________

7) Which is the largest country in Africa (in terms of land)?

Answer ____________________________________

8) Africa is considered to be the origin of humankind. True or false.

Answer _____________________________________

9) In which African country was the biggest diamond in the world mined?

Answer _____________________________________

10) What was Zimbabwe’s former name?

Answer _____________________________________

The Different Areas of Kabalagala

2006-10-02T16:47:00.000-07:00

Hi All
I thought you might be interested to have pin pointed the actual area that we are all working so hard to help. (See attached PDF map)

Find Kabalagala (to the south West of the city centre), then find 'Shires Pizza' Next to Shires Pizza is Eighth Street. Our sponsored children and our activities are focused on the Kabalagala end of Eigth street and the surrounding area. This is the area where there are lots of prostitutes, some as young as 12, street children and extreme crippling poverty. Sadly, many of the men who use these prostitutes are foreigners, they come to the discos and bars that you find advertised on the internet and then afterwards pay virtually nothing to local girls for their services. Paddy has much to say about his fight against prostitution in the area and their efforts to help these young girls....

So, if anyone asks you about Kabalagala and it being a rich area remember that New York is pretty rich but still there is a lot of poverty and a lot of not-for-profits working there! (We have had some questions from potential donors who have googled 'Kabalagala' and only found sites that talk about all it's discos, bars and restaurants which has made them ask the question 'Is this really a poor area?')

Jane

LLNS Wastes No Time!

2006-09-26T19:25:00.000-07:00

Already, LLNS is preparing to help i.HUG raise much-needed donations through the United Way campaign. I love how they don't waste any time!

A Big i.HUG Thank You to LLNS!

2006-09-25T19:07:00.000-07:00

This morning, I received the warmest welcome from a marketing agency called LLNS. I gave an overview of i.HUG--and the questions and responses I received were so enthusiastic, I couldn't believe it. There was so much talent in the room, it gave me the shivers!

The agency is pooling their collective interest and plans to help i.HUG build its marketing and communications arms. Good thing, cause we need the help.

2006-09-24T17:09:00.000-07:00

Paddy sends some photos from Mark's stay, and the i.HUG self-confidence/conflict resolution program.

The next few months are a definite period of transition, as i.HUG moves from talking, thinking, and explaining...to doing (and doing and doing...we're so busy!!!) Current focus is on preparing for Jane's visit to Uganda--she leaves in just 11 days. While she's there, she has to find a school building to rent, hire a teacher, and hold many meetings with the community. On the admin side, we're working hard on finding some new partners to help us with development, finishing up the website (www.ihugfoundation.org), and creating rock-solid finance processes.

A Final Note from Mark

2006-09-14T20:41:00.000-07:00

i.HUG volunteer Mark Webster offers us some thoughts that round our his experience running the self-esteem and conflict resolution programs for children in Kabalagala.
*************************************************************************************************************************

Dear Jane,
Today is the last day! I am looking forward to awarding all 70! children their certificates. I know exactly what you meanvabout the way Uganda works but I know that we haven't minimized the effect of the work. I have taught
the teachers how to run workshops like this and they have told me that they have seen a change in the children already. I had insisted on evaluation sheets for all the children and the teachers - Hope has tolerated my bossiness for the past two weeks and has met all my demands.

After the workshops today I will be taking pictures of each group, the whole group and then just the iHUG kids - all with their certificates. I have also taken lots of other pictures - the village, the concert, the workshops etc. Paddy is going to download them onto his laptop. You may need to email him and get him to email them to you as I have not brought a lap top with me. I have not checked the iHUG site but Hope tells me that my blog is on there. I don't know which photo of me you arereferring to or who took it.

The village was great as I hope I expressed in my blog. I'm afraid I don't know which children I met were the ones you got to know so well. There was one very funny little guy called Samsa who kept us all entertained.

Hope ensures me that the iHUG children have all written letters to their sponsors so you may want to instruct him or Paddy about what you want to be done with them.

I have had such a brilliant time here. It has been a real eye opener and a great way to start my adventure. Thank you so much for your help in setting this up. I leave with some sadness and wonder if I will ever return - it would be great to see your school and check up on how the childrens' centre has put into practice some of my ideas.

Cheers, Markx.

Now On: Self-Esteem Workshop

2006-09-09T22:30:00.000-07:00

i.HUG volunteer Mark teamed up with out partners this week to run a workshop in Kabalagala for children in the community. Instead of just the original 20 or so i.HUG sponsored kids, this program reached three times as many of those children.

*******************************

Mark writes:

I am teaching Ronald, Doughnut, a couple of students and
some other teaching assistants from the childrens centre about how to run a
series of self esteem/conflict resolution workshops. I am leading the
workshops for the 14-15 yrs of which there are 23, and the others are
working with two other groups: 6-10 and 11-13. There are approximately
23 in each group - this is hard given the limited room space indoors. My
group are outside. We have two hours with them every day for a total of 8
days. We will finish next Wednesday and hopefully they will all get
certificates.

*******************************

In Memorium

2006-09-04T21:26:00.000-07:00

age: 13 years old
cause of death: rabies

a reminder of the multitude of issues that can stop this young boy from dying from an illness that can be treated.

