Visiting Rubingo

Yesterday was a long-awaited day. Joan, Ben and David drove two hours over worse-than-washboard roads to visit Rubingo. Sadly I had come down with a tummy bug and couldn't go with them, but they all gave me a full report on their return. Alice's new school - it has most of the doors and windows now, and has been plastered on part of the outside. Now it needs floors, plastering on the inside, tables and benches, shelves, beds and sheets and, and, and. So it isn't quite ready to move into yet, but Alice was so pleased to show it to everyone, and presented us with a big box of fruit in thanks.
Over 110 widows and grandmothers, including the five members of the Bitengye Designers who live in Rubingo, met with the "Muzungu visitors" in a nearby church. As always it was moving to hear their stories, and to be greeted and welcomed by people so full of determination and pride, but with so little material wealth. Alice accompanied the crew back to Mbarara in the evening, and joined us for the first day of her training today. It was so good to get back into the actual work of teaching new designs and to sewing.

Final Days

This photo was taken just before the end of this year's workshop. Kitambaa and friends had a last photo taken before packing up the Round House, taking down the quilts, putting the supplies away for another year, and then attending to our own packing. We are bringing back a fair supply of fabric (surprise, surprise!), as well as beads and necklaces, batiks and baskets, and other treasures. Also 72 shirts made by the Bitengye Designers for the Victoria Children's Choir, and samples of all the other "new fashions" made this year. Many items have already been sold, or left as samples in a number of venues. In less than a week we will be home again, and all of this will be a wonderful memory. Thank you, once again, to all of you who have been a part of this project. We hope to see many of you in the coming months, to show you updated photos, and most importantly the items made by the Bitengye Designers, the sale of which has made such a terrific difference in their lives.

Dinah and Helena

I first met Dinah when I came to Uganda three years ago. She was employed part-time by Canada House at that time, and we struck up a friendship. We have been in touch since then, and at the end of last year, I gave her a sewing machine and arranged for her to have sewing lessonsa. She would like to have become one of the Bitengye Designers, but works for someone at the Eye Clinic in the mornings, so can't attend. And Helena is only six months old. So I have shown her how to make table napkins, and every Sunday she has been arriving with 40 more completed table napkins. The amount she earns with these effectively doubles her monthly income, and she hopes to save enough for her eldest son to complete Primary-7. But with eight children, it's hard to save any money at all. (The husband is no longer in the picture.) As for Helena, she is thriving, and happy to be wrapped on Dinah's back while she works. At least for now.

Mary and Children

A truck making its appearance in a village is often a novelty, and a white person by a truck attracts even more attention. Here Mary is pictured beside Perez's truck, just after church was dismissed. Shortly after the photo was taken she took some footage of these children, and was then able to play it back to them. As you might imagine, the crowd of children expanded still further when that happened. As we drive down more remote roads, small children stand by the side of the road waving at us. Trudy said on one occasion that she felt a little like the Queen!

The Hope Choir

If only I could capture the energy and song and strength of this group in a photo - it just isn't possible. These are the members of the Hope Choir, performing in Rugingo. All 22 members are HIV positive, and they come together to spread their message - to get tested, to know your status, how AIDS is spread, and how to live positively with AIDS. They visit many different areas, wherever they are invited (often churches and schools), and sing songs they have composed themselves, perform drama, and dance. They have a powerful impact on many others, encouraging them to get tested, to access counselling, and to access the ARV drugs that are available in Uganda free of charge. A similar group has just been formed in Kikagati - the Truth Choir with 27 members, and Kitambaa has committed to buying uniforms for them (T-shirts and black skirts), and drums, as well as to help raise transport funds so that the members can get to those places that testing and medication is available. These people are so brave, risking shunning by their friends and family, and their work is so valuable.

