The Mengo-Bakuli Boys Brigade

This is the last post, but has been in the making from near the beginning. I am back home in Beautiful BC, but want to highlight one more aspect of my trip. Early on, we were introduced to a local (in Mengo, Kampala) boy's orphanage by a young nurse from Vermont working at Mengo hospital. This 'brigade' is a Christian-based initiative headed by Abby and Toni- two young men with a vision (successful) to help some of the country's orphaned children. Abby's grandmother has donated her garage to the group, which has been converted into a dormatory for approximately 12 orphaned lads aged ~6 to ~16. The group also serves a wider social purpose, and includes non-orphaned members who participate in the band. On my first visit there, we were treated to a rousing performance of music and acrobatics. It is hard to describe the sense of positivity that the group brings into the lives of these young people, literally the future of the country, orphaned, in most cases, by AIDS. Apart from music, they educate the boys through informal 'life skills' lessons and invited guest lecturers. The nurse from Vermont was one of these, and Chelsea and I took part as well. Little did I know when I left that I would have a group of young boys yelling things like urethra! and epididymus! during a puberty lesson! Finally, the group uses the funds generated by playing at functions to pay for secondary school fees, as no education past primary is funded by the government. This is a huge issue in itself, and results in many, many children unable to learn, and caught in a cycle of poverty. Again, it is a huge issue that I can't get into here.

Now that I have pulled at the heart-strings, it is time for the pitch:
Chelsea and I were so inspired by the group that we knew we had to help out. We could have simply donated from our relative wealth, but felt we could do something even more profound and lasting (we hope!)
We bought craft supplies, and had the boys construct wallets from bark cloth (a rough fibrous material) and cards with their artwork and personal story.
We brought these back home in order to sell them (at a significant markup!) and send absolutely all the profits back into the programme, one that we have seen first hand works.
A tentative price list is $10 for a wallet, 4$ for a card, and 13$ for both.
If this interests you, please contact me at c.h.newcombe@gmail.com, or Chelsea at chelsea.mccullough@gmail.com

Thanks to everyone for reading!

Chris Newcombe

There Will Always be an England

Even if it isn't particularly convinient!
I have had an unforseen (completely my falut) overnight stopover in London. The economic significance is as follows:
-2 days of transit, 12£ (~ 28$)
-2 pints at the Prince Albert, 7.5£ (~18$)
-1 night accomodation with 7 other sweaty lads, 15£ (~35$)
-3 unhealthy meals, 15£ (~35$)
-Meeting with cousin Louisa, priceless.

Since life is like this, I need a job.

Anyways, things here are nice, and it is great to be in a cooler climate- one of the things I have missed the most.
I will probably add pictures to this post, but am running out of time...
Oh, 30 minutes internet, 1£ (2.50$)

The pictures have arrived: Statues in Hyde Park, Me on the Westminister Bridge, Greenpeace protest and Big Ben in background (Thames police off camera), a 'Bobby'

More Pictures

Here are some more pictures from our safari. Chelsea and I leave tomorrow morning, she for Glasgow, and I for Victoria. This is not the end of the blogs, as I will post at least one more regarding a very special boys orphanage we linked up with in Kampala. The picture of me was as we had stopped to help a broken down truck, the 'artsy' rear view mirror picture was of Chelsea during our closest encounter with a pack of elephants, Kilimanjaro is in the distance- look closely (just over the border in Tanzania), and the last picture is of us on top of an observation hill. The view of elephants bathing and hippos lounging was incredible. One could turn 360 degrees and see nothing but flatness and beasts. Capital!

In The Shadow of Kilimanjaro

While the last post was titled "All Creatures Great and Small", this one's events are far more deserving. We have been relaxing with our good friends Matt and Jess here in Nairobi, and just got back from an overnight safari camping trip in the Amboseli National Park (just along the border with Tanzania). To list the animals seen would be ridiculous, so I will focus on the highlights: elephants (many!), giraffes (few), zebra (many), gazelles, buffalo, jackals. We rented a car and drove down (~3.5 hours), and borrowed tents etc. Again, the post is short on text, but a picture is worth a thousand words....
The ladies posing with me are Massai in traditional garb. Unfortunately, these people of the land seem to be increasingly moving towards commercialism. The picture was not free!

All Creatures Great and Small

Today, Matt, Jess, Chelsea, and I rented a car and drove to Lake Naivasha to go on a 'boat safari'. We drove past a large volcanic crater, which happened to be located in the Rift Valley. To begin, I will list the animals seen today: Dogs (some dead unfortunately), a Camel, a Cat, Hippopotamuses, Water Bucks, Impalas, Zebras, an African Fish Eagle, Pelicans, a Kingfisher, Monkeys, Horses, Gazelles, Wildebeest, Ibuses (birds), Gerts (birds), and Cormorants (yes, birds). We started at the Lake Naivasha Country Club for coffee, then had lunch at the Drifter restaurant- a floating restaurant in the reeds of the lake. Needless to say, the day was supurb. On the way home, we stopped off for groceries, as we are planning a safari/camping trip for the weekend. Not that this is particularly interesting, but we made pizza and rhubarb crumble for dinner. This is boring but noteworthy because Chelsea and I have been starved for the good old fat and sugar that reminds us of home :)

