18/04 - 30/04 The Newbies arrive!

Then comes the arrival of the family!

But first of all, a few days before everyone arrived, Joe, Dom and I offered to do a night shift at Sonrise. In the meantime, Sonrise had acquired tiny little boy twins only days old, and for some reason they put us in charge of them for a night! WHY?!? Neither of the boys had ever changed a nappy, and the last time I had was on Alice, my little cousin, years ago! I was terrified. We sneakily watched the other staff mamas change nappies, and then we let go of all pride and just told Richard we had no idea what we were doing. He didn’t seem too phased and quickly explained how much to feed them and where to find everything. However he didn’t know which twin was which so we renamed them little Joseph and Dominic.

Then we were left all alone.

We started watching a film on a laptop as it was only ten o’clock, and pretty swiftly little Joseph started making a fuss and crying – the beginning of a very loooong night. Big Dom took charge and we all helped in successfully changing little Joseph’s nappy. Then was little Dominic’s turn to cry so I sorted him out with some grub. Big Joe had in the meantime fallen asleep. After an hour with the little ones big Dom and I went to bed. About ten minutes later, little Dominic started crying again but it was big Joe’s turn to look after him. I learned that both big Joe and Dom sleep like logs. For the rest of the night I had a system going. When it was Dom’s turn to look after the twins I’d kick him from the bottom bunk (he was on the top bunk) until he got up, and when it was Joe’s turn I’d pick up the baby then poke Joe in the face til he woke up and shoved a baby in his arms. I think I had a grand total of two hours sleep the twins woke up so much. Neither of the Joes and Doms were not my favourite people the next day!

THEN everyone arrived!

Will and Sophia (Will’s girlfriend) were in Uganda for two weeks; my parents were in Uganda for three weeks.

The first week was absolutely exhausting! For the first time ever, I was the one in the know on most things, I was organising where they were going, deciding where to eat, being the tour guide essentially! The first few days were spent visiting the projects. First off – ASCO.

So we trotted up to ASCO, and everyone was introduced to the kids – Will was known as the dancing man! They spent an hour or so getting to know the kids – playing with them, looking at their exercise books and pictures – and getting the ‘low down’ on ASCO from Sarah and Moses.

Next, Will got down to business with the break dancing workshops! During that week, the kids couldn’t have been happier: there was constantly music playing, kids dancing or practicing their exercises like cartwheels etc! As it’s the holidays, Paul and Thomas who’re sponsored into Lords Meade (secondary school) are back at ASCO, so our lesson timetable’s more flexible so that the kids can have a break too. They were all amazing by Will’s demonstrations of break dancing; they won’t have ever seen a music video to know what it is! It was also great for someone to do something active with them, Moses, Amos and Dan are all painters and not exactly sporty! At the end of each session we’d make a circle and everyone would have to dance in the circle

The second project for the week at ASCO was to teach them all how to make Devil Sticks. Some of the kids have devil complexes as that’s what witchdoctors or parents have told them so that’s why some are on the streets so we had to rename them Rhythm or Magic Sticks. Will went out with Moses to get all the wood, tape and inner tubing and all the kids made their own set although at the time they were using them more like tools to hit each other… Most of them used them properly though! So all in all, that week, Will and Sophia won the hearts of all the kids as the ‘cool’ uncle and auntie!

We also made a trip to Sonrise to visit all the babies. We spent an hour or so playing with the younger ones at first - everyone was a bit hit to be honest! We took the older toddlers for a walk, two little people for every big person, one in each hand, negotiating the pot holes and eroded mud tracks. Will and Sophia made the mistake of playing a game of lifting them up with their little ones right at the beginning so then when they stopped for a break they’d have three kids throwing tantrums! AMATEURS.

Last project we visited was Valley View. Hope, the Head teacher, showed us round the unfinished brick building and wooden shack classrooms, I think the parents were shocked, especially by the jagged rock covered floor in the classrooms in the brick building. But generally, they agreed with me about the atmosphere of the school after having met some kids in P5 – P7 doing extra catch up lessons. After a chat with Hope, the parents offered to concrete the two floors in the brick building with the money they’d previously fundraised which made Hope absolutely ecstatic!