International Interfaith Documentary “Delicious Peace Grows in a Ugandan Coffee Bean”

Shown at U.S. film festivals, first Canadian screening! Fresh Ugandan coffee & refreshments served.

CafeNinety7
97 Main St.
Ottawa ON K1S 1B7

Cover – Twenty dollars

Hi Everyone,

Today is the last day of our trip. We woke up early to for a breakfast meeting and I thought perhaps an hour or so relaxing by the pool. The meeting went fine, but lying in the sun by the pool was not to be. There was no sun. Usually we woke up to clouds that broke into a sunny day, but I was hoping for a sunny morning and one last relaxing moment before the craziness of packing, last minute running around, and traveling would begin. We went back up to our room and began packing and weighing our bags like we did before we left Canada. We thought that we would come back with much less- but instead, we have amazing coffee beans from the interfaith coffee co-op and gorgeous handmade jewelry from the women. We were also both given gifts, so I have a beautiful new dress, a full African skirt and top outfit and a tee shirt from another NGO that I work closely with. Chuck has a new African shirt and a full African shirt and pants outfit that matches mine.

I have many mixed emotions. I’m ready to go home. I miss my family and my new grandson. I miss my baby dogs and I miss Ottawa. At the same time, there is a certain familiarity here, many close friends, and many people I’m not yet ready to leave. I feel like I have accomplished so much this trip, made more friends, more connections and changed more lives. I called Nathan, he was very weak. He was tested at the hospital last night and has both malaria and typhoid just like I thought. He is on treatment and feels a little bit better. I feel like I should stay in the city and make sure that he drinks enough fluids, rests and gets well. He sent me a text message and thanked me for saving his life. I cried.
We have such dear friends here and there are always more offers to take us to the airport than we can possibly accept. I wish everyone would come. I wish I could see everyone today before we leave for one big hug.

We packed, checked out and had the hotel store our luggage. Then we walked down to Warid (one of the cell phone companies here) to register. We’ve had our Ugandan phones with them since 2008, but this is something new and all the companies want you to register. After we registered with them, we walked to Garden City mall to register our Orange sticks (the best internet sticks- not that that made much difference this trip). Then we met a few friends at our favourite coffee shop. We had a great time. We had lots of laughs, lots of fun, and that bittersweet feeling of when we will see each other next. We all hugged, and hugged again. Then it was time to get our bags and leave for the airport. We walked back to the hotel and waited for Denis to pick us up. In the meantime, I gave Alan, Elisha’s brother, a quick tour of the hotel and the pool. He couldn’t believe how beautiful it was and we took pictures that I will eventually post on Facebook for him. I will try hard although it might take some time as they are among over 500 pictures on my camera.

Then it was time to go. All our bags fit in Denis’ car and he, Simon, Chuck and I were on our way – right into a traffic jam. Such is Kampala at this time of day – or any other time of day for that matter. There are no traffic lights, stop signs are only a suggestion, and no one gives anyone the right of way (or left since they drive on the opposite side of the road). I tried to take pictures out the window so that I could show all of you what it is really like. There are people walking across the street between jammed cars, hundreds of Boda bodas weaving in and out of the cars or simply driving on the sidewalk to keep moving. There are people on bicycles, some carrying extra people and some carrying extra baggage like matooke. I even saw one with about 50 jerry cans tied in a circular way to fit on the back of the bike. We were riding alongside a truck filled with eggs, uncovered- I couldn’t believe that they wouldn’t somehow break (never mind how long they were sitting in the jam in the hot sun). There were lots of children- some asking for money, most selling things – there were air time cards, some sort of toys, sticks to start charcoal fires and what I found funniest – toilet paper. I guess I was just imagining someone trying to sell toilet paper down the middle of the road at home. Chuck seemed to think that it made some sort of sense. Lots of us stop on the way home from work to get supplies we need. Still I found it very funny.

It’s not far from Kampala to Entebbe – maybe 45 minutes. However, it probably took us more than an hour just to get out of the heart of Kampala. We finally got on Entebbe road and I spent a lot of time looking out the window, remembering the first time we landed in Uganda and the drive along this very road. The shock of it all, the crowds of people, the little villages, the shops, really stalls, lined up all along the road, lit by kerosene, sometimes electric, selling anything they can. The reddish dirt that is everywhere, unlike our clean roads at home – and the never ending sight of Boda bodas, waiting to give someone a ride – waiting to make a little money. Then there is the smell of fire, people cooking, or burning their trash I would guess – the smell of Africa. I looked at it all remembering how shockingly different it all was to me so many trips ago – and how natural it was to drive through now, how much a part of me this place has become.

