The future is not orange!

The network is ridiculous. The Internet is connected for a minute then off for two minutes. Sometimes it's only on for seconds. The phone is even worse. We had no phone network for 3 days which was very liberating as it meant I didn't have to carry it around wherever I went. Messages get lost, calls never arrive. They say that they have been taken over by Africell and after the weekend it will be good. They've said that for the last 3 weekends!

The Internet bundle in the office is finished. It is not possible to get it renewed. Aha, we'll switch to MTN we thought...so did a lot of others...there are no MTN dongles to be bought in KIsoro!

 

Leonard and his men are preparing for the thatching of the shelter where the dome collapsed. He used to help a man construct these for herdsmen in the mountains when he was young and is clearly enjoying the chance to do it again.

We now have 3 wards of patients. That means there are a lot of attendants which means a lot of washing. We've provided more lines but despite our requests they prefer to use the fences and the ground. The rainy season is not as wet as usual and our tanks are frequently empty. I never thought I would see the day when I would be so grateful for a downpour.

 

 

Benson, the twin on the left, was discharged from Hospital today. He had an exploratory operation to see if he had testes in his groin. They only did one side because the Surgeon said that post-op infections from theatre were so common he could not risk Benson being rendered infertile. He will operate on the other side in three months. It is sad that two anaesthetics will be needed and regarded as less of a risk than the possibility of infection.

 

 

 

A visiting American Doctor was so taken with the table from our workshop that she bought it to take back to the USA. So far we have 8 colours of home made paint from local rocks. These are pounded and sieved through tights into Blueband margarine containers. Our thanks to those who have sent us old tights....they have many uses. Nicholas our young helper in the workshop was trying to explain tights to some Ugandans. He turned and asked me, 'is it the English men who wear them?' Oh dear!

 

Mike might be a Reverend but I've overtaken him now. Someone in town called me Reverend twice whilst talking to me. I said I was not a Reverend at which he said sorry...and proceeded to call me Bishop. I paused for a few seconds to savour the moment as well as to imagine the reaction of our local Ugandan Bishop Cranmer. Who would have thought I would ever attain such eminence!!

 

 

We have taken in 4 babies in the last three days.

Generous was first. She spent the night with us on Saturday as there was nowhere to put her in the rooms. She is one week old and very cute. Her mother died the day after delivering.

 

 

 

 

 

This morning Joshua arrived whose mother also died after a Caesarian. She was only 24 years old. Here is Joshua with his incredibly young looking father.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This afternoon twins arrived and we panicked a little. Where were we going to put them? It transpired their mother died two days ago of TB. The twins had not been given any immunisations and are now 3 1/2 months old. This one is Timothy. It was decided to keep them to one side of delta ward until they had taken enough treatment to be safe to put with our other children.

 

We really hope we won't be brought any more just yet!

 

 

 

 

Last time we put out a radio advert for Foster Parents, there was confusion and some people thought we were offering jobs at Potters. This time I got Winniefred to write the advert. We have had several families turn up with groups of children. Somehow they interpreted the advert as us offering to take in their children. You can imagine their disappointment at having to return home with them! One family had even dressed their girls in lovely matching bridesmaids dresses. I cannot understand how they interpreted the advert that way. Wishful thinking maybe?

 

Off site

We were forced to have a week in Kampala to get paperwork done. We delayed two days in the hopes of getting the paperwork completed in Kisoro to register the Home but sadly it wasn't done despite endless promises by local government officials.

We did get the Medical Centre re-registered and Mike re-licensed as a Doctor plus the car licence and Mike's Ugandan driving permit. The last two were quite fortuitous as we were stopped by the Police twice on the way back for document checks.

The date on our re-entry permits was not correct. They had put 2015 instead of 2016 but said it could only be done within a month of expiry. When Mike said they had stamped and corrected his last year, the lady took his passport and cancelled it !!

Mike, in a moment of madness, decided we should try driving through the centre of Kampala to get to our destination. I navigated us off a large and chaotic roundabout and saw two cars coming straight towards us side by side. I thought for a moment...is this Kampala driving or a one way street? Looking at the cars behind it was clearly one way. We pulled over safely but the traffic police noticed and pulled us over as we attempted the roundabout again. There was a long conversation about paying a fine but it became apparent they wanted money not paperwork so in order to carry on we handed over the equivalent of £5. An official fine is £50. We also discovered it is the norm to ignore red traffic lights unless on a major road. We were happily joining the tangle of cars crossing a junction with red lights to our side with a traffic policemen standing in the centre...texting!

Whilst in Kampala I got an email from the British High Commisioner offering us a brand new cooker if we could transport it away. It did not fit British safety standards so she was not allowed to use it. Our first item for the upstairs of the Hostel when finished! It's quite magnificent and not something we would have paid out for. The cupboard on the right houses the gas cylinder. I only hope we can find canisters the right size here. Still, how fortuitous we were in Kampala at the time and how fortuitous we could fit it in the car.

 

 

We also got to visit Jackson. He is much the same, only bigger. Sadly the school no longer has a physiotherapist but they say they still massage his limbs. He can feed himself after a fashion so long as someone guides his hand to his mouth. It is a very nice environment and well equipped.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back on site our final dome collapsed. I have my suspicions that someone tried to climb it who was more adult sized than child! It provided good shelter for the children to play under. We have removed it and are going to erect a thatched shelter.

 

 

 

Several of our little ones are getting on their feet but not quite walking solo. These children are ones where the family need to have them walking in order to cope. Usually it is a Granny who can no longer carry a child on her back. I reckon that in the next two months we will have half a dozen ready to be resettled.

 

 

 

On our journey we stopped at a cultural museum where we learned some uses of cow's urine. Drunk warm and fresh in the morning it is good for coughs. Instead of toothpaste you can swill your mouth with it. Rubbed on your body it is good for rashes, particularly measles. I couldn't help but wonder who is going out in the morning to collect this fresh urine... and how!

 

 

Now this is what I call a souvenir.

I want one!