British Airways Lands in Uganda

2006-08-28T05:36:00.000-07:00

Well....not literally. But Jane's friend George, who is a British Airways pilot, did donate her luggage space to bring toys and clothes and other items to Kabalagala. Here's a few pictures of George and her recent trip....

The items had come a long way. Jane had gathered them in Cincinatti, gave them to her mother on a visit to France, who passed them along to her sister living in England, who worked to get these things into George's hands between her bizarre pilot's schedule. And then the next time George flew to Uganda, she brought them with her.

Often, we find our problem is not that we can't get the basic necessities--we just have a problem getting them to Kabalagala, given the high cost of shipping. We need to work hard at our own distribution network. Let us know if you know anyone traveling to Uganda!

Paddy is always a great welcoming committee!

Mail Call! Letters from Uganda!

2006-08-20T19:45:00.000-07:00

Our first batch of letters from the sponsored kids arrived in bulk!! It is so exciting to get them, and they were so sweet! Pretty amazing feeling to know my sponsored child was thinking about me, and doing well in school to boot.

SPONSOR A CHILD! e-mail Carrie Watson, head of sponsorship, at ihugsponsor@gmail.com to find out more!

In Memorium

2006-08-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

age: 4 years old
cause of death: malaria

it breathes new energy into our efforts with this sad event.

Helping Hands

2006-08-14T05:12:00.000-07:00

i.HUG was in overdrive last week. In case you were wondering, our annual meeting went perfect. (And the presentation worked out just fine...what was I so worried about?) Amazing to get the majority of our board and volunteers together, and plan for the next stage of i.HUG.

Perhaps even more exciting was the brainstorming session Jane and I had with the very creative team at LLNS. LLNS is a global ad agency that specializes in healthcare, and they had already expressed interest in helping i.HUG to reach their goals. But when Jane and I went in there on Friday, they came ready to figure out how! Most of the ideas centered on expanding i.HUG's marketing and fundraising infrastructure. But there were other ideas that crossed all committee areas--things like researching sustainable projects in Africa, or sending top-performing employees to Uganda to teach their skills. I also really liked the focus on creating annual events. It allows us to grow even more confident about the viability of our project, and get more kids off the street and into school!

here i am again, and it's midnight...

2006-08-07T21:11:00.000-07:00

And I'm finding myself wrapped up in creating another powerpoint presentation. It takes me forever, because every time, i get totally distracted. i start thinking about how it's like in uganda, and i think about how little it takes--a pittance, really--to change somebody's life. and then hours pass like moments, and the months the same, and the next thing you know the following day is i.HUG's first annual meeting! With 7 in-person attendees, and another 10 or so on the phone line, it should be quite the event.

for now, I'm stuck somewhere in between planning for the next decade of i.hug and trying to figure out how to resize pictures so that i can e-mail the presentation to everyone. glamorous, really.

I'm also including our first bit of PR. Enjoy and we'll catch you up on the other side.

With the donation of air miles, Jane is off to Uganda.

2006-07-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

Wow...game on...I am coming to Uganda in October for 3 weeks. The purpose - all things i.HUG. I have my own ideas about things that must be done during this time but it would be really helpful if you could email me and let me know if you can think of anything that really should be done so then I can begin planning and hopefully maximize on my time there.

Looking forward to seeing you Paddy Daddy and Ronald brother!
love Jane

Come and see

2006-07-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

A captive audience for Paddy in Congo.

Paddy and Mark during Paddy's visit last year. Notice Paddy beating Mark at Scrabble.

I'm surprised about how many people are interested in going to Uganda. Already, six people have expressed interest in making the trip. I think this is a great idea, much for the same reason as Paddy mentions in an e-mail to Jane:

Hello jane

Thanks for the call you sounded good and well. Now about the issue of the school I believe some people can easily understand the picture when they get a chance to come to uganda. Someone said people who are born blind never believe in the light--reason being they have never seen it.

People born in great abundance can not figure out what’s on the ground until they get an opportunity to come and see, then they will change their thinking when they see the need. We are not responding to the call of the government we are responding to the need of humanity....

***********************
As we move forward, we need to figure out how to integrate visitors in a way that will benefit the community and volunteers alike. I, myself, am looking forward to going sometime next year and stay at Jane's place!

We have neighbors!

2006-07-16T20:35:00.000-07:00

Congratulations on the opening of the Childlife Network Centre!

A former local has organized the funds and this new building has opened in Kabalagala!

Paddy, who runs programs for needy children on the weekend, tells us that it provides a place to hold these programs (they started getting charged where they used to hold them.) In particular, he hopes that it will enable children to have a place where they can get counseling and help.

For the opening of the center, someone sponsored a meal and another person sponsored 60 t-shirts.

Paddy with the kids

While i.HUG will focus on education, this centre attends to what Paddy calls "the parenting role" for the neediest children in that area.