We arrived at the airport, which is an experience in itself. For security purposes they have closed the ramp up to the airport building. We wheeled our luggage carts up to a staircase and then the bags have to be carried up two flights of stairs. When we finally reached the top and tipped the luggage carriers, we loaded our bags onto another luggage cart. We first had an inspection by patrol dogs that sniffed all around our bags. When we entered the airport, our friends were not allowed to enter, so we hugged Simon and Denis goodbye – and Simon and I hugged again. I have watched him grow from a boy to a man in the last four years. I’ve watched as he’s experienced new things with great excitement (the pool yesterday!) and listened to him as he talked about law and politics. It gives me such great joy to see the change in him. I will miss him very much.

We loaded the bags into an x-ray machine and passed through security. We then loaded our bags onto yet another luggage cart and proceeded to check in. After check in and emigration, we wandered the shops until it was time to go to the gate, where we went through security yet again, and waited to board our flight for the long trip home.
There are so many of you that I’m going to miss. I can’t even begin to name you all – but you know who you are – and many of you are on this list. So, I want to thank you. Thank you for giving me the joy of watching you grow, of showing me how the smallest things can be the greatest gifts, of teaching me not to take anything for granted, showing me that no matter how tough the circumstances, success can prevail. Thank you for showing me how education cannot be taken for granted and the great love that you have for learning and the means that you will go to attain that education. Thank you the most for loving me and trusting me to help you achieve your goals and help change your lives and in turn the lives around you. I hope I can fulfill my promise of always being there for all of you.

We shall be home late Tuesday night.

Warm Regards,

Dvora Rotenberg
Executive Director
Canadian Friends of Pearl Children

Hi Everyone,

Today was a day of total relaxation. We slept in, did a little shopping and came back to the hotel to meet some friends at the pool. It was wonderful! We had such a good time. Our young friend who is now finishing law school and smart and sophisticated was so excited to go in a pool. He hadn’t been swimming in years and he learned how to swim in the swamps. He was so excited. In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen him without a big grin on his face since we arrived. Elisha also came and we couldn’t get either one of them out of the pool- even with their teeth chattering. It was a group of close friends that we were happy to share the beauty of this hotel with. It’s absolutely gorgeous and I don’t think any of them had ever seen anything like it. So, it was a real treat for them and a real pleasure for us. We ordered drinks and sat by the pool and swam and talked all day. In fact, it was already growing dark when we received a call from someone we really needed to meet with to tell us he was coming to the hotel in 20 minutes. It broke up our group, but it had been a long and wonderful day and it was time. We will miss them all so much. Fortunately, two of them are taking us to the airport tomorrow. I am ready to go home. I miss my family and my life there – at the same time I don’t want to leave Uganda. It doesn’t really make sense – but perhaps it is because we have so many people that we love here too. They all joke that we are Ugandans and they should get us a passport already.

We had coffee with our old friend who we were very happy to see. He is a very gentle sweet man and although he has an important position in the military, I can’t imagine him as a soldier. We look forward to seeing him and his wife and children when we are back in the country. He only stayed for a short time and we went up to our room to rest.

I managed to get a strong connection on Facebook tonight and was chatting with my boys in Israel, when one of our boys from Mbale, who is currently in Kampala popped up on a text telling me he was really sick. He thought that he had malaria, but he said that he thought he got sick from water – so I gathered that he had malaria and typhoid. I asked him if he had a mosquito net and he told me that he had gotten one yesterday – but I’m sure that was already too late. I told him to come right away to the hotel and I would give him money to go to the hospital. He arrived just a short time ago and the front desk called to say that he was here. He came with a friend that I also know and I think he had been holding him up. This poor kid was so sick he could barely stand up. They had come on a boda boda and I don’t know how he didn’t fall off. I put my hand on his shoulder, helped to hold him up and felt him burning up. I gave them both some fruit and water and bread that we had in the fridge in our room and also gave them money for the hospital and told them they should go in a cab – I was too afraid for him to go back on a boda boda. The hotel brought over one of their own cabs and gave them a discount. I told the doorman I would cover whatever they couldn’t pay and gave him my room number. The driver was kind enough to put the seat back so that Nathan could rest comfortably until they got to the hospital. His friend, Israel, assured me that they were going to a good hospital. I’m so worried about him. When he is better, I will tell him what I told the children at the secondary school – no matter how far you have to walk, only drink clean well water. I kind of lost it when I got back to the room. How can I leave here when so many people need me? It makes me want to cry even as I write this. Malaria kills! Typhoid kills. It’s so easy to help these young people by providing mosquito nets and encouraging them to walk to areas where there are fresh water wells- and by raising money to pipe the water closer. This young man is not a street person. He is in university. We have wonderful young people here who are our future leaders. We need your help to take care of them.

