The Skills Centre gang

These are some of the girls and boys I should soon be meeting in Soroti. They are students at the Global Care skills centre, learning tailoring in order to be able to earn an income. My excellent church, band mates, friends and family are supporting these young people by helping buy sewing machines as there are currently not enough to go round. I reckon that is a smart investment in many ways! Let me know if you want to contribute.

I am mostly packed and ready, just a few items to gather up still. I am having to take several kilos of groceries because of my diet restrictions but fortunately KLM gives me 2x23kg worth of baggage. I also have skipping ropes, drawing and writing kit, games, a few small musical instruments, books, voice recorders, and so forth. Happily I don't need too many clothes!

This weekend we are going to see Julius Caesar in Stratford upon Avon, in a version that relates to contemporary Africa. Since the play is about the overthrow of a dictator and the politics involved, it looks like being very exciting, plus our performance is being filmed by the BBC. Will have to dress up smart.

Another preoccupation is the garden at home, which has been sadly even more neglected than usual this spring (at least it was supposed to be spring). I have enlisted some assistance so it is starting to look better in part and I am planting out summer bedding, and trying to ensure that it gets looked after in my absence. Will I return to happy flowers and vegetables, or weeds only?

I will try to update when I get to Soroti some time next week...

Thanks for reading,
peace

Tom

Preparing for Uganda

I plan to use this blog to communicate with anyone who is interested in my doings over the next couple of months. At the moment I am trying to get everything together for my trip to Uganda in June and July. I will be staying at the Global Care children's centre at Soroti, where I am assured there is reasonably comfortable accommodation and often electricity, so I should be able to keep posting updates once I am there.

My objectives are to do some things that will be useful to Global Care and to complete research for my masters dissertation. No doubt other works will be prepared for me to walk in (Eph. 2.10).

On previous visits to Soroti I was mainly concerned with children affected by HIV/AIDS. The project to ensure that all were tested has been completed and I want to see how the kids are doing and whether there is more we need to do to ensure their welfare. I can also contribute just by being on site and meeting people. Fortunately my wife Barbara is able to join me in Uganda for the last part of the trip and will be able to bring her unique gifts to the party. Friends at Hope House Church have offered items that will help to encourage and support the various programmes to aid vulnerable kids in Soroti - more details next time!

My supervisor was happy today with my research proposal and it seems on track for a good outcome. I will be studying the subject of childhood disability and I hope to find out how this problem is understood and handled locally by talking to adults who deal with children and to the children themselves. The biggest challenges I anticipate will be getting children to communicate freely, and I have some ideas how to do that, and then finding ways to analyse and present the data that I collect. This all has to be related to existing knowledge and theory and combined with reflection on my own work to produce the final dissertation. The reason for choosing this topic is that Global Care is starting a new project this year to help children with disabilities who have been excluded from school.

I'll spare you the details of planning for the practicalities of the trip like food, transport and money.

Thanks for reading!

Blessings,

Tom