And they came bearing gifts....

On Saturday morning a group of us set off to deliver gifts to the schools who had welcomed us during the week. We had all been asked to suggest ways we could bless those we had come into contact with and ideas for the schools included exercise books, pencils, chalk etc. Emily and Linda also came up with the idea of mattresses for the two dormitories at Masese; for the vulnerable children that Headteacher Christine was keeping at school for their own safety. So, we loaded one of the minibuses with boxes of resources for the schools and 20 mattresses, there was only just room for Steve and the 4 of us as well!

First stop Masese, only we didn’t make it! The minibus had done really well for the two weeks of our stay, especially given the state of the roads and the weight it been carrying! But the near side front tyre could take no more and blew as we turned to go up the final steep hill to the school. Although there was a spare wheel in the back, there were no tools to change it and none could be found among the locals. A phone call back to base ensured help was on it’s way but as we were on African time, who knew how long that would take!

Dylan & David decided to walk up to the school to at least let them know we were on our way. On arrival they were greeted by one of the teachers who liked the idea of getting some of the children to carry our offerings up to the school. They came back down the hill followed by a huge number of young people, all eager to help. They made short work of unloading the gear and carrying it on their heads back to school. There was tangible excitement among them, especially those who said they were sleeping at the school and couldn’t wait to try the new mattresses. We were welcomed like visiting dignitaries by the staff and children who were quite overwhelmed by what they were being given. Emily, Linda & David were talking to the staff, but where was Dylan? Like the Pied Piper he had attracted half the school and, swamped by children, had taken off for a look around. When we finally left and made it back down the hill to the minibus, Steve was still waiting for the rescue team. Another phone call and we realised it was going to be a long wait!

Dylan, being a teacher to the core, took the opportunity to do some maths with the young children who had gathered around us (Saturday school is only for the older children). Some of them were fascinated by Emily’s hair and spent a long time trying to plait and style it for her. Eventually, after almost 2 hours, the cavalry arrived (Phil, Laurie and Moussa). We took their minibus to continue the deliveries, while they changed the wheel…Never easy with makeshift tools on the side of a potholed hill! The final distributions were gratefully received by the Headteacher’s of the other schools. These were quick in-and-out visits as the second minibus had started playing up and we wanted to make sure we made it back! We did, and well-deserved cold drinks were the order of the day.

Our quick visit to a few schools had turned into quite a long adventure but had again emphasised some of the huge differences between our lives and those of the people we were surrounded by. The donations to the schools cost relatively little in our terms but made such a difference to these incredibly impoverished Ugandan settings. Coming from the UK culture of extravagance and perceived entitlement, we really should appreciate how blessed we are. However, yet again those we met were, as always, happy and smiling and eager and excited to spend time with us. We could certainly learn a lot about relationships. In the UK we are known to be cash rich but time poor. Does that make us happy?… perhaps we think it does, but compared to the genuine happiness in the Ugandan’s we met, the answer would be definitely no.