Tomorrow night we will begin our journey home. It is a long one and I hope that we have a restful morning by the pool to unwind a bit more before we have to go. It is bittersweet for me to leave. This has been a very hard, though productive trip, but it never feels like enough.

Time for sleep…

Dvora Rotenberg
Executive Director
Canadian Friends of Pearl Children

Hi Everyone,

Today was a day of total relaxation. We slept in, did a little shopping and came back to the hotel to meet some friends at the pool. It was wonderful! We had such a good time. Our young friend who is now finishing law school and smart and sophisticated was so excited to go in a pool. He hadn’t been swimming in years and he learned how to swim in the swamps. He was so excited. In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen him without a big grin on his face since we arrived. Elisha also came and we couldn’t get either one of them out of the pool- even with their teeth chattering. It was a group of close friends that we were happy to share the beauty of this hotel with. It’s absolutely gorgeous and I don’t think any of them had ever seen anything like it. So, it was a real treat for them and a real pleasure for us. We ordered drinks and sat by the pool and swam and talked all day. In fact, it was already growing dark when we received a call from someone we really needed to meet with to tell us he was coming to the hotel in 20 minutes. It broke up our group, but it had been a long and wonderful day and it was time. We will miss them all so much. Fortunately, two of them are taking us to the airport tomorrow. I am ready to go home. I miss my family and my life there – at the same time I don’t want to leave Uganda. It doesn’t really make sense – but perhaps it is because we have so many people that we love here too. They all joke that we are Ugandans and they should get us a passport already.

We had coffee with our old friend who we were very happy to see. He is a very gentle sweet man and although he has an important position in the military, I can’t imagine him as a soldier. We look forward to seeing him and his wife and children when we are back in the country. He only stayed for a short time and we went up to our room to rest.

I managed to get a strong connection on Facebook tonight and was chatting with my boys in Israel, when one of our boys from Mbale, who is currently in Kampala popped up on a text telling me he was really sick. He thought that he had malaria, but he said that he thought he got sick from water – so I gathered that he had malaria and typhoid. I asked him if he had a mosquito net and he told me that he had gotten one yesterday – but I’m sure that was already too late. I told him to come right away to the hotel and I would give him money to go to the hospital. He arrived just a short time ago and the front desk called to say that he was here. He came with a friend that I also know and I think he had been holding him up. This poor kid was so sick he could barely stand up. They had come on a boda boda and I don’t know how he didn’t fall off. I put my hand on his shoulder, helped to hold him up and felt him burning up. I gave them both some fruit and water and bread that we had in the fridge in our room and also gave them money for the hospital and told them they should go in a cab – I was too afraid for him to go back on a boda boda. The hotel brought over one of their own cabs and gave them a discount. I told the doorman I would cover whatever they couldn’t pay and gave him my room number. The driver was kind enough to put the seat back so that Nathan could rest comfortably until they got to the hospital. His friend, Israel, assured me that they were going to a good hospital. I’m so worried about him. When he is better, I will tell him what I told the children at the secondary school – no matter how far you have to walk, only drink clean well water. I kind of lost it when I got back to the room. How can I leave here when so many people need me? It makes me want to cry even as I write this. Malaria kills! Typhoid kills. It’s so easy to help these young people by providing mosquito nets and encouraging them to walk to areas where there are fresh water wells- and by raising money to pipe the water closer. This young man is not a street person. He is in university. We have wonderful young people here who are our future leaders. We need your help to take care of them.

Tomorrow night we will begin our journey home. It is a long one and I hope that we have a restful morning by the pool to unwind a bit more before we have to go. It is bittersweet for me to leave. This has been a very hard, though productive trip, but it never feels like enough.

Time for sleep…

Warm Regards,

Dvora Rotenberg
Executive Director
Canadian Friends of Pearl Children

We got an early start Friday morning for our long drive to Kampala. We had expected/invited five of the boys to come with us and we had a lot of luggage. When we got into the van there was already someone there who we didn’t expect and when we got to the place in town to pick up the rest of the boys, we found a crowd waiting for us. They all wanted to see us off. I thought that meant saying goodbye, but instead everyone started climbing into the van. There were people who we didn’t know were coming and there wasn’t room for – and I ended up having to pay bus fare for one of our boys because he wanted to be with us so much (and we wanted him too). It was a crowded stifling four hour ride to Kampala, with just enough time to check into our hotel, change and run to the National Drug Authority for a meeting at 2:00. They made us wait anyway for an hour and a half and by the time we got any information from them, well, it was hot, and we were exhausted and annoyed.