Participatory Development

2006-07-14T08:02:00.000-07:00

So, this week we have been thinking deeply about making the SEEDS school sustainable. Some of the questions that we have been reflecting and researching are:

How will we ensure that this project really belongs to the people that it has been set up for?
What steps will we take to make sure that the project is going to be sustainable? How do we give the community ownership?
If this week was to have a theme it would be 'participatory development', this is defined as "a method that assists communities (including local people, the government and NGOs) in their collaborative design, implementation and evaluation of projects." I take it to mean that i.HUG needs to be in collaboration every step of the way with the people of Kabalagala to ensure that the SEEDS school will one day be run and managed entirely by Ugandans.

So, this week has seen much conversation with a number or experts in the field ( academics in the field of development studies, Ugandans who live in Kabalagala)

Nikki, our i.HUG volunteer sent me some notes about participatory development . I think this is great stuff:

"So good participatory development is about empowering. It is linked with distinctive behaviours, attitudes and approaches. "We" are not teachers or transferors of technology, but instead convenors, catalysts, and facilitators. We have to unlearn, and put our knowledge, ideas and categories in second place. Our role is to enable others to do their own appraisal, analysis, presentations, planning and action, to own the outcome, and to teach us, sharing their knowledge. The “others” may be local rural or urban people, women, men, children or old people, or members of an organisation or group. They are often those who are weak, marginalised, vulnerable and voiceless. They then do many of the things we tend to think only we can do. “They can do it” means that we have confidence in their capabilities. We “hand over the stick” and facilitate their mapping, diagramming, listing, sorting, sequencing, counting, estimating, scoring, ranking, linking, analysing, planning, monitoring and evaluating. Many practitioners and trainers consider the term Participatory development should only be used for processes which empower"

This week has been challenging but in such a way that we are becoming more and more rooted!

Bushwacked!

2006-07-08T16:13:00.000-07:00

In England, the teachers and kids at the Hardlow School were busy working to raise money and really make a big difference in Africa. Back in New York, the folks were pitching in to do their part as well.

"Bushwacked," the party put on by Spring Street Sessions on behalf of i.HUG, was held on July 4th on a rooftop in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Yours truly was tending to cocktails, while fellow Board Member and Last Year's Model front guitarist Mark Right, lugged up stage equipment six flights of stairs. It was a blast...and everybody pitched in to make it happen.

Janelle, performing with Mindspray, gets there early to help set up.

Roland gets hungry, and ends up becoming grill master for the night (until Brian took over!)

Oh no! There's still so much to set up!

And if the skies over NYC can just hold off on their rain...

But everything moves according to plan. And by the time I look up, Last Year's Model takes the stage and rocks the house!

That's me...i.HUG happy!

Go Hardlow! We're so proud of you!

2006-07-07T19:29:00.000-07:00

The idea of mini-fundraisers came out of necessity. We were ready to start raising money, but we didn't have our 501c3 yet. Plus, we had essentially no experience with large-scale fundraising. So we said, why don't we just start out small.

We began with what we knew how to do--motivating the people around us, and around them, to do something--anything--with the idea that small steps make up the journey. Have a dinner party with contributions. Set up a murder mystery game with a $10 buy-in for charity. Organize a kickball game with a $20 kick-in for our charity. These mini-fundraisers would also be a way to organize people and spread the word about the project.

The "English Project" was our first fundraising effort. The idea was to touch base with schools in England that Paddy had visited on his trip, and make them active members in getting our school in Kabalgala off the ground.

*********************************

Board Member Mary Dicker reports from the ground:

Just come back from the i. Hug shoot out at Hadlow School. It was really lovely. The year 6 had organised it all, am sure they will have raised more than we asked for. They made their own sponsor forms and had i.Hug posters everywhere and on their backs! Then all the children bought a drink and biscuit for 20p.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Can you imagine those children organizing the whole fundraising effort? I feel so proud of them! I hope they understand how far that money goes!

Game on!

2006-07-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

See this rainbow over NYC? It was shining just for us this week.

We received an extremely generous personal donation from a new supporter. This donation, on its own, enables us to open the school. It's happening! Game on!

I e-mailed Paddy and we were writing back and forth about the idea of vision, and how vision can transfer from one person to another. And to me, I just keep thinking of how our little project grows stronger when another person sees the vision, and this is such a case in point. Paddy read me a phrase that said "Without vision, the people will perish." I think it is from the bible. But it sent shivers down my spine because it shows how important it is to communicate what we are making happen. And I feel slightly humbled by the heros around me.

We're official!

2006-07-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, in between folding loads of laundry, i.HUG received their 501c3. We're official! And that's months ahead from when I thought we would get it!

Mamita's Child

2006-06-27T05:53:00.000-07:00

Born in Puerto Rico, there was a very beautiful woman named Esther M. Rivera-Carlo. Most people
knew her as Ten, but her close family called her Mamita.

That woman grew up, got married, bore three children, who in turn bore another generation. She moved to the mainland US with the rest of her immediate family, and lived to a very old age. But still, when she passed away this year, it was difficult to bear because so many people loved her, and she was such a good person.

Instead of flowers, her son, (and my soon-to-be uncle) asked that well wishers send their donations to i.HUG. And they did.

It fascinated me to come home and see checks arrive from, among other places, Puerto Rico--family members with beautiful, long names, carefully penned cards, in memory of Mamita.

