Saturday 1^st November 2014

The last 3 days have seen us busy mainly with updating sponsorship details of children and taking fresh photographs. This meant visits to Ekimomulu and Ebenezer Secondary School. It has brought home to me the desperate need we have for more sponsors at present. Although ultimately we want to see the whole project self-funding we are very much in an in between stage with children in education needing sponsors and 2 houses at Ekiwomulu ready to use that cannot currently be utilised because we lack the sponsors to support the children who would live there. It is certainly my desire to  see all 9 houses in use Currently 5 are completely occupied, 2 ready for occupation and 2 needing some finishing work although largely structurally complete. Discussing the issue with Kisakye he has a large pile of files about children needing to transfer to the Ekiwolumu site so the need is there. I wonder if each of us who are sponsors could consider trying to recruit just one new sponsor each. The effect of this would be dramatic and touch the lives of a large number of needy children.

John Bosco who we have just found a sponsor for but there are many more like him who are in desperate need of a sponsor

Updating the children's profiles at Ebenezer Secondary School

 

We walked to the Café on Wednesday afternoon. It is about a 7Km round walk which took us through some places we hadn’t previously been to. Work is proceeding steadily on the Café with the builders working on the drive up to the Cafe, the perimeter wall and the main entrance porch to the rear of the Café. The plumbing is now largely complete. Signs and flags to show where the Café is situated are still jobs to be done but it is all progressing which is encouraging. Another job which I was able to accomplish one afternoon was drafting job descriptions for the staff who will be employed. Not very glamorous stuff but essential to making the Café eventually function smoothly.

On Thursday morning while Ann was updating children’s profiles, I took some time to wander around the site at Ekiwomulu. I spent an hour or so checking the louvered windows to check for panes of glass that were about to fall out and reposition them and ensure all the occupied houses didn’t have any broken panes. A piggery is currently being built which will allow us to generate additional income. The occupants will be German Pigs who are less fatty than the local pigs so this is truly an international effort!

A few window panes needed TLC!

Further essential work on retaining walls to prevent soil erosion

Work on the piggery in preparation for the new occupants

 

We also had an opportunity to see the work being done to clear some land for agricultural use. Currently there are 5 men clearing a sizeable area I would estimate to be 3-4 acres in preparation for planting Yams and Cassava. These should be at less risk of being destroyed by the local Vervet monkeys who enjoyed much of the trial planting of sweet potatoes!

Land being cleared for crop planting. The trees are being retained. You may be able to see multiple holes prepared for Yam and Cassava plants

Yesterday I went briefly for a further discussion with the local lawyer to try to increase my understanding of the various registration issues. He was extremely patient and helpful as he described the various options open to us. The route to his office involves traversing a crowded courtyard populated by chickens and young children. Not quite the plush premises his UK counterparts enjoy!

Last night all-out war on mosquitoes was declared. One had managed to slip into the net and spent much of the night buzzing around my left ear! Needless to say in my mind I already had malaria and visions of several squadrons of further mosquitos utilising an established route past our defences that the intruder had discovered!