Fortunately we had decided to give ourselves a bit of a vacation in a really nice hotel since our friend had gotten us a great rate. We really needed a break, so we came back to air conditioning, excellent service, and a good hot shower. We sent clothes to be washed and settled down for a quiet Friday night and Saturday to ourselves.

We were happy to see the boys Saturday night for a little while. They all came to the hotel and had tea and water and one more got to ride a lift (elevator) for the first time. It’s been a rewarding and exciting experience for all of us. As they were leaving, the boy that I work with the most gave me a big tight hug and said “thank you mama, you have changed all our lives forever”.

Warm Regards,

Dvora Rotenberg
Executive Director
Canadian Friends of Pearl Children

Hi Everyone,

Well, not surprisingly we came back to the guesthouse and there was absolutely no internet all night. So I attempted to write this email on Friday- but we had to leave very early for our four hour drive to Kampala.

Thursday was a relatively slow day. We went to the secondary school where we presently have nine students registered. I spoke to the headmaster and then the students came in. They are all very grateful to be able to go to school again. I spoke to them about self-esteem and doing their very best- but to compare themselves with themselves – that everyone has their special strengths and they only have to find them. One child may excel at math while another may be more creative. I gave them some suggestions of careers that involve creativity so that they shouldn’t become frustrated. I told them not to give up – that staying in school will help them, their families and their communities change. What they learn, they can go home and teach others. Some of these young people are in their twenties. Many of them are still missing parts of their school uniforms as we didn’t have enough donations to pay for them – in addition to books and food for breakfast. We will work on that. I will have to find out how much it will cost to supply them with breakfast every day. Perhaps we can find a sponsor for each one. It is hard to concentrate on learning when you are hungry.

After our meeting we took lots of pictures of the children and me. They were very happy. One of them who has become very close to me said, “mama, before you sent me back to school, all I did was sit home and do nothing all day – I am so happy”. We can change so many lives here and make such a big impact on the future – one child at a time. Please consider sponsoring a child.

Next on our agenda was to see the new land. The land that we were able to buy the new young leaders for $1000 CAD – it is 3 acres. They have already built the latrine and have enough bricks and probably cement to build a small structure to have someone stay on the land – while it is being prepared for planting. We will need donations for seeds, and fertilizer soon. We hope that they can grow enough food to be able to store it between harvests and during droughts so that money we would send for a food emergency could instead go toward a child’s tuition. The land looks good – and they can plant good staple foods.

Our next stop was Tobin Health Centre where we dropped off medication donated by Dr. Suri of Ottawa and spoke to them about the shipment they will be receiving from us. All seems to be going well. The doctor has done this before, has the right connections and a clearing agent that he went to school with that does a great job. Within a few months, this wonderful interfaith community will be supplied with lifesaving HIV/AIDS medication to be distributed to all clinics and hospitals in the area. I am thrilled that we have started our work in Mbale – this is a place that is a role model for us all – a place where Jews, Christians, and Moslems live in peace and work together for a better life. This is where the interfaith coffee co-op is located – which you will hear more about when I return to Ottawa. Tobin is also an interfaith health centre – it is clean and spacious and has all the modern medical technology that could be provided. They treat everyone for minimal price. It was donated by someone Jewish, the Moslem doctors and Rabbi Gershom keep in running well, the nursing staff and administrative staff are Christian and it is beautiful to see everyone work together to help the lives of others. I am very happy that our medication will be reaching this town.

On another note – because of rolling blackouts, I would like to try to raise money for a solar panel for the centre. During rolling blackouts that can last from a few minutes to 12 hours, important lifesaving machines have to be powered by a generator which costs the centre a lot of money. Solar power is free – except for battery replacement.

The last place we visited was the primary school – which is also interfaith. When I look at these children learn and play together, I feel in my heart that it is the younger generation that will bring peace and prosperity and makes me happy that I am working with young leaders. We dropped off some donated things such as pens and a primary school book, etc. and spent a few minutes with Aaron, our friend, who is the headmaster, and then we were on our way.

I was grateful to be back at the guesthouse as it had been a very busy week out in the heat and the dust and working with the boys and the women. I stayed around the guesthouse the rest of the day and took it easy. There was no internet – and there was another blackout for a while and we just read by flashlight and went to bed early.