My new uncle more than matched the funds, and decided to set up the type of fund that would always sponsor a child. Next year, we'll start a child out in first grade, and that child will be sponsored until age 16 or 18 (depending on if they want to go to university). When that child is done, another child will enter into grade 1. The amount of stability that brings to the sponsorship---and a child's life--cannot possibly be described. I feel so lucky to even watch it happen.

In this way, out of something so sad, something so beautiful arises. EKIRUNGI EKIVA MUNFUFU--from the dirt, beauty arises.

A Collective Movement

2006-06-17T23:24:00.000-07:00

I'm offering up the link to a recent Washington Post article about a man named John Wanda, who moved from Uganda to the D.C. area, and then proceeded to spend his next years working to set up a school in Uganda. If you haven't read it, you should do it now: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/17/AR2006051701560.html

We are also chatting with a man who works at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative--a collective financing science and innovation to find an AIDS vaccine--who is working outside his day job to set up a primary school in Rwanda.

Not to mention Paddy's work with setting up the school on the boarder of Congo. (Pictured here).

The contact with these other projects makes it start to feel like a collective of grassroots efforts--a movement of education warriors. We are people that see early childhood education and school as one of the answers for Africa's problems.

I like the thought of projects popping up through Africa, and then working together and learning from one another to understand regional best practices. In particular, for anyone reading this, would love to share our project proposal for the Seeds Project primary school, and get some feedback.

Vois la! We're on our way now

2006-06-08T06:17:00.000-07:00

Alright, had to convert this file again and again, so am hoping there is still something left.
--joanna

The Kabalagala Connection

2006-06-08T05:49:00.000-07:00

okay, technical problems abound. Can't get to seem to post our "fundraising house"--but thought I would share this picture to help everyone connect to Kabalagala.

The final bus, I mean blog of the day...

2006-06-08T05:34:00.000-07:00

We had decided that we wanted the children who are sponsored through i.HUG to have more than their physical needs taken care of. We also wanted them to have the opportunity to develop the skills to cope with the lives they have. Many of the i.HUG children are orphans. Almost all have had to face death in way that I as a 28 year old have not had to yet - the death of a parent or a sibling or a friend. So, our first baby step in this direction is to organize a group for our children which focuses on having / developing a healthy self-esteem. This group will run for 2 weeks for 2 hours a day in the first 2 weeks of September. Our two faciliatators are Ronald Lubali and Mark Webster. Both have a lot of experience with children and the running of groups. I have a strong conviction that this group will impact these children greatly in the immediate present and the distant future.

The house /school is coming...but in the meantime

2006-06-08T05:11:00.000-07:00

I tried to download / upload (which ever way it is meant to be) the picture of the house/school with 9 beautifully colored in bricks but it kept telling me there was an error. I don't know if I am the error or if the blog is but anyway, I have tech guru - Joanna on the case. It is coming soon and really is worth the wait.

In the meantime I have been meaning to share this quotation with you for a long time. I have been reading a lot of books about child-centered learning in a bid to think about what our school's educational philosophy will be. I stumbled across this which really struck a cord with me:
Select the child who appears the most ingenious in the making...of toys,
[within the context of a classroom] present him with adequate tools and
lumber, give him a simple plan which must, however, be adhered to until
completion, and usually his ingenuity gives way to a disheartening dullness.
Poor children usually do not have this kind of opportunity, and it is notorious
that poor children make themselves the best playthings. They have to make
them out of scraps, and the scraps constitute variety. They are Eolithic
craftsmen; it is not only that Eolithic craftsmanship can get along without
uniform material and plans – it is precisely the non-uniformity of scraps and

the absence of set plans which form the circumstances for its best development.’

Quotation taken from Hans Otto Storm “Eolithism and Design” Colorado Quarterly, Winter 1953, cited in 'The Logic of Action' by Frances Hodgeman

In Uganda, as you walk through the villages and towns you will see children pulling their own homemade cars - made from scraps they have found disgarded on the streets. These cars are often formed from wire, sticks, soles of broken shoes and so on. They really are innovative - no two are the same. Yet, I have rarely seen this level of creativity in the schools that I have been to. It seems that schools frequently work at promoting uniformity at the expense of innovation. As I mull over these issues I wonder how we can make the 'SEEDS' school a place of real growth in which we celebrate that no two creations look the same!

blogs - they're just like buses - you wait for ages for one and then 3 come at the same time

2006-06-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

We had our first official i.HUG fundraiser. It was a roof top party with music and food and frivolity. I couldn't be there but by all accounts it was a rager! I was pleased to be given the job of coloring in the blocks of our house / school. Which reminds me, we are going to rent a house and use it as a school for at least the first year of operation. Someone in the world of renting / selling properties in Uganda told me this is the best and most economical option. Anyway, take a look at the i.HUG house/school with some bricks colored in. I can't wait til it is all colored in and we can sit back for just a second safe in the knowledge it is all coming together!!!

Your First Luganda Lessons

2006-05-31T04:49:00.000-07:00

In honor of the marriage of two homegrown organizations teaming up this summer / i.hug with spring street sessions / to raise money for a good cause and bring local music to the masses / we'd like to give you a little English to Luganda translation.

