Welcome to I left my heart in Uganda

Posted on May 19, 2014 by ileftmyheartinuganda

Greetings and welcome!

After six years of sending out stories from the village, I have finally consolidated my writing in the form of a blog so that people far and wide can more easily access my tales from Uganda. Some of you have been following my adventures for years, others I have met more recently, and some of you I am yet to meet. Whatever the case, here you will find an archive of my words and photos beginning with my first arrival in Uganda in May 2009, bringing you through the trips that followed up until today.

Moving forward, I will continue to post the latest news from KAASO as well as updates of my future visits to the village.

I hope you will enjoy following the wild and wonderful journey that has been my adventures in Uganda.

With love,

Emma

An inspiring new initiative from the Kiwi sponsor students

Posted on May 16, 2014 by ileftmyheartinuganda

When I was in Uganda last December, Rose came up with the brilliant idea of holding meetings with the sponsored students every school holidays. We would form a committee run by the students themselves who would then organise meetings to discuss the term, to collaborate on ideas and initiatives and to ensure that letters were being regularly written to their sponsors.

I loved the idea and we used the Christmas party we were hosting for the sponsor students (funded by one of our generous sponsors) as an opportunity to introduce the concept to the students and appoint a committee. They voted on the various positions and Henry was appointed Chairperson, Stellah the Vice Chairperson, David the Mobilizer and Juliet the Secretary. Everyone was very excited about the idea and I left in December feeling inspired by this new initiative.

Last Friday, the inaugural meeting was held at Zaake Secondary School. Fifteen of our eighteen sponsor students were in attendance and the meeting was overseen by Rose but run by the student committee. Juliet and Henry complied the minutes from the meeting and a bundle of letters are now winging their way to be distributed to the sponsors of these remarkable teenagers. I couldn’t be prouder – this is an amazing example of what can be achieved when Rose’s wisdom is combined with the energy of motivated young students. A perfect demonstration of how powerful and effective it is when change comes from within.

To all those who are part of the Kiwi Sponsorships – webale nyo for your hard work and I look forward to receiving the minutes from the next meeting!

Minutes from KAASO Sponsorship Meeting 10th May 2014

Attendance of Kiwi Sponsorship Meeting 10th May 2014

From left to right: Back row – Charles, Henry, David, Stellah, Winnie. Front row – Zakia, Teddy, Stephen, Juliet

Kibone Winnie, newly sponsored this year by Don & Gendy Macalister after her past sponsor dropped off. She is in her third year of high school and one day hopes to become a doctor.

Gimbo Jackline & Ssemunywa Henry Rogers. Jackie is in her second year of nursing sponsored by Share Uganda. Henry’s fifth year of high school is being funded this year by the scholarship he won from St Thomas University of Minnesota. My parents and I continue to help with his requirements and extras.

Kasujja Bruno is in his second year of secondary school at Zaake. He is sponsored by a past volunteer, Justin Vigar and his parents.

Alinitwe Violah & Estukia Munjera. Violah is Stellah’s elder sister and is in her second year of nursing, sponsored by John Clarke. Munjera is in her first year of veterinary studies, sponsored by Margaret Koski, Judy Blackman, Shelley Duncan & Catherine Smith.

Big up and keep smiling

Posted on March 7, 2014 by ileftmyheartinuganda

When I first began the Kiwi Sponsorship programme back in 2009, it was because my heart broke to think that children like Henry would end their education at P7, aged 13. I found sponsors willing to support children through their six years of secondary school in the hope that this would equip them with enough to make their own way in the world.

I believed passionately that if these children were given a chance, they would prove they could make something of themselves, all that was needed was the initial boost. Today all my hopes and dreams came true. In this, his fifth year of sponsorship, Henry has been awarded a scholarship. Funded by the University of St Thomas in the USA, his final two years of school fees at St Henry’s College in Uganda will be covered.

In Henry’s own words:

Hi Madam Emma,

Hope all is well and good. Thanks for the love and caring you always show me. I’m really grateful for that.