Warm Regards,

Dvora Rotenberg
Executive Director
Canadian Friends of Pearl Children

Hi Everyone,

It’s been another busy and productive day and we are now in the guesthouse in the middle of another blackout. It started shortly after we returned as soon as it became dark- so about 3 hours now. It’s a bit annoying but we all have flashlights to read and my laptop has been charging all day. I think that a solar panel for this guesthouse would be a wonderful idea especially since they are nearly full for the upcoming Passover holiday. We left early to pick up boxes of water for our meeting and then went back to Elisha’s house for the women’s meeting. This was a very special meeting because Women First had come to speak to the women again; but this time the women had a chairwoman and a secretary and a treasurer- and, of course, I was there. We had our small board meeting first with Agnes and Joseph Twoli (the founders of Women First) about the structure that the women’s group wanted to work toward and the goals of self-sustainment through micro-financing. I know that I have presented this project before, but these women are forming groups to train and through the guidance of Women First can and will succeed. Our PCU goals are to make our work completely interfaith oriented- to help the women in all villages and all neighbours to achieve a better life. We have one woman with a degree in micro-financing – Isaac’s wife, Shoshana – and she will begin training the women.

After our small private meeting, Sarah, our chairperson, started a meeting with the general group of women. Sarah is very organized and had a complete agenda for the meeting which worked out very well. She spoke, Elisha translated into Luganda, then Joseph and then Agnes spoke and Elisha translated to me in English. After the women had asked questions I was asked to say a few words and Elisha translated. It was a wonderful meeting and the young men that I originally started working with- as well as Sarah were all there and it warmed by heart. They have come so far and have accomplished so much in such a short time. They are ambitious and focused and it brings me great happiness.

Afterwards, like at all the gatherings we’ve had among the Abayudaya, we ate. After eating, different groups wanted to discuss different ideas and branched off. I spoke to Shoshana about her work and she is excited to get started. Then of course I needed to take care of Shoshana’s baby- a different Shoshana who is Sarah’s sister. The baby needed to go to the hospital. This is the little girl they named after me. So I am waiting anxiously to hear what is happening with her.

I spent a lot of time with Nora, one of the secondary school students that is being sponsored by a wonderful family in Ottawa. She is so happy to be in school – you should see the children’s face’s shine when they talk about the opportunity to go to school. Some of the “children” that we are sending to secondary school are in their early 20’s and some, like Nora, have children. She has the most beautiful baby that I wanted to hold all the time. I took a lot of pictures- and since she was here in the village- I brought her along to the meeting, along with my dear friend, Rachel who cooks in the guesthouse. They both appreciated it and I know that continued work with them will change their lives. The key thing is self-sustainment and health. One of the nearby villages has no mosquito nets, and the children are constantly getting malaria. They need 100 mosquito nets at 700,000 UGX- approximately $290 CAD- that would keep the adults and the children of this whole village protected from malaria for almost 2 years. Imagine- less than $300 CAD and you can save a whole village.

At every turn here we find need – but we also find hope. Our friend, Gershom, announced to his community that the shipment of medication that we are sending will help the people in all the surrounding villages – in their clinics and hospitals – insuring a further strengthening relationship through the interfaith groups here. We are doing great work to help to bring health to these villages – and also peace among all faiths, when that is absent in so many parts of the world. Thank you to all of you who have contributed to this shipment of vital medication through the efforts of MLF. It is the talk of the villages and CFPC is on everyone’s tongue.

As a side note, I would also encourage doctors who are reading this to check their stock of samples. The clinics here are always in short supply of basic medicine like ibuprofen (advil, motrin, etc), acetaminophen (Tylenol) – in infant, child and adult strengths – antibiotic creams or ointments, and other basic first aid supplies. Please check the expiration dates on all medication to make sure that they have a two year or more lifespan and that they are sealed. We welcome donations like this from others as well. If you find a bottle on sale and want to donate it- you will be helping a lot of people.

We recently were shocked to hear that the high school near our guesthouse has no computers- NONE AT ALL. That means these secondary students are not getting any access to any form of technology. So, I know that I’ve said it many times, but I’m going to say it again. PLEASE, if you have a gently used laptop at home that is not too heavy, and/or a Blackberry or iPhone that is sitting at home in a drawer- help us help these children connect to the world. We are also in need of simple phones. The most important thing about all the phones is that they must be unlocked so that the SIM card can be removed and have it replaced with any SIM card anywhere.

It’s been a long day- and tomorrow promises to be another. So I bid you good night and I hope that you are looking forward to the next updates.