Sponsored students

One of the widows biggest needs is school fees for secondary school students, and through Kitmabaa and various friends of Kitambaa, about 14 students are presently being sponsored. It costs about $500 a year - the actual cost depends on the school - for one year of secondary school. This photo shows some of these students meeting with me in Rubingo. Where there is a parent or guardian, they are also in attendance. I had their reports with me, and we went over those, and for some, the need to work harder in certain subjects, and for others, applauded them for a high standing in their class. Reading and writing in English was encouraged, as students need good skills in these to pursue further education. And we asked if they had paraffin lamps, so they can all study at night during their holidays. There is always a need for more sponsorships, or contributions toward sponsorships. We are hoping to extend some of these to the more disadvantaged children of widows in Kikagati, so please let me know if you might be interested in helping out in this area - email me at pippa@mars.ark.com. Anything and everything would be so welcome. Now I must go and get ready for our students who will be arriving withing the hour!

More Photos from the MBS meetings

Joan and a widower member of the group. Note the walking sticks they have in common.

Children inside the Church where the Kikagati meeting was held (the coolest place around).

Widows clapping to the traditional dancing that was performed before we left the gathering. (The dancing itself is much like the imitation of a crane dancing, and is very hard to photograph. It consists of much leaping in the air while arms are outstretched on either side and the head is rotated to a soft hissing sound. Quite something to see.)

Mutual Benefit Societies

I am so excited I can hardly contain myself. I've been loaned the use of a high-speed internet, on which I can post more than one picture at a time. Which means that I can tell you about our meetings with the Mutual Benefit Societies in both Rubingo and Kikagati. These are the groups into which the widows and grandmothers have organized themselves, and it is from these groups that the members of the Bitengye Designers were chosen. They garden together, raise goats together, and share their meagre resources amongst themselves. In Rubingo we met with the leaders of the eight smaller groups (they have a


total of 190 members in all eight groups), and they gave us a little history on all the activities they have been engaged in together, reported on how much money they have saved in order to renew the lease on the garden they have rented, about told us their concerns regarding such things as school fees and access to treatment for those who are HIV positive. In Kikagati over 200 women came out to meet us with singing and dancing, and then gave reports on all their activities. These are brave and courageous women, who are willing to do almost anything to give their family a hand up in the world.

Visits in Rubingo

We have just returned to Mbarara and Canada House after spending a very busy but rewarding four days in Rubingo. We made home visits to the Bitengye ladies living in that area, met with students who are being sponsored by Kitambaa and friends of Kitambaa, were treated to a performance by the Hope Choir, made up entirely of HIV positive individuals, and of course, we visited Alice and went to see how progress is being made on her new sewing school. It was so exciting to see the Bitengye ladies again. We had hugs all around, and then they served us ginger beer and told us about how much their lives have changed in the last year, now that they are earning an income. Many have been able to buy a plot of land, several bought chairs for their homes, and several more bought a table. Three had bought beds, so no longer have to sleep on mats on the floor. One bought a cow, one is paying school fees for two siblings and another is putting her daughter through tailoring school. So you can imagine the celebratory air of the gathering. I think most poignant for me was Anna's comment - "We left our miseries behind in Ruharo" (the location of Canada House and the workshop). As for Alice's school (pictured here), it has five rooms, including one large classroom, one small display and sales area, and three bedrooms, one for Alice and the others will be dormitories for her students. The building up to and above the windows has been completed, and now it awaits more funding to buy the metal sheets for the roofing. I've told Alice that she will need to make more bags!! We were so impressed by all these women had accomplished in the last year, and will tell you more in later blogs.

Kamida

Kamida is 40 years old, and comes from Rubingo. She is a Muslim, and her husband was a polygamist. Her husband and his two other wives died of AIDS in 2004, and she has been raising all 9 of their children alone since then. They range in age from 10 to 20, and all are still at home. They completed Primary School, but she has had no funds to send them on to Secondary School. Kamida has been tested and is HIV negative. She works as a labourer and has also been involved in weaving baskets. She is hoping a sponsor might be found so that her eldest son could receive training as a mechanic. There is a strong tradition in Uganda that eldest sons look after their mothers as they grow older, something that I hadn't fully understood until this visit. So assisting eldest sons to get training proves another way to provide for widows and their families.