I received my school results and I was the 4th best at St Henry’s and everyone was happy about my results. Thanks for you efforts of supporting me in any way and let me hope these results will not let you down when you see them.

For the good news I have to tell you that are that as I was preparing to return to school, something happened and this is………………………

I GOT A SCHOLARSHIP FOR MY HIGH SCHOOL AT ST HENRY’S COLLEGE!

And this was due to my conduct and hard work for the past four years at school. The scholarship is from The University Of St Thomas in the United States Of America. And what is so exciting about this is that when I perform well at the end I MAY study my University course from St Thomas University in the USA.

All these opportunities have come my way because of your support for me at St Henry’s College.

Thank you so much and send all my regards to the kiwi family!

BIG UP AND KEEP SMILING

LOVE
xoxo Henry – kiwi son xoxo

With Henry in December 2013

Computer Connection

Posted on February 24, 2014 by ileftmyheartinuganda

In 2009 when I was first in Uganda with Cherie and Kirsty, we built Kiwi House to rehouse the 100 girls currently living in the library and computer lab. With a grant from the Rotary Club of East Coast Bays in Auckland, we plastered, painted and furnished both the library and computer lab then diligently set out to fill the shelves and tables with as many books and laptops as we could find. When we left in November 2009, the shelves were sparse but it was a start.

On my return to KAASO in 2012, I brought with me 12 laptops which had so generously been donated by Louis Vuitton where I was working in Paris. They were just three years old and were received with open arms by all at KAASO. The computer lab was growing.

Volunteers at KAASO have continued to bring over second hand laptops and to teach computer lessons to both the children and teachers and computer literacy has been steadily growing. And now, thanks to Dominic’s trip to the USA last year, the computer inventory of KAASO has doubled. Corbett School in Tampa, Florida where Dominic visited with Mark Thompson, the head of the American National Education Program, sent over 20 computers and today Dominic has written to let us know that they arrived safely at KAASO. He also shared the exciting news that a full-time computer teacher has been employed to focus specifically on computer lessons for both the school and the community.

The shipping expenses of the computers were generously covered by the Trinity Rotary Club in Florida and KAASO wishes to express their gratitude for this as well as to John Mpagi in Kampala who assisted with receiving the computers at the airport in Kampala and transporting them down to KAASO.

It’s so heartening to see the KAASO support network growing – this was exactly what we’d hoped Dominic’s trip to the USA would achieve; through his travels his incredible charisma, passion and magnetic personality have helped spread the word about KAASO far and wide.

A huge congratulations to all who helped make this possible. I wish the students and Empowerment Group members all the best in their computer lessons and I look forward to seeing the newly stocked computer lab on my return to Uganda.

Some of the laptops I brought from Paris in 2012

Brimming with pride

Posted on February 3, 2014 by ileftmyheartinuganda

I received the following email from Dominic today and I couldn’t be prouder:

Dear friends,

It’s my pleasure to bring to your notice that the Primary Leaving Examinations for the year 2013 were released last Friday by the Ugandan Minister of Education and Sports. KAASO had 50 candidates who registered for these examinations last year and 39 of the got first grades and 10 got second grades. One child who was from Tanzania did not sit for these exams.

KAASO was the 181st out of 28,674 schools which sat for these examinations from all over Uganda. We would like to thank all of you for the support that you have given us all the time which has enabled our students perform like this. Now all our candidates are well set to join Secondary schools this year.

Thank you very much.

DOMINIC KALINZI MUKWAYA

Director KAASO

Incredible to think that 15 years ago this school was a single thatched roof classroom that fell down in the rainy season… What a journey, what an achievement. Congratulations to you all.

Zaake Secondary School

Posted on January 18, 2014 by ileftmyheartinuganda

On my latest trip to Uganda, I met an incredible man named Zaake. A successful businessman dealing in Chinese imports, he was originally from Rakai District and his children had all gone through KAASO. However, once his children finished KAASO he had been forced to send them further afield for secondary school as there were no local secondary schools with a level of teaching to match KAASO. He asked Dominic and Rose if they would set up a secondary school but they declined, saying they already had their hands full juggling KAASO, Dominic’s job as Director of Kamuganja Primary School, not to mention their own 7 children.