Compliments of Paddy Luzige (shown here).

>music for the masses ENYMBA Z'ABONNA
>music comes from the heart ENYIMBA EZIVA KUMUTIMA
>people helping people ABANTU NGA BAYAMBA ABANTU
>community KUMULILWANO
>no man is an island TEWALI MUNTU ABERA YEKKA
>collaborate, integrate OKUKOLAGANIRA EWAMU FFENA
>write because you have to WANDIKA KUBANGA OLINA OKUWANDIKA
>a perfect harmony AMALOBOOZI AMALUNGI
>defying gravity OKUSOMOZA OBUTONDE
>from the dirt, beauty arises EKIRUNGI EKIVA MUNFUFU

Create Connection

2006-05-30T04:42:00.000-07:00

Back in 2004, when I just began reporting on AIDS in Uganda, I became fascinated with one question:

How do you get AIDS drugs from companies to patients?

Though I spent eight months researching the answer, to this day, I'm not really sure if I covered all the steps--between the pricing schemes and the different channels of distribution, it became quite convoluted.

But there's a similar sort of issue, though it may take even longer to figure out, for i.HUG: How do you get donors from the US, UK, etc, to connect with disadvantaged children in Kabalagala? How do you translate a set of circumstances there, for here, so that people understand the need, and really understand how their money is being used? I'm posting this picture because, at least for me, it provides that visual of time and place, and helps me to focus on what we're trying to do.

In any case, we are on our way to making that happen--at least, the first part about spreading awareness. This past week, i.HUG attended a dinner/salon to speak about our work (with all sorts of fascinating people doing work in Africa), turned around on a dime to put together a proposal for our first potential corporate donor (keep your fingers crossed), and held a successful fundraising event (bash on the rooftop with delicious food donated by Chip, Anika, Stephen, and Alexis, soundscapes provided by Ollie, Sinton, and Adam).

It felt like a complete whirlwind, but at the end of it, aside from many hours of cleaning the floor yesterday, is a stack of cash and a lot of contacts. It feels like it's happening so fast, and the main challenge is to keep pulling, pulling, pulling Paddy and Ronald, our Ugandan partners who also sit on the board of directors, into everything we do so that we really are working together, and toward a super-efficient model that people in Kabalagala will eventually call their own.

So, I suppose it's okay that I'm a bit sleepy this Tuesday morning going back to work....

Plant a Seed

2006-05-22T04:59:00.000-07:00

OK--so were you really curious about the other surprise? In the off-chance you were, I didn't want to keep you waiting.

Most of you know how Jane and I and Paddy came to form i.HUG—if you don't, you can read abou it here. http://hugfoundation.blogspot.com/2006_03_01_hugfoundation_archive.html

As i.HUG newcomer and nonprofit guru Niki pointed out to me at our meeting on Saturday, there was so much inertia to setting up our group. One big challenge was coming up with a name. After much brainstorming (and a shout-out to Erica and her mom, who without them and the seven hour trip to Erica's graduation in upstate New York, it never would have happened), we came up with the concept of HUG and helping Uganda grow.

But before we were i.HUG, we were contemplating the name The Seeds Project. We liked what SEED stood for: Sustainable Education, Ethical Development. Ultimately, another organization had taken that name, but we decided to keep it as a name for our school project.

When Jane came to NYC in March, she brought me a tiny little cactus, as well as a slightly bigger pot, to symbolize the idea of Seed--and of planting something and watching it grow. But for the longest time, the cactus was doing fine--it didn't need to be transplanted.

But recently, I started to get the feeling that it was ready. So at the meeting yesterday, we (okay, Lynn) replanted it. And it is kind of a visual reminder to show how i.HUG is now ready for our next stage of growth.

Second Chapter

2006-05-19T21:54:00.000-07:00

Jane and I are just concocting a little surprise for the group tomorrow. Well, actually, two little surprises. I'm so excited.
Its our second i.HUG meeting.

I was a little nervous. But now I'm really excited. When I think about the last two months since our last meeting, it's been such a blur. Something out of nothing. Our 501c3 submitted. Yay! Three of our mini-fundraisers are planned for the next month, courtesy of spring street sessions. And now everyone is coming over to talk about it, and then repeat cycle.

But for now, just 2 am, and assembling my thoughts.

Well, mostly I'm just trying to get my printer to well, print. We put together (shhhh!!!) a packet of the bios we've been collecting. Of the volunteers. I keep reading them again and again, because it's the most honest document I've read in awhile. We just asked people to write a few words about themselves --no guidelines at all. And we're throwing in a bunch of the pictures. You begin to realize, when taken together, that you can get bigger than just the sum of your parts.

I'll figure out how to blog it one of these day.s

And so now, I'm leaving tonight's night of work behind, and going to zzz... But I'm leaving this gem of a picture Jane sent me of her in Kabalagala.

I so love it, I had to share it immediately.

A Moment

2006-05-13T22:19:00.000-07:00

Sponsor a Child

2006-05-09T19:52:00.000-07:00

I was recounting with Mark about the first time I went to Africa. Actually, we were talking more about when I got home. How depressed I was. In Uganda, I had missed my running water, my bright lights on demand, my wireless connection.

