By Veronika
The morning came early. Too early for some of us who couldn’t sleep due to the assault on the senses that was our visit to the local watering holes and a dancing establishment.
After a quick breakfast we got our tired selves on the bus. Just before the playing field the three representatives of the HIV/AIDS group (Mike, Veronique and I) jumped off the bus and headed to the local branch of TASO (The Aids Support Organisation). TASO in Masindi work just of the main road on a site complete with a testing centre and a counselling village. One of the doctors, Dr. Sarah, found some time for us and we had a good chat about any possible cooperation in the future.
While the HIV/AIDS group visited, the rest of our mighty crew got stuck in with the primary school children brought by our yesterday’s teachers. There were over a hundred of children and when the team was reunited, everybody looked happy but tired. The heat we can cope with. The humidity was less so.
We finally experienced some proper local food in our last night’s joint. Mike had ordered our lunch – a selection of matoke, posho, fresh fish, goat and beef. A slight complication because all serving dishes were taken away from the restaurant to be hired out to a function and for fifteen minutes we just couldn’t understand each other with the staff. However, when the food arrived, we forgot all that arguing and with astonishment watched Yusuf piling mountains of food on his plate. That boy has got hollow legs. He also has a great talent for imitations – from animal noises to children begging for pens and t-shirts.
Afternoon coaching was supposed to start at 2pm but at 2.30pm we still had no secondary school children. By that time Isaac from the Family Spirit orphanage arrived and whisked Mike and me out for a shopping trip. Our local paper News & Views donated £100, Alan added £25 that he was given by John Lowland and Mike and I contributed £70. All this money went towards important things for the orphanage – rice, school exercise books, pens, bed covers, toothpaste, plasters, gloves, Calpol and other necessities. Amazingly enough Isaac suggested buying a few plastic chairs that could be used by the children and also could be hired out for private functions and so would bring some revenue to the orphanage.
The shopping adventure was interrupted by some very heavy rain and because we had the bus, we rushed back to the ground to rescue the team from an unscheduled shower. Another load of rain finished the coaching just before 4pm.
Tomorrow we will say goodbye to Richard, who is leaving early. His bus is supposed to make it to Kampala in 2,5 hrs!! He will be truly flying, as it will take us about 4 hrs…
NEWS ARTICLE OF THE DAY
‘Local police move to reduce the road carnage. In the last few weeks the police acquired a fleet of ambulances, so that the victims can be taken to hospital faster. The ambulances will be equipped with a health kit.’
That much for all of those, who are in favour of traffic calming measures. All we need are more vans with First Aid kit in them.
CZECH
Dneska jsme nakupovali pro sirotcinec, meli jsme nejake penize, prispevky od znamych. Nakoupili jsme ryzi, povleceni, sesity, tuzky, leky, naplasti, gumove rukavice (vetsina deti v sirotcinci jsou HIV pozitivni), prasky na odcerveni deti, zubni pastu. Taky jsme koupili 30 plastovych zidli, ktere budou pro deti a kdyz bude potreba, sirotcinec je muze pronajmout a tak vydelat nejake penize.