Warm Regards,

Dvora Rotenberg
Executive Director
Canadian Friends of Pearl Children

Hi Everyone,

Today has been an amazing day! First of all I must say that it marks my first grandchild- my grandson’s two months of life. That day was a true blessing and a miracle to me. As rewarding as wonderful Uganda has always been for me, I have a deep yearning and need to be with my children and grandchild.

This morning, after meeting JJ to discuss coffee beans for an event that we will be having in Ottawa, which mentioned in a previous email – we traveled into town. Mbale town is a little bit different from Kampala- the difference is perhaps that the sidewalks are more in a “jam”. We picked up a couple of boxes of water for our meeting with the young leaders- a box of 24 normal size water bottles cost about $4 CAD. and 10 notebooks. We were then off to our meeting.

I have to tell you, I have corresponded by email, Skyped, and mostly texted on Facebook with many of these boys and one of the girls- but I’ve never met some of them face to face. Still, I feel as if they are all my children- so it was with great joy that I was greeted with love and hugs from everyone. It seems that those who have actually spent time with me – spent a lot of time talking about Mama Dvora. Those young men, like Galandi, who so wanted to go to secondary school- and we were able to send him- was beyond excitement. He is so thrilled to be back in school and told me many times. He had asked for some form of communication- a phone, or laptop, just so that he could communicate on his own. I had emailed him back that we definitely had a phone for him. At the last minute we had gotten another laptop but we didn’t tell him. This 23 year old young man, who looks like a little boy was beyond excited. He had it open looking and touching it. The phone doesn’t even work yet- and it is a simple phone that someone donated- still he was holding to his ear as if he was talking on it. As usual we took many pictures. Peretz, who had also requested that we look for a laptop for him was also overcome with excitement. And Sarah, who I put in charge of the women’s organization, received Elisha’s old one (new from last year) when I gave him my other one. Sarah had written a text message to me thanking me so much for the new laptop and now all she needed was a modem to start her work. So, when I had stopped in town the day before, I bought her a modem with airtime. I got a lot of hugs for that one. There is more to that story but I will tell you later in my email.

I handed out the notebooks and put a huge bag of pens on the table, complements of Caroline, and everyone was ready for the meeting. Let me explain that these are young men and women who are eager to work to help all the villages surrounding them and have been accepted as a community based organization (CBO) and are going to apply to become an NGO eventually. They will start with the villages around them, focusing on interfaith work- helping with basic needs, education, healthcare- and they themselves will work toward self-sustainment and then teach others. They are amazing young people and from the beginning to the end of the meeting I was impressed with each and every one of them. They are not interested in politics. They are a peaceful, hardworking determined group. They are all literate and have achieved some level of education. They had already elected officers, had an agenda prepared and followed it thoroughly. They had decided (or elected) Ethan as chairman and he lead the meeting. He is a wonderful committed young man who is very excited for this new chance to work on the goals they all dream of but have had no direction. The meeting started with a short prayer and then was preceded by introductions and then a message from the chairman. This was followed by a message from my agent, Elisha, who has kept excellent records and also gave an excellent report as to what we have all accomplished together so far. They then asked me to speak and I told them of my vision for self- sustainment and to get every child in school even if it is one child at a time. I explained in honesty that although we have students in primary secondary and university for this term, I don’t know where the donations for the following terms will come from and if will be enough- that we must take each a step at a time. I asked them what their priorities were since they had suggested many things to do. I told them in my opinion- and my suggestions are always just suggestions as I don’t always know their immediate needs since I don’t live here- that first they need to plant crops- as many as they are able. They will have to build a small structure with local material for someone to stay in to watch the farm, and until we can afford the bricks and cement for a slightly larger structure to use as their office. It is coming upon the rainy season and this is planting season. They must assure that as many people as possible are fed. We don’t want to send money for food when there is hunger. We want them to provide for themselves and be able to instead send that money for tuition if we don’t have enough sponsors ( please sponsor these young people in school- even one semester makes such a difference and they are so grateful). I am researching and sending them instructions how to build a special structure and which preservatives they can buy locally so that between harvests and during drought, they will have enough food and even be able to sell it. Once we can assure people are fed staple foods, then we can begin with the next list of priorities. I encouraged them in other ways to begin to sustain themselves and when they are making a profit to start to ask the locals from the other villages to help with the farming to ease the physical burden and also start to reach out by giving their neighbours small salaries to help their families. I know better than ever that these kids will succeed. And many of them have met Soff and are determined to help her when she is ready to get started- in honour of Bossa’s memory. They then opened the floor to comments and suggestions and it was a good discussion. Everyone took notes- and some of the suggestions taught me a lot about what is needed and what grows best there and the need to test the soil. I will try to bring a small jar home to have someone test for the various things that I would like them to grow for profit. I hope that the farmers on this list will know where I can get the soils tested for the crops I would want them to grow. They finished the meeting by a suggestion to conclude and someone seconded it. Then as is the custom, we sat down to eat. There is never a gathering of any sort without serving food. So, we ate a meal of posho, vegetables, rice, tomatoes and fish. They had forks with which to eat, a further sign of education as most people out in the bush eat with their hands.