But somehow, when I got home, that all seemed very empty. And the showcase of pastries at the diner down the block, the glass windows glossy on 5th Avenue, and everything else seemed very put on. Instead, I started to think about my time in Kabalagala.

Walking with Paddy through Kabalagala, you can hardly move. The children in that community come running up to him, and to me. They wore these huge smiles, but little else. Rags of clothes, barely. And the tell-tale signs of poverty: the protruding stomach, the no where much to go, and really the most shocking...small children as heads of households.

Back home in Queens, I couldn't sleep. So I got in touch with Paddy, and asked him what I could do.

I suppose that was the very beginning of our sponsorship program. Faridha was i.HUG's first sponsored child. Faridha was living with a relative who had taken her in, after both of her parents died. She lived in a house that was only a little wider than a king-size double bed, made out of ad hock pieces of wood. The house was lodged between a small winding river of sewage and a drinking den. But when Jane went to go visit her, she was at school. Proudly wearing her uniform. She just wrote me a letter, saying how she came in fourth in her examinations.

Today, she is joined by 14 brothers and sisters...and counting.

i.HUG's sponsorship program is intended to provide a safety net to the children like Faridha, who cannot afford to go to school. Sponsors donate $360 a year, which covers a child’s school fees, school uniform, books and basic healthcare. Sponsors are matched with a needy child, and they receive a photo and profile, as well as some correspondence from the child throughout the year. If you're also interested in sponsoring a child, send us an e-mail and let us know: hugfoundation@gmail.com

Mission Statement and Goals

2006-05-06T19:57:00.000-07:00

The International HUG Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to reach out to disadvantaged and orphaned children in Uganda. We seek to provide them with education, access to healthcare, and an environment that fosters their physical, social, and emotional development. i.HUG’s use of local resources will ensure the sustainability of the mission, and will enable us to leverage successes to benefit the entire community.

i.HUG aims to:
• raise sponsorships for poor children so that they might go to school
• establish a school of excellent quality
• institute a training program for teachers and volunteers
• increase access to medical treatment
• form income-generating projects which contribute to the sustainability of the program
• benefit the larger community by creating a healthier and safer place to live.

First Fundraiser

2006-05-05T18:06:00.000-07:00

There's a certain amount of infrastructure necessary even with the smallest of organizations. Take i.HUG. In order to launch our very first but very tiny fundraising effort, materials need to be written, pamphlets designed, ideas set in stone.

But sometimes, when explaining why we want to build a school, I feel at a loss for words.

There is no government-run school in Kabalagala. So many of the 3,000 kids there just don't get an education. Of course we want to build a school so these beautiful kids can learn, break out of the prison of poverty, become valuable and contributing members of society. But there's a more immediate reason, too. And I was so at a loss for how to express that reason before Jane read me UNICEF's definition of childhood:

Childhood is more than just the time before a person is considered an adult. Meaning much more than just the space between birth and the attainment of adulthood, childhood refers to the state and condition of a child's life: to the quality of those years. Children living in abject poverty without adequate food, access to education, safe water, sanitation facilities and shelter are denied their childhood.

So with that definition in mind, I feel amazing about putting out our first fundraising project. I'm including a .jpg of the leaflet, sent to schools Paddy visited while he was in England.

Always the last to know

2006-05-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

On Saturday evening I rambled my way through downtown Cincinnati with 20 others to support the work of 'Invisible Children'.

'Invisible Children' is a documentary that chronicles the plight of the Acholi children caught up in the 19 year old conflict in northern Uganda. Many children walk long distances every day to their nearest town to sleep. In doing this their hope is that they will not be abducted or killed by the rebels. Night commuting has created problems of its own - increased sexual activity amongst youths which has led to a rise in the spread of HIV. Other problems are a general lack of resources for these children - few blankets, poor sanitation and so on.

Unlike the Ugandan children, my token gesture felt like an adventure rather than a burden. That was until I discovered that I was the only person who did not know we would all be sleeping outside. Luckily I managed to scrounge some plastic off a stranger. I can't say I really slept - the rain did not let up all night and my face and feet were constantly damp. Lots of people left throughout the night - calling friends or family to pick them up because it was unbearable.

One question struck me - what happens when you don't have an option? Or rather when the only 2 choices you have are to stay in your village and risk being abducted by rebels or walk miles to the nearest town and sleep in the cold? How do children stay positive when these are the only choices life has to offer them? Indeed do these children stay positive? Or do they despair and give up?

I hope that this conflict ends soon and when it does I hope that there are people still willing to stand with these children and help them get back on their feet. I hope I.hug can be part of this restoration. When the world is indifferent to the abuse and neglect of thousands and thousands of children it is time to take action.

Welcome Sponsors!

2006-04-22T08:33:00.000-07:00

I'm about to send our first official note to thank our sponsors, along with this picture of 8 of our 11 sponsored children. The kids just got done with their exams, and I'm waiting to hear from Paddy to see how they did. I know Faridha, the child Mark and I sponsor, finished fourth out of 50. (I can't help but feel a little proud!) But given the type of trauma so many of our kids go through--war, AIDS, death of parents and siblings, living on the street--we're thinking of other ways to measure their progress as well.

