Through my work at Bridge a Life, next month I am excited to make my third trip to Uganda in as many years. A team of five of us will make the 24 hour journey beginning February 21st, and will return home on March 5th. The bulk of our time (7 days) will be spent in Mpongo, Uganda, a very rural and undeveloped village. That's a week with no running water, no electricity, no wifi, no lots of things... but I couldn't be more excited! The hardest part is leaving my family. I am anything but a helicopter mom, but I do experience a good amount of anxiety (and guilt) in the days leading up to the trip and on those long legs of the flight. In a sense, my heart feels torn in two. I am thankful for a supportive hubby, awesome kids, and a great tribe of friends that makes leaving not quite so hard.
While in Uganda we hope to accomplish several things:
-Evaluate Ayinza's ongoing initiatives, including:
-Visit the 22 children from Mpongo who are sponsored to attend a boarding school called God Cares School, located in the capital city of Kampala.
-Visit each school's lunch program, now operating at all four schools and feeding hundreds of kids each day. This program not only offers daytime nutrition but also encourages consistent school attendance.
-Meet with the water and sanitation committee and inspect the well, which provides clean water to the community. The committee also trains the community on healthy hygiene practices.
-Launch several new initiatives including:
-At least one, but possibly several showings of The Jesus Film in the local language of Luganda. With the language barrier, as well as a high illiteracy level, we are excited to share the Good News of Jesus in an entertaining and easy to understand format.
-A two day training for the 200 school age girls who are at least 10 years old that will teach them about their bodies, women's hygiene, self-defense, and more. The girls will also be given the materials necessary to manage their monthly period, with the hopes that fewer girls miss school days and ultimately drop out, and fewer young girls become pregnant.
-Help establish a Children's Ministry program in the community.
-Visit the site of the new maize milling facility and helping the community establish guidelines for its use. Maize is the only food item that has to be purchased outside of Mpongo due to the community not having its own grinding facility. The goal is for the school lunch program to be completely self-sustaining in the future.
These are the highlights but I am confident more will be accomplished. Also, we can't overemphasize the importance of relationship building while we are there, which strengthens our friendships and partnerships with the local people. This is a long term investment and I look forward to what I will learn on this trip, as much as I look forward to seeing generational change for the better happen in Mpongo.
There are several ways that you can be involved, if you are interested:
- Consider going on a future trip. Bridge a Life sends two teams a year. I'd love to talk with you about joining us.
- Pray for our effectiveness while we are gone, and for the long term impact of these initiatives.
- Donate underwear for girls and women 10 years and older, washcloths, or small bars of soap. These items will help the girls care for themselves and hopefully remain in school. For $10/girl, she will be trained and given all necessary supplies to manage her period for 2-3 years, meaning she will be in school that much longer. Donations need to be in hand by February 18th. If you need a mailing address please let me know or if you are local I can arrange pick up.
- Make a tax-deductible donation to help cover these programs. Donations can be made online or a check can be made out to Bridge a Life and sent to 1680 Fruitville Rd Sarasota, FL 34236.
Thanks for reading- if you have additional questions I'd love to hear from you!
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