Pharmacy in the Forest

We have just arrived in Nairobi, and are staying with Matt and Jess (their blog is linked to this one). Before getting into our experiences here, I must recount our adventures from the Bwindi 'Impenetrable' Forest. After leaving Lake Bunyonyi, we headed for the forest. This was easier said than done, as transport to and from Kabale is spotty at best. We were lucky enough to secure a ride in the front of a pickup leaving shortly after we got into Kabale- had we missed this, we would have been stuck for the day. We mzungos were given the front, less out of courtesy and more because we could then be charged significantly more than the locals (~20) who were crammed into the box (see picture). Needless to say, not everyone had a seatbelt! For six hours we plied the high mountain windy dirt roads, stopping frequently for buying things, bladder relief, and breakdowns (twice, break failure and flat tire respectively). When we finally arrived at the Bwindi Community Health Centre (www.bchc.ug) we were greeted warmly and invited into our rooms at the well furnished guest house. The Californian doctor, Dr. Kellerman, who runs this Church of Uganda health centre is well known throughout the area and even broadly in Uganda. The clinic has accepted over 100 students on internships from the US, Canada, and the UK. After treating us to a feast (including the best cinnamon bread in all of Uganda), we were taken on evening rounds in this 30 bed facility. There were various ailments represented, the most severe being a young girl with cerebral malaria. The course of treatment for this dangerous form differs only in its urgency and aggressiveness: the patient can die quickly without intervention. The next morning, we were invited to come out on an 'outreach clinic' in the forest Batwa peoples community. The Batwa are pygmies that until recently lived a hunter-gatherer lifestyle in the forest. The were ejected from their traditional homes when the forest became a national park, and unfortunately suffer stigmatization and struggle with integration into general Ugandan society. Shortly after their removal from the forest, the infant mortality rate was approaching 50%. Anyways, we took a landrover, stoked with drugs, and penetrated the impenetrable. After an hour's drive, we arrived at their settlement, where people had congregated in anticipation. Chelsea and I were assigned to assist a nurse-in-training in dispensing drugs of various kinds. The setup was as follows: The assembled people were given a number, saw the doctors in that order, came to our 'drug hut' with their prescription. Given all the constraints and considerations, diagnoses were expedited and made on best available evidence. We handed out mainly de-worming pills, quinine (for malaria) Vitamin A (for malnutrition) and antibiotics. Most patients were young children, suffering from malnutrition, intestinal worms, or both. The aim of the outreach was not only treatment, but also triage. We took the sickest of the sick back to the clinic for admission. We took five very young children suffering from malnutrition and related complications (infections etc.) accompanied by their mothers. As we all had to fit back into the finite environment of the landrover, Chelsea, two doctors and I had to ride on the roof racks! Again, not everone had a seatbelt :)
Those who came with us received prompt treatment, without which they would have died within the next 3-5 days (according to the attending doctor).

The pictures are of our pickup ride, examination by Dr. Paul (UK), and a young girl peering into our forest pharmacy.

Tranquilty and Germans in a volcanic lake

As mentioned in the last post, we are staying on a small island in the middle of Lake Bunyonyi, Kabale, Uganda. The place has amazing natural beauty, including strange birds and lake otters (the latter I have not seen). Here is an experpt from a tourist brochure: "Located 1962m above sea level and surrounded by steep sided heavily cultivated mountainous scenery. Lake Bunyonyi (the word means 'the place of many little birds') is about 25 km long and 7 km wide. With 29 islands dotting the centre of lake and depths varying from 44m to 900m. If the later is true it will make the lake the second deepest in Africa. The lake surface is a fresh 25 degrees celcius, bilharzia free and safe for swimming." The organization running this camp is particularly interesting, as they donate all proceeds to sustainability efforts and education in the area. To learn more, visit www.lakebunyonyi.net
Chelsea and I have made friends with two German ladies and one guy from Colorado- the former are remarkably bon vivant - there has had to be a special order (dug out canoe of course) of replacement beer!
The temperature is cool, the air still. Yesterday, while the ladies were visiting a local pygmi tribe, the three of us rented (2$/ day) a canoe and went to visit some surrounding islands. Closest to us is the Bwama island, which has a primary and secondary school, catering to students from the mainland and surrounding islands. Amazing- schools on a small island in the middle of a volcanic lake, in the mountains of Uganda. Why not?
The students commute each day by dug out canoe (several of which have been donated by the place we are staying.
Today, unfortunately, Chelsea and I are leaving for the mainland, as we hope to visit the Bwindi "inpeneterable" forrest where we have a connection with an American doctor running a forest hospital for the local pygmi population. Why not!?

I will end the post here, as my crepes with local fruit, cinnamon and honey are about ready (at a cost of ~$1.75) Why not.

PS- The girls Chelsea is showing the camera to are the ones, on the top of the mountain, who spoke to you, Karolina, when you rang the cell phone!