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The HHC office (Dale and Janna) made a late year trip to
Uganda and Kenya, Africa in September/October, '05. We were gone
for fifteen days.
We were greeted at the airport by a driver sent from MSF -
France (Doctors Without Borders). Whisking through the city of
Kampala, Uganda that night, swerving around bicycles, cars and
people at great speeds, what struck me most was the smell of smoke.
Everyone burns garbage (that isn't left on the side of the road)
and it creates a unique smell. We were generously welcomed and
accommodated at the MSF compound and it was a very safe place
to recover from the 24 hours of travel!
On our first day, we went into downtown Kampala and walked
around. We were awe struck by the chaos of traffic, noise and
people. Kampala is built on the side of a big hill and we had
to climb from one street up, or down, to the next. At one point
as we were walking along I had to grab Dale's arm to keep her
from stepping into a 5 foot deep hole in the middle of the
sidewalk. Idi Amin left the infrastructure of Uganda in shambles.
Garbage is everywhere and the streets are chopped and broken,
in some places merely beaten down paths around huge car-eating
holes. We found food and drink to be cheap. After buying some
groceries and beer we were $6 poorer!
On our second day we met up with Dr. Chris Hashimoto, Dale's
long time friend, who had been serving as the sole physician for
a refugee camp of 35,000 in northern Uganda. She (and about 18
others) arrived for 2 days of countrywide staff meetings. We were
privileged to take our meals with the staff. At the end of the
second day, through Chris's urging, I was allowed to present on
Healing Touch and the field of energy medicine to the MSF staff.
My presentation was followed by a staff party and BBQ, which was
fun and gave the staff time to ask questions. There was much interest.
The following day Dale, Chris and I left for Kenya with our hired
car and driver, Andrew. This was the start of Chris's one week
vacation as she had already served half of her six month contract.
What she kept mentioning, and I noticed acutely by the end of
our travels, was that in Africa you are never alone. The trip
got interesting at the Kenya border as we were pulled (one-by-one)
into the border guard's office and made to pay a 'bribe' in order
to get our visas. We stayed our first night out in Kisumu, Kenya
and arrived shortly before the coffee internet cafe closed, allowing
a quick email home! That night Chris expertly directed us around
town (walking in the dark) to a restaurant she remembered visiting.
By the second night, we were at the Serengeti and booked into
Kichwa Tembo, a tented game park in the English safari style.
This was one of our 'miracles' (and a personal highlight) as we
were unable to call ahead due to cell phone issues, but they had
an opening for us. They told us that wouldn't have happened a
day earlier as they had been full for months until the day we
arrived. We stayed three nights, enjoying game drives into the
Mara with the Maasai, ate, rested and relaxed. We saw lions with
cubs (and kills), elephants, rhino, hippo, cheetah, running giraffe
and more! Chris was especially excited about eating food that
crunched! When we left Maasai-land we traveled to Migori to pick
up food and water before heading to Matoso on the shores of Lake
Victoria. This is the tiny village where Chris had been the doctor
for the Lalamba clinic two years previous. She was checking in
on some of the orphaned kids and reconnecting with friends. The
town has ONE motel-type structure that is run by a friend of Chris's
from the clinic. However, there are no phones, electricity or
running water and mail is very slow by unmarked, rough dirt roads.
We did not know if we would have lodging. But fate was again on
our side. As we drove to the motel, along the side of the road
was Nancy walking home from the clinic for lunch! She was very
excited to see Chris and welcomed us like royalty!
We took a walk that afternoon and quickly had a child hanging
off each of our fingers. The kids learn English as soon as they
go to school. Most of these kids could only say, "Hi, how
are you?" or "What is your name?" The kids wore
clothes (US discards) that were hanging off them with seams split
from stem to stern and all had the yellow eyes of malaria. I challenge
you though to find sweeter, more present and accepting children!
What angels! In Kenya we noticed that there is quite a bit of
begging. Dale thinks that because of all the non-governmental
organizations (NGO's), they are very used to receiving handouts.
Nancy and her brother Evan agree. HIV/AIDS has taken such a toll
in Kenya that many of the households are empty of adults, or the
remaining adults are raising combined families of children. [One
single woman from the clinic was raising her two children and
four others.] Many of the kids are turned out, or leave, for life
on the street because a single, sick parent can't support them.
Some of these children have only their school uniform to wear
and don't eat regularly. That first afternoon we found the boy
that Chris had helped support for a time after his mother (who
she was treating) died of AIDS. Naftale was left in the care of
his older sister (thirteen) when his mother died, but the sister
had run off and gotten pregnant. Now he is under the part- time
care of two co-brother's wives. (Children of his father by another
woman.) He looked to be suffering and I felt his sadness like
a bomb’s percussion. Chris talked to the woman who runs
the orphanage (the same organization that runs the clinic) and
the possibility of taking Naftale in was discussed. Hopefully,
that is what has happened. His younger sister, two years old when
Chris first met her, is in the orphanage. The next day, after
Dale and I pulled in fish nets with the villagers and taught them
songs, we all went to the orphanage to visit. The kids come home
from school for meals and because greetings are so very important
in Kenya, they all greeted each of us, shook our hands and told
us their names. Chris was able to re-connect with Lorrine, Naftale's
sister and we had lunch with the kids, listened to them sing us
a song and were each greeted again before they went back to school.