For this Saturday morning, I'm content with seeing them smile. Hope you are too.

A Note of Thanks

2006-04-21T22:05:00.000-07:00

As Emily Post would say, there's nothing like a handwritten note to let others know you appreciate their efforts.

You can imagine how happy I feel--we all do--when we see some progress from our small base of sponsorship. For me, this type of interaction forms the foundation of i.HUG. It's about that one to one connection, the ability to know who and where your money is going....and then of course, really being able to see the fruits of your efforts, even through such small gestures such as notes like these.

Blogger's etiquette

2006-04-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

I have never blogged and am not sure about the etiquette. It looks easy when Joanna does it.

So, I just wanted to tell you all about a very happy moment that happened on Saturday. There is a little boy in a village in Uganda. I first met him in 2001. He was a strong healthy child but when he was 5 he cought polio from some water he drank. Over night he became very weak. When I met him in 2001 he was unable to walk. One side of his body was twisted, both his leg, foot and hand.

A friend of mine from England contacted me in 2003 when I was living in Uganda and asked if I knew of any child he could sponsor. I immediately thought of this boy. The sponsorship started and it made a big difference to the boy and his mum who is a widower. In 2006 my friend, became more and more interested in the life of the boy he sponsored and decided to give up his job in London and move to the village where his sponsored child lives. This village has no running water and no electricity. My friend decided to live there for 3 months and work at a local school as a volunter teacher. But his main aim was to take his sponsored child to physical therapy and help his family to help him with the physical therapy exercises. Every day he went and did the exercises with the boy. Then when the family were confident he went less frequently and they did the exercises with him. My friend still lives in Uganda but no longer in the village. I spoke to him on Saturday and he told me that the child he sponsors can walk. For 5 years he has not been able to walk and now he can. He still has a long way to go but this is just amazing.

All day I have been feeling like I am walking on air. How great that people come together and each does their part to make things better for those who cannot do it alone. Witnessing the reality of changed lives furthers my determination to stand with those children who need so much more than they currently have.

The Little House that i.HUG Built

2006-04-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

I love the feeling of movement. Of energy. Of momentum forward.

And right now, that's what we got.

Thankfully, Jane decided to forgo her second masters (she's smart enough, really), and become our first full-time i.Hugger. She's just been back from India a few days, and already, she's pushing everything along. In the works: mini-fundraisers to schools in England where Pastor Paddy spoke about the problems in Uganda; a pamphlet; a curriculum for the new school; not to mention this nifty graphic--we get to fill in the boxes when we raise money.

We decided this was the absolute base amount we can open the school with. It includes things like 6 months rent (what we have to put down) and two months teachers' salary. To me, it seems like way too little. But when Jane tells me about the cost of things in Uganda, I begin to see that she's right.

Small steps along the journey

2006-04-10T17:30:00.000-07:00

Back from Florida, and my grandfather's funeral, just a few days ago. Man, did that wipe me out. I think I could deal with my own emotions, it just breaks my heart to see my mom and my grandmother suffer through the pain of their immense loss.

I started to think about the idea of picking up the pieces. After all, it's one thing when your grandfather dies. It's another thing when a country's young babies are going hungry, going sick, again and again. When I was in Uganda, I saw a small coffin for a child. And it is that sight, and the thought, that really make me want to push forward i.HUG as a group, and our mission to kind of save these kids.

I know that sounds strong. And, certainly, there's no full-proof plan: a child Jane sponsor's ran away, again. But it's amazing how just looking after a child on the fringe can do so much.

That's a long way of saying I sent in the draft of the 501c3 for the lawyers to review. One step closer.

Lawyers in Midtown

2006-03-30T17:46:00.000-08:00

A rollarcoaster of emotions. My grandfather fell very ill yesterday. None of the family wants us kids coming down to Florida, so I'm just sitting around and there's nothing I can do.

So I was actually glad that i.HUG had the lawyer's appointment today. It gave me the chance to focus a bit, and that was nice change of pace.

I remembered that I'm surrounded by tons of people, and their talent abounds. So I asked Michael, our treasurer, (pictured here with his girlfriend Carrie, also a volunteer, in my little NYC apt.) to come to the appointment with me--and he happened to be at a consulting gig across the street, so he was able to make it.

So, remember: this lawyer is my dad's employee's father's partner. (Can you follow?) Quite an amazing firm in a huge skyscraper off 42nd Street: they seem to only work with nonprofits and health organizations, so they really knew what they were talking about. Both he (the father) and his partner (the 501c3 expert) sat and talked with us about how we're organized. Post 9/11, it seems it's really difficult to set up overseas nonprofits without some really tight controls over and oversight into how that money is spent...crazy things like checking "watch lists" to make sure the people you're dealing with aren't terrorists. I'm all about not-a-penny wasted, but come on. Still, reassuring to have expert eyes on it.