When we finished eating we all explored the various things that we brought that were donated. There were little children wandering around and they came to look at the children’s story books. The boys were thrilled to have children’s books to read to the illiterate and to encourage the children to read and begin a love of learning. The older children and Elisha’s father looked at the various paperback novels that we brought for the young people- we left some with the university students in Kampala but when they come home they will exchange them. Then there was clothing and toothbrushes, the big bag of pens and shoes for the children. We bought children’s shoes at Salvation Army and Goodwill. I think we spent $25 CAD altogether and bought 19 pairs of children’s shoes We will need more of the above- especially phones, Blackberrys and small gently used laptops as we need our leadership to all have communication skills and be able to send emails and minutes to each other. Peretz is the secretary and took meticulous notes during the meeting and it’s important that the group can share these.

All in all our meeting was a success and I am confident that this project will lead toward greater things and a closeness of the communities of different cultures and religions which surround them. They are committed to this.

Tomorrow we meet with the women- both with Women First, a wonderful organization of which I have spoken in the past, and then our own meeting to plan going forward. Just as a side note- Kase and Sarah took a lift with us and Isaac and they got off at Sarah’s house where Kase taught Sarah how to use the computer, the modem and then Skype. She was able to Skype with her brother in Israel and see him and talk to him for the first time in over two months. When I heard this I cried. And this time it wasn’t just tears in my eyes but I cried as Chuck held me. It’s nothing short of a miracle how we are changing people’s lives forever.

Time to go to sleep to prepare for another busy day tomorrow.

Warmest Regards,

Dvora Rotenberg
Executive Director
Canadian Friends of Pearl Children

Hi Everyone,

We are on our way to the Kenyan border. The road is very bad. There is a patch of pavement in the middle of the “highway”, but it is mostly dirt. Cars and trucks from both directions try to drive on it so very often we end up driving on the dirt- which kicks up a lot of dust. Usually a car or truck will come at us from the opposite direction head on and it is at the last minute that one relents and swerves to drive on the dirt. Such is the challenge of driving most roads in Uganda. Even on the paved roads cars or trucks passing each other do the same thing- you pass a car even if a truck is coming and then swerve back into your lane. You couldn’t get me to drive in this country if you paid me. On the way to Kenya there are long stretches of road where there is no pavement at all and we drive on the rugged dirt. Sometimes the dirt covers bumpy laid pavement and that is the worst. There are young children herding cattle on the side of the road, people selling pineapple, people on bicycles and boda bodas (motorcycle taxis) weaving in and out.

Finally we entered the town of Tororo and the roads improved. We still swerved around a lot of potholes but for the most part it was much better.

We crossed the border into Kenya. They didn’t ask for or stamp our passports, probably because we are muzungu (white). There is no proof that we were ever there- but I assure you that we will be here for two days. Gladys, a friend of the High Commissioner and his wife Evelyn, and another woman named Beryl picked us up on the Kenyan side.

The road is very good here- except where they are doing work- then we need to detour onto the dirt roads on the side. However, there are rollers on the road and people are actually in them- working- unlike in Uganda. When we can get back on the road they are smooth and well paved and we can go very fast. So far, it seems a little more civilized driving wise although they still ignore stop signs. We arrived at Gladys’ house and she said here is my home- we are not accustomed to people saying that when we are close by and we passed two outhouses and looked at each other- thinking “oh no”. Fortunately we kept driving until we arrived at her gate. She has a beautiful house and even had a separate bedroom for us to stay in with its own bathroom. Not exactly what we are accustomed to but we are thankful for the plumbing and the electricity.