These are the very lucky kids. They sleep under mosquito nets,
get three meals a day, go to school and even each have a toothbrush!
Plus, they have adults in their lives that care for and love them.
This is a new type of African family.
One thing very obvious in Africa is everything WE do. We are
observed at all times and I noticed how true this is when we were
traveling from the game park to Matoso. At one point we rounded
a curve in the road and saw a couple with their driver on the
side of the road. I said, "LOOK! White people!" No wonder
that as we drove along children would run to the side of the road
before we even got there, wave and yell, "Musungus"!
(White people.) We definitely stand out. In Kenya we saw very
little trash lying around. Andrew told us that you know an area
is extremely poor when trash doesn't exist. Things are used so
completely that there is nothing to throw away.
We remember many special highlights of our time in Matoso. We
ate a fish dinner completely in the dark because of clouds of
lake flies that roll off the lake at dusk, taught the locals songs
in English and played cards (that come with flowers instead of
clubs)! We taught Nancy how to shuffle the cards in the 'casino'
style (that had Africans dumbstruck every where we went), which
resulted in many laughs! We also took cold showers and drank watered
down fruit juice (saves money)! We enjoyed long discussions on
why we didn't pulverize Iraq after 9/11 (we could have but chose
not to) and what it is like to live in our great country (US)
with the challenges of affluence. We handed out toys, pads of
writing paper, candy and toothbrushes. We made new friends, or
renewed old friendships, and our world shrunk a little further.
Seven miles out of Migori on our way back to the border we had
two side-wall flat tires. Andrew took them into town for repair
(here you would have to buy new!) and we waited on the side of
the road. As most people walk or ride a bike, everyone on their
way to town greeted us as they passed. (We were about seven miles
from town.) One young man stopped to tell us how sad he was about
a school chum that had just died, presumably of AIDS. He had passed
on his way to church, on his way home to change clothes and then
again on his way back to town for the funeral. Another young man
passing by asked, "Car trouble?" and then added, "Now
you know what it is like to suffer like an African." He didn't
mean it in a very nice way, although he flashed a beautiful smile
as he insulted us.
After Chris returned to the refugee camp, Dale and I went to
Entebbe for a couple of nights for some R and R in luxury! We
had the whole hotel to ourselves, seeing maybe two or three people
besides the staff! We walked to a wildlife park our first day
there and saw the first re-introduced rhino to Uganda, after they
had all been eaten from the wild! It was a really nice park in
spite of its financial troubles. Entebbe also sits on the shores
of Lake Victoria and the views from the park and our hotel were
quite nice. We seemed to be far enough away from the shore to
avoid the lake flies at dusk, but the air conditioning may have
helped! On our last day there I felt an energy shift that left
me a bit anxious and ready to come home. Whenever we had walked
into town, we were escorted by a young man who wanted to practice
his English. While in town, I carefully took a picture of a woman
walking away from me with a basket of greens on her head, being
very sensitive to her privacy. Suddenly, I was chased down by
a very angry man accusing me of taking a photo of him while he
talked on a sidewalk phone. According to our driver, Ugandans
are very cautious of government 'spying' and it is specifically
illegal to photograph anyone in government uniform. I wasn't able
to put into words what I was feeling about the energy change until
Chris was airlifted out of the refugee camp and sending emails
again. What I realized was that suddenly it felt like Uganda shifted
to an ‘us or them’ mentality and it was quite obvious
that we are not the 'us'. Within a month of our return the situation
in Uganda was deteriorating rapidly. Riots were breaking out against
the government and the rebels in the north had declared war on
the NGO's. (The only two out of thousands without armed government
protection are the Red Cross and MSF because of their policy to
remain neutral.)
After all is said and done, I loved visiting Africa and meeting
her residents. I feel both countries we visited continue to need
outside help and support. In Uganda's case, I feel an impotent
(and selfish) government is the major block to aid resulting in
independence from world support. Even though HIV/AIDS is not as
pervasive as in Kenya, her people are suffering terribly. There’s
an air of discontent and sadness among the people, although Uganda
is very lovely; green and hilly and sits alongside the Nile. Kenya
continues to be decimated by HIV/AIDS. A major issue for her is
the continued practice of multiple wives and the resultant failure
to 'get ahead' financially. The ones who can work have to support
the people left behind. If you have family, including one extended
to any degree, you have responsibilities. Kenyans are the happiest,
most present, open and hopeful people I have met. Sadly, they
are also the poorest. Please keep the people of Africa in your
prayers.
I feel very blessed to have gotten this opportunity to travel
to Africa with Dale. I hope to return one day to visit more of
this incredible continent.
In February, HHC is again traveling overseas...this time to India.
We (Dale and I) will be joining a group of mainly Healing Touch
students and teachers and traveling across southern India. Chris
and her sister Pam are joining us, too. I will be teaching two
levels of the HT program and this trip should be another life
changing experience! Watch for information on this journey in
a future e-newsletter.
As always, thank you for your support and we wish you many blessings!
Happy New Year!
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