Anywho. Even better than that, he agreed to look over the application once we re-jigger a few things. So here we go. Everybody, wish us luck.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

2006-03-28T04:52:00.000-08:00

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! (and so on and so forth)

There is light at the end of the tunnel. You have no idea what it's like to, for months and months, painstakingly fill out the 501c3 line by line, box by box, attachment of conflict of interest statement by attachment of organization's narrative. And then...just as the last few unanswered questions remain. To have that sinking, sick feeling dawn on me. I think I filled it out in the wrong way. Called the IRS and they said it sounded to them that I set it up with this and that and this and that was wrong.

So I have an appointment on Thursday with (can you follow) my dad's employee's father's partner. As TLC once said, I ain't too proud to beg. But I will definately have to bring this guy a cake.

Sloooooooooowwwwwwwwwww

2006-03-23T14:56:00.000-08:00

Another lesson learned: everything takes so much longer than it should. I'm pointedly referring to my ineptitude (ok, I know I'm being a bit harsh on myself, but still) to complete the 501c3 application. I'm searching for some lawyers willing to donate their time and are skilled in nonprofit law, so send any contacts my way. I'm just feeling so frustrated.

Jane tells me to relax: that if I think things take a long time now, just wait until we're in Uganda.

Was speaking to Susan Desmond-Hellmann--she's head of product development over at Genentech and part of the Academic Alliance--who made a side remark about how difficult it was to set something up in Uganda. I'm just now understanding that. I mean, Pastor Paddy has a cell phone. He's computer savvy. And there's an Internet cafe not too far from where he lives. But truly transmitting information and working seamlessly is not easy. For one, there are these awful power outages, which seem to be occuring more frequently given that the water levels are so low from the drought.

But Paddy did send me these photos...he's just back from preaching in Congo.

An Early Lesson: Making Funds Go Far

2006-03-20T16:19:00.000-08:00

In 2004, when I traveled to Uganda to report on AIDS, I asked my company to make a donation to Paddy's group. With that money, Paddy bought the kids holiday gifts--back packs and water basins, which help prevent the spread of some skin infections.

It made me realize how using in-country partners could really cut down on the administration costs. So that even such little money could go far and it's impact noticed in the intended area.

Helping Uganda Grow

2006-03-20T15:46:00.000-08:00

Together, Jane and I formed a nonprofit group called i.HUG. (The "HUG" stands for Helping Uganda Grow). We have another acronym we also like to use: SEED. (It stands for Sustainable Education, Ethical Development, which is kinda what we're all about).

And we have all these totally wonderful people on board. Like Lynn, who designed our fabulous logo. I can't figure out how to post it...but trust me, it's that good.

Meet Co-founder Jane Dicker

2006-03-19T18:32:00.000-08:00

And then there's Jane. She spent a year in Uganda teaching in a village. During this time she became friends with a couple who were both dying of AIDS. Shortly after she returned both the husband and wife died leaving behind 5 children - now all orphans. She also spent a few months living with Paddy's family in Kabalagala. She's a Brit and a fine teacher. She also has a dream of setting up a non-profit school in Kabalagala that is owned and gives back to the community.

Co-founder Joanna Breitstein

2006-03-19T17:51:00.000-08:00

Now, I had actually met Pastor Paddy back in 2001. I was working at a business healthcare magazine (where I still work today) and was also the webmaster. He e-mailed looking for AIDS information. I sent him some links, but also let him know about Pfizer's Diflucan program--where the company gave away free drugs that helped manage some nasty HIV-related illnesses. He hadn't heard of the program, but ended up taking some children there. And they got a bit better--that was a really wonderful.

We kept in touch. And a few years later, I applied for a Kaiser Foundation grant to go to Uganda. I had never applied to anything like that before. But guess what. I was one of 10 journalists in the world that won--and in October 2004 I took a flight to Uganda.

I got to meet Paddy, and eat with his family of a beautiful wife and nine adopted children each Sunday. And Paddy took me to visit the clinics. And he took me into the homes of AIDS patients. And I saw how children of not more than 7 were now mothers and fathers to their brothers and sisters.

But far most touching was attending the children's program on Saturday. Children who lived out on the street--or from home to home, or other situations--filed in a few at a time to spend few hours of song, football, or just being children. I was inspired that something like this meant so much.

Heros

2006-03-19T15:23:00.000-08:00

I never knew any heros until I met Pastor Paddy. With no sign of aid, no HIV drugs, and poverty overwhelming, Paddy had mobilized legions of church goers to look after abandoned children. I loved how they crowded around him when he walked through Kabalagala. He's given them all nicknames.

I'm not the religious sort. But I guess there's a line in the bible that says "be a father to the fatherless," and that's what Paddy is trying to do. He's built a type of infrastructure--of committed people, of programs that meet regularly, and of ideas--that makes it possible to dream big.

Beyond the Tarmac Road

2006-03-19T15:17:00.000-08:00

Klaus Leisinger, who heads up the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development, always asks "What's happening 5 meters beyond the tarmac road?" That really strikes a chord for me. 'Cause while the white SUVs of NGOs crowd the parking lots of downtown Kampala, and the media calls Uganda an "AIDS success story," there's no sign of international aid in Kabalagala.

2006-03-19T15:10:00.000-08:00