January 2017 - returning finally!

It's been 18 months since I last hugged the Bright Kids of Uganda, but in some ways it seems much longer. We'll depart the night of January 11th, and it's been a mad rush getting through the holiday activities while trying to remember and gather all the things we wish to take to Africa.

Susan and I have become very good friends with Dan and Nadine Franceschini, the couple who accompanied us to Uganda at our last visit along with their terrific family. They are wonderful folks with big hearts and a love of travel and adventure. Carly, the social worker who spent three months in Uganda is returning with us. She has been a great supporter and champion of the cause. We are thrilled that her husband Scott is also coming with us for his first visit to Africa. We look forward to seeing the wonder as his eyes and mind view things in Africa for the very first time.  They have both become very near and dear to us.

Victoria and the Bright Kids organization have come a long way since we last visited. A new farm project is up and running, providing food security for the children and reducing her dependence on donations to nourish her children. The nursery school has been running now for over a year and, by all reports, is doing very well. A new school for the disabled has been opened, and I know that serving children with disabilities has been an issue very close to Victoria's heart. We look forward to seeing all these changes, as well as meeting the brand new babies that Rosemary, the nurse, and Maggie, the social worker, have welcomed into the world over the past year.  It will be wonderful to see how the children we have come to love have grown and developed over the past many months.

In addition to supporting the children's home, we have embarked on a new project which is very exciting to me.  Many of the Bright Kids have no family at all or the home situation is so risky that they could never safely return.  They benefit greatly from the love of Victoria and her staff.  Some of the children, however, do have a responsible parent or extended family members who simply do not have the resources to provide education and proper nutrition.  We have expanded our mission now to support some of those children who have been repatriated with family in the community.  Our goal is to ensure the children continue their education and we hope to work with the adults and assist them to become more self-sufficient over time.  Much of this is explained in the pamphlet from our September fundraiser which I have posted here.

 There are many sad and heartwarming stories, and I look forward to relating some of those over the course of our visit.  Stay tuned!