Zaake persisted, asking if he fully funded the project and organised the construction with assistance from his Chinese importing contacts, would Dominic and Rose sit on the board of directors to help offer input in the curriculum and guide the educational decisions. They agreed and construction began at once.

I went to visit the school while it was still under construction in November last year and was amazed at the size, scope and scale of the project.

Zaake Secondary School – the computer lab and administration block on the left, classrooms on the right

Dominic and Zaake

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A new home in a village far away

Posted on April 12, 2013 by ileftmyheartinuganda

Summer has arrived early in San Francisco and I’m loving every minute. While it’s not exactly Ugandan tropical, my evening walk along the waterfront tonight was full of smiling people, parks of picnickers, pathways lined with those soaking up the last of the light, and as the sun slipped down behind the Golden Gate, some mad people were even swimming…

And on this beautiful evening I have some incredible news to share with you – our dormitory is finished. Mark House was officially opened on the school’s Visiting Day and is now the handsome home to dozens of gorgeous red-sock wearing boys. While the girls proudly moved into their very own Kiwi House in 2009, now, in 2013, the boys have Mark House.

The dormitory was named in honour of an incredible man named Mark Blomfield. I first met Mark in 2011 when he turned up to one the typically chaotic dinners my mother hosts for hundreds on the deck of our house in the Bay of Islands. He was captivated by the story of KAASO and immediately offered to sponsor two of the children through secondary school. But he didn’t stop there. When I sent out my fundraising appeal in July, voicing the ambitious hope of raising $10,000, I was sitting in an airport frantically typing as my flight was called to San Francisco. Before I’d even managed to board my flight, Mark had pledged £1000. He was a passionate supporter of this dormitory and a constant source of encouragement for me to keep going with the fundraising, believing every step of the way that we would get there. To help get us over the line, Mark offered to match every donation dollar for dollar, an overwhelming act of kindness and compassion. Tragically, last November, Mark died of a heart attack. It was a devastating loss and while I had only known him a year, he made a huge impression in that short time. He was someone who cared deeply and, with quiet determination, made sure this dream would come to life. This dormitory is dedicated to his wife Jan and to Mark’s memory. I know he would have been proud.

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And then there was a roof…

Posted on September 24, 2012 by ileftmyheartinuganda

Sitting at my kitchen table after a glorious sunny weekend in San Francisco and wanted to share a quick update on the progress of our new dormitory. The foundations have been laid, the walls have risen to full height and at last the roof is going up! As the funds flow in, the bricks are gathered, the roofing poles lined up and the older boys of KAASO eagerly await their new home.

We have been blown away by the support shown and I am incredibly proud to report that we have now raised over NZD$10,000! A phenomenal display of generosity which means we can now do more than our original dream of just completing the basic construction; we can actually furnish the dorm with double-decker bunks (required by the school authorities – the original motivation for building this dormitory) so that KAASO stays legitimate in the eyes of the government. We still have an amazing donor who is matching $ for $ any donation made between now and the end of September and for this I am eternally grateful. We never dreamed we’d be able to come this far in such a short space of time so thank you, thank you, webale nyo.

I spoke to Rose a few days ago and she was absolutely speechless when I told her the second transfer of close to 7 million Ugandan shillings would soon be in her account. When she finally found her voice she said with a huge grin, ‘Ah Emma, thank you please to all of your friends for loving us. Really, they are loving us and we are appreciating soooo much!’

I’m forever humbled by Rose and Dominic and the world I stumbled upon at KAASO and I am so happy to be able to share with you this story of hope.