After some refreshments we sat down to discuss the issues at hand. They really are interested in women empowerment and how to go about it. They were really looking toward me to help them figure out how to organize their project. These are two well educated women. Gladys is a retired accountant and Beryl is a teacher. They are both in a master’s program for project management. We talked for a long time. At the end of our conversation we had developed some excellent ideas. We talked about micro-financing. They can provide training for the women- they will start small, with maybe five women and they are going to work it as a group pool. In another words, they will have a basic fund that the women have to contribute to once they start to make a profit and that fund can enable another woman to start a business and so on. They only need people to help loan money to the first few women and then they will probably be able to operate on their own. Since our goal is self-sustainment- this is a perfect project. We toured Gladys’ land which is large but generally there is no farming as she needs someone to teach her. She also has a henhouse but doesn’t know how to raise chicks. Her farm and henhouse can be their experimental farm and poultry farm. I encourage anyone that is interested in women’s empowerment to help with this program or the one in Uganda. They both will start small and whoever loans money to a woman will get reports and pictures and have their loan returned to them. Then they can make a decision to lend again to help them build the business further, or make the funds available to another woman to start or expand her business. When I know how much the loans will be, I will write an email in more detail about it. This is a project that we are starting from the ground.

When it became late (and she had an exam the next afternoon) we retired to our room. Our room here was nice – not a hotel but we had a double bed with a mosquito net, a single bed to put our things (instead of on the floor like in some places we stay) and a chair. It has a large closet area which we didn’t need to use as we were only staying one night. Unfortunately there was no fan and we were closed in tightly with the windows and door closed and covered with curtains and our mosquito net. It was quite warm- but we prefer that to getting bitten.

The next day we spent many hours at the school near the home of the Kenyan High Commissioner to Canada. The children that attend this school start at 3 years old and go to 16 years old. They also have an early childhood development program and are partially sponsored by the government. Still, the children need to pay tuition and the teachers in that program are paid for by the parents. They also have a special needs program with ten students. We were very surprised and happy about this as we haven’t encountered this in any of the schools we’ve visited in Uganda. They deal with those that are blind, deaf, have mental problems, have educational abilities that are far below normal and those with epilepsy. Each children is taught on an individual basis- and there is one teacher- who along with her bachelors degree in teaching also went back to school for three years for special education. She is very dedicated and pays attention to each of them in their own way to help raise their confidence and self-esteem and hopefully teach them to compensate for their disabilities so that they can be productive within society. These children need such things as puzzles, knitting and crocheting needles and yarn, lego and small blocks, small musical instruments, even whistles.

We were handed a list of the orphans in the school that need help with their tuition. When we saw the list of 188 children, we thought- oh my- this will take a long time. My heart ached for these children who at even the young age of 7 must go out and do small jobs like working on farms and anything else they can find to pay their fees so that they can stay in school. It broke my heart. These children don’t play, they don’t read story books, they don’t sit on computers or watch tv,- instead they work in the fields after school so that they can stay in school. They long to stay in school. We talked about tuition prices and added them up and converted them into Canadian dollars and we couldn’t believe it. We could send 188 children to school FOR A YEAR for $2000 CAD!!!! I know that we can do that! With all of your help we can do that in a short time.

After our tour and long meeting at the school we interviewed some of the orphans and disadvantaged children to get their personal stories and take their pictures. They were very shy and their lives are so hard- no different from what we see in Uganda.

Out trip back to the border felt very long as we were thoroughly exhausted. The roads are being worked on so when we had to go onto the dirt roads it was bumpy and dusty and closing the windows made it very hot. It took a while and we knew that we then had another hour and a half or more on those terrible roads back to Mbale. All I wanted was a bed and a fan. We got closer to the Ugandan border and saw an endless line of trucks. As we drove and looked toward the border, there were 50 or more and they were not moving AT ALL. We went around them until we were stopped and told that we couldn’t drive any further and so we got out, said our goodbyes and walked up the hill in the dust and the heat until we were very close to the Ugandan border where Isaac was waiting with his car. We got in and he put the air conditioning on- what a treat!! We hadn’t had any air conditioning in two days- and actually in Mbale there is no air conditioning except in Isaac’s car. We now had another hour and a half on the bumpy, nearly all dirt roads with pot holes- but I think the air conditioning kind of made up for it. It’s better to have the windows up because the Boda Bodas and trucks go by very fast and there is so much dust that it is literally like a sandstorm or a horrible blizzard. I cannot see through it- or what is coming at us- but Isaac was quite comfortable with it all. This is his home after all.

We came back to the guesthouse to a blackout. These are normal in Africa. You never know when you will lose electric power and when it will come back. Isaac has a generator here like the hotel in Kampala, but unfortunately it didn’t work very long- so they put on a rechargeable fluorescent light for a little while, but that also went out. I worked on my laptop until there wasn’t any power left on it and shut it down and we decided to go to bed. We read in bed with our flashlights and before we fell asleep the electricity came back on and we were grateful for the fan.

Tomorrow we meet with our new young leaders group.

Warm Regards,

Dvora Rotenberg
Executive Director
Canadian Friends of Pearl Children