House on the Hill

We bid Joggies goodbye and head towards Shatura's to deliver her bike. Our first mission of the day is to purchase some food for Sofia and her family - Shatura, Saleh, Charlotte, and Sasha. After our first visit there and seeing the level of poverty in which they are living, we make an executive decision as a group that they need immediate help.

packed up awaiting our ride from Joggies

entryways to the cabins

we can't complain about the tight quarters after visiting some of the homes

We stop on the way because Sara expressed an interest in reading some novels, and we had luck finding 3 good ones at a mall.  Alan is careful to inscribe them for her while we drive the bumpy roads.

an infrastructure project underway to complete a turnpike from Entebbe to Kampala seems out of place in Uganda

roadside bustle

a family gathers outside the market

Next we find a wholesaler where we purchase rice, beans, groundnuts, cooking oil, Irish potatoes, carrots, eggs, and matooke for the family.

a vendor serves a customer at her mobile money stand

fresh produce in abundance

Scott hoists the stalk of matoke.  This plantain vegetable will serve the family for weeks

vehicle packed with foodstuffs and a bike

At Sophia's house we find Shatura, Saleh, and Charlotte sitting inside their dark,  one room home. They are home alone as Mom is working at her vegetable stand,  and for safety she has instructed them to stay inside until she returns. We carry in the food, struggling to find a place to put it.

Shatura is surprised and ecstatic to receive her new bike. She can't get on it fast enough.  Saleh is upset however, because his bike is "broken". A quick inspection by the men reveal that it's a blown tire - which he quickly blames on Shatura.

Carly lectures Shatura to treat her brother more kindly

Charlotte has warmed considerably from our first encounter

this is perhaps Shatura's third attempt at riding a bicycle

Dan, Scott, Carly, and Abraham take Saleh's bike to the same repair shop where we repaired Cutie's, while the others cheer Shatura on testing out her new wheels.

When the repaired bike returns, we watch the two compete riding back and forth down the dirt road, as siblings often do.  After only minor scrapes and bruises, we help the kids lock up their new toys and say goodbye.

the neighbour kids are enthralled

Saleh - the man of the house

the kids enjoy a globe disguised as beach ball

Saleh is thrilled to see his repaired vehicle returned

Sue has one last pose with "easy rider"

We pick up Jackie and Hasifah.  Hasifah (15) is another former BKU kid who lives in Jinja.  It was too far for her to travel home after the pool party, so she stayed the night at Jackie's afterward.  Following a quick pit stop for Rolex we make the three hour trip to Jinja.

men offering meat on a stick

Jackie pitches in with rolex preparations

the marabou storks are fearsome creatures

We park the vehicle at Jackie's Mom's (Mama Remy) house and stop in for a quick visit. Jackie breaks the news that we have to walk to Hasifah's house from there, as there is no road into the village. 

Hasifah is good friend's with Jackie's family

we now know where Jackie gets her beautiful smile

Hasifah makes this long trek regularly

The walk is uphill the whole way but the view is breathtaking. This is as deep in the village as we have been.

At the top of the hill we find Hasifah's home where she lives with her grandmother Oliver. It is a homestead of mud huts where they have their family farm. Both of Hasifah's parents died of AIDS along with her only sibling.

After a conversation with Grandma, we ask Hasifah if we can see her room.  We find a dirt floor where Hasifah sleeps on a mattress on top of a straw mat.  There is no water or power.  There is a chicken laying an egg in her room.

mud walls are typical for homes in the village

Susan greets Hasifah's grandmother

Hasifah's room is quite bare

the back room of the humble home

The farm production is only for personal consumption and earns no money.  They do have a piggery however, and Grandma sells some banana leaves for cooking.  This is their sole income.

Grandma is hosting a guest, her sister in law Rose.  She is weaving a straw mat and you can tell that they are both elated to have mzungus visiting.  We think we may be the first ever on the hill.

Alan snaps a photo of Rose as she's weaving and shows it to her.  Her giggling and childlike glee make it clear in any language that even in her twilight years she has never seen a photo of herself before. We are beside ourselves; a moment none of us will ever forget.

dried sorghum is a grain used for bread

Rose busy with her weaving

beautiful ladies, inside & out

Oliver & Hasifah

We check out the new born piglets and Scott takes a moment to scratch the mother's head.  Jackie jokes with Grandma that we are interested in trying amarwa - a local fermented brew.  It is typically drank by two or three people at a time from a bucket on the ground through very long straws. Grandma laughs and says she wishes she had known. 

We leave Hasifah's house a bit befuddled about exactly how we can help her situation aside from helping with her education and ensuring she is in boarding school. We hike back down the hill and grab some shade in Mama Remy's yard while Alan prints out pictures for Hasifah, and of course one for Rose.

We carry on to Jinja where we stop at Two Friends restaurant to have a Kulikayo meeting with Jackie.  With all of our home visits done now, we discuss how to proceed and how to allocate funds.  Jackie has a lot of research to do on our behalf. 

a beautiful setting for a business meeting

Jackie

The only thing we concretely settle on in the moment is to purchase Hasifah a bed frame and mattress to get her off of the ground.  We pity whoever has to carry it up that hill.

We go touring at the Source of the Nile.  We run the gauntlet of craft vendors to watch the waters as they leave on their 3,000 kilometer journey from Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean.  The ladies buy matching colourful dresses,  although Sue is not that enthusiastic.  It is dark when we leave.

craft vendors

the Nile at sunset is flowing rapidly.  Lake Victoria is to the left

Sue & Jackie in deep discussion

the choice of refreshment at this location is an obvious one

We arrive at Al-Nisaa hotel to check in.  There are signs posted everywhere that there is no alcohol allowed on the premises.  Scott, more concerned about unloading the van than anything, storms into the lobby with a bottle in each hand.  The staff look the other way. Not only do they ban alcohol, but also toilet seats.

We go to Flavours for dinner and there are no tables.  Eager for our business, the staff hurry to pull wicker loveseats outside and create a whole seating area for us blocking the entire sidewalk.  We are quite comfortable and have the added attraction of watching the Friday nightlife in Jinja.

Jackie takes a phone call from Sofia who is emphatically thanking us for the food delivery today. She discloses that she ran out of supplies three days before and was worried how she would feed the children the remainder of the week.

Some guys are having arm wrestling matches a few metres away and Scott cannot resist the temptation to join in.  They are happy to include him and he wins every match.

We go to bed full and happy and ready for our early morning rise to make the long journey to Murchison Falls National Park.

Sula Bulungi - good night.