From a foggy city to a village of hope

Posted on September 2, 2012 by ileftmyheartinuganda

I have finally settled into a home on a hill where from my window the city of San Francisco sprawls across rolling hills and the fog, ever-present, hangs quietly overhead. It appears that after many, many months of roaming all four corners of the globe, this wanderer has finally put her feet to rest – at least for the time being. I moved to San Francisco a month ago and since then have traipsed far and wide across the city searching for a home, hiked vertical streets, dodged bell-ringing cable cars, and run around madly entertaining guests at sea and on land as the first San Francisco America’s Cup World Series event unfolded across the Bay. I have slowly begun to unpack and plant roots and, ultimately, come to love my new part of the world.

Meanwhile, in Uganda, progress is being made. Since I last emailed from Paris, just one month ago, we have raised almost $5000 NZD – close to half of what we need to get this dormitory up off the ground. The pile of bricks we started with is rising and construction is ploughing forward. Thank you so very much to those of you who have donated so far, the gratitude flooding out of the village is overwhelming. If anyone else is still interested in donating, we have a truly incredible sponsor who has offered to match dollar for dollar any money received between now and the end of September! A very humbling show of generosity.

There is a Canadian volunteer, Justin, at KAASO who has been keeping us updated on the dorm’s progress and sending through photos as construction continues. The goal is to have this building finished by the end of the year so it can be opened and the children can move in before Christmas.

Thanks so much to you all, from my little corner of San Francisco draped with African beads and dotted with Ugandan baskets…

Dreams take flight

Posted on July 27, 2012 by ileftmyheartinuganda

From my open window I look across the rooftops of Saint Germain in Paris, my bags packed beside me, ready to jump on this afternoon’s flight to San Francisco and the start of yet another chapter on this wild and wonderful journey. My well-loved backpack looks slightly out of context in my clean, white hotel room and while I managed to wash the dust off both my clothes and my feet, there is a kind of dust that remains within and cannot be washed off.

Uganda was, quite simply, magic. The very first time I went it felt like I was stepping off the beaten track, light years from my known world and everything was new and different and challenging and we spent our days grappling to understand our brave new world. My return last year with my parents I approached with curiosity – unsure whether I would have to acclimatise all over again or if it would feel natural to be back. Fortunately it was the latter and it was such an incredible thrill to watch my parents wholeheartedly embrace village life, which had come to feel strangely familiar to me.

This trip I didn’t know what to think. I knew it wouldn’t be the overwhelming head spin of the first time but I still wasn’t sure whether after a year away and the huge contrast with my life in Europe, adjusting to the village would be a challenge. From the minute I stepped off the plane and spotted Dominic’s beaming face through the crowd, it felt as normal as if I was arriving at Auckland airport. During the trip down to KAASO we chatted like old mates and it wasn’t until we pulled into the school gates to find a throng of children screaming my arrival home and Cherie and Kirsty standing there as if 2009 were yesterday, that the tears started to fall.

Two and half weeks is but a heartbeat in a place where so much happens in a day, where you want to find out every detail of every project that has developed since you left, where every conversation leaves you inspired to do more and where every second spent with the children leaves you grinning from ear to ear. This trip was a time of reconnecting. Of visiting old friends, of reviving once again our faith in the fact that KAASO truly is an incredible project and that, with barely any money, Dominic and Rose somehow manage to perform miracles to keep this school running. And the success of the school has been spilling out into the community who now have access to the library and computer lab that we built in 2009 which, thanks to the generosity of family, friends and workmates, is slowly filling with books and computers. Beyond our wildest dreams.

In my short time back in Uganda, I navigated countless atrocious roads to visit all thirteen children being sponsored through secondary school. With me at the wheel and Rose as my guide and copilot, we ran out of petrol, ended up wedged in potholes that seemed sure to devour us, got lost countless times, were refused entry into a school due to the fact that I was wearing long, baggy pants (rather than a skirt like a proper female) and ended up doing exactly what I had vowed to avoid – driving at night in a country where no one knows lights can be dimmed from full beam and everyone prefers to use your side of the road – particularly trucks. There was a lot of time spent in the ditch! But we survived the various journeys and the love, hope and overwhelming gratitude I felt from the children was worth every steering-wheel-gripping second.