Liz Humphreys and HUG

While we were on the Ssese Islands we met many people. One who stands out in my mind is Liz Humphreys. Liz directs a program called Help Children in Uganda--HUG for short. She's been in the Islands for six years.

Liz is the real deal. The program is not fancy. They educate and care for children who would otherwise not have anyone to educate or care for them. I've already mentioned that the Islands are poorer than the area around Nkozi. HUG reflects that.

The kids have it good--compared to their other options--which would be no school and no one to care for them. However, they still haul water--all the water they use--over a mile. Those Jerry cans are heavy. I can just about lift the big ones when they're full and here are kids, even little kids carrying full containers of water for over a mile. (OK, the littlest kids carry smaller containers.) This is drinking water, water for bathing, water for washing dishes and clothes, water for whatever you use water to do.

They have an outhouse--no indoor plumbing--and no toilet, just a hole to squat. They do not have dependable electricity. They have a small generator that runs when they can afford petrol. Otherwise they have no electricity. Theoretically the island has electricity, but the generator provided by the government for the island's electricity is too expensive to operate, so it doesn't.

It's one thing to live without creature comforts when you know no other option, but Liz is British. She's lived with the same creature comforts that other folks from developed countries expect. The kids have it good based on their experience, but I would have a hard time going the distance in their world. Once again, I'm a wimp.

Here in Nkozi we have hot and cold running water, a flush toilet and electricity. Yes, they go out from time to time, but just long enough to remind me to appreciate what we have.

HUG especially works with some of the distant islands. Many of these islands have no school. The kids just don't go to school. If parents can't afford the fees for boarding school, and there's no option to go to school where they live, the kids work.

Liz has helped get a couple of schools off the ground. She looking for a social worker to work with the three most distant islands. They're two or more hours away by boat. Oh yeah, it helps if you speak Luganda.

In Nkozi we're living in the lap of luxury compared to life for the people who live on the Ssese Islands.

The Ssese Islands

Last Sunday Bry'Chell and I went to the Ssese (pronounced: Say-say) Islands for a little break before Bry'Chell goes back to school. Sr. Elizabeth contacted her youngest brother, Jude, and he arranged for a lodging. Their cousin, Fr. Aloysius, accompanied by Sr. Elizabeth, gave us a ride to the ferry. The islands are located in the northern part of Lake Victoria.

I wanted to go for two reasons. First, monkeys live on the islands. We hadn't seen any and I wanted to see some. We did. Second, I had heard the islands were beautiful. They are.

Jude had asked whether we wanted to stay at an inexpensive place or a more expensive place. This time we went for the cheap place--25,000 Ush a night for the two of us. That's about $12.50 a night. This was for a double room--a double bed and a twin bed with mosquito netting and a bathroom, although no running water. However, we were provided with jerry cans of water and warm water for bathing. Although there was a shower head, with no running water we bathed in a large basin (think large plastic dish pan.)

The room was clean. It was small. We had electricity every night from 7:30 PM to about 10 PM. There was a kerosene lantern in the room, but we brought a battery powered one, so we didn't use the kerosene one.

Before we went, I told Bry'Chell to think of this as camping. For camping it was pretty luxurious. For a hotel, it was basic, although I've stayed in worse. Jude bargained some to get the local price for us. I am grateful he did.

Jude picked us up from the ferry on his motorcycle and had another boda-boda there to take the other one of us. Bry'Chell has always said she would never ride a boda-boda, but she did when she had no other choice and she had a great time. She did hold on for dear life, but she was grinning the whole time. There's not much traffic on the island, so it's a good place to ride a boda-boda, if you have no other choice.

There's a lot more to write about, but it's time to braid Bry'Chell's hair. I want to do a nice job since she goes back to school on Monday--after a two month vacation for Christmas. (It wasn't that much of a vacation since she had to do American History and math almost everyday.)